VW Dresden ‘glass house’ factory to build e-Golf electric car

2017 Volkswagen e-GolfWhen it launched its Phaeton luxury sedan back in 2002, Volkswagen decided that its most opulent car ever should have an equally opulent assembly plant. So it built the "Transparent Factory," a glass-walled plant in Dresden, Germany, that was intended solely to handle Phaeton production. The Phaeton was a vanity project of VW Group's...

BYD partners with U.S. firm to launch all-electric garbage truck

BYD and Wayne Engineering electric garbage truckHere's an electric vehicle that really, truly stinks. While automakers are moving in the direction of more electric cars, several companies are also making efforts to electrify commercial vehicles. The humble garbage truck will be the next to be electrified—which, if nothing else, will eliminate the unpleasant noise from huge diesel trucks...

Hyundai Ioniq Electric: how maker plans to market 124-mile electric car

WaiveCar Hyundai Ioniq ElectricThe 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric will soon go on sale as part of a trio of Ioniq variants that also includes hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. When it arrives in dealerships, Hyundai will face the same challenge other automakers have come to know well: marketing electric cars to an uneducated and sometimes skeptical public. Instead of relying...

VW to build Atlas TDI diesel in U.S., but only for export to Russia

2018 Volkswagen AtlasThe ongoing diesel scandal means all Volkswagen and Audi TDI models are still absent from U.S. showrooms—and likely will be for some years to come. Even a new TDI diesel model that will be built only in the U.S. won't be sold here. That would be the Volkswagen Atlas TDI, a diesel version of the Atlas 7-seat crossover utility vehicle unveiled...

Why did Tesla take capabilities out of latest Model S + Model X?

2016 Tesla Model SAutomakers rarely "de-content" their cars, much less take away some of the very features that provide sizzle and PR value. But Tesla's new and more advanced "Hardware 2" electronic driver-assist features on latest cars appear to be a temporary step backwards. Announced last month, Hardware 2 is a new package of sensors for the Autopilot...

What a prototype self-driving Tesla ‘sees’ on public roads

Tesla self-driving demonstration video screenshotLike a human driver, a self-driving car needs to "see" its environment in order to navigate through it. But instead of eyes, autonomous vehicles use an array of sensors—including cameras and radar—to detect objects and obstacles. So what does a self-driving car's view of the road look like? DON'T MISS: Tesla's own numbers show...

Hyundai Ioniq Electric beats Prius Prime, BMW i3 on energy efficiency

2017 Hyundai Ioniq ElectricThe 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid's tenure as the most energy-efficient car on sale in the U.S. turned out to be short. The Toyota recently took the title of most energy-efficiency vehicle available in the U.S. away from the BMW i3, which had held it since 2014. But now there's a new kid on the block. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq electric...

Tesla’s new manufacturing chief has a lot on his plate (Model 3, mostly)

Tesla Model S undergoing assemblyTesla Motors is facing a huge increase its production output in order to meet the ambitious goals set by CEO Elon Musk. He says he expects the company produce 500,000 electric cars per year by 2018. Much of that volume will come from the Model 3, the 215-mile, $35,000 sedan Tesla unveiled earlier this year, and plans to put into production by the...

Another tiny SUV? No AWD for 2018 Toyota C-HR subcompact crossover

2018 Toyota C-HRThe 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show was awash in crossover utility vehicles, including a new model from Toyota that stretches the definition of that category. The 2018 Toyota C-HR features the high driving position of a crossover, but in a vehicle with decidedly car-like styling, and without an all-wheel drive option. Adding to the confusion, the...