Despite lack of an official confirmation from Audi of America, we'd bet significant money on the arrival of the Audi A6 Hybrid in the U.S. market. Why? Because the U.S. has the highest hybrid penetration of any market in the world except Japan, and "hybrid" means "high gas mileage" to a large number of U.S. buyers, particularly the affluent ones...
It's taken a very long time to get here, but the 2012 Ford Edge fitted with the Ecoboost 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine may be worth the wait. The website FordInsideNews reports that the Ecoboosted Edge will receive EPA gas-mileage ratings of 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, for a combined rating that's likely to be around 24 mpg. Those ratings...
At a price of $9,985 (plus destination charges) for the base GL hatchback model, the 2011 Hyundai Accent is the least expensive new car on the U.S. market this year. Sold as a three-door hatchback or a four-door sedan, the subcompact 2011 Accent is hardly as stylish as competitors like the Ford Fiesta, but that may not matter to buyers seeking...
The 2011 Kia Rio is one of the oldest cars on the market by now; the subcompact was first introduced in 2006. It’s bland inside and out, but more room than you might expect inside, along with a peppy (if noisy) driving experience. It’s offered as a four-door sedan or the five-door Rio5 hatchback. The 110-horsepower, 1.6-liter...
BMW is known for its sports sedans, and the BMW 3-Series is probably the best-known BMW. Sold in a variety of body styles (sedan, coupe, convertible, and wagon) and performance tuning levels, the 3-Series is routinely deemed one of the best-handling four-door cars in the world. There’s a wide array of gasoline straight-six engine and...
BMW blazed itself a new trail in the late 1990s when it launched the first X5 sport-utility vehicle, and the 2011 X5 continues to provide good handling, seating for five, and enough off-road ability to make it a popular choice among affluent suburbanites. It competes with the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the lower end of the Range Rover line, and the...
Unlike its brethren the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, the 2011 Audi Q7 carries on with the design that debuted in 2007, mildly refreshed inside and out last year. It’s the only one of the trio that offers a third-row option, enabling it to seat seven, albeit tightly at the rear. Audi has simplified the engine options, however...
The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg is the priciest model in VW’s U.S. lineup, a near-luxury sport-utility vehicle from a company better known for its compact Jetta sedan and Golf hatchback. The Touareg was completely redesigned this year, with a new, lighter body that trades some of its off-road ability for better comfort and a more suburban focus...
Porsche purists blasted it, but the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle probably saved the brand. With an all-wheel drive SUV, Porsche had a vehicle to sell in China and Russia, where newly wealthy buyers want prestigious Western brands, but many roads aren’t good enough for sports cars. It’s now Porsche’s best-selling model. Large...
Despite some signs of recent change, most U.S. buyers still prefer four-door sedans to five-door hatchbacks. That’s why the Volkswagen Golf three- and five-door compact hatchbacks have always played a supporting role to the sales-leading VW Jetta compact sedan, which was completely redesigned for 2011. The latest Golf was redesigned last...
For 2011, Volkswagen redesigned and repositioned its Jetta compact sedan to make it larger but less costly. And the tactic worked; sales of 2011 Volkswagen Jetta models are substantially higher than those of the previous model. The 2011 Jetta is still $2,000 or $3,000 pricier than a similarly equipped Ford Focus, Honda Civic, or Hyundai...
The 2011 Toyota Yaris, the smallest car sold in the U.S. by Japan’s largest brand, is now in the last years of its model life. The hatchback models are still stylish, but against newer competition, the Yaris falls short on features and interior comfort. As one of the shortest subcompacts on sale, it’s better as an urban...
BMW revealed two new electric, hybrid, and range-extended models--the BMW i3 electric car and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid--at a special press conference in Frankfurt earlier today. GreenCarReports editor John Voelcker is there, and he's managed to snap some up-close shots of the "Drive" powertrains of these vehicles, along with their advanced "Life"...
If you were hoping for the production versions of BMW's first production EV and sports plug-in hybrid, you're out of luck, but if BMW keeps up its recent practices, the concepts unveiled today will be very close to the final cars. These live photos from the unveiling in Frankfurt should give you a better feel for what the i3 and i8 are really...
Despite lack of an official confirmation from Audi of America, we'd bet significant money on the arrival of the Audi A6 Hybrid in the U.S. market. Why? Because the U.S. has the highest hybrid penetration of any market in the world except Japan, and "hybrid" means "high gas mileage" to a large number of U.S. buyers, particularly the affluent ones...
It's taken a very long time to get here, but the 2012 Ford Edge fitted with the Ecoboost 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine may be worth the wait. The website FordInsideNews reports that the Ecoboosted Edge will receive EPA gas-mileage ratings of 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway, for a combined rating that's likely to be around 24 mpg. Those ratings...
At a price of $9,985 (plus destination charges) for the base GL hatchback model, the 2011 Hyundai Accent is the least expensive new car on the U.S. market this year. Sold as a three-door hatchback or a four-door sedan, the subcompact 2011 Accent is hardly as stylish as competitors like the Ford Fiesta, but that may not matter to buyers seeking...
The 2011 Kia Rio is one of the oldest cars on the market by now; the subcompact was first introduced in 2006. It’s bland inside and out, but more room than you might expect inside, along with a peppy (if noisy) driving experience. It’s offered as a four-door sedan or the five-door Rio5 hatchback. The 110-horsepower, 1.6-liter...
BMW is known for its sports sedans, and the BMW 3-Series is probably the best-known BMW. Sold in a variety of body styles (sedan, coupe, convertible, and wagon) and performance tuning levels, the 3-Series is routinely deemed one of the best-handling four-door cars in the world. There’s a wide array of gasoline straight-six engine and...
BMW blazed itself a new trail in the late 1990s when it launched the first X5 sport-utility vehicle, and the 2011 X5 continues to provide good handling, seating for five, and enough off-road ability to make it a popular choice among affluent suburbanites. It competes with the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, the lower end of the Range Rover line, and the...
Unlike its brethren the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, the 2011 Audi Q7 carries on with the design that debuted in 2007, mildly refreshed inside and out last year. It’s the only one of the trio that offers a third-row option, enabling it to seat seven, albeit tightly at the rear. Audi has simplified the engine options, however...
The 2011 Volkswagen Touareg is the priciest model in VW’s U.S. lineup, a near-luxury sport-utility vehicle from a company better known for its compact Jetta sedan and Golf hatchback. The Touareg was completely redesigned this year, with a new, lighter body that trades some of its off-road ability for better comfort and a more suburban focus...
Porsche purists blasted it, but the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle probably saved the brand. With an all-wheel drive SUV, Porsche had a vehicle to sell in China and Russia, where newly wealthy buyers want prestigious Western brands, but many roads aren’t good enough for sports cars. It’s now Porsche’s best-selling model. Large...
Despite some signs of recent change, most U.S. buyers still prefer four-door sedans to five-door hatchbacks. That’s why the Volkswagen Golf three- and five-door compact hatchbacks have always played a supporting role to the sales-leading VW Jetta compact sedan, which was completely redesigned for 2011. The latest Golf was redesigned last...
For 2011, Volkswagen redesigned and repositioned its Jetta compact sedan to make it larger but less costly. And the tactic worked; sales of 2011 Volkswagen Jetta models are substantially higher than those of the previous model. The 2011 Jetta is still $2,000 or $3,000 pricier than a similarly equipped Ford Focus, Honda Civic, or Hyundai...
The 2011 Toyota Yaris, the smallest car sold in the U.S. by Japan’s largest brand, is now in the last years of its model life. The hatchback models are still stylish, but against newer competition, the Yaris falls short on features and interior comfort. As one of the shortest subcompacts on sale, it’s better as an urban...
BMW revealed two new electric, hybrid, and range-extended models--the BMW i3 electric car and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid--at a special press conference in Frankfurt earlier today. GreenCarReports editor John Voelcker is there, and he's managed to snap some up-close shots of the "Drive" powertrains of these vehicles, along with their advanced "Life"...
If you were hoping for the production versions of BMW's first production EV and sports plug-in hybrid, you're out of luck, but if BMW keeps up its recent practices, the concepts unveiled today will be very close to the final cars. These live photos from the unveiling in Frankfurt should give you a better feel for what the i3 and i8 are really...
