Green Car News

If you have been following the trends of both MINI and Fiat you might wonder if going even smaller is the new “thing” for 2011. Recently, we reported on the progress of the MINI Coupe and while not everyone is raving about the design it is still an interesting car. Fiat apparently...

Just a few months in and we’re already hearing stories of electric car owners getting stranded as their new electric cars ‘suddenly’ run out of power. We’ve already examined the reasons behind why two 2011 Nissan Leaf drivers recently found themselves stranded without...

At just over 2,300 pounds, the Mazda2 is a lightweight. It's about 200 pounds less than the Honda Fit, MINI Cooper, or Ford Fiesta, and a bit less than the Toyota Yaris even. And, Smart Fortwo aside, that makes it the lightest regular production vehicle for 2011. Lighter weight and smaller engine...

Gas prices are rising, so you'd think that the 2011 Toyota Prius hybrid would be the car of the moment. But with car production halted in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, Prius supplies are already growing tight. And Toyota is hardly helping the thriftiest buyers, those who want only a...

For every new vehicle that gets sold in the United States, four used cars change hands. Those new cars have nice, big window stickers showing their EPA-rated gas mileage figures. Used cars? All you get is the seller mumbling something like, "Oh, yeah, it always gets, ummmmm, at least 25 miles a...

There’s no doubt consumers will be faced with higher gas prices going into the future, and alternatives, like diesel powered cars and hybrids, all have their respective shortcomings. We recently looked at why mainstream automakers refuse to launch more diesel models in the U.S. and, just...

In 2007 Mercedes-Benz came to market with the fourth generation C-Class. It was a car positioned to entice those looking to make the move to the luxury brand, but not quite ready to step up to the payments of an E-Class. The problem was that the car was a little light on the touches that one might...

After three weeks of using our new 2011 Nissan Leaf for most of our local commuting, it has a valued and important place in our two-car family. We appreciate the driving economy and features of the car. But it has been shocking how little notice the car has received. As one of the first half-dozen...

Eighteen months after Australian Tesla roadster early adopter Simon Hackett broke the world record for the longest distance travelled in a production electric vehicle Tesla Australia is planning a 3,000 kilometer (1,864 mile) trek along the country’s east coast After receiving official...

Con men are well known for their ability to sell their victims fake goods, extract money or even con them out of their homes. But con men traditionally prey on individuals, concentrating on the vulnerable, naive or greedy. So just how did con men convince an automotive giant to hand over nearly...

While the legal status of E15 gasoline is in doubt, the Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with plans for it to roll out before this summer's driving season. That means that drivers will have to pay attention to the labels on their gas pumps, making sure that E15 is only used for...

With fuel prices continuing to edge higher, the cost benefit of fuel saving hybrid and diesel vehicles are now more important than ever. We recently looked at why mainstream automakers in the U.S. refuse to launch more fuel efficient diesel models locally, and now we have details of a new study...

It was the film that many electric car advocates cite as the reason they drive electric, but now electric car “who done it?” documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? has a sequel: Revenge of the Electric Car. And as the film’s director Chris Paine tells us on the ROTEC website...

Some things about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt we liked, and there were a few that puzzled us. But GM's innovative range-extended electric car also has its share of annoyances. We found several features irritating, or (to be more diplomatic) perhaps not-quite-entirely-thought-through yet. That's...

Every new car has a few teething problems, but a few reports of Nissan's all-electric Leaf running out of charge prematurely hasn't helped the age-old stereotype that electric cars will leave their owners stranded without power. But are these incidents as rare as the reports suggest and what...

We're going to have a lot of 2011 Chevrolet Volt coverage this week, as we round up our impressions on the five days and hundreds of miles we've racked up on GM's first extended-range electric vehicle. We'll do a full drive report later on, but first, a few quick hits about the things we like in...

Chinese auto giant BYD is one of the world’s leaders in the field of hybrid vehicles, having been the first in the market with a mass-produced plug-in hybrid back in 2009--albeit in China only--and now with several small fleets of plug-in hybrid models here in the U.S. These are small-scale...

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors announced this week an update to its plans to deliver its Model S sedan, a hotly watched launch for the company. It’s not just electric-car fans who are itching to hear the progress on the Model S (pictured), which starts at $57,400 before federal tax...

The shuttered Saturn brand is quickly fading from memory, but now GM plans to bring back one former Saturn model to live on in a new incarnation. But even if you're a Saturn fan, you won't be able to buy one--unless you're a business. Vue redux The compact crossover that sold for only two years as...

Nissan has announced that as a consequence of Friday's devastating 9.0 earthquake and Tsunami in Japan production at all of its factories will remain halted until it has fully assessed the damage sustained to its factories, equipment and parts suppliers. Although Nissan's factories have been spared...