Redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid debuts at New York auto show

2019 Toyota RAV4With buyers showing no signs of letup in their enthusiasm for crossovers of all sizes and shapes, the redesigned 2019 Toyota RAV4 couldn't be coming at a better time. The Toyota RAV4 small SUV became the company's single best-selling model in the U.S. last year, surging past its long-time champion, the Camry mid-size sedan. The company delivered...

2019 Lincoln Aviator crossover to include plug-in hybrid version

Lincoln Aviator SUVFord's premium brand, Lincoln, has started to take on a new confidence, with far more luxurious vehicles and high-end trim levels and vehicles that are more than just restyled mass-market products. On Wednesday, it will draw back the veil from one of the several new SUVs that it hopes will power its growth not only in North America but more...

2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport concept shows plug-in hybrid possible in future

Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport conceptIn Europe these days, it's all but de rigeur to fit auto-show concept vehicles with plug-in hybrid powertrains. Most of the Volkswagen SUV concepts that previewed what is now the Volkswagen Atlas seven-seat crossover, on sale today, sported plugs—though no such version emerged into production. Tuesday evening, before the New York auto show...

Tesla sales: how much do rebates matter to buyers in Canada?

2013 Tesla Model S on Chilcotin Highway, Canada [photo: owner Vincent Argiro]The government of Ontario amended its plug-in electric vehicle incentive program in March, eliminating incentives for vehicles with a recommended price of $75,000 or more. What effect will this have on demand for Tesla’s Model S and X? Two years ago, this site analyzed the impacts on electric-car sales in British Columbia when funding for...

Tesla sales: how much do rebates matter to buyers in Canada?

2013 Tesla Model S on Chilcotin Highway, Canada [photo: owner Vincent Argiro]The government of Ontario amended its plug-in electric vehicle incentive program in March, eliminating incentives for vehicles with a recommended price of $75,000 or more. What effect will this have on demand for Tesla’s Model S and X? Two years ago, this site analyzed the impacts on electric-car sales in British Columbia when funding for...

Nissan, Sumitomo open electric-car battery recycling plant in Japan

Nissan electric-car batteryThe town of Namie, in eastern Japan, was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, and has struggled to recover from the devastation of that day. Almost seven years later, the first new plant in town is set to open, one contributing to clean energy and zero-emission vehicles to boot. Carmaker Nissan and an arm of the giant trading company...

“Electric cars are disasters; they are evil,” says Hyundai union head

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric“Electric cars are disasters. They are evil." Not something you'd hear every day, certainly not from a powerful executive in the auto industry. Yet those are the words of Ha Bu-young, head of the Hyundai motor union, both the largest and the most powerful union in South Korea. DON'T MISS: UAW wakes up to job threat posed by electric cars, as...

EPA to ease emission limits, reports say, setting up clash with California

Chrome exhaust pipeThe omens have been accumulating for months, as bits of information dribble out of the regulatory rumor mill in Washington, D.C. Now we have the most concrete reports yet that the U.S. EPA plans to modify exhaust emission limits for vehicles in model years 2022 through 2025. The EPA delivered its draft Final Determination document to the Office of...

2019 Honda Insight: good-looking 50-mpg competitor for Prius hybrid

2019 Honda InsightTeased in January as a "concept" without an interior, the production version of the 2019 Honda Insight hybrid sedan has been revealed just before week's New York auto show. EPA ratings aren't yet final, but Honda says the new Insight is projected to achieve "up to 55 mpg" on the city cycle, and a combined fuel-economy number of "50 mpg or better."...

UPS adds battery energy storage for 118 electric vans in UK

Prototype plug-in electric delivery van with fuel-cell range extender to be tested by UPS in 2017Electric vehicles are not only zero-emission and quieter and more pleasant to drive, they also clearly lower emissions of the carbon dioxide linked to climate change under most circumstances. For fleet operators who recharge large fleets of electric vehicles overnight, however, the load on electric grids and consequent demand charges pose a...

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback returns at NY Auto Show

2019 Toyota Corolla HatchbackThe Toyota Corolla is the world's highest-selling nameplate, having surpassed the Ford Model T and Volkswagen Beetle years ago. It exists in a variety of models and varieties all over the world, but the U.S. hasn't always been offered the hatchback version. In fact, the Corolla lineup only regained its five-door model when Toyota shut down its...