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MINI Planning Smaller Model For 2014
MINI is preparing an all new sub-compact that will be closer in size to the original Mini, and likely become available in 2014. The new ‘mini’ MINI will be a true successor to the Sixties model, only 40cm longer and 50cm wider than the first iteration. This mode will create a new entry point with…
Volvo Exploring Inductive Charging For Electric Cars
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…
As Gas Hits $4 Per Gallon, Demand For Hybrid Cars Soars
With the average price for a gallon of gasoline above $4, many American drivers are looking to dump the family gas-guzzler as quickly as possible and buy a more fuel efficient hybrid. But according to Jeff Bartlett, deputy online automotive editor at Consumer Reports, this is the worst time to do so. With so many…
Ford Says 25 Percent Of Lineup To Be “Electrified” By 2020, Calls On Government Subsidies For Batteries
Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford (great-grandson of Henry Ford) revealed to Fortune magazine that his namesake automaker will apparently launch a global line of electric vehicles, with 25 percent of Ford’s lineup available with some degree of electrification by 2020. Ford cited the electric Focus and both plug-in and fully electric versions of the…
Toyota Prius Sales Soar As Price Of Gasoline Officially Reaches $4 Per Gallon
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…
Chevrolet Volt 36-Month Resale Value Set At $17,000
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…
Mercedes E300 Bluetec Diesel Hybrid Could Come to America
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that its E300 Bluetec Hybrid is on the way and will hit showrooms in Europe by the end of 2012. While it hasn’t been confirmed for a U.S. launch, execs also haven’t ruled it out. The first capable diesel hybrid from Stuttgart available for public use debuted at this past March’s Geneva…
Toyota Prius V Still On Track for Fall U.S. Delivery
Reports of the Toyota Prius V’s delay have been greatly exaggerated. According to the company, the Prius V is on track for a U.S. fall debut, after all. The Prius V had been previously reported to be delayed across all markets, due to the Japanese earthquake. But a brief note from Toyota USA’s Torrance, California…
Fisker Raises $100 Million In Advance Of Vehicle Sales
Documents filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission revealed that Fisker, maker of the Karma hybrid sports car, is raising an additional $100 million in funding in advance of the company’s first customer deliveries. While the investors have not been identified, the money comes in addition to Fisker’s $190 million in financing secured already. The Karma…
Toyota Prius V Delayed Up To A Year
The upcoming Toyota Prius V, a pseudo-minivan version of Toyota’s wildly popular Prius hybrid, may be delayed for up to a year because of battery shortages resulting from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota initially planned to launch the vehicle in April, but the resulting supply chain issues have thrown their plans…
Lexus CT200h to Compete in Nurburgring Race This Weekend
Looking to show off the sportier side of the CT200h, Lexus will be competing at this weekends VLN3 race at the Nurburgring over the weekend. Entered in the SP4 Class, the car will be fielded by Lexus motorsports partner Gazoo Racing, which also field several LFA race cars. While it’s no clear indication, Lexus may…
Kia Optima Hybrid Prices Revealed, Starts At $26,500
South Korean car firm Kia has been enjoying a lot of praise given to the styling of their new cars, especially the Optima sedan. Now the Optima Hybrid version is about to hit the market and we have learned it’s prices will start at $26,500. That’s not all, because that price-tag does not include the…
Ford F-150 Plug-In Hybrid Takes Aim at Fleet Users
According to a press release issued by Quantum, the system is compatible with both two and four-wheel drive versions and enables the truck to travel up to 35 miles on pure electric power alone, before switching to hybrid mode, for a total range of more than 400 miles
Chevrolet Volt Attracts Celebrity Buyers
It was only a matter of time before the rich and famous began hopping on the Chevrolet Volt bandwagon, since the Toyota Prius is in imminent danger of becoming passé. The Volt has found owners among luminaries like Jeff Gordon, Jay Leno, Stephen King and Alyssa Milano. “I think it’s a great car,” said Leno in an…
Google Lobbying Nevada to Allow Driverless Cars
After secretly testing a fleet of autonomous cars in California, Google is now looking to shift driverless ‘driving’ into gear in Nevada, lobbying state officials to allow the vehicle to be legally driven on public roads. To achieve their goal, and the dream of the projects creator and former Stanford professor Sebastian Thrun, Google has…
Toyota Denies Prius Going Plug-In Only
Toyota is denying a report that the automaker plans to switch all of its Prius models over to a plug-in hybrid setup by 2014. With the Plug-in Prius about to go on sale, a report from the Nikkei business daily indicated that the Japanese automaker is set to then make all future Prius models use…
Geely McCar Comes with its Own Electric Scooter in the Trunk
Here’s a concept that carries some junk in its trunk. OK, so it’s not junk – it’s actually a three-wheeled scooter, and the McCar packs it away in its trunk to give you even more motoring mobility. Unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show, Geely (the Chinese manufacturer and owner of Volvo) introduced this unique concept…
Volkswagen To Launch Plug-In Hybrid Range In 2013
At the 32nd International Motor Symposium in Vienna, Austria, Volkswagen head honco Dr. Martin Winterkorn announced that the Volkswagen Group will launch a range of plug-in hybrids starting in 2013, calling electric vehicles the “task of the century” for the auto industry. Winterkorn didn’t specify which models would get a plug-in hybrid variant, and the move comes…
Obama’s Fuel Efficiency Push On Fleet Vehicles Could Increase Gas Use, Not Reduce it
President Barrack Obama’s initiative for government fleet vehicles to be able to run on alternative fuels like E85 ethanol, could result in higher gas consumption, rather than reducing it. That means, this project could end up doing the opposite of what it was set out to achieve. Only 1-percent of gas stations offer E85 in…
Jaguar C-X75 Hybrid Supercar Confirmed for Production
What seemed like a pipe dream is about to become reality with Jaguar today announcing plans to put the C-X75 hybrid supercar concept into production. First unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the stunning machine will be brought to reality thanks to a partnership between Jaguar and the Williams F1 team. Using a carbon fiber…
90% of Volt Customers New to Chevrolet Brand
The Volt is helping to rebrand GM as a progressive automaker and it’s also helping to grow the Chevrolet marque, bringing in customers who haven’t (and possibly never would have) considered buying a Chevy. According to new numbers released by General Motors, nine out of 10 Volt customers are new to Chevrolet. With that in…
Chevrolet Volt Sales Limited For April
General Motors had limited the sales of the Chevrolet Volt for April as the brand is bumping up supplies of demonstration models. Cristi Landy, Chevrolet marketing director said in a statement “It’s tough to limit the number of Volts for sale to potential customers when demand is so strong, but the Volt has value to the Chevrolet…
Honda Developing Hybrid Goldwing Motorcycle
Honda is apparently developing a hybrid version of their Goldwing motorcycle, a first in the two-wheeled world. A drawing that was attached to Honda’s patent filing seems to show a near replica of their Goldwing touring motorcycle. While hybrids tend to deliver wonderful fuel economy gains in city driving, the Goldwing is meant to travel…
Mugen CR-Z Gets 200-HP from New Supercharger System
The CR-Z that Honda fanboys have been begging for is on its way thanks to Mugen. The European division of the tuner has just released new details on its high-performance version of the sporty hybrid coupe, with the big news being a supercharger under the hood to deliver 200-hp. Mugen Euro hasn’t released exact specs…
