Next Mercedes-Benz small cars to get even tinier engines

2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA-ClassNot so many years ago, a 1.2-liter engine would only have been found in the U.S. in the smallest and least impressive of subcompact cars. It might have been a 3-cylinder, and certainly wouldn't have had even 100 horsepower. But times change, and engines of that size will soon be found even in the smallest of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. DON'T MISS...

NHTSA to review gas-mileage rules, could freeze 2021 levels for later years

Gas pumpThe U.S. Department of Transportation said yesterday the NHTSA is preparing to revise corporate average fuel economy requirements for model years 2022 through 2025. The proposed version of those regulations, which was issued by the Obama Administration in 2012, included steady increases for each of those model years. Among the alternatives that...

Note to (a few) electric-car advocates: get off your high horses

Owner Dawn Hall before 800-mile road trip in 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric carAny movement produces passionate advocates, angry detractors, even as the vast mass of people pay it little or no attention. When that movement involves most people's second most-expensive purchase, and plays a role in reducing manmade carbon emissions to alleviate the worst effects of climate change, things can get heated. And so it is among...

When will sales of of electric and gas cars be equal, globally? Poll results

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVIt's now clear that much greater numbers of plug-in electric cars will be sold in coming years and decades than have found buyers to date. With battery costs falling faster than expected, and toughening regulations in China requiring higher volumes of electric cars, the onus is on the world's carmakers to step up and sell them at a profit. But how...