Green Car News
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Although it’s almost a year since the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt officially launched in key electric car markets, the majority of the U.S. population have yet to see their first highway capable electric car. So its no surprise that automakers are spending a lot of time and energy trying to educate buyers in as-yet unexplored markets about electric and fuel-efficient cars. But at Ford’s Power of Choice roadshow -- a nationwide tour designed to showcase Ford’s best ecologically sound cars -- its staff struggled to answer even basic questions about using its 2012...
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Will Infiniti Build The First Mainstream Electric Sports Car?Infiniti has confirmed that they're working on a two seat electric sports car with a mid-motor, rear drive layout. The car will be featured at next year's Geneva Motor Show.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Hits Magic Mark: 40-MPG Highway RatingIt's not always true that the smallest cars get the best gas mileage. In many cases, compact cars get mileage equal to or better mileage than their shorter, stubbier subcompact brethren. The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact has managed to crack the magic 40-mpg highway mark, though. Estimates...
John Voelcker -
Land Rover Bringing Diesel Engines To The U.S.Land Rover has announced that future U.S. models will include a diesel engine option, necessary for the company to meet stricter CAFE requirements in the United States.
Kurt Ernst -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Live Photos: Frankfurt Auto ShowThe BMW i3's bigger brother the i8 may get all the attention from sports car fans, but as the smaller and more practical of the "i" range the i3 could be considered the more relevant of the two. We were at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show ready to capture both i-cars in all their glory. You can find...
Antony Ingram -
Electric Car Revenge is Sweet in Amsterdam With 100 Nissan LeafsThe Amsterdam premiere of the move "Revenge of the Electric Car" is expected to attract fully 100 Nissan Leaf electric cars from all over Europe.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
While Rolls-Royce may have hit the headlines earlier this year with its all-electric 102EX Phantom Concept, its large customer base hasn’t been quite as welcoming. Despite a strong customer ambivalence to anything other than a throbbing 12-cylinder engine underneath the hood of its hand-built luxury cars, however, Rolls-Royce still hasn’t given up on the idea of offering a hybrid or electric version of its cars. Talking to Christopher Rauwald of Dow Jones Newswires, Rolls-Royce’s Chief Executive, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said that the luxury brand needs to embrace greener...
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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: 2013 Euro Honda Civic Is Complete TeaseThe 2013 European Honda Civic Hatchback was unveiled earlier this week at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Sleeker, more aggressive and more practical, it showcases Honda’s ninth revision of this gas-sipping compact. Sadly, just like its predecessor, the 2006-2011 Honda Civic hatchback...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Chevy Sonic Proves Small Can Be Safe, Earns Top Safety PickThe IIHS has named the 2012 Chevy Sonic a "Top Safety Pick," signifying that the car has scored high in crash testing and comes with standard electronic stability control.
Kurt Ernst -
2014 BMW i8 Live Photos: 2011 Frankfurt Auto ShowBMW has taken a radical departure from its traditional brand of teutonic sedans with its "i" range. The i3 is a carbon-bodied electric city car and the i8 a plug-in hybrid sports coupe, and both display wild styling and high-tech features. We were at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show to get a closer...
Antony Ingram -
Fisker Karma Customer Deliveries: Maybe October, Or November?Startup carmaker Fisker Automotive has probably learned a lot of lessons about the timing of auto launches. Although the car went into production in March, it still hasn't been approved for sale by various U.S. regulatory bodies--including the Environmental Protection Agency--as of this month...
John Voelcker -
U.S.-Bound 2013 Chevy Spark To Get Design UpdatesThe Chevy Spark minicar, bound for the U.S. in 2012, will get minor front end changes required to meet U.S. safety standards.
Kurt Ernst -
For fans of ultra-economical vehicles living in the United States, life just isn't fair sometimes. While the European market gets to play with dozens of high MPG turbodiesels, we're often told to make do with small capacity gasoline engines that don't come close to matching diesel, even if they're getting better these days. Latest to join the "forbidden fruit" list is the Kia Rio Ecodynamics. The 2011 Kia Rio is one of America's cheapest cars and although the recently-launched European model doesn't have the same penny-pinching title, it does get the option of a 1.1-liter, 3-cylinder...
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Volkswagen Nils Electric Car Concept: Frankfurt Live PhotosTwo weeks ago we brought you images of the Volkswagen Nils electric car concept to be revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. The car has now been unveiled and Green Car Reports can bring you a full gallery of Volkswagen's smallest electric car concept to date. The Nils looks very similar to the...
Antony Ingram -
Small Is The New Big: Mercedes Bringing B-Class, A-Class To U.S.Mercedes-Benz is betting the time is right for a new range of compact and subcompact vehicles in the U.S. market. Expect to see the first of these, the B-Class wagon, in 2013.
Kurt Ernst -
Coda Signs Deal For Electric-Car Plant in Benicia, CaliforniaIt’s been just a week since Californian automaker Coda Automotive opened up its first showroom in LA’s Westside in the Westfield Century Mall -- but now Coda bosses have confirmed that it has signed a deal to open a final assembly plant in Benicia, California. The deal, which Coda has...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-Cell Plus Extended Range Electric VehicleMercedes will soon join General Motors and Fisker in offering an extended range electric vehicle. Shown as a concept in Frankfurt, the B-Class E-Cell Plus will see production in the near future.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Mia Electric Microbus: First Drive ReportSometimes a clever inventor or a team of engineers changes the way we think about an appliance or a concept we’ve lived with for years -- producing a revolutionary new design that makes us wonder how we ever lived without it. But sometimes a supposed revolutionary new design is little more...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Infiniti -- the luxury sister brand of Nissan -- has been joining in the electric car hype at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show with talk of an all-electric subcompact car it will have ready for sometime in 2014. This isn’t the first time Infiniti has talked electric cars. Last year, Infiniti boss Toru Saito let slip that the Japanese brand was working on an all-new subcompact car -- but didn’t detail when we’d see it hit the market. Later on last year, Infiniti told us to expect its first electric car in 2013 -- but according to Infiniti chief creative officer and senior vice...
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2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Brabus AWD Electric Mercedes-Benz E-ClassThis year’s 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show has been heavily dominated by the drive towards greener vehicles, better gas mileage, and zero tailpipe-emissions motoring. So it’s no surprise that German tuning house Brabus has followed the trend set by most of the major automakers attending the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Smart Forvision Electric Car Concept: Frankfurt Live PhotosWhile Smart used the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show to release its new, upgraded Fortwo Electric Drive and the production Smart eBike, the new Forvision concept previewed a few weeks ago gives us an idea what the next generation Fortwo might look like. Still a Smart... Importantly, the Forvision is...
Antony Ingram -
Mahindra's Diesel Pickups About To Lose EPA ApprovalThe Mahindra TR20 and TR40 compact diesel pickups were supposed to launch in the U.S. in 2008, then 2010, then 2011. With EPA approval set to expire at the end of 2011, the future of the compact diesel pickup on these shores looks bleak.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Frankfurt Auto ShowThe problems with the old Smart Fortwo Electric Drive were fairly easy to work out. It was too slow, had only an average range, took too long to charge and it was too expensive - even when leasing. Smart has taken the car back to the drawing board and fixed all these issues - and given the car a...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Opel RAK e Electric ConceptAt this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show there’s a very clear theme among concept cars: ultra-small urban runabouts. Now Opel -- the European arm of General Motors -- has joined Audi, Volkswagen, Smart and many others with its own take on a lightweight electric-powered urban runabout. Called...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield