ne Mercedes-Benz has recently unveiled its new M-class SUV and there has been confirmation that several variants for this crossover will be included. Among them will be two hybrid variants. One will be powered by a gasoline-electric system similar to the current ML450 hybrid. The other hybrid will feature a brand new diesel-electric system. Peugot is...
Continue Reading...
The 2012 Buick LaCrosse will start at $29,960 plus an $860 destination charge, when it goes on sale later this year. The eAssist, which features a 2.4L four-cylinder and a mild-hybrid system, is priced identically to a V6 powered model, but can get 37 mpg on the highway, an impressive figure for such a large...
Continue Reading...
The racing version of Nissan’s electric vehicle, the Leaf, lapped the Sodegaura Forest Raceway,Japan during a test run yesterday. In this four minute video, the driver puts the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC through its paces and at some points can barely keep it on the track. The Nismo RC features a full carbon fiber body...
Continue Reading...
ZF, a leader in automotive tranmissions, has announced a new nine-speed automatic gearbox for passenger cars. This gearbox was designed for a transverse mounted engine and will provide up to 16 percent better fuel economy compared to a six-speed automatic transmission. The nine-speed is referred to as the 9HP and is extremely flexible, capable of...
Continue Reading...
Ford has officially confirmed that its new ultra-efficient smallest ever engine, a 1.0-liter three-cylinder Ecoboost unit will be placed in the new B-Max MPV. Ford claims that its new 3 cylinder engine, “delivers the same performance as a four-cylinder, but with much higher fuel economy and lower emissions”. The three cylinder engine was developed by engineers...
Continue Reading...
There has been much speculation over whether electric vehicles are suitable for long distance journeys. The biggest issue is regarding the distance an electric car can travel before running out of power, and where to charge up. Skeptics also doubt whether the advanced lithium-ion battery can withstand the torture of numerous “Level 3” charges within...
Continue Reading...
The Chevrolet Volt is the first electric vehicle to receive a five-star overall vehicle score under the new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program. In addition, the Volt is also a 2011 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “Safety is a key consideration for all buyers no matter...
Continue Reading...
Toyota has announced a recall on 52,000 2001-2003 Prius’ as well as a handful of Venza and Sienna vehicles. The recall is regarding the possibility of nuts securing the pinion shaft for the steering box assembly. These nuts may become loose from repeated full-lock turning of the steering wheel. Toyota says that over time, the...
Continue Reading...
With much of the electric car attention being drawn by the first mass-produced Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, many have ignored the 2011 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan. Fisker dealers in Los Angeles previously claimed the first deliveries to paying customers would take place in March or April of this year. But the...
Continue Reading...
The all-new 2012 Honda Civic sedan models received the highest safety rating of Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, announced today. In order to receive a top safety pick, the vehicle must include a standard electronic stability control system and must successfully protect occupants inside the vehicle, involved in front, side...
Continue Reading...
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety today announced the all-new 2011 Lexus CT200h hybrid earned a “Top Safety Pick” award. The Lexus earned the award through enduring front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations and its standard electronic stability control. High-strength steel components are carefully located in the body structure to help ensure strength in key...
Continue Reading...
Volvo has announced plans to develop and test a new flywheel kinetic energy recovery system. Volvo says the KERS system (or FKERS as Volvo calls it) is “a light, cheap and very eco-efficient solution that makes a four-cylinder engine feel like a six at the same time as fuel consumption drops with up to 20 percent.”...
Continue Reading...
Hyundai–Kia will outsell Toyota and Honda in May sales, according to TrueCar. TrueCar expects Hyundai-Kia to sell 115,434 units in May. This number represents an increase of 43.4 percent over May 2010 making the Korean group a 10.9 percent market share putting it number three behind Ford and GM. Hyundai-Kia has gathered a momentum caused...
Continue Reading...
An updated U.S fuel economy label was unveiled today aimed at reducing gasoline consumption and exhaust emissions. These new stickers will be required on all 2013 models, allowing consumers to quickly glance at fuel consumption. The sticker will also display estimates of fuel or electricity required to drive 100 miles as well as time needed...
Continue Reading...
A poll has just been released asking Americans to rate their likelihood of making certain lifestyle changes based on different hypothetical gas prices. 57 percent of respondents refused to consider buying an “electric car that you could only drive for a limited number of miles at one time” no matter how high gas prices go. Instead, they are...
Continue Reading...
The most popular mid-size sedan in the North American market is the Toyota Camry, and later this year we should see an all-new model. The seventh generation model is set to debut this fall, as indicated by Toyota’s vice-president and general manager Bob Carter. Toyota sold 327,804 Camry’s last year, and while that would be...
Continue Reading...
Here’s a fun question for your upcoming pub quiz: name the only hybrid rotary car ever produced. If you named the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid, then congratulations! But next year you might be able to name the RX-8’s successor, the aptly-named RX-9, as another car that’s hybrid Wankelin’. According to Mazda’s Hiroshima headquarters, the...
Continue Reading...
The Obama administration will announce today it is buying 116 plug-in electric vehicles and will install charging stations in government buildings in five cities. Of the 116 vehicles, 101 of them will be extended-range Chevrolet Volts. These vehicles are to be placed with 20 government agencies in five cities including Washington, D.C., Detroit San Diego,...
Continue Reading...
Chrysler is delivering 10 Ram 1500 Hybrids to the U.S Department of Energy for testing within the next week. The pickups will be delivered to Yuma, Arizona, as part of a $100 million research project. The program with the U.S Department of Energy will run through June 2014. 140 Ram 1500 pickups will be delivered...
Continue Reading...
Honda has scheduled the June 16 release of its all new Fit Shuttle. The new station-wagon-like variant of the popular Fit subcompact will be offered with both a regular 4-cylinder engine or a hybrid version, the Nikkei business daily reported. Increased production at the Suzuka factory in Mie Prefecture began in early May and has progressed enough...
Continue Reading...
The current Camry was last redesigned in 2006 and Toyota is preparing for the next model due this fall, according to WardsAuto.com. Toyota faces fierce competition from the latest offerings out of Korea and the U.S, so the new model is of the utmost importance to the company. Toyota sold 327,084 Camrys in 2010 still leading midsize family...
Continue Reading...
Volvo is collaborating with Belgian technological and development specialist Flanders’ Drive to develop inductive charging for its model line up. Inductive charging allows electric vehicles to be recharged wirelessly. A charging plate(conductor) could be buried beneath the driveway so when the car is parked, it will charge. “The aim is naturally that it should be as convenient as...
Continue Reading...
Toyota Prius sales have drastically risen as the price of gasoline officially reached $4 per gallon in the US. Car buyers are flocking towards high-mileage vehicles and because of Japan’s earthquake and the subsequent disruption of hybrid production, prices have spiked accordingly. According to Toyota spokesman Mike Michels, as gas prices climbed past $4 a...
Continue Reading...
A 2011 Chevrolet Volt will be worth just over $17,000 after 36 months, the length of a typical lease, says Kelley Blue Book. That’s a 42 percent drop in price from the car’s $41,000 sticker price. Eric Ibara, director of residual value consulting at Kelley Blue Book, says the residual value projection seems low. But...
Continue Reading...
sidebar...
