Not so many years ago, a 1.2-liter engine would only have been found in the U.S. in the smallest and least impressive of subcompact cars. It might have been a 3-cylinder, and certainly wouldn't have had even 100 horsepower. But times change, and engines of that size will soon be found even in the smallest of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. DON'T MISS... Next Mercedes-Benz small cars to get even tinier engines
Not so many years ago, a 1.2-liter engine would only have been found in the U.S. in the smallest and least impressive of subcompact cars. It might have been a 3-cylinder, and certainly wouldn't have had even 100 horsepower. But times change, and engines of that size will soon be found even in the smallest of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. DON'T MISS... 
The Tesla Model S has retaken its spot as the luxury sedan that gets the highest ratings from Consumer Reports after the electric car gained back automatic emergency braking that works at all legal road speeds. Some may remember Tesla restored the automatic braking during an update to vehicles earlier this year, but the system only worked at... 
The U.S. Department of Transportation said yesterday the NHTSA is preparing to revise corporate average fuel economy requirements for model years 2022 through 2025. The proposed version of those regulations, which was issued by the Obama Administration in 2012, included steady increases for each of those model years. Among the alternatives that... 
Today, we have two separate articles on solid-state batteries for electric cars, updates to lower diesel emissions, and a rare house editorial piece. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Breaking news this morning indicates that Toyota will launch an electric car with a solid-state battery, though not until 2022. Both Audi and Mercedes-Benz... 
Any movement produces passionate advocates, angry detractors, even as the vast mass of people pay it little or no attention. When that movement involves most people's second most-expensive purchase, and plays a role in reducing manmade carbon emissions to alleviate the worst effects of climate change, things can get heated. And so it is among... 
It's now clear that much greater numbers of plug-in electric cars will be sold in coming years and decades than have found buyers to date. With battery costs falling faster than expected, and toughening regulations in China requiring higher volumes of electric cars, the onus is on the world's carmakers to step up and sell them at a profit. But how... 
Fisker's promise to bring advanced, solid-state graphene cells to the battery pack of its upcoming Emotion electric car is officially dead. Automotive-grade graphene batteries have yet to be perfected, but Fisker was poised to become the first company to utilize the technology. The batteries provide greater range and shorter charging times, but... 
Both Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Volkswagen Group have approved new plans to retrofit older diesel-powered vehicles with new software at no cost to owners. The largest number of such cars will be in Europe. The news comes amid the latest allegations surrounding German automakers and their brands' diesel cars—and more updates could be on... 
Toyota has long been the laggard on battery-electric cars, claiming they're only suitable for shorter trips and promoting hydrogen fuel cells as the best zero-emission vehicle technology. Pushed by China and its increasingly tough emission rules, the company reluctantly committed to building all-electric cars by 2020. Now a report suggests that... 
Today, we've updated our glossary of green-car terms, profiled the oldest Toyota Prius hybrid in the world, read through a 24-page report on VW's Electrify America plans for electric-car charging, and covered a future diesel Jeep. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Over the weekend, we ran down our top green-car stories from last week. We... 
As Volkswagen works to look toward the future, following its damaging diesel deceit, electric cars and plug-in vehicles will be front and center in its product publicity. The German automaker has already hinted at its future electric cars with a handful of concepts, but its first high-volume electric cars won't arrive until 2019. What do we know... 
The iconic Jeep Wrangler is a tough vehicle to make fuel-efficient. Its separate frame and body add weight, and it has all the wind-cheating grace of a small municipal hospital. The Wrangler SUV only gets redesigned every 10 years or so, so each new generation is a big deal to Jeep fans. DON'T MISS: Turbo-4 to boost fuel economy in next Jeep... 
This Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will meet to consider what action it will take on an important plan that could bring many more electric-car charging sites to the state. That document is the first 30-month investment plan submitted by Volkswagen for its "Electrify America" program. Each of four stages in the 10-year plan is... 
As rules to boost fuel economy and lower carbon emissions in vehicles around the world continue to stiffen, acronyms like EREV, CNG, and MPGe are becoming more and more common. Ever wonder what they all mean? This glossary is your chance to enter a veritable Twilight Zone of terminology--and find out, say, whether a PZEV is related to a PHEV... 
What grim breaking news could make the expanding diesel emission scandal more painful for all German makers? And why did GM really extend the shutdown of the assembly plant where the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car is made? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, July... 
Today, our missing plug-in Mini review, some rumors on future Chevrolet Volts, a new Volvo crossover, and much more diesel drama. All this and more on Green Car Reports. We updated our article on the Bolt EV production shutdown to reflect information added by a worker at the Orion Assembly Plant where it's built. The upcoming Volvo XC40 compact... 
The makers of the 2018 Mini Coooper S E Countryman All4, the unwieldy name for its first plug-in hybrid small crossover utility vehicle, aren't going to make any friends among electric-car fans. That's because the company has included in its marketing the notion that the car's hybrid powertrain should offer some fuel-economy benefits even though... 
As numerous political probes over the years have famously shown, once investigators dig into the circumstances around an alleged crime, anything can happen. The September 2015 announcement by the EPA that VW Group engineers had admitted to deliberate cheating on U.S. emission tests of the company's "clean diesel' engines may prove to be another... 
Electric cars may receive most of the attention within the realm of alternative propulsion methods, but liquid hydrocarbon fuels will be with us for many decades to come. The challenge then becomes how to reduce the carbon footprint of extracting, transporting, refining, and burning those fuels to reduce the damage they impose on the environment...