Mazda is working hard at its new SkyActiv platform, which includes new engines, gearboxes and chassis designs for its cars for the next decade. Mazda spoke about new gasoline engines during a recent presentation, and also touched on the possibility of offering a clever new diesel engine to our market, but they didn’t mention anything...
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Audi is continuing to dump money into the development of its next generation crossovers, with the brand selling 155,000 Q5s globally last year along with 47,700 Q7s. “There is no doubt…that crossovers are still selling like hotcakes even though the trend seems to be shifting toward more compact models,” says Audi chairman Rupert Stadler. The high-riding Q5 and Q7...
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Nissan has plans to launch its own small sports car that will rival the Mazda MX-5. Nissan’s newcomer will have a rear-wheel drive system and will be powered by the Leaf’s electric drivetrain. At one point, Nissan wanted to revive the legendary rear-wheel drive 200SX but that was put on the back burner in 2008. However, the...
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A new Harvard study has found that electric vehicles won’t be accepted by the American public until gas hits $4.50 per gallon. The study also found that surprisingly, over the life of the car, plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt cost $5,377 more than gas powered cars. The story is the same for the Nissan...
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BMW has developed two new hybrid vehicles that the German automaker says have redefined the understanding of personal mobility with a focus on sustainability. The i3 concept, previously know as the Megacity, is an all-electric car that focuses squarely on the mobility challenges in urban areas. The i8 hybrid concept is a “forward-looking, intelligent, and innovative” sports...
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For over a decade now, Lexus has been the most popular luxury brand in the U.S, but the Toyota-owned company has struggled in the European market due to a lack of diesel engines. Lexus hopes to change this in the coming years as a diesel option becomes available for the next-gen GS model. Lexus will...
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Toyota’s Prius plug-in hybrid has been testing in London, all the better to usurp the Continent’s diesels in favor of its “27% better” electric cord. What does this “27% better” get you? Well, Toyota says, the Prius plug-in takes 27% less fuel than a diesel after a full charge, which takes around 72 minutes. As...
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Well this is a change. The typical NBA all star usually drives around in a Cadillac Escalade or Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but not Steve Nash. No no, this Pheonix Suns point guard, seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time MVP award winner represents the Toyota Prius. In this new commercial, based on the competitive nature of both Nash and...
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Toyota has decided that the RAV4 electronic vehicle will not be made available to consumers. According to Geri Yoza, Toyota’s national business planning manager of advanced vehicle marketing, the vehicle will instead be focused for “very strategic applications” such as fleets and car sharing programs. The RAV4 EV has made use of Tesla’s electric drivetrain...
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In Soviet Russia, opulence has you! The latest car designed and built in Russia is an SUV, but it isn’t decked out in armor or whale penis leather—it’s a hybrid, and it’s been so popular that the waiting list is backlogged for the next 10 years. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the BMW...
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Volvo is currently working on developing several green technologies including an electric C30, a flywheel hybrid system and a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid system. This week, Volvo announced that it’s working on a more ambitious project -three unique range-extended electric drive setups. Volvo is working with the Swedish Energy Agency and the European Union to develop this technology....
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The electric car market will become much more competitive in the next year when the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Ford Focus Electric hit the road. An announcement was just made regarding the official miles per gallon equivalency ratings, or MPGe, putting the Mitsubishi in the EV lead for now. The i has been rated for...
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Honda’s best selling car in Japan for the first half of 2011 was the Fit compact, helped by the addition of a fuel-efficient hybrid model released in October. During the time period, 88,282 Fit cars were sold, interestingly sales figures dropped 2.1 percent compared to the same period last year because of disruptions caused by...
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Volkswagen has unveiled its latest Golf Twin Drive plug-in hybrid prototype. This vehicle is a more refined and updated version of the Golf Twin Drive hatchback released in 2008. It has an electric-range of 35 miles and will use a direct-injected 1.4-liter gasoline engine that can achieve 559 miles. The electric traction motor cranks out...
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Nissan has launched a global proving test program for their compact electric commercial vehicle NV200. The Japanese automaker began the test with Japan Post Service. The postal service will be provided with the NV200 to carry out postal collection for two months in Yokohama. The vehicle will be tested in real world conditions to help fine tune small aspects of the...
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Toyota has plans to introduce six new hybrids to their lineup by 2012. One of them is likely a smaller luxury SUV for Lexus, with the company’s tried-and-tested hybrid drivetrain. The SUV would be dubbed the CX300h, in Lexus naming nomenclature, and would bank off the success of the larger RX. It would probably share a...
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Toyota has officially announced a recall of certain 2006 and 2007 model year Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles. The recall will affect 45,500 Highlander hybrids and 36,700 RX 400h’s. The issue stems from the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the hybrid system inverter that contains a control board with transistors. Certain transistors on the...
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Lexus has unveiled a one-off Midnight Blue LS600h Landaulet for the July 2nd wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco. Belgian coachbuilder Carat Duchatelet completed the conversion, but Lexus engineers partook in the project to ensure the highest levels of quality. The Landaulet has recently been completed, and took more than 2,000 hours to complete. To...
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Even with high gas prices, Americans are choosing fuel effiecient compacts with conventional gas engines over pricier gas-electric hybrids. Sales have steadily increased with the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze while hybrids are showing little activity. Hybrid sales in the U.S peaked in July,2009 peaking at 3.6% and last month sales were down...
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Nissan is reportedly developing a new front-wheel hybrid drive system for the next generation Altima Hybrid that may be released as early as next year. The system will be based on the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid which utilized a rear-wheel drive hybrid drivetrain. The Altima will use lithium ion batteries, one motor, a two-clutch system...
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Nissan has released full details on its 2012 Altima lineup with the Altima Hybrid notably absent. The Altima Hybrid officially launched in 2007 and featured Nissan’s first gas-electric engine, thanks to technology licensed from Toyota. It was able to achieve 33 mpg (7.1 L/100 km), which is still a respectable number. However, the Altima was...
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A group of green car enthusiasts are looking to set a Guinness World Record in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday, July 24 for the longest hybrid vehicle parade. The event know as Hybrids On Parade, will allow hybrid owners from throughout the Midwest to converge in Madison with 500 hybrids stretching over six miles to break...
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Ford is planning to blitz the auto-market for the first quarter of 2012. According to a source inside Ford, no less than eight all-new or refreshed models will start production for Q1. Ford’s largest project is the all-new midsize Fusion/Mondeo, which is currently scheduled to start production in January. Ford hopes for a 50-percent sales improvement for...
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Lincoln sales have been slipping and so far are down 8 percent this year. The automaker has sped up redesign plans for the full-size MKS and three-row MKT as sales have dropped by 40 percent this year for the sedan, and 38 percent for the crossover. The redesigned MKS and MKT will debut at the Los Angeles Auto...
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