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...

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid rated at 47 miles of range

2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In HybridWhile there will be three distinct powertrains offered in the Honda Clarity mid-size sedan, most U.S. shoppers will only ever see one of them on sale. That's the plug-in hybrid, which will go on sale "later this year" as the sole Clarity to be offered at all Honda dealers. Now the 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid's electric range has been...

2018 Nissan Leaf: does it pioneer the ‘mid-range’ electric car?

2018 Nissan LeafWith the 2018 Nissan Leaf due to arrive at U.S. dealers in four or five months, next year is shaping up to be a very interesting test of what buyers want in battery-electric cars. Much of the focus has been on the new car's range rating, projected to be 150 miles combined when it's confirmed by the EPA. The new Leaf enters what carmakers call...