Green CarAutomakers pitch green cars for saving money, not the planet 8:23 am U.S. ET | April 28, 2013  Nissan is joining General Motors and Tesla Motors, the largest sellers of rechargeable autos in North America, in promoting the money-saving benefits of battery-powered cars over saving the planet.... Read More »
Tesla Model S topped Chevy's Volt in Q1 sales 2:59 pm U.S. ET | April 26, 2013  Tesla Motors is North America's rechargeable auto sales leader so far this year as its Model S sedan passed GM's Chevrolet Volt in the first quarter.... Read More »
Mitsubishi pinpoints lithium ion battery glitchApril 24, 2013 20:43 CET  Mitsubishi has pinpointed the cause of the lithium ion battery glitch that forced it to halt production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover and most i electric cars. Mitsubishi said a small number of the affected i EVs were on the road in Europe and the United States.... Read More »
Chevy Spark EV rated at 119 mpg with 82-mile range 12:06 pm U.S. ET | April 24, 2013  General Motors says its Chevrolet Spark EV will get the equivalent of 119 mpg in combined city and highway driving, the best efficiency of any car sold to retail buyers in the United States. The 2014 Spark EV, which will be launched this summer in California and Oregon, will have an EPA-rated range of 82 miles when fully charged, GM said.... Read More »
Mitsubishi pinpoints lithium ion battery glitch 2:43 pm U.S. ET | April 24, 2013  Mitsubishi has pinpointed the cause of the lithium ion battery glitch that forced it to halt production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover and most i electric cars. Mitsubishi said a small number of the affected i EVs were on the road in the United States and Europe and that drivers there had been notified not to drive them. The plug-in hybrid Outlander is sold only in Japan.... Read More »
Henrik Fisker: 'Confluence of events' led to company's downfallApril 24, 2013 06:01 CET  Henrik Fisker's testimony before the U.S. Congress today will paint the automaker he founded as a victim of "a confluence of events" and as an enterprise that is capable of being saved.... Read More »
Ford hybrid owners sue over fuel-efficiency rating claims 10:44 pm U.S. ET | April 23, 2013  Ford was sued by Pennsylvania car owners who said its hybrid models don’t deliver on fuel-efficiency claims. The inaccurate representations allowed Ford to falsely claim that those models outperformed competing vehicles, according to the car owners who filed the suit in federal court in Philadelphia.... Read More »
Henrik Fisker: 'Confluence of events' led to company's downfall 3:29 pm U.S. ET | April 23, 2013  Henrik Fisker's congressional testimony on Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will paint the automaker he founded as a victim of "a confluence of events" and as a still-salvageable enterprise.... Read More »
DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC Green group spills oil; makes confusing point on CO2 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 23, 2013  Green lobby group T&E has released a YouTube video that it hopes will put pressure on lawmakers to prevent them from weakening Europe's passenger-car CO2 target of 95 grams per kilometer for 2020. The trouble is that the video's message is difficult to understand.... Read More »
Toyota says Prius line may not reach 2013 U.S. target 2:32 pm U.S. ET | April 19, 2013  Toyota's Prius hybrids, after record sales in the United States last year, may not reach a target for growth in 2013 as gasoline prices fall faster than the automaker expected, its top North American executive said.... Read More »
LG Chem aims to start U.S. car battery plant later this year 9:48 am U.S. ET | April 19, 2013 South Korea's LG Chem aims to start production at its Michigan car battery factory in the second half of this year, two executives said today, as the firm tries to revive the plant's fortunes despite slow demand for electric vehicles.... Read More »
BMW plans perks to win EV customersApril 18, 2013 08:34 CET  BMW will offer extra services to attract drivers to its "i" electric-car lineup, including occasional use of fuel-powered models.... Read More »
Toyota hybrid sales gain as U.S. demand offsets slump in Japan 9:37 am U.S. ET | April 17, 2013  Toyota, the world’s biggest maker of hybrid vehicles, boosted first-quarter sales of dual-powered autos as a jump in overseas demand outweighed a drop in Japan, where government subsidies expired last year.... Read More »
Consumer acceptance key to autonomous vehicles, SAE panel says 6:05 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013  The biggest barrier to autonomous vehicles could end up being consumer acceptance, one expert said during a panel discussion on driver distraction that marked the first day of the SAE World Congress here on Tuesday.... Read More »
California regulator scolds carmakers on EV petition 12:25 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013 Automakers are undermining the progress they're making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California's mandates, a state regulator said today.... Read More »
PRODUCTION LINE Feds' goal: Daily drivers fueled by natural gas 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013  Natural gas -- clean, cheap and plentiful -- fuels a small but growing fleet of 150,000 commercial vehicles in the United States. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy wants to see whether natural gas can be a practical fuel for light vehicles.... Read More »
PRODUCTION LINE Hyundai seeks tech cred from fuel cells 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013  Hyundai Motor Co. wants to transform itself from a fast follower to a global pacesetter in automotive technology as the erstwhile bargain brand moves upscale. As part of its image overhaul, Hyundai wants to claim industry leadership in hydrogen fuel cells.... Read More »
2013 SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW Citroen Wild Rubis previews SUV for upscale DS lineApril 11, 2013 09:00 CET  Citroen's Wild Rubis concept showcases the first SUV/crossover to be sold under the brand's upscale DS line. The concept will mainly be targeted at high-earning Chinese customers.... Read More »
Lithium batteries fail to deliver, must be safer, regulators told 2:19 pm U.S. ET | April 11, 2013 Lithium ion battery sales and performance have fallen far short of forecasts, and better technology is needed to improve their safety, battery experts told federal regulators today.... Read More »
NEWS ANALYSIS Rethinking the lithium ion battery revolution over cost, safety 11:12 am U.S. ET | April 10, 2013  On the eve of a Washington forum, a growing number of engineers say the lithium ion battery revolution in cars and other products has stalled, undercut by high costs, technical complexity and safety concerns.... Read More »
Probe of U.S. electric-car loans pledged by Republican Issa 12:11 pm U.S. ET | April 10, 2013  A House panel chairman said he'll accelerate a probe into the Energy Department's loans for alternative-fuel vehicles after Fisker Automotive dismissed most of its workers and hired bankruptcy lawyers.... Read More »
Mitsubishi extends halt of Outlander hybrid shipments 7:35 am U.S. ET | April 10, 2013  Mitsubishi will extend its production and shipment stoppage of its Outlander plug-in hybrids until it finds the cause of an overheating lithium-ion battery in one of the vehicles, the automaker said today.... Read More »
Fisker preparing to file Chapter 11 as soon as this week, report says 4:04 am U.S. ET | April 9, 2013  Fisker Automotive could file for bankruptcy protection as soon as this week as the U.S. Department of Energy pressures the green-car startup to pay back nearly $200 million in government loans, Reuters reported today.... Read More »
Lexus plans rival to Q3, X1 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013 Lexus plans to show a production-ready premium compact crossover to rival the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 at next year's Geneva auto show, a company source said.... Read More »
Panamera gets a plug-in hybrid 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013  Porsche dealers will get their first plug-in hybrid to sell by the end of this year. The plug-in hybrid is part of the restyled -- and bigger -- Panamera family of sedans.... Read More »
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