Toyota Says it Sold More Prius C in Three Days than the Volt and Leaf Combined in a Month

According to Toyota, the newest member of its Prius family of hybrids, the Yaris-sized Prius C, is off to an extremely good start since going on sale in the States on March 12.

In its first three days on the market, the Prius C sold 1,201 units, with Toyota making it a point to note that it surpassed the combined sales of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf for the entire month of February. In other related news, our local grocery disclosed that it sold more apples in an hour than Prius C in a day.

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U.S. Senators Criticize DOE of Mishandling “Green” Federal Loans

In 2007, the federal government created the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing initiative to help automakers and suppliers develop alternative technologies.

According to DetNews, on Tuesday, March 13, during an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, many senators accused the Department of Energy (DOE) of mishandling the US$25 billion program.

They said that the DOE had not offered a new retooling program in a year and no new major loans in the past two years. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said that the department had made the program “virtually dormant”, while others, like Senator Rand Paul, went as far as saying that “we need to get out of this business” as the program makes no sense at all.

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Pininfarina Thinking About Building a Limited Run of its Cambiano Plug-in Hybrid Concept

One of the more well received concepts cars at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the Pininfarina Cambiano, is being considered for a limited run production.

"We are evaluating the potential for companies and private buyers interested is a high-performance, low-emission luxury model such as the Cambiano," Pininfarina CEO Silvio Angori told Autonews Europe during the Swiss show.

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Fisker Whistleblower Claims Karma was Rushed into the Market to Meet DOE Loan Deadlines

It's a time-honored adage: "there's no such thing as bad publicity". However, Henrik Fisker may beg to differ as his company's Karma sedan has been making the headlines for a variety of problems ever since its delayed launch.

Now, a former Fisker employee claims to know the root of the company's issues with the Karma. The unnamed whistleblower told GiGaom that as the project was behind schedule, Fisker decided to roll out the hybrid before it was actually ready in order to meet the deadlines dictated by the Department of Energy-provided US$529 million loan.

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Ford Focus EV Buyers in California get Access to HOV Lanes and up to US$10,000 in Tax Credits

A week after Ford revealed that it's all-electric Focus achieved a 105 MPGe combined EPA rating, the company announced that owners of the car in California can access the High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) lanes. That, in itself, is another selling point for Ford. Read more »

iCar: New Study Finds that Gen Y Consumers want Hybrids with Tablets and Smartphone-Like Functions

Echo boomers, Generation Y, Generation Next: whatever you call them, people who were born in the beginning of the 1980’s are now an important demographic group for any company. And their preferences may change the type of cars we will drive in the future.

According to the annual survey conducted by the Deloitte consulting company, Generation Y consumers, who the company describes as those aged from 19 to 31, want their new cars to be hybrids laden with high-tech features.

"This could be the generation that leads us away from traditional gasoline-powered vehicles", comments Deloitte automotive consultant Craig Giffi who oversaw the study.

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Lights Out: Fisker Karma Breaks Down During Consumer Reports Testing [Video]

Having an A-list of celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio, Al Gore and Justin Bieber as your clients is good for promoting your brand-new hybrid luxury sedan.

On the downside, receiving an EPA consumption rating far-far away from your own figures, issuing a recall over a potential fire risk just a couple of months after deliveries started and having your US$529 million federal loan blocked are quite serious setbacks.

Now Fisker has to face another publicity disaster after the US$100,000 Karma evaluated by Consumer Reports went kaput during speed testing. We'll remind you that Consumer Reports buys its test vehicles from regular dealers.

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Mercedes Show us a Little More of its Pure Electric SLS AMG E-CELL, Goes on Sale in 2013

Having confirmed the production of the SLS AMG E-CELL at last year's Detroit Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz is now building up anticipation by releasing some new photos and technical details on its pure-electric supercar.

The company also revealed that the SLS AMG E-CELL will be available on the market in 2013, albeit in a limited production run.

The vehicle's drivetrain, which has been in development since 2010, comprises four synchronous electric motors positioned near the wheels that produce a combined output of 392kW or 526hp and a peak torque of 880Nm (649 lb-ft).

Mercedes says that compared with in wheel-hub motors, the unsprung masses are "substantially reduced" this way. One transmission per axle transmits the power while the setup allows for permanent all-wheel drive.

In addition, there's a permanently active "torque vectoring" system that allows for the individual control of the electric motors, something that helps improve the car's cornering and traction, while minimizing ESP intervention and the tendency to oversteer or understeer.

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Obama Proposes Higher Incentives for Alternative Fuel Car and Truck Buyers

The current U.S. administration is committed to reducing car and truck fuel consumption and emissions. It has already managed to make major manufacturers agree on its 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) 2025 target.

Yet President Barack Obama wants more American new car and truck buyers to opt for cleaner vehicles. Therefore, during his speech at the Daimler Trucks North America plant in North Carolina, he proposed increasing tax incentives for buyers of electric, natural gas and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

"We’ve got to continually develop new sources of energy", said Obama. "We’re not going to be able to just drill our way out", he added referring to the rising fuel prices which averaged US$3.76 on March 6, up from US$3.51 a year ago according to data provided by the American Automobile Association.

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Hyundai Looks into the Future with New i-oniq Concept Car at the Geneva Motor Show

Hyundai's people want us to take a ride with them into the not-so-distant future with the company's new i-oniq concept car that made its first public outing at this week's 82nd Geneva International Motor Show.

The i-oniq is described as a range-extended electric sports hatchback that demonstrates the next evolution of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language and showcases the automaker's new powertrain technologies.

Designed and developed at Hyundai’s European R&D center in Germany, the 4.4 meter long hatchback with the sporty shape and the impressive doors that open up to the side, has some unique design cues that will be applied to the next generation of the Korean firm's models.

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Pininfarina's Two-Sided Cambiano Concept Comes to Life in Geneva [82 Photos and Videos]

If you call the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS a "four-door coupe", then what would you name Pininfarina's 2012 Geneva Motor Show Cambiano Concept that is a sports coupe with a single door on the driver's side but a saloon with two doors and no central pillar on the passenger side?

Pininfarina doesn't have a name for it yet but the Italian design company says the Cambiano represents a new approach to the GT segment.

Named after the Italian town where the Pininfarina Group is headquartered, the Cambiano measures a generous 5,040mm long, 2,000mm wide and 1,360mm tall. It can seat four-passengers and has a boot capacity of 450-liters.

The Cambiano is a range-extended electric car featuring four-in wheel electric motors, each of which delivers a continuous supply of 60kW (80hp) with peaks of 150kW (201hp) for a maximum output of 600kW (805hp), with torque of 640Nm (472 lb-ft).

Pininfarina says that each motor is controlled separately and electronically thus offering various functions, including energy regeneration when decelerating and braking, traction control with the option of continuously varying the torque split between the wheels independently (Vectoring Stability Program) and anti-lock braking assistance.

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Valmet's Dawn Spills onto the Geneva Floors, Company Announces Deal with Marussia to Build the B2

If you're still trying to figure out what you're looking at in this pictures, you're not alone. Many have tried but few have succeeded to decode Valmet Automotive's Dawn concept car, which was presented at the 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon this week.

And while some of you may think it's a Le Mans prototype that was forgotten in the oven, the Finnish company tells us that the Dawn is an EV Demonstrator that "combines our achievements in EV component development, our integrator role and our visionary ideas". But that's about all we get on the concept car from Valmet.

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Morgan Charges to Geneva with All-Electric Plus-E Roadster

If you throw a stone in the air at any stand in this year’s Geneva Motor Show, chances are it will land on an all-electric or hybrid car. Even all-out supercars like the Honda/Acura NSX and the Infiniti Emerg-E have been electrified.

However, if we asked you to pick one brand that you believe won't have such a model on its stand then Morgan Motors would probably get your vote. But you’d be wrong: the British carmaker came to Switzerland with the the Plus E concept, an all-electric version of the Aero 8 roadster fitted with a manual gearbox.

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Renault Unwraps Production Version of All-Electric ZOE in Geneva, Announces Pricing

In October 2011, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the alliance would heavily rely on its electric cars in the years to come. And true to his word, Ghosn has overseen several introductions of pure electric models such as the Fluence Z.E. and the Twizy.

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the French automaker revealed yet another EV, the production version of the ZOE supermini that will go on sale in Europe this summer available with two equipment levels, the ZOE Zen and ZOE Intens.

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2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Makes its World Premiere in Geneva [61 Photos + Videos]

Two generations and close to a million sales after the introduction of the first Outlander in 2001, Mitsubishi today presented the all-new third iteration of its crossover model at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show.

The shape and styling of the new Outlander won’t come as a surprise to anyone that has been following the news as it was previewed by the Concept PX-MiEV at last December's Tokyo Motor Show.

In fact, there are very little differences between the two cars, mainly the softer front end and certain production bits such as the exterior mirrors. Mitsubishi itself describe the new Outlander's exterior as "solid, safe and simple".

The interior has the same understated / bland styling as the exterior with Mitsubishi promising high-grade materials with padded surfaces and soft-touch plastics. Like the second gen Outlander, the new model will continue to carry five or seven people.

At 4,655mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,680mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,670mm, the new Outlander is identical in size to the current car in all dimensions.

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EDAG Targets Car Sharing Fleets with its New Geneva Motor Show Concept

Two years after EDAG introduced the first Light Car Open Source study, the German engineering company returns to Switzerland and the Geneva Auto Salon to present a third iteration of its concept model.

The latest version of the Light Car features some updates here and there but largely remains the same. EDAG says that the all-electric model has been developed for car sharing fleets and is able to seat up to six passengers in two rows of threes.

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Ford Focus EV Achieves 105 MPGe Combined EPA Rating, Beats Nissan Leaf

Reducing fuel consumption of gasoline and diesel engines is a must for every car manufacturer. All-electric vehicles have no such issues, right?

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. After all, they do run on electricity, so the new standard is the miles per gallon equivalent or MPGe with which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates all-electric vehicles.

Ford announced that its Focus Electric achieves a combined rating of 105 MPGe, and gets 99 MPGe on highway and 110 MPGe in city driving. This is the best result for a five-passenger car in the States, beating the former “champion”, Nissan’s Leaf, by 6 MPGe in the combined rating and 7 MPGe in the city - just as Ford had promised.

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GM to Halt Chevy Volt Production for Five Weeks Because of Low Sales

Dismal sale numbers and a rising inventory which at the end of February, stood at 6,300 vehicles, enough to cover 154 days at the current rate it sells cars, are to blame for General Motors decision to stop production for both the Chevy Volt and its European cousin, the Opel Ampera, for five weeks until April 23.

"We need to maintain the right inventory levels and continue to meet demand," GM spokesman Chris Lee told Automotive News.

On Thursday, General Motors told the 1,300 workers building the Volt at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan that the shutdown would take place on March 19.

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Hyundai Shares Mores Details on its Geneva Motor Show i-oniq Concept Car

Even though we've already shown you the new Geneva Motor Show-bound i-oniq concept car, today, Hyundai came out with an official release affording us some more information.

The concept study represents an impression of the company’s future, both in terms of styling, as it further evolves Hyundai's ‘fluidic sculpture’ design language, and in terms of technology.

"The i-oniq concept has been created to reflect the new thinking that runs through the Hyundai brand," says Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, Allan Rushforth.

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You Won't be Making Fun of this i-MiEV: Meet Mitsubishi's New Pikes Peak Hill Climb Contender

"UK police forces to employ Mitsubishi i-MiEV, speed criminals rejoice!" was the title of our post back in 2009 when we learned that British cops were to use the small electric city car.

And even though Mitsubishi isn't ready to drop full details yet, something tells us that we won't be laughing at this special version of the i-MiEV, with which the Japanese automaker will enter the 2012 edition of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on July 8, an even that is held annually in Colorado, USA.

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