The Green Report Archives

The updated 2013 Nissan Leaf is now more efficient than the nearly identical 2012 model. Last year's Nissan Leaf was rated at a 99 MPGe for combined city and highway, while the 2013 Leaf now has a 115 MPGe rating. Updates to the 2013 Leaf have made it more aerodynamic and its regenerative braking system has been improved. The 2013 Leaf has a drag coefficient of 0.28 compared to 0.29 for the 2012 Leaf.

The 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid has earned the highest possible "five-star" Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid joins the Ford Fusion and the Fusion Hybrid which already received five-star safety ratings. NHTSA has elected to test plug-in vehicles separately from vehicles powered by gasoline engines as the market share of electrified vehicles is increasing.

Volvo's V60 plug-in hybrid, which is also the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid, is selling higher than Volvo's initial expectations. Volvo is now ramping up production by 90 percent, just to keep up with the demand. The increased demand, especially in Holland, Belgium and Italy, means that the Plug-in Hybrid production at Volvo Cars' Torslanda plant in Sweden will be increased continuously from 150 to 282 units per week. All in all, Volvo Cars will produce 7,600 plug-in hybrids in 2013 - and the 2014 target is 10,000 units.

Porsche has released a batch of new photos of the 918 Spyder and officially confirmed the specs for the hybrid supercar. The 918 Spyder has been designed, developed and produced by Porsche engineers who build race cars, in cooperation with series production specialists. A great deal of insight gained from the development of Porsche race cars for the 24 hours race in Le Mans in 2014 is thus integrated into the 918 Spyder - and vice versa. The 918 Spyder will also act as the gene pool for the Porsche sports cars of the future.

Acura has just confirmed that the all-new NSX supercar will be produced at a new Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, starting in 2015. The new $70 million advanced production facility encompassing 184,000 square feet to be housed inside Honda's former North American Logistics facility and located in the midst of Honda's existing R&D and production engineering operations.

Yup you read that right. Tessa Baughman a GM engineer recently took the 2014 Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel to Arkansas, where she drove 900 miles on one tank of diesel fuel. The Cruze Turbo Diesel is powered by a 2.0L turbo-diesel engine and is officially rated at 46 mpg on the highway, but Baughman explains how it's possible to squeeze out even more mpg.

Consumer Reports has announced that the Tesla Model S has received a rating of 99 out of 100, which means that it's has been rated higher than any other model recently tested. Back in 2007, the Lexus LS 460L also received a score of 99 out of 100, but since then no other model has been able to achieve the same rating.

The 2013 Nissan Leaf has received the Top Safety Pick safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The LEAF achieved the Institute's highest rating of "Good" in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests.

When the BMW i3 electric vehicle arrives this fall, it is expected to be priced around the same price range as the BMW 3 Series, which means that buyers can expect a price tag around $40,000. Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America revealed the details to Automotive News.

BMW and Solarwatt have announced a new partnership to provide home solar charging for BMW's upcoming i3 and i8 electric vehicles. The combined rooftop and carport photovoltaic solutions will offer BMW i3 and BMW i8 owners an attractively designed solar-based electric vehicle charging plus household microgeneration system using innovative glass-glass modules.

The 2014 Chevy Spark EV now sits at the top of the retail electric vehicle segment with an EPA-estimated 119 MPGe rating. The Spark EV also has a combined driving range of 82 miles on a full charge. The 2014 Spark EV will also reach 0-60 mph in under eight seconds thanks to its electric motor that generates 130 horsepower and 400 lb-ft. of torque.

The first electric vehicle from the partnership between Volvo and Siemens, the C30 electric vehicle will arrive this summer in Europe. Beginning summer 2013, European leasing customers will drive and evaluate an upgraded demo fleet of 100 Volvo C30 fully electric cars. Volvo has also announced that the electrically-powered C30 will reach 0-43 mph in 5.9 seconds and can be full recharged in only 1.5 hours.

Toyota has unveiled the new ME.WE Concept, which is the result of a partnership between Toyota and Massaud. They have been working together since 2011 and Massaud has sought to create an "anti-crisis" car that addresses contemporary human, economic and environmental challenges, bringing his independent vision and experience from outside the motor industry.

Today is Earth Day and to celebrate it Nissan and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have launched a new electric vehicle taxi pilot with the Nissan Leaf. This pilot program, which puts six Leaf taxis into service beginning this spring, will help Nissan, the city, the taxi industry and the public understand how zero emission vehicles can be integrated into future taxi fleets.

Nissan's new Friend-ME concept has debuted in Shanghai. Nissan says the Friend-ME concept is a four-passenger sedan designed for a generation with a very different automotive outlook, specifically 240 million Chinese born in the 1980s.

GM has taken the wraps off the new New Buick Riviera concept in Shanghai, which is a follow up to the last Riviera concept we saw in 2007. The lastest Riviera concept previews Buick's future design direction and is powered by a plug-in hybrid system.

Volkswagen is giving the world a glimpse into the future design direction of its SUVs with the new CrossBlue Coupe concept that is debut this week in Shanghai. The five-seater CrossBlue Coupe concept is the second CrossBlue concept, following the larger seven-seater concept that was unveiled earlier this year in Detroit.

VW has released a preview of its new CrossBlue Coupe concept that is going to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend. The CrossBlue Coupe concept is VW's take on the growing coupe-crossover segment like the BMW X4 concept that is also debuting at the show.

GM has announced that the 2014 Chevy Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel has been rated at 46 mpg on the highway, giving it the highest highway rating of any non-hybrid passenger car in the US. The Cruze Diesel is powered by a 2.0L turbo-diesel engine with 148 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque that accelerates the sedan from 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds. It also has an overboost feature that increases the engine's torque to 280 lb-ft. for short bursts. The Cruze Diesel gets 4 mpg better on the highway than the gas-powered Cruze Eco.

This summer the electric 2013 Fiat 500e will go on sale in California. Fiat has announced that buyers can purchase the 500e for $32,500, which drops as low as $20,500 after the available federal and tax credits, which is about $200 less than a comparably-equipped Fiat 500 Lounge. If you dont want to actually buy the 500e, Fiat is also offering a cheap $199 a month/ $999 due at signing 36 month lease.

Traditional steering wheel paddle shifters allow the driver to manually control a car's transmission, but in the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the paddle shifters will enable the driver to temporarily regenerate energy and store it as electricity in the battery pack for later use. ELR's Regen on Demand feature is unique to the compact luxury coupe.

Aston Martin and Alset Global have unveiled a new hydrogen-powered version of the Rapide S that is going to hit the track next month at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring. the hydrogen Rapide S will become the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in an international event as well as the first zero CO2 emissions sports car to complete a race pace lap at the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

Earlier this week there were reports that Ford is going to introduce a new 1.5L EcoBoost engine in the 2014 Fusion. It was reported that it would be a three-cylinder 1.5L engine, but instead it is actually a four-cylinder, since Ford has officially confirmed the new engine. The new 1.5L EcoBoost engine is now the fifth EcoBoost engine in Ford's lineup.

It's being reported that the 2014 Ford Fusion is going to be offered with Ford's new 1.5L three-cylinder engine. BlueOvalForums was able to get a quick look at the order guide for the 2014 Fusion, which shows that the new engine will be offered in the Fusion for the 2014 mode year, with late availability.

Volvo has announced that its new engine family VEA (Volvo Engine Architecture) will be launched this fall with world-first i-ART technology that helps to cut fuel consumption in the new diesel engines. By featuring pressure feedback from each fuel injector instead of using a traditional single pressure sensor in the common rail, i-ART makes it possible to continuously monitor and adapt fuel injection per combustion in each of the four cylinders.

Lexus is reportedly working on a new compact SUV that will go head to head with the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Automotive News Europe is reporting that Lexus is working on a new hybrid compact SUV that will be based on the Toyota RAV4.

The next-generation Tesla Roadster is still a few years away, but Tesla boss George Blankenship has already provided some details about what we can expect. Blakenship told Autocar that he expects the next Tela Roadster to have over a 200 mile driving range since EV technology continues to evolve. The next Tesla Roadster will also reach 0-60 mph in under four seconds.

Detroit Electric, a company that you most likely haven't heard of has unveiled its new SP:01 electric sports car. Detroit Electric's roots go all the way back to began 1906 when it established itself as the market leader and most prolific manufacturer of electric cars. Detroit Electric went on to make some 13,000 vehicles by 1939 and holds the electric vehicle production world record for the twentieth century. Detroit Electric's SP:01 sports car will spearhead a diverse family of all-electric production cars, including two other high-performance models that are scheduled to enter production by end of 2014.

Chrysler has already announced the introduction of the diesel powered versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500, but it looks like the automaker wants to add another diesel powered model to its lineup. Chrysler president and CEO Saad Chehab recently told Ward's Auto that Chrysler is currently mulling the idea of adding a diesel powered 300 to its US lineup, but no decision has been made.

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For the 2014 model year, Porsche is introducing its first plug-in hybrid and two new extended wheelbase variants with the second generation of the Panamera. The new Panamera S E-Hybrid produces 416 total system horsepower and is joined by Panamera 4S Executive and Panamera Turbo Executive models in the revised Panamera lineup. S models are now powered by an entirely new 3.0-liter V6 engine with twin turbochargers.

Tesla has announced that, in partnership with Wells Fargo and US Bank, it has created a revolutionary automotive financing product that provides the best elements of ownership and leasing to Model S customers.

Tesla has announced that sales of the Tesla Model S sedan have exceeded Tesla's sales targets that were announced in February. Sales of the Model S exceeded 4,750 units vs. the 4,500 unit prior outlook. As a result, Tesla is amending its Q1 guidance to full profitability.

GM has announced the initial fuel economy stats for the all-new 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra pickups, which have the highest fuel economy ratings than any other V8 full size pickup.

When the electric version of the Fiat 500, 500e arrives this summer buyers will get free access to rental cars as part of the package. A national auto rental chain program called ePass will give buyers access to rental cars for up to 12 days a year to help ease range anxiety.

GM's 2014 Chevy Spark EV is set to arrive this summer, but plans for GM's next electric car are already under way. GM is planning on producing its next electric car in South Korea and more importantly the next model will not be based on an existing model, like the current Spark.

In addition to the Subaru WRX Concept, Subaru has also unveiled its first ever hybrid at the New York Auto Show, the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid. Based on the popular XV Crosstrek crossover introduced for 2013, the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid model arrives in Subaru dealerships fourth quarter of 2013. When the XV Crosstrek Hybrid goes on sale it will be the most fuel-efficient and lowest-emissions AWD hybrid crossover in America.

Subaru has just announced plans to unveil its first ever hybrid production model, the XV Crosstrek hybrid at the New York Auto Show next week. The XV Crosstrek hybrid will be based on the XV Crosstrek crossover introduced for 2013, the new XV Crosstrek Hybrid model uses a Subaru engineered Hybrid system and Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive.

BMW is going to bring the new diesel-powered version of the 3 Series to the New York Auto Show this month. The 2014 BMW 328d will make its U.S. debut at the show, joining the BMW 3 Series lineup. The BMW 328d will be powered by a TwinPower Turbo 4 cylinder engine with 180 hp and 280 lb-ft. of torque.

VW has unveiled the electric e-up!, which is the automaker's first ever full electric production model. The four-seater EV is based on the VW up!, but is powered by an electric motor and has a range of 93 miles.

Tesla's next model, the Model X crossover was due to arrive by the end of this year, but now it looks like its introduction has been delayed by at least a year. Tesla attributes the Model X's delay to the success of the Model S sedan. Tesla has decided to push back the release date of the Model X to focus on the Model S.