Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
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There was a time when small European cars like the original Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle and Mini represented the very epitome of cheap, stylish, practical motoring.
So much so that all three...
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Tesla Says All-Electric 3-Series Competitor Due By 2015
Ever since it was founded, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has followed a ‘trickle-down’ business model, developing its technology in premium luxury cars before using that technology to develop ever more affordable models. With its first car, the expensive yet sexy Roadster sports car...
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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Mild Hybrid: Loved, Or Loathed?
Every year, there have to be winners and losers in the automotive world. Usually, winners and losers are picked by sales figures, but according to CNN, the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco mild hybrid may be the least-liked car of the year so far. Not measured by sales, but by negative reviews. When The...
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Outgoing 2012 Nissan Altima: Could It Be A Bargain?
Right now, Nissan dealers across the U.S. are preparing themselves for the launch of the 2013 Altima. In order to clear their inventory of old stock, dealers are likely to be offering some great deals on the outgoing 2012 Altima -- the second best selling car in the U.S. last year. But should you...
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Tesla Roadster Owners Get Third-Party Charging Adaptor, CAN Finally Charge
It officially ended production last year, but the iconic Tesla Roadster is still being developed and tweaked thanks to a few enterprising Tesla owners and fans. The latest must-have for any Tesla Roadster? A small adaptor that allows Tesla Roadster owners to charge their cars at any public J-1772...
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2017 Nissan Leaf: Will It Cost The Same As A 2012 Golf?
As battery technology improves, the cost of producing battery packs drops, and the number of electric cars on the road increases, it’s pretty reasonable to expect the sticker price of electric cars to drop in the coming years. But how much will they drop by, and how quickly? How much, for...
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It’s one of the least popular luxury hybrids in the world, but at six years old, the current 2012 Lexus LS600h L -- just like the rest of the Lexus LS family -- is starting to show its age.
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Mitsubishi Aims To Plug In Entire Range Within 4 Years
In the automotive world, there are automakers who ignore plug-in vehicle technology, those who experiment with it, those who do it because they have to, and those for whom it is part of the company future. With its 2012 i electric minicar already on sale in the U.S., and its Outlander plug-in...
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2012 Toyota Prius C: Yes, Your Gas Mileage Will Vary
Whenever a new car hits the market, there’s always a website somewhere on the Internet keeping track of how real-world gas mileage differs from the EPA’s official quotes. So it’s no surprise that owners of the 2012 Toyota Prius C have started to keep track of the gas mileage of...
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Like The Plug, Not The Range: Leaf Owner Trades In For Volt (Ampera)
When the 2011 Nissan Leaf launched at the end of 2010, many environmentally-conscious drivers took the plunge and decided to buy one, hoping to leave gasoline behind for good. For the majority of Leaf owners, Leaf ownership does just that. For some others, however, a lack of reliable public...
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Is There A Two-Door Coupe In Fisker’s Future? Sketch Says, Maybe
Henrik Fisker is viewed by many in the automotive industry as one of the finest designers of his generation, responsible for stunning cars like the BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9, and Fisker Karma. But at a recent TEDx talk where the founder of Fisker Automotive told the audience how he got into...
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Want To Drive A Natural Gas Vehicle? Be Prepared For A Detour
By the end of this year, Honda says it will have more than 200 dealers certified to sell the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas across the U.S. Much cheaper than regular gasoline and cleaner-burning, many states offer incentives to encourage drivers to make the switch to natural gas. But there’s...
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It’s been nearly four months since deliveries of the 2012 Coda Sedan started, but with the automaker not willing to divulge its sales figures and very few cars spotted on the road, is the...
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2013 Ford Fusion Stop/Start: Ford Explains Why It’s Different
A few years ago, some automakers began offering stop/start technology on select cars as a way to help lower emissions and increase fuel economy in busy city traffic. Early stop/start systems in non-hybrid cars were often slow to respond to driver input, making them unpopular with drivers, but now...
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Electric-Car Accident? What Your Insurance Company MUST Let You Do
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been driving, what type of car you have or how it happened: having a car accident isn’t nice. Normally, post-accident, your insurance company may help you find a local repairer to get your car looking good as new again. But if you have an electric...
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Toyota Prius Popularity Continues To Soar, Boosting Hybrid Sales
At the end of every month, major automakers participate in the age-old tradition of reporting their sales figures for the previous month. Frankly, those figures aren’t normally that exciting, but this month’s sales returns from Toyota caught our attention for one simple reason. During...
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Charging Your Electric Car At Home? You’re 20 Feet From Power (Probably)
While many car buyers today are interested in making the switch from gasoline to plug-in cars, they often worry that they have nowhere to charge it at night. That worry can lead to consumers ignoring plug-in options, but a new study from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (via...
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2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: 47 MPG City, 44 MPG Highway, $26K Price
Toyota might be the current undisputed king of hybrid cars, but that fact isn’t about to stop Ford from going after the Japanese automaker’s crown. Its 2013 C-Max Hybrid, Ford says, will get an EPA city rating of 47 mpg, some 3 mpg higher than the official EPA city rating for the 2012...
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Visit any major race track on any day of the week and there’s bound to be a cacophony of noise as professional race teams or enthusiastic amateurs drive lap after lap in praise to the gods of...
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2012 Ford Focus SFE Vs 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco: Compact Sedans Compared
You want a compact sedan that gives great gas mileage, comes from an American company, and costs less than a hybrid car. If that sounds like you, the chances are you’ve considered test-driving the 2012 Ford Focus SFE and 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco. But what comes as standard on each car? Which...
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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Now By Royal Appointment
As every automaker knows, getting Royal endorsement for a particular car or brand can help boost its image. Normally, such Royal endorsements are limited to luxury or prestige brands, but earlier this week, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid received its official royal appointment courtesy of His...
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2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Better At Predicting Range, Charging Needs
How far can your electric car travel before you need a recharge? For most electric car owners, that question is answered with a mixture of (usually inaccurate) on-board computer software and a good dose of past-experience behind the wheel of his or her car. But two planned updates to Nissan’s...
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Lexus Recalls 2010 RX450H In Extended Floor Mat Recall
More than two years after Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus recalled the majority of its hybrid cars to stop the accelerator pedal sticking on aftermarket mats, yet more of its cars have just been recalled for the snip. This time, it isn’t Toyota’s Prius hybrid, but over 150,000 RX...
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2014 Mercedes-Benz All-Electric B-Class Replaces Plug-in Hybrid Plans
At the start of this year, we told you that Mercedes-Benz was planning to introduce a B Class range-extended plug-in hybrid to the U.S. market some time during 2013. Now it seems the German automaker has changed its mind, replacing plans for a plug-in hybrid with an all-electric B Class jointly...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield