Green Automobiles Blog

California is to automobiles what Texas is to textbooks: the state is large enough that when it enacts regulations on cars sold within its borders, the rest of the country  -- at least in part --follows by default. It’s for this reason that the state’s new proposed regulations, which entered ...    Read more

If you weren't already jealous of the cool cars offered abroad, BMW has given you four more examples of forbidden fruit. After much teasing, the automaker finally revealed its line of diesel-powered M Performance vehicles before their Geneva Motor Show debut, but the company insists the four special models aren't ...    Read more

As if the Chevrolet Volt wasn't already a hot topic as of late, this new 33-second commercial may certainly dump fuel onto the conversational flame. The ad imposes the Volt assembly line - which is housed within General Motors' Hamtramck Assembly Plant, located just outside of Detroit's city limits - on ...    Read more

Honda announced today that, as of the end of 2011, its total count of hybrid-powered vehicles has now crested the 800,000 mark. Honda was one of the first automakers to sell a hybrid vehicle with its first-generation Insight in 1999. It now offers seven different hybrid vehicles worldwide, including the second-generation ...    Read more

In a setback to General Motors' goal of selling more Chevrolet Volts, new reports suggest a number of U.S. dealers are refusing to increase their inventories of the plug-in electric vehicle. Some dealers are likely concerned about the recent crash test performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety ...    Read more

Honda today handed over the keys to its all-electric hatchback, the 2013 Fit EV, to the mayor of Torrance, California. The city will use the Fit EV as part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, which also will see Google and Stanford University testing the electric car. The ...    Read more

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded its investigation into the Chevrolet Volt. In its statement, the agency stated that it "does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles." ...    Read more

Volkswagen has been priding itself on the fact that, according to the automaker, sells around 75 percent of all diesel passenger cars in the U.S. Get ready for that percentage to grow – at the Chicago Auto Show next month, VW will add the 2012 Beetle to its oil-burning repertoire. The ...    Read more

Although we've enjoyed watching the diesel-powered racers from Audi and Peugeot battle it out for dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it seems that rivalry is no more. Peugeot's press office officially confirmed earlier this morning that the automaker was withdrawing from the 2012 Le Mans series. The withdrawal ...    Read more

Ashton Kutcher has been caught driving a new Fisker Karma, putting him among the list of celebrity Karma owners, including the likes of Leonardo DeCaprio and al Gore Kutcher was snapped by x17online as he arrived at a television critic’s forum in a ...    Read more

Just as parent Volkswagen plans to build an electric version of the Up! hatchback, Skoda also will produce a zero-emissions version of the Up!-based Citigo city car. According to Auto Bild, the e-Citigo will launch in 2014, about a year after the VW e-Up! goes on sale. Skoda announced ...    Read more

Volkswagen’s BlueSport mid-engined two-seater has hit a few bumps on its road to production, according to Autocar. Rumor has it that the German automaker can’t find the sales to justify producing the car. The biggest obstacle is apparently the U.S. market, as Volkswagen of America’s management believes having ...    Read more

If you thought Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty wasn’t good enough, the automaker is attempting to up its game by offering a lifetime battery guarantee on all 2012 Sonata Hybrids. Powering the fuel-sipping Sonata is Hyundai’s Blue Drive hybrid drivetrain, which underwent “minimal degradation” ...    Read more

The 2012 auto show season is well underway with the Detroit show this week, and Toyota is wasting no time preparing for the Geneva Motor Show in March. The automaker has released the first official photos and details of the Yaris Hybrid ahead of ...    Read more

With the 2012 Geneva Motor Show just two months away, Infiniti continues to tease its range-extended electric  sports car. We’ve known about Infiniti’s sports EV for quite some time now; the automaker released the first sketch back in 2010. ...    Read more

GM may soon close the chapter on Chevrolet Volt safety issues, judging by the reaction of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's David Strickland. At the 2012 Detroit auto show, Strickland told reporters that automotive safety regulators were satisfied with GM's proposed fixes to prevent Volts from catching ...    Read more

It’s no secret that we all have relationships with our cars: sometimes they’re good, other times we’d consider a vehicular divorce. Toyota is hoping for the former with its newest concept car, the NS4, which it says looks to the ...    Read more

Despite having no hybrid models for sale in the U.S., Volvo is serious about cutting a slice of the gas-electric sales pie. Showing just how serious the automaker is, it has taken the wraps off of the XC60 Plug-In Hybrid Concept at the Detroit auto show this week. Volvo says ...    Read more

The e-NV200 concept combines two of Nissan’s newest vehicles -- the Leaf electric car and NV series of commercial vans. The electric van is said to preview a “near-future” production model that would be sold primarily as a cargo van to businesses, and also as a small people carrier to ...    Read more

BMW’s Detroit Auto Show presentation was predictably focused on speed this afternoon, but the automaker didn’t stray from its new EfficientDynamics moniker, and released two hybrids alongside two petrol-powered wonders. To keep its Ultimate Driving Machine motto going strong, the automaker has released two quick offerings, starting with a new 3 ...    Read more

This funky two-seater is the Volkswagen E-Bugster, an all-electric concept car that is based on the new-for-2012 Beetle. It mixes the funky, retro-inspired design of Volkswagen’s new Beetle with the zero-emissions drivetrain that will eventually be found in an electric version of the Golf. Before Volkswagen revealed the E-Bugster car, ...    Read more

Volkswagen’s headlining debut in Detroit is the 2013 Jetta hybrid, which will be only the second hybrid vehicle that the Volkswagen brand has sold in America (after the Touareg hybrid). Although official EPA figures aren’t yet available, VW estimates the Jetta hybrid will return 45 mpg combined. The most efficient ...    Read more

Mercedes-Benz is looking to continue its hybrid offensive in the U.S. beyond its full-size S400 Hybrid, and will be doing so with the new 2013 E400 Hybrid. The E-Class hybrid uses the same powertrain setup as its S-Class big brother: the car starts with a traditional gas-powered 3.5-liter V-6 that is ...    Read more

City-dwelling pickup-lovers rejoice -- Smart pulled the wraps off of the For-Us Concept today at the Detroit auto show. While the bed of a 139.2-inch long Smart pickup may not be very useful, the micro-car maker showed it off with a bike rack and the brand's electric bicycle concept. The look ...    Read more

Based in part on the Leaf electric car, the Nissan eNV200 Concept converts the company’s not-yet-released small commercial van to all-electric power. To covert the NV200 van to all-electric power, Nissan borrowed heavily from its groundbreaking Leaf electric car. The eNV200 uses the Leaf’s 24kWh battery pack and 80kW, 107-horsepower, ...    Read more