Automotive
Detroit Electric unveils "fastest pure-electric production car on the market"
High-performance electric cars have been around for some years now, but despite the fact that Detroit and the electric car go back a long way, no all-electric supercars have been built in the Motor City. That is, until now. After giving us a bit of a tease last month, Detroit Electric has taken the wraps off its Limited-edition SP.01. According to its maker, the SP.01 is not only the “first pure electric sports car” to come out of Detroit, but it's also reportedly the fastest, and the first to be fully integrated with a smartphone. Read More
Israel-based company Phinergy claims to have developed metal-air battery technology that promises to end the range anxiety associated with electric vehicles. The company’s battery currently consists of 50 aluminum plates, each providing energy for around 20 miles (32 km) of driving. This adds up to a total potential range of 1,000 miles (1,609 km), with stops required only every couple of hundred miles to refill the system with water. Read More
Most auto companies have at least a hybrid or two within their line-ups, but through the 2013 model year, Subaru remains the exception. That will change come 2014, when the automaker adds the all-new XV Crosstrek Hybrid to its line. The new crossover gets some extra electricity to add efficiency, but maintains Subaru's well-established utility and all-conditions versatility. Read More
After the pomp and civility of the New York Auto Show, it’s nice for automotive manufacturers to take a break, get some air, break 265 mph, hit the spa, etc. And so it would be that on a bleak Californian airstrip, that some brave individual in a very much modified machine would hurtle himself down an airforce grade runway to a speed of 265.7 mph (426.7 km/h), making the Hennessey Venom GT the fastest production car on the planet. Read More
Things like car-monitoring computers and 9-speed automatic transmissions are all very well and good, but sometimes it’s the simplest of innovations that are the most useful. If you’re tired of dropping your keys or other items down that stupid gap between the side of the seat cushion and the center console, then you might consider the Drop Stop to be such an item. Read More
Starting this summer (Northern Hemisphere), the Japanese-market version of the Honda Fit/Jazz will be offered with the automaker’s new City-Brake Active System. It’s designed to minimize the chances of collisions at low speeds. Read More
After more than a decade, the Jeep Liberty has announced its retirement and appointed its predecessor its successor. The new 2014 Jeep Cherokee trades the hard-lined edge of the XJ for a more consumer-friendly small-crossover design. Jeep promises that it offers plenty of capability for those that want it but in a more refined, practical package than ever before. Read More
In spite of this year’s collection of distracting concepts at the 2013 New York Auto Show, there were in fact a few real world surprises. One that will actually see the light of day was Mercedes Benz’ new B-Class electric drive – the German manufacturer’s latest foray into the green market. Read More
Subaru’s latest WRX concept shown at the New York Auto Show this past week was needless to say, light on specifics, but heavy on the visuals. Those visuals though, reveal a design that as a whole is significantly lower, sleeker and more confident in its brashness than its predecessors. Read More
At this week's New York Auto Show, Chevrolet rolled out its restyled 2014 Camaro line with the highlight being the return of the Camaro Z/28. The four-passenger, front-engine, rear-drive coupé is billed as the “most track-capable offering in Camaro’s history” and the ”most significant redesign since the introduction of the fifth-generation Camaro as a concept car in 2006.” Read More
