Green Car News

While some carmakers go down the entirely electric route and others explore different branches of hybrid technology, Volkswagen is best known for its efforts with turbodiesel engines. There's only so much you can do with internal combustion however, which is why Volkswagen's Cross Coupe concept...

As gas prices across the U.S. continue an upward march towards $5 per gallon, demand for Toyota Hybrids is now the highest it has been for nearly four years. On Thursday last week, Toyota reported that sales of all Prius brand hybrids -- including the new 2012 Toyota Prius V wagon -- were up 52...

Late Friday afternoon, Chevrolet announced it would idle production of its Volt range-extended electric car for five weeks, from March 19 to April 23. The story was first reported by the Detroit Free Press; GM informed the 1,300 assembly-line workers at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant of the shutdown...

General Motors announced today it will offer bi-fuel versions of its 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks that run either on gasoline or natural gas. The two trucks are the 2500 HD (heavy duty) model, and can be ordered in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive and with a standard or long...

Remember the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize -- the $10 million prize to find the next big thing in green transportation? While the X-Prize -- not to mention many of the companies who took part -- have long been forgotten, one of the competition winners wants you to know its revolutionary...

Volkswagen's up! minicar is one of our "forbidden fruit" cars. It's small, green, clever, does 56 miles per gallon, and is entirely unavailable in the U.S. That's unsurprising, given that it's even smaller than Volkswagen's own Polo, the Fiesta-sized subcompact also denied to U.S. buyers. VW is...

Unless you have children, or religiously follow the cult of celebrity, you might have never heard of a Canadian teen pop sensation by the name of Justin Bieber. Under most circumstances, we’d envy you -- but it turns out hours of listening to tweens enthuse about this particular star have...

The 2012 Toyota Prius is one of the cleanest vehicles on the road right now, but talented though it may be, not everyone wants their hybrid technology in a standard hatchback. That's where cars like the 2013 Lexus RX 450h come in, offering similar technology to the Prius, but in an altogether more...

This is no ordinary Mitsubishi 'i' electric car. The bodywork is a bit of a giveaway really - adding another third to the length of Mitsubishi's jellybean-like electric car and making it look twice as wide suggests that this electric car isn't really designed for popping to the mall and back...

Europeans love diesel cars. For them, diesels are robust, get great gas mileage, and in some places, cost less to run. Traditionally, Americans distrust diesel passenger cars. With the exception of the few percent of car buyers who drive around in oil-burning cars from companies like Volkswagen...

It's only a matter of days now before the 2012 Geneva Motor Show opens to the press on March 6, and we'll be there to cover all the greenest new metal from the show floor. In the meantime, we've compiled a list of some new faces and more familiar shapes, all of which have one thing in common - a...

After a flurry of press events last October that included rides in 2012 Tesla Model S prototypes, Tesla Motors went mostly silent until it unveiled its Model X crossover last month. But the electric crossover won't generate any cash for the Silicon Valley startup carmaker over the next year or two...

When 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters took Honda to Small Claims Court for what she said was misleading and unachievable gas mileage claims, the world looked on with interest. Not everyone thought Peters would win. But when she did -- to the tune of nearly $10,000 in damages --...

U.S. vehicle sales soared in February, and so did sales of plug-in cars. A drop in the number of all-electric Nissan Leaf sales was more than offset by a rise in sales of the range-extended electric Chevrolet Volt. At least 1,500 plug-in cars were sold last month, with totals for the Mitsubishi 'i'...

Over the past few years, Audi has become increasingly interested in developing a range of all-electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars under its e-tron brand name. Earlier this week, we told you that its all-electric A3 e-tron test program had officially launched in the U.S. Now the German...

Lithium-ion cell maker A123 Systems announced today that it would supply complete battery packs to Tata Motors, the largest vehicle maker in India, to be used in hybrid systems for commercial vehicles. The lithium-ion battery packs will first be deployed in city transit buses in the latter half of...

Korean automaker Hyundai has revealed the first image of an electric concept due to hit the show stands at Geneva next week. Rather than a pure battery-electric vehicle though, the "i-oniq" concept uses a gasoline range-extending engine to keep the vehicle moving when the batteries die. The i-oniq...

Tuesday next week marks the start of the 82nd Geneva Motor Show. Physically small in size, it's nevertheless one of the biggest events on the motoring calendar and the scene of major launches every year. This year, Lexus is lending us an example of its premium hybrid off-roader, the 2012 Lexus RX...

Unless you’re the kind of person who can afford a bespoke luxury car, you’ll know the pain of finding out from your car dealer that the car you want doesn’t come with the paint or interior options you’d like. So what if you could help automakers decide on which options to...

In the world of plug-in cars, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt may get all the attention, but a new arrival will make it very much a three-car race. The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid is just now arriving at Toyota dealers in California plus a dozen or so other states. While it may look just like a...