Syndicate
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Sales of plug-in electric cars fell last month, with especially low sales of the Nissan Leaf, following their strong showing in March. Last month, just 370 Nissan Leaf battery-electric cars were sold, down from 579 in March, and bringing this year's Leaf sales to only 2,103 in the first four months. Last month's Leaf sales were the lowest monthly number in more than a year. Nissan has sold 11,796 Leafs in total since the car went on sale in December 2010. Nissan has said it will sell 20,000 Leafs in the U.S. this year, but that will require it to sell 2,500 each month from now through...
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2013 Dodge Dart Aero: High-Mileage Version Of New Compact Coming SoonThe eagerly-awaited new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan will start arriving at dealerships in June. But the first volley of Darts won't include every model. The model with the highest gas mileage will be known as the Dart Aero, and it should go on sale sometime between July and September. At a Dart...
John Voelcker -
Exclusive: Spy Shots Of Next-Generation Jeep Liberty Mule (Updated)Always carry a camera; you never know what you'll see parked on the street. That's how our contributor, Thomas Bey, shot these exclusive spy shots of an engineering prototype for what may be a future hybrid Jeep or Dodge model to be based on the same running gear as the 2013 Dodge Dart compact...
John Voelcker -
DoE Hires Restructuring Advisor To Monitor Fisker Funding: ReportThe main task for Fisker Automotive right now is to sell enough 2012 Fisker Karmas to keep the company solvent. It must take in enough cash to market the car, expand into new markets, and simultaneously develop its next vehicle, the Fisker Atlantic unveiled at the New York Auto Show. Now we learn...
John Voelcker -
Does Better Place Have A Monopoly On Electric Cars In Israel?The electric vehicle world is watching the rollout of Better Place's electric-car network in Israel with interest, but some have asked whether Better Place has an effective monopoly on electric cars granted by the Israeli Government. Better Place says its service and its cars compete with gasoline...
Brian of London -
Bentley EXP 9 F Concept SUV: Will Come With V-6 Plug-in Hybrid OptionEarlier this spring at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Bentley pulled the covers off the EXP9 F Concept, its first ever SUV in its 94-year history. Now, just six-weeks later at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, the luxury automaker has confirmed details of the range of engines it plans to offer with the EXP...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Though it has wandered through a handful of brand identities and images over the past decade, Acura continues to reinvent itself. This time, the next new thing is a hybrid using Acura's first ever implementation of Honda's familiar hybrid system (on a modified Civic platform) in the 2013 ILX. Entry level, luxury, and hybrid are three words that aren't often said together, so the ILX comes out of the gate with a unique angle. The question, as ever, is whether it can live up to its promise. The answer, for the most part, is yes. Also available as a 2.0-liter or 2.4-liter four-cylinder in...
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Electric Car Charging Stations Replaces Gas Station: Is This A First?We’ve often heard people muse that electric car charging stations need to be as ubiquitous as the humble gas station. In fact, we’ve even encountered rare occasions where electric car charging stations are offered alongside regular and premium, but what if electric car charging stations...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
11 Months, 36,000 Miles In A Nissan Leaf Electric Car? No ProblemIn the minds of many consumers, electric cars like the 2012 Nissan Leaf are over-priced, second-cars that are only capable of short trips around town. We’ve proven that sentiment wrong ourselves, covering just over 15,000 miles in a year in our 2011 Nissan Leaf. Earlier this week however, we...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Nissan Leaf: No More Reservation Fees, Buy Like Any Other CarWhen Nissan first launched the 2011 Leaf, it introduced an online reservation system for would-be owners of the all-electric hatchback. Instead of relying on Nissan dealers to assess demand, Nissan opened up a dedicated reservation website, where those interested could pay $99 to be given a place...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Coloradans: Donate An Old Polluting Car, Get A Tree PlantedWhile it's not quite the 2009 Cash for Clunkers program, it's a nice gesture with a clear mission: get the most polluting cars off Colorado roads. If you're a Coloradan who owns a pre-1990 car, donate it to the Clear the Air Foundation and the ReForest Colorado program will plant a tree in an area...
John Voelcker -
Gas Mileage Anxiety: Do YOU Get It?Never mind range anxiety - that's old news these days. Most electric car owners say it lasts about a week after buying the car, and then you learn what you can and can't do. Much more concerning is gas mileage anxiety, we think. What is gas mileage anxiety? Let us explain... Back in the day, you'd...
Antony Ingram -
It's working. Concerted efforts by automakers to meet new, more stringent fuel-economy requirements are gradually driving up the efficiency of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. A report from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute pegged the average gas mileage of new vehicles sold during March at 24.1 miles per gallon. It's the first time the measure has exceeded 24 mpg. The March figure is 0.2 mpg better than in February, when the average was 23.9 mpg, and 0.5 mpg better than the January figure, at 23.6 mpg. The institute first began monitoring sales-weighted...
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$100 Million For Electric-Car Charging: Devil, Meet DetailsYou'd think that $100 million of electric-car charging stations in California would be a good thing, right? While an agreement announced last month may disturb California utility customers--the injured parties whose high power bills led to the deal--the state's electric-car drivers may benefit from...
John Voelcker -
2013 Ram 1500 Pickup Truck: Same Looks, Much Better Mileage (Video)The New York Auto Show, now open to the public, occupies two floors of the Javits Convention Center, and organizers this year were strict about relegating trucks to the basement. Chrysler was allowed only a single truck or crossover in its entire main-floor display. So it chose the 2013 Ram 1500...
John Voelcker -
Infiniti LE Electric Luxury Sedan: Tesla's Worst Nightmare?One of the surprise stars of the New York Auto Show media days this week was the Infiniti LE Concept. The design study for an electric four-door sedan is a close approximation of a car that will roll off assembly lines in Smyrna, Tennessee, in about two years. And it poses an intriguing question...
John Voelcker -
2013 Chevrolet Spark Minicar To Be Priced At Around $13,000Amidst the unveilings and concept cars of the New York Auto Show, carmakers also make other announcements. From General Motors, we learned today that the 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar will carry a base price of $12,995 including destination. All Sparks are fitted with a 1.2-liter four-cylinder...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Altima Promises Up To 38 MPG Highway Fuel EconomyThe 2013 Nissan Altima appears as if it will raise the bar for midsize sedan style and fuel efficiency.
Kurt Ernst -
Car sales overall continued their upward trend last month, but sales of plug-in cars soared in March to more than 3,800 units. The bulk of those sales came from a resurging Chevy Volt, which logged its highest-ever single-month sales figure, along with the debut of the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. More plug-ins in total were sold last month than in any month since December 2010, when the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt--the first two mass produced electric cars of the modern era--went on sale. Sales of the Chevrolet Volt spiked from the February total of 1,023 to 2,289, for a total of 3,915...
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New Ford Transit Van In 2013 Will Have Diesel Engine OptionIt's become a staple tactic of automotive PR operations: Trickle out one factoid at a time, well in advance of an actual vehicle, and get stories each time. So here's the news: The Ford Transit commercial van to be launched next year will have a diesel engine option. That was the sum total of the...
John Voelcker -
2013 Acura RL To Feature NSX Hybrid All-Wheel Drive SystemRemember the Acura NSX Concept from the 2012 Detroit Auto Show? Of course you do--it's one of the most striking concept cars in years, and its hybrid system is a statement of intent that performance and parsimony can go hand-in-hand. That same drivetrain will now feature in the 2013 Acura RL...
Antony Ingram -
Ferrari Developing V12 Hybrid, Downsized V6s PossibleEven supercar makers take the environment into account when designing a car these days. Modern Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches have to meet the same regulations as regular passenger cars, even if ultimately they still use more gasoline and pump out more emissions. Ferrari is hoping to cut its...
Antony Ingram -
GM: We’ll Replace Chevrolet Volt 120-Volt Charging UnitsGeneral Motors announced yesterday that it would replace the 120-Volt charging unit provided with every Chevrolet Volt, to provide what GM spokesman Randy Fox called a "more consistent charging experience." Back in July, we reported that some of the charging units provided in Volts were...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Could Opel Ampera Outsell Its Sibling The 2012 Chevrolet Volt?Orders have been coming in ahead of projections for the European Opel Ampera, but sales prospects may be looking up in the U.S. too for GM's range-extended electric car.
John Voelcker