2018 Kia Niro hybrid nets top Safety Pick+ award, when properly equipped

2018 Kia Niro Plug-In HybridTick all the right boxes and the 2018 Kia Niro earns a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, the crash-testing agency said last week. To get to the highest-rated Niro, buyers need to opt for LED headlights and automatic emergency braking, features that can be paired together only on the Niro EX trim level with the optional Premium Package or the...

What does a “green car” mean to you? Twitter poll results

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EVOur readers are nothing if not consistent. When we asked our Twitter followers last week to choose what they consider a "green car," a solid majority said nothing but a pure electric car qualifies. Under a picture of a gas-guzzling Dodge Challenger SRT8, literally painted green and parked in a spot marked "reserved for green vehicles," we asked...

Audi CEO arrested in Germany over diesel scandal

Audi CEO Rupert StadlerVW's diesel scandal is far from over. In the latest move on the political chessboard, German authorities arrested the head of VW's luxury division Audi at his home Monday morning according to a Reuters report. German authorities cited concerns that Stadler could obstruct their ongoing investigation into the diesel emissions cheating scandal. A...

Director’s Tesla Model S catches fire in L.A.

Director Michael Morris's Tesla Model S on fire [PHOTO CREDIT - MARY MCCORMICK]A Tesla fire in Los Angeles last week is drawing attention again to the safety of the cars' lithium-ion batteries. British television and stage director Michael Morris drove his Tesla Model S on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood when a couple in another car flagged him down and told him to pull over, according to a Tweet by his wife...

Kia to build electric cars in India by late 2019

2019 Kia Niro EVKia will spend $1 billion on a new assembly plant in southern India to build an electric car for that market by late 2019. The move comes just over a decade before India intends to ban the sale of fossil-fuel vehicles. Just what form an Indian-market electric Kia will take remains unknown, especially since the automaker doesn't currently sell cars...

Software fix for 2016-17 Nissan Leafs may improve battery range

2016 Nissan Leaf SL fast-charging at NRG evGo Freedom Station, Hudson Valley, NY, Dec 2015In March we told you about a study of a small group of 2016 and 2017 Nissan Leaf models equipped with the larger, 30-kwh battery pack that had abnormal battery degradation. That study concluded that nearly four out of five of the larger battery packs examined lost cell capacity three times faster than earlier 24-kwh battery packs that were...

South Korean government trims orders for Hyundai Nexo hydrogen-fuel cars

Hyundai Nexo self-driving prototypeNine months after announcing its intention to buy 10,000 Hyundai Nexo hydrogen-fueled cars, the South Korean government has halved its order. That's according to Business Korea, which said Tuesday that a report published by the government earlier this month indicated that the government plans to purchase 5,000 Nexo vehicles over the next two...

New Ford cab take stabs at fuel-efficient powertrains

Ford Fusion Hybrid TaxiIf you're like us, you can remember seas of yellow Ford Crown Victorias dashing through cramped city streets, shuttling tourists and Carrie Bradshaws through New York City. If you're like us, you're also probably old. Ford on Thursday debuted two new taxis for fleet service next year with twists: one is a hybrid and the other is a diesel. The...

Follow-up: In the end, I bought a Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid

In the end, we chose a Prius PrimeIn an article last fall, I reached out the GCR readers for a suggestion for what plug-in vehicle I should buy to complement my 84-mile range 2015 Nissan LEAF. The new vehicle, my wife’s car, had to handle a 16 mile daily commute, occasional 300 mile trips to Vermont (a place of few DC fast chargers), and be less than $40,000. Readers...

Volkswagen Group fined $1.2B by German authorities for diesel scandal

VW TDI badgeThe fallout from a global emissions cheating scandal keeps falling. This week, German authorities fined Volkswagen AG nearly $1.2 billion for selling more than 10 million cars with emissions-cheating software. The sum pales in comparison to the billions Volkswagen has paid in the U.S., which has totaled more than $24 billion so far, but is one of...

2019 Hyundai Ioniq preview

2019 Hyundai IoniqThe 2019 Hyundai Ioniq returns this year as an inexpensive alternative for green car shoppers on a budget. Its lineup has fully matured now; the Ioniq is available as an affordable hybrid, a slightly more expensive plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric model available in limited areas. We say: green, greener, or greenest—no bad pick. The most...