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Tesla got a great deal on the NUMMI plant in its deal with Toyota this year, but what does Toyota get out of it? At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota let us know, pulling the wraps off of its RAV4 EV Concept powered by Tesla. However, the EV wasn't the production-bound model that many were expecting. Rather, what we were shown was more of a stepping stone to a more complete vehicle that may come later.

To call the RAV4 EV a glorified test mule would be understating things a bit. Then again, the concept is built … Read more

Every year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Green Car Journal crowns one new car the Green Car of the Year. This year that vehicle is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

In previous years, this honor has gone to vehicles as varied as the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid to Toyota's Prius, while the last two years have been dominated by Volkswagen and Audi's TDI vehicles. This year, Chevrolet brings it back to the electric camp with its solution to what GM calls range anxiety: a range extended EV powertrain that starts as an electric, but features a gasoline engine that … Read more

LOS ANGELES--For anyone who worries that the auto industry isn't putting its energy behind electric vehicles, it may be time to relax.

If one thing was clear after the first day of the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show yesterday, it was that EVs and other green vehicles may finally be ready for prime time. With Chevrolet's Volt winning Green Car of the Year this morning, and Honda and Toyota both showing off big EV plays yesterday, it's clear that the industry is no longer afraid of green vehicles.

To be sure, most of the EVs on display … Read more

It's been a while coming, but it's finally here. At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Chrysler Group debuted the first fruits of its union with the Fiat Group in the form of the production-spec, U.S. market Fiat 500.

Expectedly, the 500 looks and probably behaves similarly to the European market model. It features the same compact packaging and cute sporty looks. However, Fiat's engineers have tweaked a few bits beneath the sheet metal to make the ultracompact more U.S. market-friendly.

Under the hood is Fiat's award-winning 1.4-liter MultiAir engine, which uses … Read more

A few months ago we saw the debut of the Land Rover Evoque at the Paris Motor Show. This vehicle offered the luxury and off-road capability we've come to expect from Land Rover, but its two door-styling seemed too small for the U.S.

Land Rover knows its business, bringing out a slightly larger version of the Evoque at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Where getting into the rear seat of the two-door Evoque looked like a challenge, this new Evoque offers much more access with four doors and a hatchback.

Both versions of the Evoque get a new … Read more

With its small engine, the Honda Fit gets excellent fuel economy and produces few smog-causing pollutants, but at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda showed it could make the Fit even greener. On display was a concept version of an electric Fit, dubbed the Fit EV.

Using an electric motor similar to the one it developed for the Clarity fuel cell vehicle and a lithium-ion battery pack, Honda says the Fit EV will drive for 100 miles between recharges and hit a top speed of 90 mph. The driver can select between three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. … Read more

Updated with video after the jump.

The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show coincides with Porsche's celebration of 60 years in the U.S. market. Drawing a line back to its first racing vehicle ever built, the midengined 1938 Type 65, Porsche unveiled the 2012 Porsche Cayman R: a lighter, stronger, faster version of the highly praised Cayman S.

The Cayman R drops 121 pounds of bulk versus the S thanks to a diet that includes the omission of the infotainment system, lighter aluminum door skins, carbon-fiber-backed sport bucket seats, and interior door panels from the 911 GT3 RS. In … Read more

During its press conference at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Chevrolet pulled the covers off its new topless Camaro, showing the anticipated convertible version of its retro muscle car.

Boasting that the current Camaro coupe outsells the Ford Mustang in all of its different trims, convertible included, Chevrolet held high hopes for the convertible version. The Camaro Convertible will be available in the same trim versions as the coupe: LS, LT, and SS. The former two use a direct injection 3.6-liter V-6, whereas the SS is powered by a 6.2-liter V-8.

For the convertible version, Chevrolet added … Read more

Take a sexy coupe or sporty sedan and subtract the roof and you get open-air fun, but what happens to the equation when you substitute a crossover utility vehicle? Nissan aims to find out the answer when it unveils the 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet at the 2010 LA Auto Show. The automaker previewed a shadowy photo of the world's first all-wheel drive crossover convertible on its official Facebook page.

Nissan started with its Murano crossover and peeled back the roof to create the segment-stretching CrossCabriolet. The convertible seats four, supposedly retains space for luggage (Nissan claims it can haul … Read more