Qoros Details New 3 Production Sedan and Cross Hybrid and Estate Concepts

The compact car we came to know as the QC3 from Chinese-Israeli start-up brand Qoros over the past few months will be named the 3 Sedan (no similarities with the other 3 from…Bavaria), the company announced today, while also providing real-life pictures of the production-intent 3 Cross Hybrid and 3 Estate Concepts, all of which will make their world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show.

Qoros says the 3 Sedan will be manufactured in a new assembly plant in Changshu, China, with sales to begin in its home market during the second half of 2013, and in Europe towards the end of the year, and will be followed by new models at intervals of approximately six months.

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Spied: BMW Testing Plug-in Hybrid Version of the 5-Series Sedan

We are already aware that BMW has begun work on a subtle facelift for the current 5-Series sedan (codenamed F10), Touring (F11) and Gran Turismo (F07) models, all of which should arrive in the market next year as part of the brand's four-year life cycle. Read more »

Kia Goes Up, Up and Away with Superman-Themed Optima Hybrid

It may be comically slower than a speeding bullet, not even remotely powerful as a locomotive, and it will never, ever be able to leap tall buildings, but the Superman-themed Kia Optima Hybrid that debuted at the Chicago Auto Show will bring to mind the "man of steel's" wardrobe with its looks. Read more »

New Lexus IS 300h Hybrid and Refinished LF-CC Concept Heading to Geneva

European consumers will get their first taste of Lexus' all-new premium compact IS sedan at the Geneva Motor Show, where the Japanese company will also display its LF-CC sports coupe concept finished in a fresh shade.

Following its debut at the Detroit Motor Show last month, the new sedan will be presented in full-hybrid trim as the IS 300h.

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Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h Class-Action Lawsuit Dismissed by California Court

If there’s one thing Toyota has in abundance in the U.S., apart from sales and models, it is lawsuits. This time, though, the Japanese automaker scored a victory as U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney in California denied a class-action lawsuit by owners of Prius and Lexus models.

More specifically, the judge denied four car owners’ request to represent other owners of 2010 Prius and Lexus HS 250h models in California over a 2010 recall for a software upgrade that fixed an issue with the cars’ ABS system.

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Toyota Breaths Some Sportiness into the Prius C with Aqua G Sports Concept

Let's face it; the Prius C's looks are about as interesting as a corn on the cob. Nevertheless, Toyota believes it can add some character to its sub-compact hybrid with a new concept that was introduced today at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

The G Sports version of the Aqua, which is what Toyota calls the Prius C in its home market of Japan, retains the standard model's full hybrid powertrain adding numerous  styling bits and a re-tuned suspension into the mix.

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Nissan's New Detroit Auto Show Resonance Concept May Hint at Next Murano SUV

Nissan has just confirmed the world premiere of a new concept crossover named the Resonance for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 15.

Along with a single, darkened rendering, Nissan issued the following statement about the Resonance study:

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Survey Shows Carmakers Remain Skeptic about EV Sales, will Invest in Internal Combustion Engines

It seems that, despite all the noise they make about their hybrid, plug-in and all-electric vehicles, carmakers still expect the internal combustion engine to dominate sales until 2015.

According to a survey conducted last November by audit, tax and advisory company KPMG, which surveyed 200 global automotive executives, including 22 in North America, automakers believe that sales of electric vehicles will not account for more than 15 percent of global sales for at least a dozen more years.

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GM Shows New Cadillac ELR on the Road Ahead of Detroit World Premiere

Less than a week before its scheduled world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors has shared a single picture of its new Cadillac ELR coupe covered in wraps while driving through the mountains of Southern California during development testing.

The ELR extended-range electric luxury coupe is the production version of the wreath and crest brand's Converj Concept displayed at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

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Ford Faces Federal Class-Action Lawsuit Over C-MAX and Fusion Hybrids MPG Numbers

It was probably a matter of time before someone picked up the Consumer Reports review that accused Ford of misstating the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid fuel economy numbers and filing a lawsuit.

The publication contested the 47 mpg city/highway/combined figure and said that the two Ford hybrids had the “distinction” of recording the greatest difference between the EPA-approved mpg and the ones it achieved during its own tests.

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Lexus' Global Hybrid Sales Cross Half-Million Milestone

Cumulative worldwide sales of Lexus hybrid vehicles broke the half a million mark at the end of November 2012, the company announced today. This milestone was reached seven years after the market introduction of the brand's first hybrid model, the RX 400h in 2005. Read more »

All-New 2014 Cadillac ELR Coupe to be Introduced in Production Guise at the Detroit Show

Adding to the many important world premieres that General Motors has planned for us at the upcoming 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, and which include the new Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Corvette C7, is the production version of the Cadillac ELR.

Cadillac's interpretation of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle project was previewed three years ago with the Converj Concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

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Jaguar C-X75 Hypercar is No More; British Brand Says it Axed the Project, but will Auction 3 Examples

Last year in May, Jaguar told the world of its intention to build a limited run production version of the striking C-X75 hypercar concept that was displayed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

At the time, Jaguar had said it would offer the car with an advanced hybrid powertrain instead of the concept's futuristic jet-powered setup limiting production to around 250 units.

Now we learn that the British carmaker has backtracked on the decision axing the project due to the current global economic crisis.

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Spy Shots: BMW's i8 Hybrid Coupe Shows its Revised Hofmeister kink.

We were hoping that by the end of this year, BMW engineers would have peeled off most of the camouflage covering their i8 coupe prototypes, but as you can see, that's not going to happen – unless, of course, Munich surprises us over the next couple of weeks.

What we do get from these fresh spy shots of the i8 that was captured once again during cold weather testing in Europe is a less obstructed view of the car's upper profile as the company's people removed some of the swirly wraps covering the side windows.

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EPA to Review Ford Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids After Consumer Reports’ MPG Findings

Ford has been making a lot of noise about the mileage of its Fusion and C-MAX hybrids, claiming that their 47 mpg city/highway/combined mileage easily beat rival Toyota Camry and Prius models.

When tested by Consumer Reports (CR) though, both Ford hybrids' MPGs were found overstated. Actually, that’s an understatement: the publication bashed the two Blue Oval hybrids saying that “these two vehicles have the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we’ve seen among any current models.”

Ouch! That must have hurt…

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Consumer Reports Slams Ford for Overstating Fusion and C-MAX Hybrids 47MPG Fuel Economy

If you've been following our news stories, you will no doubt be aware of Ford's brazen mpg claims about the Fusion Hybrid sedan and the C-Max Hybrid minivan, and how both trump Toyota models.

To remind you, Ford states that both the new 2013 Fusion Hybrid and C-Max Hybrid deliver "47 city/47 highway/47 combined mpg".

Fueled [pun intended] by the recent discovery that Hyundai and Kia overstated the gas mileage on some 900,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. in the past couple of years, Consumer Reports (CR) put Ford's mpg claims to the test, and the results were far below the 47mpg mark.

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Volkswagen to Offer New Jetta Hybrid in Germany from Next Year

Only days after Volkswagen premiered the final production version of its new Jetta Hybrid at the LA Auto Show, the Wolfsburg carmaker announced that it will begin to take advance orders for the sedan model in its home market of Germany.

The new Jetta Hybrid will arrive in VW's German showrooms from mid of April 2013 with prices starting at €31,300 (US$40,600), which is significantly more than what VW is asking for the same car in the States at €19,900 (US$25,790) including destination but not tax.

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Chevrolet Volt November Sales Plunge by 50 Percent Due to Low Inventory

In September, Chevrolet delivered 2,961 units of its Volt plug-in extended-range hybrid. It was an all-time high, and it followed up from the 2,851 vehicles sold in October.

Then came November: one way to look at it is that Volt sales rose by 33 percent compared to the same month in 2011. That’s small consolation, though, for GM when total sales were just 1,519 cars – that’s nearly half the number of the preceding months.

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Ex-GM Engineer and Husband Convicted of Stealing Hybrid Tech Secrets to Sell to China's Chery

Last Friday, November 30, former General Motors engineer Shanshan Du and her husband Yu Qin were found by a jury of nine women and three men guilty of conspiring to steal the Detroit carmaker’s trade secrets.

The 53-year old Du was found guilty of conspiracy to possess trade secrets without authorization and two counts of trade secrets, and not guilty of three counts of wire fraud. Her 51-year old husband was found guilty on all six counts, as well as a seventh, that is obstruction of justice.

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2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid with 115MPGe Rating Priced from $39,780*

We've already seen the new Accord but at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda announced that the frugal, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) variant of the series will be available for retail sale and lease beginning January 15 in the states of California and New York, with an MSRP of $39,780, excluding a $790 destination (*) fee.

Whether or not it's worth paying close to double or about $18,000 more than the base $21,680 2013 Accord with a 185hp four-cylinder engine, or even a $10,000 premium over a fully equipped EX-L with Navigation, is something that buyers should seriously take into consideration.

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