Lexus will be bringing at least three vehicles to the Geneva Auto Show in March; the hybrid IS 300h among them. The company’s F SPORT, plus the latest iteration of LF-LC will round out the trio of stunners the Japanese carmaker introduces to European markets. In fact, the trip to Switzerland will be the first [...]
Mitsubishi will show off two of its newest concept cars at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in March. The Japanese automaker will bring out a diesel hybrid SUV called GR-HEV, as well as an all-electric concept dubbed CA-MiEV, which can travel 186 miles between charges. Lacking specific powertrain data and marketing schedules, the vehicles appear [...]
During the Grammy Awards telecast this week, actor John Cusack debuted as the carmaker’s new, official advertising voice, replacing actor Tim Allen. Chevy’s fresh “Find New Roads” theme offered up its first spot during the Grammy show, with a creative short-story that spotlighted the Volt, Corvette, Spark, Impala, and Sonic. The Chevy Volt, however, was [...]
Grammy winner for Best Pop Vocal Album, Kelly Clarkson had a busy year, which featured an unusual musical gig as the driver of a Toyota Camry in a commercial for the Japanese automaker. The spot featured Clarkson’s smash single, “Stronger,” which she and her car mates sang as they tooled down the road. Toyota’s Camry [...]
Chinese automaker Qoros will unveil its inaugural lineup of vehicles at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in March. The company is a joint venture between Israel Corporation and China’s Chery Automotive. Israel Corp. is a Tel Aviv-based industrial holding company, while Chery is one of China’s biggest automakers. The Qoros Cross Hybrid Concept, whose specs [...]
Honda Motor Co. will debut a Crosstour look-alike, called Civic Wagon, at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show. The Civic Wagon will be available in European showrooms by the end of the year, as Honda executives have indicated that the concept is quite close to production. The new car will not, however, be introduced into the [...]
Ford Motor Co. announced this week that it plans to have at least 900 dealerships certified to sell the company’s plug-in hybrid and electric cars by mid-year. Ford will be selling three alternative-fuel vehicles in 2013, all of which are versions of cars it already sells. The Focus Electric will be joining the C-Max Energi [...]
Look! Up in Chicago. It’s not a bird or a plane. It’s a car. At the Chicago Auto Show this week, Kia Motors America showed off its Superman-themed Optima, which is a rare combination of serious artwork and car design. The Superman logo and colors seem to literally cover the vehicle and create an overall [...]
Korean automaker Kia unveiled a striking, copper-colored hybrid concept at the Chicago Auto Show this week. The Cross GT features a sloping roof and an innovative interior design that could become the company’s first foray into the luxury vehicle segment. A V6, 3.8-liter engine propels the gas-electric hybrid, which has the ability to drive for [...]
Hybrid car sales in the U.S. rose 61 percent in 2012, compared to 2011. Total hybrid vehicles sold hit the 1.35 million mark, with a full 20 percent of those cars accounted for by Toyota alone. The Japanese automaker’s Prius is the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the world and in the U.S. While Ford and [...]
The technology behind hybrid and electric vehicles continues to be a growing subject as new technologies are being developed and some are already in vehicles or soon will be. The tenth anniversary of this event will take a unique, comprehensive examination of the rapidly growing fields – past, present and future – and focus on [...]
Buoyed by a surge in new buyers, Ford Motor Co. set a sales record for hybrids in January, with this year’s numbers beating January of 2012 by a hefty 300 percent. The company sold approximately 5,500 hybrids last month, but in January of 2012, sales of Ford hybrid vehicles hovered near 1,300. More significant from [...]
