Electric Cars

BMW’s new i8 plug-in hybrid sports car has made its world debut, with the covers coming off this morning at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. We’re glad to report that the avantgarde lines of the various concept versions have made it onto the production version, and in person the car looks...

Power output of 362 horsepower and torque of 420 pound-feet is reasonable for a 3,300-pound sports coupe with a low drag coefficient of 0.26, but it's nowhere near the top of the power charts. But suppose you combine those specs with advanced carbon fiber construction, the ability to run...

On the eve of the Frankfurt Auto Show, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, the grandson of company founder Ferdinand Porsche sat briefly to pose in what’s perhaps one of the proudest achievements for the company yet—and certainly the most advanced Porsche street cars ever produced: the Porsche 918...

We’ve already seen it in production trim, and Jay Leno’s already driven it, but nevertheless here are the official details and photos for Porsche’s 918 Spyder, which just made its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. First shown in concept form at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the...

Smart will be providing us with our best look yet at its third-generation Fortwo with the unveiling of the Fourjoy concept car at next week’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Fourjoy is the latest in a string of concepts that hint at the styling of the next Fortwo and a new Forfour, both of...

The debut of Toyota’s new Yaris Hybrid-R concept car at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show represents the Japanese automaker’s first foray into the world of high-performance hybrids for road car applications. Toyota has been racing a hybrid Le Mans prototype for the past two years but this is...

Toyota is committed to launching an affordable fuel cell vehicle by 2015 and has already previewed it with the original FCV-R concept first shown in 2011. At the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show next week, Toyota will present an updated version of its FCV-R concept that’s said to more closely...

Nissan is eager to get its new range-extended electric ZEOD RC race car out on the track. First, however, it has to actually build a working version. Construction on the first car is currently underway, and, per Nissan, it's nearing completion. That's a good thing because the ZEOD RC is slated to...

Given that Chevy isn't even sure it should offer stop-start technology on its Corvette Stingray, the concept of a hybrid 'Vette seems fairly unlikely. You'd think so, anyway--but General Motors North America president Mark Reuss has hinted that one might be possible at some point. In an interview...

At the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10, Toyota will present a new concept car based on its Yaris hatchback that leverages the automaker’s hybrid technology developed for its TS030 Hybrid Le Mans prototype. We’ve already had our first look at the concept, dubbed the Toyota Yaris...

The SP:01, Detroit Electric's battery-powered sports car not unlike the Tesla Roadster, is currently on hold, pending the company's purchase of a facility in which to build it. Production was due to start on the Lotus Elise-based electric car this month, but delays in finalizing a manufacturing...

Car and Driver has managed to get its hands on a trademark application for a new logo from Nissan, which contains “Pure Drive” and “R-Hybrid” labels. Nissan already uses the Pure Drive designation on some of its more fuel-efficient offerings but R-Hybrid is new and may hint...

We love it, and we love to hate its marketing almost as much as we despise the overzealous, often ignorant coverage in the press. First, Tesla insists on listing prices with government incentives--which buyers don't always qualify for--already deducted. Then we didn't get the more affordable 40-kWh...

Tesla Motors has made no secret of its plans to move into the Asian market, and the company now says manufacturing plants in both Europe and Asia are on the cards. It's part of a large expansion planned for the electric car startup over the next few years, including new model launches, new...

Despite it being close to a year since Fisker last made a car, the company is yet to announce bankruptcy and remains confident a new investor or even a potential buyer can be found. Several groups have made their interest known, including one led by auto industry veteran Bob Lutz, another led by...

Hybrids, even plug-ins, can be fun these days. But can they also be useful for more than ripping off righteous 'Ring laps and waddling back and forth from the grocery store? Say, perhaps, some mild off-roading while toting a team's worth of peewee-league soccer players and gear? Perhaps. At least...

Opel’s new Monza concept, set for a debut at next month’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, looks more like a shooting brake than a traditional coupe. The concept previews the future design direction for General Motors’ struggling European unit and is the first Opel designed from the...

Land Rover is launching its first-ever hybrid models in the form of the new Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid, which make their world debut next month at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show and go on sale overseas early next year. Both vehicles feature state-of-the-art diesel-electric hybrid...

The Tesla Model S electric sedan isn't just receiving awards from all quarters--it's also incredibly safe should the worst occur. Just how safe has come to light in extra information provided by Telsa Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], following the car's recent five-star NHTSA crash tests. It's scored the best...

Mercedes-Benz first hinted at the launch of an S-Class with plug-in hybrid capability as far back as 2009 when it unveiled the Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid concept. Here was a full-size luxury sedan capable of 0-60 mph runs in under 6.0 seconds and gas mileage of 70 mpg or better, but the best part...