Green Automobiles Blog

Geneva Motor Show stand has one more hybrid on it this week: it's called the FT-Bh concept, a petite hybrid that promises to take the efficiency of Hybrid Synergy Drive and tune it to a logical extreme with a lighter curb weight, a smaller engine, and other eco-minded tweaks. The Toyota ...    Read more

Compressed natural gas (CNG) has long been popular with commercial feet owners, but the lack of a widespread refueling infrastructure in the U.S. poses some headaches. General Motors hopes a new bi-fuel option for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD pickup trucks may help fill that ...    Read more

The 2012 European Car Of The Year may be imported from Detroit, but the car in question isn't a Chrysler. A panel of 59 journalists voted the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, along with its mechanically identical Opel/Vauxhall Ampera siblings, as this year's COTY. As revealed in January, the ...    Read more

Saving fuel is the name of the game at any major auto show these days, so it's no surprise Volkswagen will show off a concept car that uses a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The Cross Coupe TDI Plug-in Hybrid concept is a small crossover that uses an efficient diesel engine in ...    Read more

With the new Lexus GS on sale and the company keen on refreshingmost of its models this year, it was about time to meet an updated 2013 RX. Thankfully, Lexus has delivered a teaser photo of the new RX and promised the model will be revealed at the Geneva Motor ...    Read more

We continue to see new teasers for the Pininfarina Cambiano concept car on a daily basis, but thanks to a few overeager publications, we now have a complete look at the finished product before its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. According to the design firm, the Cambiano ...    Read more

Audi is launching its first electric car, the A3 e-tron, on a trial basis in four markets across the country. The Audi A3 A3 e-tron pilot program will be open to drivers in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California; Washington, D.C.; and Denver, Colorado. The latest car to bear the e-tron ...    Read more

Californian buyers of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt will enjoy two big benefits: the electric car will be eligible to drive in California's over 1400 miles of carpool lanes, and also is eligible for an additional $1500 tax rebate from the state. 2012 Volts sold in California will be equipped with the ...    Read more

These photos are cryptic, but they're a little better look at the Toyota FT-Bh -- a small, subcompact hybrid concept car that will fully be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March -- than the sketch we previously published. A B-segment hybrid Toyota isn't a new idea ( ...    Read more

What does the new Mazda CX-5 crossover have in common with Dr. Seuss? Not that much, but it seems Mazda felt the new film adaptation of The Lorax provides the perfect opportunity to talk up its new range of Skyactiv technologies. The new 0:30 and 0:45 second spots feature the CX-5 ...    Read more

Last week, Chrysler officials confirmed the automaker formally withdrew its application for a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing program. In 2008, Chrysler applied for a loan of $7 billion from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. The program was sent up ...    Read more

It would seem that all this talk of turbochargers, direct injection, hybrids and stop/start technology is paying dividends: the University of Michigan reports that the United States average fuel economy is trending up, and hit a record high of 22.5 mpg in 2011. Researchers from the UM Transportation Research Institute in ...    Read more

Even though the car won't make its official debut until the Geneva Motor Show next month, renderings of the Infiniti Emerg-E concept have leaked online. The leaked images show that the Infiniti Emerg-E is a curvy, futuristic two-door design. The car itself is no surprise: we first heard rumors of ...    Read more

Our colleagues over at Motor Trend caught a camouflage prototype of the BMW i8 electric hybrid sports car testing in Sweden. Cold weather testing an electric or hybrid electric car such as the BMW i8 is especially important as the extreme temperatures can negatively affect battery ...    Read more

This line drawing previews the Toyota FT-Bh concept, a hybrid city car that will make its debut next month at the Geneva Motor Show. The concept is an affordable city car designed to offer extremely low driving emissions. Previewed only by an abstract sketch, the Toyota FT-Bh is touted as an ...    Read more

Toyota's small new hybrid car will be both affordable and extremely fuel-efficient. The 2012 Toyota Prius C is rated as high as 53 mpg in EPA testing, and starts at just $19,710 (after a $760 destination charge.) When it arrives at showrooms next month, the Prius C will be ...    Read more

Volkswagen made a new, though predictable, addition to tits Beetle lineup today at the Chicago Auto Show -- the diesel-powered 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI. This is the first oil-burning Bug since 2006, though the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI eschews the old 1.9-liter four for a 140-hp, 236-lb-ft 2.0-liter turbodiesel I-4. Sound ...    Read more

If there’s one big takeaway from the National Automobile Dealers Association convention going on in Las Vegas right now, it’s that the car market is in flux. NADA, however, has gone so far to say that changes in government policy and the used car market could lead to some bigger ...    Read more

New York City environmentalists aren't too happy with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. CNN reports that they want him to turn up the pressure on the NYPD to further enforce the city's anti-idling law that went into effect way back in 2009. The 2009 amendment changed New York City's original anti-idling law of ...    Read more

As expected, the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle will soon get a third engine choice in addition to the base 2.5-liter and turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engines: a 2.0-liter turbodiesel. Volkswagen announced that the 2013 Beetle TDI will debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto ...    Read more

Bit by bit, Infiniti has been teasing us with continual tidbits about the range-extended, mid-engine concept car that is it going to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this spring. Today, we learn the car's name: Emerg-E. Despite all the teasing, not much is known yet about Infiniti’s newest exotic ...    Read more

Now that the BMW i3 Concept has made its way through much of the auto show circuit, it’s time to test the production model. While we definitely liked the concept’s excessive use of glass through much of the body, it looks to be just for show. The folks at ...    Read more

With tough new CAFE standards on the horizon, automakers have a couple different technologies in store, ready to help meet those standards. Some automakers are looking exclusively to hybrids, others to diesels, and yet others looking to electric cars. Audi is looking at all three. According to a report from ...    Read more

California has long been the leader in green car legislation. Now, the state’s air-quality regulator, the California Air Resources Board, has approved a stringent round of laws that require the addition of 1.4 million electric, plug-in, and fuel cell vehicles on California roads by 2025. We reported last week on ...    Read more

BMW’s M family grew by four models last week, so it isn't exactly surprising that BM already has a promotional video clip showcasing the new X6 M50d, the X5 M50d, the M550 xDrive, and the M550d xDrive Touring all together. BMW recently spilled the details on the new batch of M ...    Read more