Concepts

Mitsubishi enlarges half of the iMiEV

So, you're a fan of Mitsubishi's iMiEV electric car. Who could blame you? It's a quirky looking 63-horsepower electric two-seater with a 100-mile range and no tailpipe emissions (probably due to its lack of a tailpipe). Plus, it looks like its from the future! But what if you wanted more interior volume for your, oh say, environmentally responsible delivery service? Then you're going to love the Mitsubishi iMiEV Cargo concept.

The Mitsubishi iMiEV Cargo concept takes the cute iMiEV and lops off its rear half, replacing it with a caboose of a small van or a … Read more

Subaru's Tokyo concept surfs trends

For the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, Subaru built this Hybrid Tourer Concept, which manages to combine many of the latest trends in automotive development. Most major manufacturers are working on some kind of sporty touring car these days. Witness the BMW 5 series Gran Turismo, the Acura ZDX, and the Audi A5 Sportback. The Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept appears to aim at similar ground, although its profile is less sporty. The gullwing doors are a unique feature for a production car, but not so much for a concept.

As its name suggests, the car is also designed as a hybrid, … Read more

GM ends car sales pilot with eBay

General Motors' pilot program to sell cars on eBay has reached the end of its road. The automaker said it's concluding the program as scheduled, effective Wednesday.

Launched on August 11, the eBay Motors pilot program offered California auto buyers new GM cars, which they could either negotiate for or "Buy it now" at the discounted selling price.

Initially set to expire September 8, the program was extended by GM until the end of the month.

The financial success of this pilot may be difficult to gauge. Earlier reports suggested that few sales were being generated. But … Read more

Skydeck concept: Honda's hybrid van of the future

What if instead of just looking like a van, the Honda Insight actually was a van? That's the general idea that I'm getting from the Honda Skydeck, a minivan concept that will debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

In so many words, the Skydeck looks like the CR-Z concept ate a current-gen Honda Odyssey. The face has the same, futuristic large mouthed bass look of the CR-Z, but the form factor is all van.

However, the aesthetic isn't all that the Skydeck borrows from Honda's hybrids, as a large "Hybrid" badge lets us … Read more

Honda CR-Z concept inches toward production

Another year, another car show, another opportunity for Honda to trot out its CR-Z compact hybrid concept. However for the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place right in the automaker's back yard, Honda has updated the concept to reflect what we can expect to see in the production model.

So what can we expect from the production CR-Z? Well, the form factor is something of a cross between the CRX subcompact of the '80s and the Honda Insight hybrid. Under the hood, we can expect a 1.5-liter gasoline four-cylinder paired with the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid … Read more

Tiny concept cars at the Frankfurt auto show

Small is clearly in, as these concepts show. And since concept cars are a bellwether for upcoming automotive trends, expect downsizing to be commonplace among new cars. Most of these concepts are lightweight city cars, easily maneuverable and economical. Mini's entrants add a sporty flavor, while Citroen and Hyundai go for the futuristic. Mazda showed off a stripped-down version of its MX-5, more weekend racer than everyday driver.

Europeans get into the hybrid act

Japanese automakers pioneered hybrid cars, but German companies have been slow to join in. At the Frankfurt auto show, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche showed off their latest efforts, a mix of research and production vehicles. Most of these cars don't stint on the power, merely using hybrid systems to boost efficiency without shooting for stellar fuel economy.

Volkswagen also comes in with a hybrid concept in its quest to build a car that will only burn one liter of fuel over 100 kilometers. And Lexus shows off a luxury compact concept with a full hybrid power train as a … Read more

Frankfurt showcases electric cars

As is becoming common at auto shows these days, a number of electric cars were on display at the Frankfurt auto show, with automakers showing off research into next millennium's generation of vehicles. On hand were concepts from Peugeot, Renault, Audi, Volkswagen, and Ford. Two entrants from Tesla were on hand, one a Roadster tuned up by Brabus, the only current production car available out of this lot, and the other the upcoming Model S, expected to begin production in 2011.

Peugeot BB1: The car you can tweet from

We're seeing some pretty futuristic cars here at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but none more so than the Peugeot BB1. According to its maker, it's a totally original response to the current and future needs of urban mobility, and one of those needs is drive-anywhere Internet access.

If you look past the uber-beautiful models casually sitting inside the BB1 (it won't actually come with these), you'll see an iPod dock carved into the steering wheel. This connects your music collection to the BB1's entertainment system, and also feeds data to a centrally mounted display, on which you can fiddle with the radio, navigation options and Internet. Yes, you read that correctly--the Internet. The World Wide Web. The Jesus tubes, people. … Read more

Watch out Tesla, here comes the Audi e-tron

The most exciting concept shown at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show is an electric sports car, the Audi e-tron. Borrowing body lines from the Audi R8, it can't help but look good. And boasting specs like 3,319 pound-feet of torque, it can't help but make gearheads drool.

Audi achieves that torque number by using four electric motors, one at each wheel. The drooling gearheads should be able to close their mouths again after hearing that the combined horsepower is only 313, making for a zero to 62 mph time of 4.8 seconds. But electric car enthusiasts … Read more