Weekly Green Car

Nissan-Renault unlikely to hit 2016 EV target

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.... Read More »

 

Ailing EV maker Coda files Chapter 11

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
After selling just 100 all-electric sedans, Coda Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last week.... Read More »

 

Nissan pushes chargers to boost sales of Leaf EV

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
To attract a bigger audience to electric cars, Nissan officials say they must get more public EV chargers in place -- particularly the more powerful and expensive fast-charging stations. Nissan has assigned a five-person "infrastructure" team to spur charger-station installations.... Read More »

 

Chevy Spark gets 119-mpg rating

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 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 U.S. car on sale to the public.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

How affordable is Tesla's Model S?

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Tesla Motors did its best last week to cast its Model S electric sedan, which starts at $71,070, including shipping and fees, as affordable. But some of its logic is, well, elusive.... Read More »

 

Smart EV will offer rent-a-battery plan

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Smart USA will offer customers who buy or lease its new electric-powered ForTwo the option of renting the car's lithium ion battery for a monthly fee.... Read More »

 

Cadillac will pitch ELR digitally

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 4, 2013
To sell the ELR plug-in hybrid, Cadillac plans to reach affluent and tech-savvy consumers on the Web, where they spend most of their media-consuming time.... Read More »

 

Ford store's busiest sales staffer doesn't sell

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 17, 2012
Jamie Wilson is among Village Ford's busiest sales staffers, but he doesn't sell any cars at the Dearborn, Mich., dealership.... Read More »

 

Fisker sees partnership next year

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012
Fisker Automotive's CEO, warning of the pitfalls facing independent small automakers, says the luxury plug-in hybrid manufacturer is poised to partner with other automakers next year.... Read More »

 

Akerson says cost cuts will help the Volt

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012
General Motors CEO Dan Akerson believes GM can cut $5,000 to $10,000 in costs out of the next-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Akerson acknowledged that getting there could mean spreading the vehicle's costs over higher volumes, which he didn't quantify.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

CAFE is enough; ZEV rules defy logic, buyer choice

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012
California and the 10 states that typically follow its tailpipe emissions and fuel economy policies must rethink the mandates that would require automakers to deliver a specified number of electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.... Read More »

 

Despite the risks, Ford cranks up mpg claims

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012
With three new hybrid vehicles on the market and two more on the way, Ford Motor Co. is getting bolder about claiming fuel economy superiority over rival Toyota Motor Corp. -- despite the risks that entails.... Read More »

 

Smart touts price as a plus with next-generation EV

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012
A new generation of electric car could give microcar brand Smart the momentum it needs until an all-new vehicle arrives in 2015, says Tracey Matura, general manger of Smart USA.... Read More »

 

Mazda to revive rotary engine

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012
Mazda will revive its famed rotary engine next year in a low-volume, for-lease vehicle in Japan, CEO Takashi Yamanouchi says.... Read More »

 

Dealers drawn to Energi

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 19, 2012
Ford Motor Co. is surprised by how many dealers are seeking approval to sell its first plug-in hybrid, the C-Max Energi -- and in which markets.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Lexus aims to boost N.A. hybrid sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 22, 2012
Lexus wants to make hybrid technology its signature selling point. That means boosting hybrids' share of its North American sales above the current level of roughly 10 percent.... Read More »

 

C-Max Energi targets 'super commuters'

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 22, 2012
With the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, Ford Motor Co. is taking aim at a group of customers it calls "super commuters": traveling sales professionals and others who drive long distances in their jobs and need great fuel economy.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

An American-made hybrid Accord in 2015?

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 15, 2012
Honda is having another go at a hybrid Accord, but when the two-motor plug-in electric-gasoline sedan arrives in the United States early next year, volumes will be small.... Read More »

 

Nissan plans cheaper Leaf variant

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 8, 2012
Nissan Motor Co., looking to bolster lackluster sales of its Leaf electric vehicle, will roll out a lower-priced variant for 2013. The entry trim level will be positioned below the two variants already offered, people familiar with the plan say.... Read More »

 

EV truckmaker cancels its IPO but pushes ahead

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 8, 2012
Bryan Hansel, CEO of Kansas City, Mo., electric-truck maker Smith Electric Vehicles, thought the investment community was on board with his plans for electrifying urban delivery trucks across America. But on the night of Sept. 20, Hansel had to pull the plug on Smith's eagerly awaited initial stock offering.... Read More »

 

Fleet buyers like long-term economics of EVs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 8, 2012
If U.S. consumers are reluctant to buy electric vehicles because of high sticker prices and limited battery range, wouldn't commercial vehicle fleet owners and operators be even less likely to buy EVs? Nope, they are more likely to buy, according to several players in the fleet world.... Read More »

 

Tesla announces charging network, earnings shortfall

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 1, 2012
Tesla Motors, the fledgling electric vehicle maker, is discovering that mass production is difficult and expensive. The company last week announced a sharply lower earnings restatement for the year because of production shortfalls and quality control concerns... Read More »

 

Ford designs C-Max Hybrid to be fun to drive, practical

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 10, 2012
The basic idea behind the marketing plan for the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is pretty simple: Ford Motor Co. wants customers to believe that a hybrid can be practical and fun, and that they can afford it. With this new entry, Ford is taking dead aim at the undisputed ruler of the hybrid realm, the Toyota Prius.... Read More »

 

Audi EV heads to the Ring to build performance image

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 20, 2012
Many automakers use Germany's Nurburgring racetrack to enhance their cars' sports cachet. Audi AG is using the Ring this summer to prepare a new type of car for customers.... Read More »

 

RAV4 EV has better range, performance

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 13, 2012
More than a decade after Toyota ended production of the original RAV4 EV, Toyota has joined forces with electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors to develop a new one. The new RAV4 EV has a higher-tech battery, better range and higher performance than the first-generation model, according to Toyota.... Read More »