September 27, 2012
- Until now, Chevy only offered its Malibu as a mild-hybrid Eco and a rather tepid 2.5-liter four-pot. The arrival of the 2.0T delivers a healthy power boost to the Bowtie’s bread-and-butter sedan.
September 4, 2012
- The 2013 C-Max is a new nameplate Ford is launching into a hybrid market still dominated by Toyota, and with Hyundai, Kia and General Motors gaining traction.
July 24, 2012
- This fall, Ford will begin selling the C-MAX Energi, the plug-in version of its hybrid utility vehicle. Ford claims that it will be able to travel 20 miles in electric only mode, putting it ahead of the Prius plug-in and not far behind the much smaller Chevrolet Volt.
June 8, 2012
- At a starting price of $17,275, the Chevy Cruze will never be confused with a BWW or Benz. But go ahead and snicker – the Cruze currently gets the best non-hybrid mileage of any car on the road today
May 27, 2012
- When it comes to being convinced of the merits of the half car/half truck hybrid pretty much any argument no matter how ridiculous or far-fetched will work—at least for us.
April 25, 2012
- The Malibu Eco has a smooth, unfussy ride, but it hardly communicates with its driver at all. The hybrid system neither intrudes, nor adds to the driving experience. Steering feel is slightly more talkative, but is outclassed by other vehicles at this price point. Seating position is surprisingly conducive to aggressive driving.
April 24, 2012
- The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco is a competent highway cruiser with a good baseline of cabin tech, but its eAssist mild-hybrid system doesn't really deliver the miles per gallon.
April 17, 2012
- Richard Peterson bought a battery-and-gasoline-powered Chevrolet Volt three months ago, just as gas prices began to spike. Since then, he has managed to drive it on electric power only for his daily commute between home in Brentwood and work in Franklin. His total gasoline consumption the past 90 days has been a mere 1.2 gallons. The only thing electric and hybrid car enthusiasts need now is more Richard Petersons. Only the Toyota Prius has turned in stellar sales totals recently, finishing...
March 20, 2012
- Not happy with the Volt getting all the burning-hybrid headlines, the new Toyota Prius race car caught fire yesterday during Super GT testing in Okayama, Japan.
March 9, 2012
- Chevy's new ad for the Volt plug-in hybrid does something that might be a first in a national car commercial: It uses the word "crap."
March 2, 2012
- The focus of EcoCAR2 is on creating a more energy-efficiency plug-in hybrid, using the 2013 Chevrolet as the foundation.
December 8, 2011
- eAssist is what’s called a mild hybrid system. In a traditional hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, both the electric motor and gas engine drive the wheels, drawing power/fuel from an onboard battery pack and a tank of gas, respectively. In a mild hybrid like the LaCrosse or Regal eAssist, the electric motor is simply there to supplement the gas engine under hard acceleration or at high speeds.
November 3, 2011
- It’s not like the Escalade has simply gone bad, more that it hasn’t been updated (or better, completely revised) while newer products like the QX have sprung up. That relative datedness isn’t unique to Cadillac in this teetering full-size SUV segment, as mainline competitors like the Lexus LX (2007), Mercedes-Benz GL (2006), and Lincoln Navigator (2007) are all growing pretty long in the tooth.
October 3, 2011
- General Motors has repeatedly claimed a sales target for 2011 of 10,000 units for the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt sedan. But, nine months into the year, they've only shipped 3,895 off the lot. In fact, in September sales numbers, released an hour ago, GM sold only 723 Volts. Will GM fail to meet its own sales predictions?
September 19, 2011
- The Hyundai Veloster's some strange hybrid of an Aston One-77, Saturn's unlamented three-door SC2 and the beloved Honda CRX. Who'd have thought such a combination was even possible, let alone be a recipe for the most compelling economy car in a largely uninspiring market.