Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for September 2017

2018 Toyota Prius CAnother month has gone by, which means it's time for another round of superb deals for hybrid, electric, and fuel-efficient cars. For September, many of last month's cars hold their place on the list, though incentives have gotten better for some of them. As always, offers listed here reflect the Southern California region unless otherwise noted...

India actually beat China to all-electric new-car pledge, targets 2030

Mahindra e2o electric carChina made headlines around the world on Sunday when state media reported that the country is developing a timetable to end production and sales of new vehicles with gasoline engines. While Norway, The Netherlands, France, and the U.K. have adopted various timetables for various versions of such a ban, China is both the world's most populous...

Fatal Tesla Autopilot crash: ‘system safeguards lacking,’ says NTSB

Tesla Enhanced AutopilotThe Florida crash that killed the driver of a Tesla Model S while that car was operating under Autopilot software reverberated far and wide in global media. While human drivers are imperfect, with reaction times limited by millions of years of evolution, they at least provide a focus for blame if they crash their cars. So the results of a National...

Ford Transit van with range-extended electric powertrain revealed

Ford Transit Plug-In Hybrid van for the UKAs European countries continue to crack down on emissions from road vehicles, automakers are stepping up with solutions to ease reduce levels of smog-causing nitrogen oxides, especially in city centers. Ford identified the commercial vehicle segment as one it believes is ripe for electrification, and earlier this month it revealed its Ford Transit...

Honda Urban EV Concept to go on sale in 2019, but not for North America

Honda Urban EV ConceptIf there were a favorite car among journalists and car fans at this week's Frankfurt motor show, it may have been a small, all-electric hatchback city car. Which is pretty remarkable, given the practical, unexciting, utilitarian, slightly nerdy image every non-Tesla electric car seems to carry among that group even today. The car in question is...

What will happen to US fuel-economy rules to 2025? Take our Twitter poll

Gas pumpEven the automaker lobbying group didn't go this far in their complaints about emission and fuel-economy rules for vehicles in the 2022 through 2025 model years. When the Obama Administration approved final EPA emission rules for those years, the automakers complained that the comment period had been cut short. They didn't seriously suggest that...

Latest Tesla referral programs draw new CA dealer lobby complaint

2016 Tesla Model STesla has once again ruffled the feathers of the California New Car Dealers Association with a new round of referral programs. The Silicon Valley automaker has used referral programs for years; they usually provide perks for current owners who get friends, coworkers, and colleagues to buy a new Tesla vehicle. The dealer association has now noted...

Formula E races to add Jaguar I-Pace electric-car race series

Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy racecarMedia days at this week's Frankfurt motor show seemed to be all about electric cars and concepts, from mass-market brands like Volkswagen to luxury makers like Mercedes. Jaguar Land Rover, however, was able to get its own share of press by announcing that its upcoming electric car would go racing. Specifically, the Jaguar I-Pace all-electric...

Which company’s electric-car success will surprise us? Poll results

2017 Hyundai Ioniq ElectricPredicting the future is always hazardous, but for the auto industry, this is a particularly uncertain time. Four trends—electrification, connectivity, autonomy, and sharing—are coming together in a whirlwind that could rearrange the industry and its businesses within a decade or two. That's a relatively short timeframe in an industry...

Volkswagen ID Crozz electric crossover concept updated at Frankfurt show

Volkswagen ID Crozz II concept, 2017 Frankfurt auto showGermany's giant VW Group has said, several times, that it will have 30 different electric cars on sale globally by 2025. Over the last year, it's unveiled three different Volkswagen ID electric-car concepts, two of them thinly disguised versions of future production models for 2019 and 2020. Now, it has shown an update to one of those concepts at...

World’s sexiest car, Jaguar E-Type, reappears as all-electric concept

Jaguar E-Type ZeroElectric cars are now accepted as future volume models for most automakers, but Jaguar Land Rover has taken a very different approach to showcase how its future electric powertrains. In fact, it's not a concept for a car of the future at all, but a half-century-old Jaguar E-Type fitted with the most modern of electric running gear. Jaguar's...

BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept previews all-electric four-door sedan

BMW i Vision Dynamics concept, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show    [photo: Tom Moloughney]If concept cars are meant to grab attention, then the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept—an all-electric sedan that debuted Tuesday at the Frankfurt motor show—may have fulfilled its mission. With the huge, vertical twin-kidney BMW grille also seen on the BMW X7 SUV concept, the smaller four-door sedan concept grabbed viewers' attention...

Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA small electric hatchback debuts in Frankfurt

Mercedes-Benz EQA concept, 2017 Frankfurt auto showFollowing various teaser images, the Mercedes-Benz EQA concept for a compact all-electric hatchback made its debut on Tuesday at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. It's a preview of what will become a volume production car around 2020, competing against numerous 200-mile hatchbacks of the same size from various German brands. The electric Mercedes...