Green Car News
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Two weeks ago, the EPA rated the 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid at 27 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 29 mpg. That makes it the only car in its class, as Infiniti proudly trumpeted, with both 350 horsepower and a highway rating of 30 mpg or more. Now, the cost of that fuel efficiency has been announced as well. The manufacturer's suggested retail price of the 2012 M Hybrid will be $53,700. (That does not include a mandatory destination fee of $875.) How does that compare to the rest of the 2012 Infiniti M range, which goes on sale on March 2? It's more expensive than the pair of...
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Could Chevy Volt Plug-In Displace Prius Hybrid On Red Carpets?It all started with Leonardo DiCaprio, who showed up at the foot of the red carpet in his very own Toyota Prius. Within a couple of years, alighting from a Prius hybrid--or any other hybrid, including the hulking Cadillac Escalade Hybrid luxury full-size sport-utility vehicle--was de rigeur for any...
John Voelcker -
2011 Mitsubishi i Passes European Crash Tests, Could do BetterIt may be getting a complete redesign for the U.S. market, but the european version of Mitsubishi’s i electric car has obtained 4 out of a possible 5 stars in the european-wide car safety tests. In results announced yesterday by the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) the sub-compact...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Porsche Recreates The Original Hybrid Car, 111 Years LaterThe name Porsche has traditionally been associated with fast, rear-engine sports cars, and more recently with fast heavy SUVs and fast heavy four-door luxury sedans. But it all goes back to pioneering engineer Ferdinand Porsche. He also designed the prototype for what became the Volkswagen Beetle...
John Voelcker -
Fisker To Release Karma Hybrid (Finally), With Extra $150M, Possible IPOAfter several rounds of delays and price increases, electric car startup Fisker says it will start production next month for the Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid priced at $95,900. The company raised $150 million earlier this month at a $600 million valuation, and its backers include storied venture...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
What Are The Turning Radii Of The New Toyota Prii?Toyota announced this week that it had ended what it called a “decade-long debate” by decreeing that the plural of Prius would be Prii henceforth and to the end of time. Okay, they didn’t say that last part. Toyota unveiled the winning word at the Chicago Auto Show this morning...
IEEE Spectrum -
Earlier this week MINI announced via their Facebook fan page their newest addition to the social media community—MINI Motorsports. The point of the fan page is to promote the brand’s participation in motorsports around the world and not just from corporate sponsored activities—they want fans of MINIs from all over to interact, post pictures and video. You may be asking why this is important to AllSmallCars.com or the consumers around the world, let’s see what we come up with? From our perspective, this is great for the small car perception among buyers, especially in...
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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Delay: Deciding To Make It Make Noise, AlwaysHyundai is no friend to cheating spouses, that's for sure. Of course, neither is Congress (despite the recent Craigslist antics of former Representative Chris Lee). But perhaps we should start at the beginning. 'Vast defect' ?!?!? We've gotten several notes over the past few weeks from Colorado...
John Voelcker -
Do Battery-Pack Failures Reduce the Life of Hybrid Cars? A Reader AsksOur reader Jonathan P asks: I have a 1997 Saturn that, remarkably, is still running. It probably has the book value of a large watermelon, so if anything major goes wrong with it, that's the end of that. If that Saturn were a hybrid, I'm guessing the battery pack would have died about four years...
John Voelcker -
Europeans Suffer as 2011 Nissan Leaf MSRP Rises to $50,310Oh dear, Nissan. You’re struggling to fulfil worldwide demand for your first ever production electric vehicle, and then you go and put the price of your revolutionary car up. At least, that’s what buyers in Europe are faced with from March 1. Even before the first Nissan Leaf has been...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Has Your Electric Car Stopped Working? Flatbed It, Don't TowFabulous creations that electric cars are, they're still machines designed by mere mortals and as a result, they may occasionally go wrong. As they're operated by mere mortals too, you may find one time that you're unable to reach your destination on a charge thanks to a miscalculation, or you've...
Antony Ingram -
2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Engine Stalling InvestigatedWhile Toyota clearly hopes the worst of its recall problems are behind it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a new investigation into an older Toyota vehicle. On February 15, the NHTSA opened an investigation into 32 complaints of engine stalling in 2006 Toyota...
John Voelcker -
The automotive world has been waiting to for the BMW MegaCity to be introduced, but we will have to wait a long time for that. Recently, BMW announced that they will be renaming the MegaCity and future eco-conscious vehicles and placing them under a new brand—BMWi. The new BMWi range is being positioned by BMW to be the sub-brand for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with a significant addition of interconnectivity between the driver, the car and the surroundings. Back to the MegaCity and its new name. BMW has chosen to rename the MegaCity to the BMW i3. It will join a plug-in hybrid...
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Want a Virtual Electric Car? There’s an App For ThatEver since Apple announced it would allow third party developers to build and sell applications for its iPhone smart phone, we’ve seen a whole range of applications from the silly to the useful. There’s even some fantastic iPhone apps to help you find the nearest charge station, control...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want an Electric Car Like the Nissan Leaf? Prepare to WaitYou’ve seen the adverts, been to the test-drive and placed down a $99 deposit for Nissan’s all-electric Leaf. Of course, there’s something you probably weren’t told about at the time of reserving a place in the queue. Patience. Save for a few hundred lucky individuals, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Honda Civic HF Joins The 40-MPG-Plus Parade, Hybrid TooYou may have seen it on a t-shirt: "40 is the new 30." But you may not have realized it applies to miles-per-gallon just as much as age. While cars with EPA ratings of 30 mpg or more used to be considered in the highest ranks of fuel efficiency, now 40 mpg seems to be the new benchmark for...
John Voelcker -
House Vote Blocks Gas With E15 Ethanol; Will Senate Follow?The latest episode in the long-running drama over whether U.S. drivers will be offered gasoline with more ethanol in it came very early Saturday morning. The House of Representatives adopted an amendment to a continuing resolution on Federal spending through September 30 that would bar the U.S...
John Voelcker -
VIDEO: Hack of 2011 Nissan Leaf Provides Faster Charging, But is it Safe?Charge Anxiety, the fear that your electric car won’t charge up as quickly as you need it to may be one step further away if you’re a 2011 Nissan Leaf owner willing to throw caution to the wind and hack your $25,000 bundle of joy. At least that’s the message coming from a select...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The 2011 Geneva Motor Show is quickly approaching with the opening day being on March 3rd. As with most shows, manufacturers are using the show as a springboard for their concept cars and model debuts. Smart is no exception and has announced that they will be debuting a new concept car called the Forspeed. This isn’t just any concept; it is a roadster electric concept and one that is bound to turn some heads. The Smart Forspeed electric concept has a drivetrain that is derived from the ForTwo Electric Drive, a car that is no stranger to the AllSmallCars.com pages. That said, the...
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Chevrolet Cruze to Bring Back Small Car Diesel Power In 2013Diesel’s have had a bad reputation in America, something we actually mentioned during our “Super Bowl Ad Watch” earlier this month. If you didn’t catch it, the subject came up when BMW advertised their 3-Series diesel with an ad depicting older diesels spewing tons of black...
Jonathan McGrew -
BMW to Rename MegaCity as BMW i3, Promises Plug-in HybridIts just about to launch trails of its rear-wheel drive electric Active E sedan, but German automaker BMW has just announced a whole new sub-brand for electric and plug-in hybrid BMWs. Called the BMWi, the range will encompass BMW’s eco-conscious vehicles and offer unprecedented...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid Preview Gallery, AnimationThis morning we brought you the first exclusive live images and official details on the production version of the 2012 Volvo V60, and now we have the official gallery and animation demonstrating how the car's hybrid system works. Promising 124 mpg in hybrid mode and all-electric range of 30 miles...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW Confirms 'i' Electric Sub-Brand, Lineup: MegaCity Now i3Auto marketers and PR people have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. It lets them connect directly with users and fans, but it also transmits facts, leaks, and rumors at lightning speed. That meant that this morning's BMW press conference, telecast live from BMW Welt in a snowy Munich...
John Voelcker -
Rolls-Royce Confirms 102EX Electric Phantom PrototypeSilent cruising in a seemingly impregnable fortress of fine leather, sensuous wood, and hand-built steel and glass is the ultimate goal of hyper-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce. Which means it's not too surprising that the automaker has confirmed the development of an all-electric version of its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran