The Tokyo Motor Show is a chance for Japanese automakers to show off what they've been working on in secret labs and design studios. At the Mitsubishi booth this year sits an aggressive-looking all-electric SUV that shows one version of what your next large electric car could look like, if you enjoy hulking rear ends on your high-clearance 'ute... Mitsubishi e-Evolution Concept electric SUV for Tokyo Motor Show
The Tokyo Motor Show is a chance for Japanese automakers to show off what they've been working on in secret labs and design studios. At the Mitsubishi booth this year sits an aggressive-looking all-electric SUV that shows one version of what your next large electric car could look like, if you enjoy hulking rear ends on your high-clearance 'ute...
Relatively few auto-company CEOs would publicly mention sleeping on the roof of one of their factory buildings. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not like most other chief executives of auto companies. Most also don't break news via tweet, for instance. A tweet by Musk Thursday evening referred to the eighth circle of Hell and suggested he'd slept on the...
The list of people and companies who want to be or want to make the "Tesla Fighter" is long and storied. Volkswagen has had some good things to say about the California-based electric-car maker, but it's also been working to take on the world's most lauded EV company. During a panel discussion in Germany last week, VW CEO Matthias Müller made...
When the Oklahoma Legislature passed a bill earlier this year that imposed new fees on owners of hybrid and electric cars only, it was swiftly sued by the Sierra Club. Now the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rendered its verdict in that suit, filed in August. In a 6-3 decision, the state's highest court struck down the bill as an unconstitutional tax...
Not every car buyer can afford a brand-new vehicle, which often makes gently used vehicles an appealing alternative. But while cars that plug in take only a small share of new-vehicle purchases today—about 1 percent—they apparently move quite fast off dealer lots once they're used. In fact, electric and plug-in cars dominate the top 10...
Before production of the Tesla Model 3 began, company CEO Elon Musk promised Tesla would offer owners some sort of free Supercharger use. Specifically, Musk said, "free long-distance charging is [included]," which led many reservation holders to believe they would receive free Supercharger credits, just as owners outside of the Model S and Model X...
The long-awaited all-electric crossover utility concept from Nissan finally made its public debut Wednesday morning on the first press day at the Tokyo auto show. Dubbed the Nissan IMx, the compact crossover concept includes both fully autonomous driving and an electric range given as more than 370 miles (600 km). That range is likely on a...
While Tesla works out the production bottlenecks that plague the Model 3, rivals continue to gear up to challenge the Silicon Valley maker's more affordable electric car. Specifically, Tesla's latest announced competitor comes from the new brand at Volvo Cars Group, named Polestar, which has become a standalone maker within the company's stable...
When consumers think of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, most likely conjure thoughts of Tesla, or perhaps Nissan with its Leaf and Chevrolet with its Volt and Bolt EV. However, none of those three brands managed to sell 10,000 plug-in cars during the month of September. That sales honor belongs to BMW, which announced sales of its i3...
If ever a car were in "production hell"—to use Tesla CEO Elon Musk's memorable phrase—the Tesla Model 3 is, right around now. From the first hand-built Model 3s delivered in late July through the end of September, fewer than 300 cars have gone to buyers—far short of the 1,500 predicted by Musk in early July. That now makes it...
As it stands today, Asia dominates the production of electric-car battery cells globally, with Japanese and Korean companies representing the bulk of the industry outside of booming Chinese makers. Europe, however, lacks a single major player in the fabrication and assembly of lithium-ion battery cells for cars that plug in. Now European leaders...
China is the world's largest car market, and the country plans to phase out sales of new vehicles with combustion engines in the future. Tesla makes and sells only electric cars, and it aspires to become a volume automaker, meaning China is key to its future. The Chinese government effectively requires carmakers to manufacture in the country to...
The Western United States will soon see an electric-car charging network that covers 5,000 miles of roadways. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced on October 4 that he and six other governors in western states have agreed to develop a network of fast-charge stations in the region. Now Arizona has signed on to the memorandum of...
How Mazda plans to integrate plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles into its range of increasingly efficient gasoline and diesel models is a topic that interests parts of the global auto industry. In 2019, the small Japanese maker will offer a combustion-engine technology never before achieved in production: a gasoline engine that can work...
Cummins has long been known for its diesel engines, but the company recently revealed its first concept truck using an all-electric powertrain. The Urban Hauler Tractor debuted last month and Cummins said it previewed a production model that could arrive by the end of this decade. Now, the diesel-engine maker officially diversified its portfolio...
Nissan will roll out a new electric van concept at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, one that it believes will help solve urban delivery congestion. The e-NV200 Fridge Concept adds a refrigerated compartment to the existing e-NV200 electric small delivery van to keep various perishable goods fresh while in transit. The brand says the e-NV200's size will...
The next Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race is eight months away still, so a press release on a carmaker's entry into next June's event comes out of left field. But for Volkswagen, it's another small step to underscore its major commitment to battery-electric vehicles as its two-year-old diesel emission cheating scandal continues to...
Mercedes-Benz has already laid out its plans for a portfolio of electric and electrified vehicles, and now parent company Daimler has announced further strategy refinements for Mercedes-Benz and its other brands. The Smart brand will become all-electric, it said, while its commercial truck operations will continue to add electrified powertrains to...
With an evolving shift to electrified and plug-in electric cars, the changes that will bring to the auto industry are far from limited to the powertrains. The entire mass-production and vehicle assembly process the industry pioneered a century ago will require major restructuring, it appears. Electric cars require significantly fewer parts and...