It is all about fuel economy right now, and the automakers are pulling out all the stops to ensure they might weather the stiffening CAFE standards in the coming years. Electric cars, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, diesels… all are about to become a lot more commonplace. Yet, still, there remains a seat at the table for fuel-efficient combustion engines, and there is plenty of room for improvement in the old standby. Forgoing much of the hybrid... 

Craig Henderson drove 1,478 miles from from Blaine, Washington, to Mexico without stopping to refuel, burning just 12.4 gallons of diesel for a stunning 119.1 mpg. And he did it in a car he originally designed in 1984. Henderson rolled into Chula Vista, California, at the wheel of the Avion four days after he left home. The Avion is a car he built with Bill Green 26 years ago as a prototype high-mileage vehicle he hoped to sell. The business... 

Families hitting the highways this weekend  Read More →

The EPA is considering a new fuel economy sticker for new cars and trucks sold in the US that gives consumers more information about their new car’s environmental impact, and they’ve posted an interactive “walk-through”on the EPA website . More about the new stickers, and why they will spark insane shouting matches, after the jump. (more…)  Read More →

The feds, eager to make fuel economy stickers easier to understand even as new technologies enter the market, suggest assigning all new vehicles a letter grade based upon their efficiency. The best fuel misers would, as you’d expect, get an A while the worst guzzlers would get a D. Assigning each new car an overall grade based on fuel economy …  Read More →

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced two proposed fuel economy labels that would appear on the window sticker of new vehicles. These new labels mark the biggest change in 30 years. “The old petroleum-centric labels just aren't good enough anymore,” NHTSA administrator David Strickland said. The new labels are necessary because of the increasing number of electric and plug-in... 

In preparation for its official debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show next month, Honda released some pics and a few details for the much anticipated Honda Fit Hybrid today (called the Jazz in Europe and Japan). The car will be the first modern subcompact parallel hybrid to reach consumers since the release of the original Honda Insight back in 1999—and it is rumored to cost…  Read More →

There are many things that General Motors has been incredibly forthcoming about as they’ve developed the Volt for all the world to see. Certainly no other vehicle has been the subject of so many videos and webchats detailing its trips through 2 feet of water or its visits to the arctic or some other form of vehicle torture. But when it comes to the Volt’s real-world fuel efficiency, GM has methodically avoided comment. Now, thanks... 

When the 1908 Ford Model T model debuted, it tipped the scales at around 1,450 pounds. That ain’t much, considering that there are only a handful of cars on the market that weigh 2,500 pounds or less. Cars have gotten heavier over the following century as a result of bigger engines, safety features, and changes in customer tastes. It’s a shame cars didn’t go in the other direction. The benefits of  Read More →

A Dutch designer says resurrecting the microcar is the key to reducing congestion and maximizing efficiency. Ralph Panhuysen, whose Space Efficient Vehicle (SEV) seats three in a sideways V formation and parks two abreast like shoes in a shoebox, dreams of a world in which small, lightweight cars sip fuel and travel two-abreast in a single lane. “Fiat …  Read More →

There is no doubt Americans are getting fatter and fatter. The latest stats from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of people identifying themselves as obese grew 1.1 percent — an additional 2.4 million people — between 2007 and 2009. The number of states with an obesity rate of 30 percent or more tripled , to nine, during the same time. Beyond the myriad health implications of our expanding waistlines... 

Nissan’s new entry into the small-crossover segment, the 2011 Juke , marks the U.S. debut of the company’s small turbocharged engine. Filling in the blanks from our first drive of the funky little thing, Nissan has released more information on the Juke’s powertrain and equipment levels. There are three trim levels for the Juke: S, SV, and SL. All can be optioned with all-wheel drive. A continuously variable automatic transmission... 

It still pains me that Ford has murdered the Mercury brand. I am a die-hard Mercury enthusiast, and even though it was before my time, I’ve heard many stories about the great cars Mercury used to make. The Cougar, the Comet, the Marauder… these are cars that quickly became legends. No more Mercury though, and Ford has officially sold Volvo (for $1.8 billion, a lot less than they bought it for),  Read More →

Drivers of Mitsubishi Fuso box trucks will soon be able to get their hands on the same transmission technology found in the Evo X — not to mention the Bugatti Veyron. Daimler, Mitsubishi Fuso’s parent company, announced last week that they’d soon be offering a dual clutch transmission (DCT) on their line of commercial trucks — the first time the technology has ever been available on a truck. Known as Duonic, it’s... 

Ever hear of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles? Neither have I. In fact, when the program came into existence under President Clinton in 1993, I was just 7 years old. I knew nothing of cars or fuel efficiency. This program involved the three major U.S. automakers and eight Federal Agencies. The initiative was to produce several high-mileage concept cars to be put into production by 2003, and each  Read More →