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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: hybrid car

hybrid car stories: 86 news summaries

1 - 20 of 86 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

 Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game 

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

(Newser) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of... More »

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WHAT'S IN YOUR GARAGE?

 Why This Hot Rod Is Greener 
 Than a Prius 

You'll drive less frequently but enjoy it more

(Newser) - So, conventional wisdom tells us, if you want to help the environment, ditch those dreams of a hot-rod, get a hybrid, and commute knowing you’ve done your part to save the environment. Nonsense, writes Joe Eaton , who did precisely the opposite. “Giving up your Prius and putting a... More »

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 Japanese Mull 
 Noisier Hybrids 
 to Protect Blind 

Survey finds blind people are unnerved by silent vehicles

(Newser) - Japanese automakers are looking into ways to make their super-quiet hybrid cars a lot louder after more than half of blind people surveyed said they were terrified of the vehicles, AP reports. The automakers are considering equipping the vehicles with radar to sense pedestrians and make sounds like engine noises... More »

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(Newser) - Toyota plans to keep its lead in the environmentally friendly vehicle market with a new car to be released in 2011, Bloomberg reports. The vehicle, to be based on the company's Vitz compact, will be around 5% more fuel-efficient than its Prius and will sell for around $15,600, according... More »

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(Newser) - GM held a triumphant press conference this morning, announcing that, using newly devised EPA methodology, its 2011 Chevy Volt will get a whopping 230 miles per gallon in city driving, by far the highest fuel efficiency rating ever. No car has ever so much as sniffed 100mpg before; the Prius... More »


 How to Get the Most 
 Out of Your 'Clunker' 

Time offers tips for buyers considering CARS

(Newser) - Cash for Clunkers has become a smashing success—but is it right for you? Time explains how to get the most out of your clunker:
  • First, make sure your vehicle really is a “clunker”: Cars that get more than 18 mpg, don't run, haven't been registered and insured
... More »

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 GM Announces 
 Plug-In Hybrid SUV 

Buick model could get twice the mileage of similar automobiles

(Newser) - General Motors’ Buick brand will churn out the first plug-in hybrid SUV by a leading automaker, the company said today. “Buick will get our first plug-in hybrid, which will put the brand front and center in the advanced technology game,” said a GM exec. The company says the... More »

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Hybrid Owners Have More Accidents, Get More Tickets

Environmentally-conscious motorists also drive more, study says

(Newser) - Owners of hybrid vehicles tend to drive more, have higher repair bills, and get more tickets than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the Car Connection reports. A study of the behavior of 360,000 motorists found insurers pay 17% more for comprehensive coverage of hybrid owners compared to owners of conventional models.... More »

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(Newser) - As the US moves away from a gasoline-only auto culture, researchers and the government are investigating alternative taxes to fund road-building and maintenance, the Kansas City Star reports. The leading idea to supplant the gas tax is a by-the-mile approach endorsed by a federal commission. “If you’re committed... More »

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Prius Owners Sue
Over Faulty Headlights

Owners suing Toyota over expensive repair

(Newser) - Toyota’s Prius, now in its third generation, remains the dominant hybrid car. But an increasing number of older Prius owners are finding that the autos have a potentially dangerous flaw—failing headlights. What's worse, the so-called high-intensity discharge lamps, which are optional ugrades, can cost more than $1,000... More »

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ANALYSIS

GM's Car of the Future Sparks Doubt in the Present

Even top exec fears hybrid will fail to herald new start for automaker

(Newser) - Success has many fathers, and for the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, paternity claims could stretch from Detroit to Washington. But if the GM hybrid turns out to be an orphan, it could be because many of its backers, including a top GM exec, are ambivalent about its potential to rejigger the... More »

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OPINION

 Michael Moore: 
 9 Ways to Rise 
 From GM's Ashes 

Let's use their facilities to overhaul America's transit

(Newser) - The end of General Motors is an opportunity for an America that now owns 60% of the company, writes Michael Moore. Let’s take advantage of the death of a firm that built poor cars, battled environmental rules, and shipped jobs away by using its facilities to implement a new... More »

(Newser) - Many Republicans won’t touch fuel economy issues, but not Sen. Orrin Hatch. He’s been an advocate for alternative-fuel vehicles for a decade, and yesterday got behind the wheel of the most muscular hybrid ever, reports Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. A company from Hatch’s native... More »

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AUTO REVIEW

 Honda Ready to 
 Take On the Prius 

Insight cheaper, simpler than Toyota's hybrid king

(Newser) - Honda is rolling out a fresh—and worthy—competitor to Toyota’s Prius, king of the hybrid market, writes Joseph P. White in the Wall Street Journal. The 2010 Insight will sell for just under $20,000, some $2,000 less than the most popular Prius model, and gets “... More »

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 Forget Hybrids: Just 
 Drive Like Your Grandma 

Americans can save gas just by driving differently: Ball

(Newser) - Driving like a grandma can save more gas than fancy hybrid technology, Jeffrey Ball writes in the Wall Street Journal. Accelerating slowly, shifting gears early, and coasting to avoid stop-and-go driving can bump gas efficiency of even the largest gas guzzlers. The catch? "I've been honked at. I've... More »

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(Newser) - Despite predictions of its demise, the SUV is alive and well at the New York auto show this year, Dan Carney writes for MSNBC. Sure, more fuel-efficient models of classic 4x4s make up the majority of the cars on display, but reports that the gas guzzler is passé, emanating from... More »

 China, Nissan Strike 
 Electric Car Deal 

Nissan will create fleet, charging station network in Wuhan

(Newser) - China has tapped Nissan to set up an electric-car program in the city of Wuhan, relying on the automaker to set up a fleet of electric vehicles and charging stations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Beijing plans to produce 500,000 “new energy” vehicles by 2011, and recently selected... More »

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(Newser) - As US automakers continue their late push into the market for hybrids and electric cars, they may soon have a major new competitor to worry about: China. Beijing, which barely registers in the auto world today, has begun a major investment push and plans to join the world leaders in... More »

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Price War
Heats Up
Hybrid Market

Toyota and Honda square off with dueling technologies, too

(Newser) - Toyota and Honda have begun waging battle in the hybrid market, and a price war is bound to speed conversion by consumers—the Prius is expected to dip below $21,000 in order to compete with the $19,000 Insight in Japan. But the two aren't just versions of the... More »

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(Newser) - AT&T pledged to spend $565 million to replace its current vehicle fleet with models that run on alternative fuels, the Detroit Free Press reports. The firm will buy over 15,000 hybrid and natural-gas-powered cars, mainly from Ford. AT&T billed the move as not only environmentally responsible but... More »

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1 - 20 of 86 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>