Faraday Future gets $14 million; factory moved to CA from Vegas

Artist’s impression of Faraday Future’s proposed plant in Hanford, CaliforniaElectric-car maker Faraday Future has received an emergency injection of $14 million to move its FF 91 luxury electric car closer to market. The rescue funds come in the form of a loan from Innovatus Capital Partners, after Faraday Future pledged its California-based headquarters as collateral. For now, the $14 million will keep the company afloat...

2019 Mazda 3 to feature world-first HCCI engine for efficiency: report

2017 Mazda MAZDA3It's a technology that's been a sort of Holy Grail in the auto industry for at least a couple of decades. Now Mazda, one of the smallest global automakers, plans to introduce it in a radical new engine to be used in a future Mazda vehicle in 2019. It's called homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI: in essence it lets a gasoline engine...

Tesla Model 3 electric car: what’s your take? Poll results

2017 Tesla Model 3 With the Tesla Model 3 electric car now in early production and an aggressive ramp rate targeted, it's getting lots of media attention. Part of that is due to the allure of the Tesla brand and fascinating with company CEO Elon Musk. Some more may be due to the widespread misapprehension that the Model 3 is the first long-range electric car for...

Hawaii to get hydrogen fueling station; Toyota Mirai leases to follow

2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car, Newport Beach, CA, Nov 2014Tropical islands are some of the best places on earth to pioneer carbon-free energy and zero-emission vehicles. Within the United States, the eight islands of Hawaii are blessed with a temperate climate, abundant sunshine, few high-speed highways, and a statewide speed limit of 60 mph, achievable only on a few roads. This has led to a push for...

Nissan Leaf electric car platform to spawn more models, SUV included: report

Teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf debuting on September 6, 2017The 2018 Nissan Leaf apparently won't be the brand's lone electric car for much longer, if a new report with details on plans to expand the electric car's underpinnings to additional models proves accurate. Following the introduction of the second-generation 2018 Nissan Leaf, the electric car's platform will spawn multiple models, and an electric...

Smallest SUVs most popular in US Midwest, less so in west, south

2018 Buick EncoreThe small SUV segment has ballooned into a hugely important market for many automakers, as consumers continue to shift from traditional sedans to crossovers and other utility vehicles. The smallest of the expanding array of SUVs on the market offers the flexibility of a hatchback or wagon, combined with the higher driving position many Americans...

Should we buy a Toyota Prius Prime, Chevy Bolt EV, or Volt?

2006 Toyota Prius and 2015 Nissan Leaf  [photo: John C. Briggs]It's now time to shop for a new car for my wife, as her wonderful 2006 Toyota Prius has 144,000 miles and we're ready for something new. So I thought I might throw the question out to Green Car Reports readers. What car should replace our 2006 Prius hybrid? DON'T MISS: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime: gas mileage, electric range review Our needs and...

Chevy Bolt EV user interface: reviewer calls it best of any electric car

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVThe 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is an amazing, long-range electric vehicle that won multiple awards for good reason. Driving the EV for an extended test for the first time, it’s obvious this is the future of driving. (Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently predicted that 50 percent of new cars will be electric in 10 years.) Beyond the surprising...

Next 2018 Nissan Leaf teaser sketch; electric car debuts Sep 5

Teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf debuting on September 6, 2017The global debut of the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car is just a month away, and now another teaser image has been released. This one's a design sketch showing a drawing of the car's side profile, suitably shaded to obscure some of the details. You can compare it to a shot of the actual vehicle, captured last week in Norway while a 2018 Leaf was...

Carmaker lobbyist urges fuel-economy deal that keeps CAFE requirements

Gas pumpAutomakers have united behind a somewhat surprising position: reviews of corporate average fuel economy rules should not involve scrapping the current standards. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a lobbying group that represents automakers building cars in the U.S., has asked the Trump administration to solidify a deal that keeps higher...

Life with Tesla Model S: beware Extended Service Agreement fine print

2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]A couple of years ago, as my 2013 Tesla Model S approached the end of its 50,000-mile warranty, I debated long and hard whether to opt for Tesla’s extended warranty, which they call an Extended Service Agreement (ESA). At $4,000, it wasn’t cheap. It provided four years and an additional 50,000 miles of coverage, up to a total of...

VW exec to plead guilty to diesel cheating charges after jail, house arrest

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SEIt has been almost two years since Volkswagen changed the prospects for diesel-powered cars when it admitted to eight years' worth of cheating on emissions tests for its so-called clean diesel vehicles. The effects of the German automaker's diesel scandal are still unfolding today, not only in the United States, but in Europe as well. Another...

Toyota, Mazda plan joint plant in U.S., electric-car cooperation: report

2017 Mazda CX-5 First DriveToyota is one of the largest global automakers, while Mazda is one of the smallest. A new report suggests that the two Japanese makers are close to finalizing a capital-investment deal under which Toyota would take 5 percent of Mazda, and the smaller maker would invest in Toyota as well, and the two would set up a joint U.S. assembly plant...

Tesla Model S, Model X electric cars updated with new features

2017 Tesla Model SBefore the Tesla Model 3 officially entered production, the electric-car maker shuffled features on its Model S to provide a clear distinction between the two sedans. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has often said those looking for luxury will be happiest in a Model S, while the Model 3 remains a much more straightforward piece of transportation. The updates...