Toyota’s 2013 RAV4 EV is the automaker’s second go round of converting its small gasoline powered sport utility to an electric vehicle. From 1997 to 2003, 1,484 RAV4 EVs were leased or sold. Of those, Toyota says approximately 449 are still on the road. This time, rather than develop the electric RAV4 on its own,
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Even though the luxury hybrid was somewhat of a novelty when Lexus introduced the RX400h in 2005 as a 2006 model, it quickly followed its gasoline counterpart and became a top-selling model. At the time it was the closest thing to a guilt-free sport-utility vehicle we’d ever seen: luxurious with an impressive assemblage of features
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When Lexus introduced the GS 450h hybrid sport sedan in 2007, it confused a lot of folks. The automaker proudly brandished its performance credentials such as acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, making it both the quickest Lexus and the quickest hybrid vehicle at the time. As for fuel economy, the raison
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Do you recall the TV ads with champagne glasses stacked in a pyramid on the hood of a car with the engine running? The glasses never quivered, but they sent a shock wave through the automotive luxury market. The year was 1989 and the car was the 1990 Lexus LS, the first entrant from Toyota’s
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In a step back toward its roots, Acura, Honda’s luxury division, is once again offering a less-is-more entry level luxury compact car. Slotted below the TSX, the 2013 Acura ILX is somewhat reminiscent of the 1986-2001 Integra, but outfitted with more luxury. And, like the Integra before it, the ILX shares its platform with the
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Nowadays, electrified cars – from all electric to plug-in and extended range hybrids – are the alternative fuel vehicle darlings of the automotive world. It’s understandable since they put a kink in the imported oil pipeline, produce zero or near zero emissions, deliver excellent economy and buyers may even drive away with a car full
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If you believe performance, luxury and fuel economy is an oxymoron, then you haven’t driven Infiniti’s 2013 M35h. The h is for hybrid … and horsepower. Performance? The 360 combined horsepower of the V6 engine and electric motor blasts the hybrid sports sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, and the quarter mile
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At first mention, it seems an odd marriage – a burly pickup truck and fuel-saving hybrid technology – but General Motors brought it together with the GMC Sierra Hybrid (and its Chevy Silverado Hybrid sibling), at least for those who need their large vehicles and still hope to improve on gas mileage. The Sierra Hybrid
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When an automaker makes the decision to enter the electric car market it has two choices: Spend hundreds of millions designing, developing and tooling the plants to build an all-new car, like Nissan did with the Leaf or, reduce the risk and cost by replacing the drivetrain of an existing gas-powered vehicle with an electric
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The full-size American pickup is perhaps the most utilitarian vehicle on the market. Since most “lifestyle buyers” have left the segment – meaning fewer 110-pound soccer moms toting 60-pound kids in these 18-foot-long behemoths – the remaining truck buyers value functional capability above all else. While some in the environmental community don’t understand there are
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