FCA announces production Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid in Italy

2019 Jeep RenegadeJeep said Monday that it laid the groundwork to begin production of a plug-in hybrid version of its small Renegade at the factory in southern Italy where it's produced alongside the Fiat 500X. The model is expected to go on sale in early 2020, though it's not clear whether it is intended for the U.S. Jeep did not immediately respond for comment on...

Catastrophic climate effects could hit by 2040, UN report says

Tesla Model S 'swimming' through flooded underpass, June 2016  [YouTube video by Sanzhar Altayev]Two decades. That's all the time world leaders have to reverse emissions of greenhouse gases to avoid inundating coastal cities, killing off coral reefs and their attendant marine wildlife, and potential food shortages, according to a new UN report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report was the first commissioned by world...

How will VW price its next-generation electric vehicles? Think TDI

Volkswagen MEB platform architectureVolkswagen says that it aims to make “electric vehicles for millions, not millionaires” with its next-generation EVs. While that’s a clever tagline, what ultimately will matter to many households who want a new electric vehicle in the driveway is whether they can afford one of those models. Speaking at an event last month...

Electric cars may end the automatic era this Olds began

1938 Oldsmobile Convertible Coupe with Autoamatic Safeaty Transmission [CREDIT: Hemmings Motor News]With only the possible exception of the electric starter, nothing has done more to expand the adoption of personal cars than the automatic transmission, as reflected by one of the first cars so-equipped, being sold this week in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The 1938 Oldsmobile L-38 convertible coupe used the first transmission to select gears...

One size won’t fit all for future Kia EVs

2019 Kia Niro EVFor an automaker that’s pitching itself toward the fun side of the Hyundai Motor Group, the tone for the automaker’s sizable electric push soon sounds altogether like pants. “It’s all about what fits,” said Michael Winkler, director of powertrains for Kia in Europe. By the end of next year, Kia will offer in the U.S...

Report: Volvo’s parent company in talks with Toyota over hybrid systems

2019 Volvo XC40Toyota revealed on Thursday that it is in talks with Chinese automaker Geely, which owns Volvo, about cooperation on hybrid vehicle technology, Reuters reported. As the company that has sold by far the most hybrids worldwide, the discussions could involve selling Toyota hybrid technology in Geely cars in China. Any agreement, however, could also...

VW confirms it’s planning for solid-state batteries by 2025

Thomas UlbrichSolid-state batteries sometimes sound a bit like the missing link that would punt electric vehicles soundly into mainstream acceptance. The list of potential virtues for solid-state tech, which would replace the polymer/gel electrolyte commonly used in lithium-ion cells with a solid one, is impressive: a longer driving range; smaller packaging;...

Consumer Reports ranks Tesla Autopilot second among self-driving systems

Consumer Reports tests Tesla Model 3 braking [CREDIT: Consumer Reports]In the latest ranking of automaker self-driving systems, Tesla's popular Autopilot system ranked second to Cadillac's Super Cruise system. The ratings come from Consumer Reports, which tested the cars on its test track and on local highways, in both lead and following positions. The organization rated the systems on their capability and ease of...

Is the Tesla Model 3 the top-selling car from an American brand?

2018 Tesla Model 3Earlier this week we reported the Model 3 is possibly the fifth best-selling car in the U.S., based on Tesla’s update on deliveries. These Model 3 numbers released Tuesday are likely an anomaly; they’re based on a coordinated surge in U.S. deliveries in September. But also to be fair, we missed one other distinction: The Tesla Model 3...