John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
-
For a few years, the only full hybrid sedan sold in the U.S. was the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Then came the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which won North American Car of the Year and upped the ante...
-
2010 New York Auto Show: Can 2011 Scion iQ Out-Smart the Mini?One year ago, Scion previewed its iQ mini-car, the smallest model yet from a brand known for its small, quirky cars. Today it revealed the production version of the 10-foot-long 2011 Scion iQ. The little "three-plus-one-seater" will go on sale between January and March next year, powered by a...
John Voelcker -
2010 New York Auto Show: 2011 Lincoln MKZ HybridHybrids 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...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf Priced: $40K in Japan, $33K for U.S. BuyersPricing for the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car, eagerly awaited for many months, has now been set for both Japanese and U.S. markets.
John Voelcker -
U.S. DoT Asks Scientists, NASA To Probe Toyota AccelerationIn the face of continuing suggestions that random electronic interference may be causing unintended acceleration in the Toyota Prius and other vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has asked for independent studies on the topic from two scientific organizations. Despite multiple recalls...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz Decides All U.S. S-Class Cars To Be HybridsWhile 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...
John Voelcker -
Mazda has long been known for its high-efficiency, fun-to-drive gasoline engines. It's also developing diesels. But the company had little ongoing research in hybrid and electric cars aside from its...
-
2010 New York Auto Show Preview: 40-MPG 2011 Chevy Cruze EcoThe 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...
John Voelcker -
No Nissan Leaf Electric Cars For India, At Least For NowNissan's ambitious plans to build and sell its 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car around the world will not include populous India, at least not initially. According to Indian Autos Blog, the CEO and managing director of Nissan Motors India said the company had no plans to introduce the Leaf to the...
John Voelcker -
Spy Shots Show Honda Fit Hybrid Testing, But Is It For U.S.?Honda is continuing to develop the 2012 Honda Fit Hybrid, a version of its popular and versatile subcompact that uses a mild-hybrid system with a smaller engine for even higher gas mileage. Spy shots published by our sister site Motor Authority show the Honda Fit test car, complete with black tape...
John Voelcker -
DoE Says No, Denies Secretive Startup V-Vehicle Loan RequestLooks like secretive startup V-Vehicle Co. won't be joining Ford, Nissan, Tesla, and Fisker in getting government guarantees for low-interest loans to invest in advanced vehicle technology. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Energy turned down a $321.1 million loan application by V-Vehicle (VVC)...
John Voelcker -
GM's Future City-Car Vision: Autonomous, Electric, Two-WheelerWhat does personal transportation look like in a new century, when more than 60 percent of the world's citizens live in cities and the number of vehicles on the globe could rise to 2 billion? Would future urbanites accept the idea of moving around in pod-shaped electric two-seaters with only two...
John Voelcker -
Many European countries use BMW sedans as patrol and pursuit cars. Now, BMW says it will sell more than 240,000 engines to U.S. police-car startup Carbon Motors for that company's cruiser.
The big...
-
Chrysler Kills Ram Two-Mode Hybrid Pickup Truck After AllThe big green car news from Chrysler yesterday was its announcement that it would build an electric version of the Fiat 500 mini-car for the U.S. market. Win one, lose one, perhaps. The company also dropped a death notice: It has ended development of its Ram Two-Mode Hybrid pickup truck, scheduled...
John Voelcker -
Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid Hatch: U.S. Sales In Early 2011A week before the New York Auto Show begins its media previews, Lexus has released more details on its CT 200h premium compact hybrid, which it says will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2011. Widespread reports (which we joined, unfortunately) had previously quoted a spokesman as saying Lexus had...
John Voelcker -
Mazda Muses on Bringing Zoom-Zoom to Clean DieselsMazda's always had cool technology. They're the only carmaker that's steadily developed the compact, high-output Wankel rotary engine, for instance. And they're known for powerful, high-revving piston engines and slick-shifting gearboxes. Then there's the green side of the brand, which already...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler To Build All-Electric Version of Fiat 500 for U.S. MarketMuch mystery surrounded the electric versions of the Fiat 500 that have appeared at auto shows over the last year. Now, Chrysler has cleared up a bit of the confusion: It will build an electric Fiat 500 for the U.S. market, with a powertrain developed by engineers at its Michigan headquarters, at a...
John Voelcker -
Those Two So-Called Runaway Prius Cases? Cars Not At FaultWe thought we should provide a short update on two highly publicized so-called "runaway Toyota Prius" cases, one in San Diego and one in Harrison, New York. The reputed phenomenon of "sudden acceleration" has been debated at least since a 1986 controversy around the Audi 5000 model. But the two...
John Voelcker -
Few automotive engineers believe in so-called "sudden acceleration". But until recently, there's been no way to determine what a driver what doing when he (or she) swears that he was pressing the...
-
Ask AAP: Is Sunroof Available on 2010 Prius V Trim Level?Our reader Javier M writes: I'm 99 percent convinced I want a Prius. However, there is one question: Does the "Prius V Model" come with a regular sunroof standard (within the $28,875 price)? I want to purchase the "basic" Prius V, but I do not wish to get any major upgrades (no navigation, etc)...
John Voelcker -
Biodiesel Bamboo Cabs: Philippines Town Turns Taxis GreenIt's not a particularly new story, these days, but hey, it's also Friday. So we thought we'd revisit one of the more unusual attempts at green cars we've seen. This morning, a friend sent us an e-mail with photos of two taxis commissioned by the Philippine town of Tabontabon, in the province of...
John Voelcker -
Aston Martin Goes Green With Zebra-Skin Baby Swan From ToyotaLast summer, lots of people thought it was a joke when famed British sports car maker Aston Martin said it would offer coachbuilt versions of Toyota's tiny iQ minicar, in the guise of the greenest Aston ever, the Cygnet. (A cygnet is a baby swan, by the way.) Well, it wasn't a joke. And now Aston...
John Voelcker -
St. Patrick's Day Special: The Most Popular Cars Painted GreenWe write a lot about green cars, here at GreenCarReports.com. Surprise, right? Now our partner TrueCar has provided some data about which cars are greenest. That is, which cars are most often ordered in the color green. Consider this our automotive celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Lá Fhéile...
John Voelcker -
The Strange Saga of Sikes and His Suddenly Accelerating Prius
As we've noted before, so-called sudden acceleration is a confusing, messy, and very uncertain subject. Now a certain San Diego citizen seems to be caught in the cross-hairs of media scrutiny over what is and isn't technically possible in a Toyota Prius--let alone smart to do--if the driver claims...
John Voelcker