2017 Kia Optima Hybrid: gas mileage review of mid-size sedan

2017 Kia Optima Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, April 2017The 2017 Kia Optima Hybrid is one of a pair of hybrid mid-size sedans from the Korean maker Hyundai-Kia. It shares its underpinnings, though not a single body panel or styling flourish, with the higher-volume Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. We found it to be a comfortable, stylish sedan that gave us good fuel economy—almost as good as the car's EPA...

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid: full production to start today for plug-in minivan

2017 Chrysler Pacifica HybridIt's a well-reviewed new minivan design from the company that invented the modern minivan three decades ago. Unlike any other minivan, however, its large battery pack gives it 33 miles of EPA-rated electric range, and it can drive largely on battery alone despite its size, its seven seats, and its gaping cargo capacity. It's the 2017 Chrysler...

Asking prices climb for used VW TDI diesels as buybacks proceed

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SEIf you have your eyes on a used Volkswagen or Audi TDI turbodiesel, you may wind up having to pay more today for 2009 through 2015 models than you would have when they were new. At least right now, only 2015 model-year versions of VW and Audi vehicles sold with the 2.0-liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder TDI engine can be modified to comply with...

Dyson walks away from Sakti3 solid-state battery patents

James Dyson with digital motors  [image: Dyson]Just 18 months after its $90m acquisition of Sakti3, the British consumer-products company Dyson is taking a step back. Dyson has chosen to relinquish the patent rights that were the core intellectual property of the Michigan based start-up company. Its move demonstrates the high risk companies are willing to accept in order to be at the forefront...

Trump budget slashes EPA emission testing, hits makers with higher fees

2017 Ford F-150 Raptor strapped to a dynoThe prospect of ongoing operations as usual continues to darken for the Environmental Protection Agency. According to a detailed internal budget document published in the The Washington Post, the Trump administration wants to eliminate virtually all federal funding for the agency’s vehicle emissions and fuel-economy testing budgets. If the...

Four of 10 drivers globally would consider an electric car

2015 Nissan LeafIt’s been merely six years since the first modern electric car hit the streets, and the segment looks ready to take off. Over 43,000 people residing in 52 countries all around the globe were asked whether they are considering buying an electric car in the next five years. On average, four out of 10 motorists say they’re either very...

Tesla loses bid to sell cars in Utah, dealer lobbyists win

Tesla Store Los Angeles [photo: Misha Bruk / MBH Architects]Tesla has once again been denied permission to sell its cars directly to buyers in the battleground state of Utah. Via a unanimous decision, the Utah Supreme Court handed Tesla Motors another setback this week. The state’s top court upheld a 2015 decision that denied the electric-car maker a license to sell new cars, citing a state law that...