Pininfarina-kissed Karma GT plug-in hybrid heading to Monterey Car Week

Karma GT by Pininfarina conceptGone is the Joker grin, as well as the walrus mustache. The new Karma GT by Pininfarina will show off its much sleeker facelift at Monterey Car Week next weekend in California. The GT by Pininfarina, which made its first appearance at the Shanghai auto show in April, is a two-door coupe version of the Karma Revero sedan. The Revero itself is an...

2020 Kia Optima Hybrid includes more active-safety features

2020 Kia Optima HybridThe 2020 Kia Optima Hybrid joins non-hybrid Optima models in making several important safety features standard. In 2019, automatic emergency braking and automatic lane control were optional on the Optima Hybrid EX and were not available on the Plug-in Hybrid. For 2020, the Optima Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid again come only in the EX trim level...

BMW doubles battery production in US for coming X3 and X5 plug-in hybrids

2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e iPerformanceBMW is doubling is battery production capacity in preparation for producing two new plug-in hybrids at its South Carolina factory. The company plans to begin producing the 2020 BMW X5 xDrive 45e plug-in hybrid SUV there on August 1, followed by the new plug-in hybrid X3 xDrive 30e in December. The two vehicles—and the expanded battery...

First drive review: Is 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid electric enough?

2019 Porsche Cayenne E-HybridYou don’t have to look long to see the counterculture influences that persist around Eugene, Oregon. Last week, mostly avoiding tailpipe emissions and driving the 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid on plug-in charge, we quietly cruised past the eco-villages, community gardens, and co-ops that are a permanent fixture there, to the tie-dyes and...

2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid gas mileage review: The ideal family hauler

2019 Chrysler Pacifica HybridSeating for six, up to 32-miles of EPA-rated all-electric range, and a 30-mpg combined rating set the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid up to be not just the ideal minivan but the ideal family mover at this point in time. From our experience—updated with a city drive of the Pacifica Hybrid today—this van delivers more usable all-electric...

Analysis finds hybrids make better use of scarce batteries than pure EVs

Volkswagen Tiguan GTE concept,  2015 Frankfurt Auto ShowIn the face of growing shortages of batteries and battery materials for electric cars, one respected analytics firm says those batteries would do more good for the environment put to use in more hybrid vehicles rather than fewer all-electric cars. Per kilowatt-hour of battery capacity produced and installed in plug-in vehicles, hybrids deliver 14...

BMW isn’t finished with internal combustion engines yet

2020 BMW X3 M CompetitionMany automakers now see electric vehicles as the long-range future of the passenger vehicle. What may actually say more though, in the language of corporate nuance, is that few companies have gone so far as to solidly declare that the end is nigh for internal combustion engines. Among the examples that have been so bold: Volvo won’t develop...

Battle over EV tax credit pits automakers against oil interests

U.S. Capitol BuildingThe possibility of an extension for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit has recently intensified lobbying efforts in Washington D.C.—and pitted the efforts of the auto industry soundly against those of the oil and gas industry. So reports the Washington Post. According to its report this week, the powerful companies and interests opposing the...

BMW pulls ahead its electrification plans by two years

BMW X3 xDrive30eJust eight weeks ago, at its annual shareholders meeting, BMW announced that it will build 12 new all-electric cars by 2025, along with 13 plug-in hybrid models. Now the company has moved up that schedule by two years and says it will have 25 new "electrified" models on the market by 2023, and that the majority of them will be fully electric. At...