Nissan figured out how to make a dual-motor Leaf

Nissan Leaf+ twin motor prototypeWhen Nissan launched the updated 2018 Leaf, company representatives told Green Car Reports that a dual-motor variant was still off the table. What you see before you, then, shouldn't be possible. And yet... This prototype's front and rear motors combine for more than 300 horsepower and almost exactly 500 pound-feet of torque, which is quite a bit...

SUVs are 2nd-largest contributor to CO2 increase this decade

2019 Chevrolet Suburban RST Performance PackageWhile individual vehicle emissions have decreased on a per-mile basis over the past decade, shifts in consumer habits are pressuring CO2 production upward, an upcoming publication says. The growth in the SUV sector has made them the second-largest contributor to increasing CO2 emissions over the past ten years, contributing more than heavy...

Eight Chinese electric-car companies: Headed for boom or bust?

ChinaAt almost twice the volume of the U.S., China is the world’s largest car market. Its government has aggressive plans to put the country at the forefront of global electric-car development, deployment, and sales. China’s entrepreneurs have responded energetically, with more than 60 electric-car brands now on the market or promised. Some...

Eight China-connected electric-car companies: Headed for boom or bust?

ChinaAt almost twice the volume of the U.S., China is the world’s largest car market. Its government has aggressive plans to put the country at the forefront of global electric-car development, deployment, and sales. China’s entrepreneurs have responded energetically, with more than 60 electric-car brands now on the market or promised. Some...

Seven China-connected electric-car companies: Headed for boom or bust?

ChinaAt almost twice the volume of the U.S., China is the world’s largest car market. Its government has aggressive plans to put the country at the forefront of global electric-car development, deployment, and sales. China’s entrepreneurs have responded energetically, with more than 60 electric-car brands now on the market or promised. Some...

Audi A6 plug-in hybrid detailed, won’t come to the US

2020 Audi A6 55 TFSI e (European spec)Audi's electrification onslaught has officially begun. Between the launch of the all-electric e-tron crossover and the introduction of the flagship A8 and volume-chasing Q5 in plug-in form, we're seeing a side of Audi that was just years ago borderline irrelevant to its long-term production goals. The configuration itself shares a lot in common...

VW Golf unveiled: No more EV, more plug-in options, but diesel remains

New Volkswagen GolfOn Thursday, VW unveiled its eighth-generation Golf for the 45th year of the venerable nameplate, and one of the most prolific nameplates on the planet to usher the small car into its sixth decade of production. Although the car will be sold in nearly every corner of the world, equipped with one of eight powertrains, it won't make its way to the...

Mazda aims its new MX-30 EV at the European market

Mazda MX-30Mazda's new concept may sport a set of suicide doors and have an optional rotary engine, but it's not a performance coupe; it's an electric crossover, and it's aimed squarely at the European market. The Mazda MX-30 borrows its designation from the old "Mazda eXperimental" nomenclature closely associated with piston engines (as opposed to Rotary...

Honda’s retro-styled E was originally planned for the US

2020 Honda EThe United States narrowly missed being included in Honda's distribution plans for the new E urban electric car, its project manager has revealed, and if attitudes change, Honda's plans might too. "The U.S. was included in the beginning," Kohei Hitomi told Jalopnik. "I personally wanted to see it." But three years ago, he says, that changed...

Tesla confirms Model Y ahead of schedule, launch in summer 2020

Tesla Model YIn a company update released Wednesday to investors, Tesla formally confirmed the launch of the Model Y electric crossover has been moved up to summer 2020. To meet that timeline, production of the Y could begin as soon as early 2020, versus the summer to fall 2020 timeline (with first deliveries before the end of 2020) that Tesla had originally...