2017 Nissan Versa Note gets updates before LA Auto Show

2017 Nissan Versa NoteThe 2017 Nissan Versa Note subcompact hatchback will appear at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show later this year with minor updates. Introduced to the U.S. as a 2014 model alongside the Versa sedan, the Note hatchback has never made as much of an impact here as it has in other markets. For 2017, the current-generation model will remain mostly...

VW offers $1,000 loyalty bonus to all owners of 2001-later Volkswagens

2016 Volkswagen Passat SEL long-term testIndividual dealers and several competitor automakers have already tried to cash in on the Volkswagen diesel settlement, but VW itself hasn't offered any notable incentives since the settlement was approved. The settlement applies to 2.0-liter 4-cylinder TDI diesel cars found to have illegal "defeat device" software. It gives owners the options to...

Renewable energy to hit 9 percent of U.S. total in 2017

Photovoltaic solar power field at Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TennesseeU.S. renewable-energy generating capacity is not only growing, but it is beginning to erode coal's share of the electricity-generating mix, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The agency predicts renewable energy—particularly solar power—to continue growing. At the same time, a combination of renewable...

Dominant Audi racing team dumps diesel hybrids for electric power

2016 Audi R18 LMP1 World Endurance Championship race carOver the past decade and a half, Audi has built a racing dynasty. The German luxury automaker has dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, one of the most prestigious events in motorsports. But that dominance is coming to an end. DON'T MISS: How to promote a Porsche hybrid? Bring its Le Mans sibling into rush-hour traffic Audi will pull...

Oil in ground may be worth less, Exxon concedes, unhappily

Oil well (photo by John Hill)As low oil prices remain steady, many oil companies have been forced to write down the value of their reserves. It's something oil giant ExxonMobil has resisted, even as its revenues have dropped. But the company is now expected to reassess the value of 3.6 billion barrels of oil-sand reserves, and 1 billion barrels of other North American oil...

Peak oil, SUV definitions, LeEco cash problem: Today’s Car News

Faraday Future FFZERO1 conceptToday, Shell predicts oil demand could peak by 2020, automakers use the loose definitions of different SUV categories to make meeting fuel-economy standards easier, and Faraday Future backer LeEco runs out of cash. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Faraday Future backer LeEco is running out of cash, the company's CEO recently admitted in a...

How China’s horrific air quality magically turns cleaner: cotton

Beijing smogChina is known for having some of the most polluted air in the world. But officials in one Chinese city found a way to at least make that air appear cleaner, for awhile. Like many Chinese cities, Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi, in the northern part of the country, has air-monitoring equipment. DON'T MISS: Coal in China: huge problem for...

Are you driving a car, a crossover, an SUV, or a truck? Do you care?

2017 Honda CR-VAre you driving a car or a truck? The answer may be harder to determine than you think. U.S. safety and emissions regulations generally split cars and trucks into two categories, but the line between those two vehicle types has become blurred in recent years. That's thanks to the car-based crossover utility vehicle, which now represents one of the...