Mazda to offer electric car in 2019, maybe with range extender?

2017 Mazda MAZDA6Mazda may become the next automaker to commit to building an electric car, possibly one with a range-extending gasoline engine. That's the gist of numerous of conversations between journalists and Mazda executives at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. Company officials said Mazda plans to launch an electric car in 2019, dangling hints that it may...

Jaguar I-Pace electric concept at LA Auto Show: video walkaround

Jaguar I-Pace Concept, 2016 Los Angeles Auto ShowElectric vehicles are hardly a new concept any more, but they've largely been the province of Nissan and Tesla. Add another nameplate to that battery-powered mix. The future of Jaguar arrives next year, in the shape of this gas-free SUV. Meet the Jaguar I-Pace concept. CHECK OUT: Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV concept breaks cover at LA Auto Show...

Jaguar i-Pace electric SUV concept breaks cover at LA Auto Show

Jaguar I-Pace Concept, 2016 Los Angeles Auto ShowLuxury electric cars: seems like everyone's doing them, doesn't it? The latest to join the growing pool of pricey battery-electric sedans and crossover utilities is the Jaguar i-Pace, revealed tonight as a concept at a splashy event before the Los Angeles Auto Show. A quick look at the specs reveals 220 miles of electric range courtesy of a a...

Fisker EMotion 400-mile luxury electric car: renderings released

Fisker EMotionWe've seen it teased a couple of times in shadowy photos, and now we have the first renderings of the whole car. In this case, "it" is the Fisker EMotion, the latest striking, low-slung sedan drawn by car designer Henrik Fisker. This is to be the second car to bear his name, following the 2012 collapse and subsequent sale of Fisker Automotive...

Mercedes to launch 10 electric cars by 2025 under EQ sub-brand

Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept, 2016 Paris auto showAfter unveiling its Generation EQ electric SUV concept at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz announced some ambitious future electric-car plans. Late last week, the luxury carmaker said a production model based on the Generation EQ will be the first of no fewer than 10 electric cars it will sell under a new EQ sub-brand. That would seem to...

New Fisker electric car: ‘butterfly doors’ … but strange hype too?

Teaser for Fisker electric sedanWe're slowly learning more about Henrik Fisker's planned 300-mile electric car, as the designer has now released a pair of teaser photos of the vehicle. It appears to have scissor doors that pivot toward the sky, for instance. And its aggressive front end looks an awful lot like the VLF Force 1 supercar concept he showed in January at the 2016...

Is Infiniti now ready to launch an electric car, after all?

2012 Infiniti LE ConceptNissan's strong commitment to electric cars has not, so far, extended to its Infiniti luxury brand. While the six-year-old Nissan Leaf is the bestselling electric car in history, the company has repeatedly postponed plans for an all-electric Infiniti model. But Infiniti's on-again, off-again electric car may now be back on again. RELATED: Infiniti...

Faraday Future to unveil production electric car at CES in January

Teaser for Faraday Future's first modelAt the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), startup Faraday Future said it would put an electric car into production within two years. But one of those two years has almost elapsed without any hint of what that production car will be like. Faraday Future now says it will unveil its first production model at CES 2017 in January, though. DON'T...

2019 BMW i5 crossover utility vehicle rendered from patent drawings

Rendering of BMW i5 electric crossover utility vehicle, from patent drawings [Indian Autos Blog]With BMW having decided to offer not only plug-in hybrids across its range but also fully electric versions of its core models, its 'i' sub-brand is in a curious position. Is there a future for the high-tech vehicles designed for maximum efficiency when battery-electric powertrains are rolling into conventional cars as well? The answer to that...

Kia to boost hybrid, electric offerings, add fuel cell in 2020

DC fast charging 2015 Kia Soul EVKia is continuing with plans to significantly increase the number of green cars in its future lineup. The Korean automaker and its parent, Hyundai, together hope to become the second-biggest seller of green cars worldwide, after Toyota. That means more hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric cars, and even some hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles...

Audi electric SUV to carry e-tron name (not Q6), a la first quattro

Audi e-tron Quattro concept, 2015 Frankfurt Auto ShowWe've known for sometime that Audi will launch an all-electric utility vehicle in 2018, but there has been some confusion about what it will be called. It was widely believed that the SUV would carry the Q6 e-tron name, stemming from both its position in the Audi lineup and its use of an electrified powertrain. But now it appears the electric SUV...

Long-delayed BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid due in 2018

BMW i8 Concept SpyderA convertible version of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid coupe was teased as far back as the 2012 New York Auto Show, when the i8 Spyder concept first debuted. But while the i8 coupe went into production as a 2014 model, BMW has been unusually slow to approve a convertible version for production. BMW mentioned an i8 convertible during a March press...

Plug-in hybrid next-generation Mini Countryman teased before launch

Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid prototypeThe next generation Mini Countryman crossover utility vehicle will be the brand's first model to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Its parent company BMW has released teaser images confirming an upcoming production plug-in hybrid. While it did not specifically say the model was a Countryman, the camouflaged prototype being driven by Mini...

What will be the most unexpected thing about Tesla Model 3? Poll results

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016Three long-range electric cars at affordable prices will move the industry forward over the next year or two. The Chevy Bolt EV is within several weeks of arriving at the first dealers that will carry it, and a second-generation Nissan Leaf should go into production by the end of next year. That leaves the Tesla Model 3, unveiled this past spring...

Could future VW Beetle return to rear (electric) powertrain?

2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2-door DSG 2.0T R-Line S GrilleAs any experienced journalist knows, you hear lots of good stuff in the corridors and private conversations of any large industry event where media are present. That applies to auto shows too. Which is how we came to hear an intriguing rumor about the possible production direction of the next-generation Volkswagen Beetle. DON'T MISS: VW ID: more...

Mercedes previews new electric car lineup with Generation EQ concept

Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept, 2016 Paris auto showMercedes-Benz took to the stage at the 2016 Paris auto show with a quirky new concept car that the German automaker says serves as a forerunner to its upcoming lineup of electric cars. Mercedes chief Dr. Dieter Zetsche said that one of the biggest hurdles automakers will face in the future is e-mobility. Although it looks rather like the company's...

Nissan electric subcompact below Leaf in future electric-car lineup?

2016 Renault Zoe electric carThe 2011 Nissan Leaf was the first mass-priced modern electric car when it launched in December 2010. Nissan has since sold close to a quarter of a million Leafs, and together with its alliance partner Renault it has now sold more than 350,000 all-electric vehicles. But the Leaf is still with us, albeit with a slightly longer range, whereas the...