Electric and Hybrid

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LA Auto Show: On the way in a 2013 Toyota Prius c, #2

Nearly 312 miles into my trip Tuesday (Nov. 27) from Sacramento to Los Angeles en route to the Los Angeles Auto Show in my 2013 Toyota Prius c weekly driver I stopped for gas. It was about 10 miles before the beginning of the gnarly, always aggressive ascent over the Grapevine, North to South, on Interstate 5. The Prius had fared well for more than five hours, but the major task of driving to Los Angeles was just a few minutes away. The car may or may not have needed a break, but I certainly did. The new Prius has a handy set of dashboard driving functions accessible on the steering wheel buttons. In addition to the standard setting, which

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LA Auto Show: On the way in a 2013 Toyota Prius c, #1

The 2013 Toyota Prius c, which joined the Prius family earlier this year, is among five finalists for Green Car of the Year honors at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Which means it made perfect sense to drive one to the show. Which is exactly what I’m doing. The easy-to-use navigation system in the Prius c (the lowercase “c” is for “city”) dialed in the route from my home in Sacramento to Los Angeles as 380 miles and the time en route as 6 hours and 4 minutes. The route is primarily south on Interstate 5. I left at 6:10 a.m. today and stopped at a truck stop rest area just north of Westley, about two hours into the trip.

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LA Auto Show: Honda, Subaru, Toyota among 12 carmakers in new green technology showcase

The Los Angeles Auto Show for several years has been at the forefront of the automotive industry’s green car technology. The selection of the Green Car of the Year is a highlight of the year’s first major car show. But this year, under a new category, approximately 25 vehicles from a dozen manufacturers will participate in the Green and Advanced Technology Ride & Drive. The program will offer a preview and media test drive sessions of the latest in-car innovations and fuel-efficient vehicles. The participating vehicles will represent the latest evolutions of electric, hybrid, clean diesel and fuel cell. The latest driver assist platforms featured will include front crash mitigation, adaptive cruise control, radar-based object detection systems, blind spot monitoring

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Fiat 500 electric, decked in orange/white, debuts at LA Auto Show

The Fiat 500e, electric edition of the Italian hatchback first rumored two years ago, will debut November 30 at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a unique orange and white theme. First shown as the Fiat 500 BEV concept at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, the zero-emissions Fiat 500 hatchback will go on sale in California in 2013 and other United States markets from 2014. The Fiat 500e is distinguished from its conventional petrol-powered sibling by its white lower front intake panel, unique side skirts, aero-enhancing alloy wheels and low rolling-resistance tires. The orange and white theme is reversed in the car’s interior, with the latter dominating the dashboard, center console, seats and door liners. A push-button gear selector and

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2013 Ford C-Max among Green Car of the Year finalists at LA Auto Show

The just released 2013 Ford C-MAX hybrid plug-in Energi  and its sibling hybrid as well as the Ford Fusion, Dodge Dart Aero, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota Prius are finalists for Green Car of the Year honors, a highlight of the pending Los Angeles Auto Show. The eighth annual award, which is presented to the car that best exemplifies leadership in environmental concerns, is the brainchild of the Green Car Journal. It will be announced Nov. 29, the second press day of the the show. In addition to the publication’s editorial staff, the panel selecting the winning vehicle includes the director of the Sierra Club, Jacques Cousteau’s eldest son, and noted auto enthusiast and collector Jay Leno. The Honda Civic Natural

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Toyota woes continue, 2.8 million Prius, Corolla models recalled

Toyota‘s ever-evolving, several-year run of recalls has two new chapters. Most notable is a steering problem that affects 670,000 Prius and Corolla models in the United States and 2.8 million units worldwide built between July 2001 and March 2009. Additionally, a separate recall, including 350,000 vehicles in the U.S. will fix water pump issues in hybrid vehicles. The faulty part issue may cause a knocking or rattling from the steering column intermediate extension shafts, and could cause a reduction in steering response. Toyota reported a handful of cases have been reported no accidents of fatalities have been reported. The carmaker stressed that even with the steering problem, the Prius and Corolla models affected are safe to drive. The recall affects

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2013 Ford C-Max: hybrid, plug-in hybrid offer vast mpg, car-like rides

The 2013 Ford C-Max is a five-door hatchback available as a hybrid and just released plug-in hybrid Energi the manufacturer hopes will infiltrate the dominance of the Toyota Prius in the green car market. Ford touts the C-Max as the most “car-like” of three top green car offerings the carmaker compared during a recent media briefing and brief drive in San Francisco. John Davis, a Ford spokesman, said during the debut presentation: “We want to people to feel like they are driving a normal car.” Davis compared the C-Max to the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt with specifics —  the vehicles’ cost prior to and after government rebates. (In California, the C-Max is also eligible for an additional rebate.)The respective

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Hurricane Sandy damage: 200,000 cars destroyed by fire, water

The devastation of Hurricane Sandy not only affected the business of numerous auto dealerships but it’s estimated about 200,000 vehicles will have to be replaced, including  15,000 new Nissan and Infiniti models and 338 Fisker Karma models. The loss of the Fisker Karma units, including 16 in a fire, while small in numbers represented nearly $35 million, since the base of the specialty car is $103,000. According to a Fisker Karma spokesperson: “Fisker engineers determined that the damage to the Karmas was the result of the cars being submerged under five to eight feet of seawater for several hours that left corrosive salt in a low‑voltage Vehicle Control Unit in one Karma.  The Vehicle Control Unit is a standard component

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2013 Tesla Model S claims Car of the Year honors

The Tesla Model S sport sedan, overcoming the financial troubles of its owner, long delays, pricing increases and bad press, has been named as the 2013 Automobile of the Year by Automobile magazine. “It’s the performance that won us over,” said the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jean Jennings when announcing the award. “The crazy speed builds silently and then pulls back the edges of your face. It had all of us endangering our licenses.”The magazine’s road-test editor Christopher Nelson was equally impressed. “Driving the Model S is decidedly not like piloting a Nissan Leaf or an electric Smart,” he said. One of Automobile’s contributors, Ezra Dyer arranged a race with a 560-horsepower, $89,900 BMW M5 sports sedan, seeing which vehicle could first

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2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Redesign adds further appeal to surprising sedan

By Bruce Aldrich, Contributing Edtior The 2013 Toyota Avalon will debut in December, and the fourth generation sedan has a new mission statement — excitement. The car has a entirely new look, an upgraded interior and better handling. Expect to see design cues from the Avalon in future Toyotas. The real news is the hybrid Avalon. The hybrid drivetrain is the same used in the hybrid Camry. This Synergy Drive system uses a 2.5-liter gas motor, combined with an electric motor to provide 200 horsepower. I prefer the hybrid Avalon over gas models. The hybrid does everything the gas model does, but with less drama. The constant velocity transmission (infinite gears, unlike just six in the gas car) provides perfectly

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Toyota Avalon, 2013: New design invigorates old school sedan

By Bruce Aldrich/Contributing Editor Our grandfather’s car has been reborn. For 2013, the fourth generation Toyota Avalon has been redesigned to attract people with color left in their hair. The car looks and drives better because the manufacturer’s President Akio Toyoda wants it that way. Toyoda’s goal is to put excitement into Toyota automobiles. The Avalon is the first car in the Toyota line to benefit from the new edict, and expect to see design cues from the Avalon in future Toyotas. The first thing I noticed about the Avalon is new styling. It doesn’t look like any other Toyota. The old, rounded jellybean look is gone. The new car has pronounced wheel arches, a dramatic sloping roofline and a

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Ford, Mazda, Dodge, Toyota named Green Car of the Year finalists

The Dodge Dart Aero, Ford C-Max and Fusion, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota Prius C are finalists for the Green Car of the Year, the yearly honor selected by editors and guest judges of the Green Car Journal and announced at the L.A. Auto Show. The finalists list runs the gamut of fuel-efficient powertrains — hybrids and plug-ins to high-mileage gas burners. The two Fords, for example, make the list in part because they come in both hybrids and plug-in hybrid flavors. Past Green Car of the Year winners include the Honda Civic Natural Gas (2012), Chevrolet Volt (2011), Audi A3 TDI (2010), Volkswagen Jetta TDI (2009) and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (2008).The 2013 winner will be announced Nov. 29 at the

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Kia Optima Hybrid, 2012: Stylish, efficient sedan improves Korean lineup

Twelve years after the Kia Optima debuted in the United Sates with little fanfare and few sales, the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid was unveiled at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show and was available to the public one year later. The 2012 Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, nearly the same as the 2011 editions, use the same powertrain, combining a 2.4-liter engine with a six-speed automatic transmission, and a 30kW electric motor and lightweight lithium polymer batteries to produce a full gasoline-electric hybrid. Key Takeaways Shared powertrain with Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: The Optima Hybrid pairs a 2.4-liter engine with a 30kW electric motor and lithium polymer batteries through a six-speed automatic, producing 206 combined horsepower. 35 city/40 highway/37

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Honda Civic Natural Gas, 2012: Only CNG car in U.S. turns age 1, still unheralded

Thirteen years after its unceremonious debut in California as the Civic GX, the rebranded Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle has turned age 1 as the only natural gas vehicle available nationwide. Honda initially marketed the car to government agencies and commercial users. But beginning in 2005 individual consumers could also lease the car. In the fall of 2011, the Honda Civic Natural Gas received its new name and was for the first time included nationally in Honda’s marketing campaigns. For nine straight years, the Honda GX and (and now the Natural Gas) have been rated first in the “Greenest Vehicle of the Year” by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. A decade ago, the EPA first designated, the Civic

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Kia Optima Hybrid, 2012: Mixes racy style with economy, comfort

The 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid gas-electric sedan offers a good combination of comfort, practicality, style, performance and high fuel economy. The mid-size Optima Hybrid is rather large, as are many current mid-size sedans, and its racy-looking body has a roomy interior. However, the coupe-like styling results in narrow rear door openings and poor visibility through the rear window. (The optional rear camera display thus is a good idea.) The small rear “lip” spoiler is so nicely integrated into the styling that you have to look twice to notice it. But too bad the gas/electric hybrid system prevents use of dual exhausts with shiny outlet tips—always a nice touch for a racy-looking car. Although the trunk is generally large, with a

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Toyota recalling nearly 800,000 vehicles dating to 2006 with suspension problems

Toyota is recalling nearly 800,000 RAV4 and Lexus vehicles in a six-year span dating to 2006 because of potentially suspension arms. The recall includes 760,000 Toyota RAV4 vehicles from 2006 to 2011 and 18,000 Lexus HS 250h vehicles from 2010. The manufacturer announced that if the nuts on the rear suspension arm are not tightened following the proper procedure and torque specification during a rear wheel alignment service, excessive play may occur at the threaded portion of the arm, followed by rust formation. If the problem occurred, the threaded portion of the rear suspension arm may wear and cause the arm to separate. Toyota said it's developing a solution and when available it will contact owners by mail with direction

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