Sedans

Continuing to diversify the green powertrain options it offers to buyers, Mercedes-Benz will add a clean-diesel model to its largest sedan line, the S-Class. The new 2011 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC sedan joins this year's S400 Hybrid, which adds a mild hybrid system with a 15-kilowatt electric...

It's been more than a year since Volkswagen confirmed it would sell its Polo subcompact in the U.S. But the company also said it would modify the Polo to make it more suitable for the U.S. market, which prefers sedans to hatchbacks. Now, the other shoe has dropped: VW has just unveiled the Polo...

Launching a brand-new car make is a tough task; just ask General Motors (RIP Saturn). But if you're electric-car startup Coda Automotive, you have at least one plus (it's a pure electric car, which is sexy) to offset several potential minuses (who's Coda? it's made in China? I can't buy one outside...

CODA Automotive, builder of electric cars and batteries, is diversifying its manufacturing operations, which had previously been based mostly in China. The company says it will be opening a lithium-ion battery factory in Ohio that could add more than 1,000 jobs to the local area.The creation of so...

The list of cars offered to U.S. buyers in gasoline, diesel, and hybrid models is going to get longer. On the heels of its confirmation that the 2012 BMW 5-Series will be offered with a full hybrid system, the company has also confirmed it'll sell a clean diesel version of the new 5-Series in the...

Last summer, when we first drove the 2010 Lexus HS 250h luxury hybrid--and then did a full test drive--we were quite puzzled by it. Neither as fuel efficient as a hybrid nor as elegant and refined as other Lexus models, it seemed neither fish nor fowl. And in the end, while we appreciated its...

The first batch of 2011 Buick Regals that are set to go on sale this quarter will come with a gasoline-only 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine but eventually a new 2.0-liter turbo mill will be offered, by which time both engines will feature E85 flex-fuel capability. The 2.0-liter turbo will arrive in...

Hyundai is working on a brand new generation of its Elantra sedan that’s due to go on sale later this year as a 2011 model, but we can already get a look at the new car thanks to the unveiling of its South Korean cousin, the Avante, at the 2010 Busan Auto Show this week. With sportier and even...

When it comes to hybrids, there are two main factors that motivate buyers into paying the premium the vehicles demand over comparable non-hybrid models: money and the environment. Hybrids are cleaner than regular models in that they consume less fuel and thus produce fewer emissions, but at the...

As New York City works aggressively to reduce its carbon footprint and cut exhaust emissions, it has encouraged large fleets to switch to hybrids. From utility ConEd to the fleets of yellow cabs, more and more hybrids are showing up on city streets. The latest large fleet to go greener is the New...

Used to be that turbos were used in performance cars, from the Saab Turbos of the late Seventies to BMW's current range of twin-turbo sixes. These days, the little air pumps more often make smaller engines perform like bigger ones to give fuel economy. In brief, a turbocharger uses exhaust gases to...

The 2011 Fisker Karma will be the world's first plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan. At a price of $87,400 before tax credits, it's not surprising that the company wants to get the car exactly right before exposing it to the glare of publicity. But Fisker is taking an unusual tack: They're touring...

General Motors has been stringing out its publicity for upcoming cars--for three years in the case of the electric 2011 Chevrolet Volt--given its recent, ummm, challenges. But now we've finally had a chance to drive its crucially important 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, which will hit...

Sure, hybrids and electric cars are great, but they sell in small numbers. The way most cars will meet newer, more aggressive fuel-economy rules is by making engines smaller and more efficient. Case in point: the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, a midsize sedan now offered with a 2.4-liter direct-injected...

We've written already about the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco high-mileage model launched at the New York Auto Show. Now we've had a chance to sit down with Gary Altman, GM's vehicle chief engineer for compact cars-North America, and find out exactly how they did it. In addition to predictable...

Hybrids originally came from mass-market brands--Toyota, Honda, then Ford--before they ascended into loftier realms (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche). Now Ford is taking its well-received hybrid sedans upscale, by adding a hybrid model to the 2011 Lincoln MKZ lineup. The MKZ, although it shares a...

While our colleague Nelson Ireson was driving the (very un-green) 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico this week, he heard an interesting item that's much more along our lines. It is: Mercedes-Benz plans to sell only hybrid models of the S-Class in the U.S. when the next generation car arrives...

The trend started in Europe, and now every car make seems to have a green sub-brand. For a while, Chevy used the "XFE" label, but its highest-mileage 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is to be called the Eco. The EPA hasn't released final gas-mileage figures, but Chevrolet expects the 2011 Cruze Eco to be rated...

While the auto industry in general offers an average incentive of more than $1,000 off the sticker price of any new vehicle, many buyers somehow assume this doesn't apply to hybrids. Oh, but it does. You can get money off pretty much any hybrid out there at the moment, since gasoline prices are far...

Just yesterday, we reported on Ford's first-ever 300 hp/30 mpg ratings for the 2011 Mustang. The company has vowed to achieve best-in-class fuel economy numbers for every new model it launches. Certainly the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid clears that bar, trouncing any other mid-size sedan with an EPA...