EPA to reopen emission-rule review; how important is this step?

Donald TrumpTomorrow is expected to be the day when President Donald Trump announces the EPA will reopen the comment period for the vehicle emissions standards it finalized in the waning days of the Obama Administration. The event will likely be accompanied by predictable language: Trump will be “highlighting the need to eliminate burdensome regulations...

Volvo plans a long-range electric car for 2019, details to come

2018 Volvo XC60The electric car that Volvo has long planned for 2019 could join a growing group of long-range, mass-market models like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the upcoming Tesla Model 3, and the second-generation Nissan Leaf. The Swedish automaker has concentrated on plug-in hybrids for the most part thus far, but plans to launch a production electric car within...

Half of Norway’s new-car sales are now hybrids or electrics

Electric-car rally in Geiranger, Norway [Image: Norsk elbilforening via Flickr]Norway has achieved yet another milestone in electric-car sales. The Scandinavian country may be the friendliest for electric cars in the world, thanks to a combination of aggressive incentives, well-developed charging infrastructure, and a citizenry committed to lowering carbon emissions. Thanks to this unique array of circumstances, electric...

Nissan e-NV200 beats Renault Kangoo ZE in electric van sales in Europe

Nissan e-NV200The Renault-Nissan Alliance continues to lead all other automakers globally in sales of battery-electric cars. The Nissan Leaf is the best-selling electric car in history, while the Renault Zoe now leads the European market for cars with plugs. But Renault-Nissan's electric-vehicle dominance isn't limited to passenger cars. DON'T MISS: Fuel-cell...

Sales of BMW plug-in cars more than double over last year

2017 BMW i3BMW is off to a strong start in meeting its ambitious plug-in car sales goals for 2017. In the first two months of 2017, it doubled combined sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids over the same period in 2016. But the automaker will need to keep that momentum up. DON'T MISS: BMW 740e, X5 xDrive 40e: where do low-range plug-in hybrids fit in?...

Bargains surge on small, fuel-efficient sedans, hatchbacks

2017 Ford FocusAutomakers are expected to offer greater incentives on sedans and hatchbacks as sales of these models continue to slow. Overall new-car sales fell 1.1 percent in February compared to the same month a year ago, according to Autodata Corp. But sales of passenger cars were hit particularly hard as consumers continued to flock to SUV and pickup...

Does Range Rover Velar preview Jaguar I-Pace electric-car dash?

2018 Land rover Range Rover VelarCarmakers often use the same components across vehicles from multiple brands. It's a way to keep costs down by not having to engineer or procure completely different parts for each model. So could some new components in a new vehicle offer a peek at a future model well before it goes into production? DON'T MISS: Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV concept...

VW pleads guilty to felonies in diesel emission scandal

Volkswagen TDI 'clean diesel' television ad screencapOn Friday, Volkswagen pleaded guilty to three criminal charges related to its use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests. Entry of the plea is the latest step toward resolving the criminal aspect of Volkswagen's diesel scandal in the U.S. A settlement between VW and the U.S. Justice Department was announced...

Why I canceled my Chevy Bolt EV electric-car order: a reader explains

Doug Kerr, daughter Andie Kerr, fiancee Barbara Gleason; Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Fiat 500eThe advent of affordable 200-mile electric cars promises to increase public acceptance of cars with plugs—or at least that's the hope of both carmakers and advocates. The first of those, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, is now entering the market, state by state, to great acclaim. But not every electric-car fan is sold on the Bolt EV's...