Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi SEL. The C-MAX is a five-passenger gasoline-electric vehicle with an emphasis on fuel efficiency and practicality. Two versions are available, both pairing a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with electric motors and lithium-ion battery packs. The C-MAX Hybrid is a more conventional hybrid, generating all of […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, a 2013 Acura ILX Hybrid. The ILX is an all-new model for Acura, the automaker’s entry-level compact sedan. The ILX Hybrid represents a first for the brand too, applying parent company Honda’s proven gasoline-electric hybrid system to improve fuel efficiency. It’s one of three available powertrains Acura offers in […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE. You may already know that the Toyota Camry has for years been the best-selling car in the U.S. It’s combination of practicality, reliability, affordability and overall quality have helped it to keep this coveted position for more than a decade. Toyota introduced a […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2012 Toyota Prius c. Fourteen years ago, Toyota introduced the Prius, a fuel-efficient small gasoline-electric hybrid that has become the best selling vehicle in its category. Now, Toyota is expanding the Prius lineup with the introduction of a plug-in Prius, the utility-focused Prius v and this urban runabout, […]

Any reasonable assessment of a hybrid or EV automobile with a premium price tag must consider the break-even point achieved through lower ownership costs, right? In this 2012 Chevrolet Volt review, surely I’ll explain how, over time, plugging in saves money compared with filling up, allowing a rational person to get over the Volt’s relatively high bottom line. Well, no.

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2012 Toyota Camry LE. The Camry is all new for 2012, the seventh-generation model of the best-selling car in America. It was recently selected among the winners in the sedan category of Parents magazine and Edmunds.com’s Best Family Cars of 2012 for its safety, reliability, performance, interior and […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The Volt is not a huge-volume seller, but unless you’re a Chinese Olympic athlete who’s been sequestered away, training for London 2012 over the past four years, you’ve almost certainly heard of it. That’s because the car has received plenty of attention for its high-tech […]

Combined fuel economy for the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid is 45 mpg according to VW’s estimate. The automaker expects their first compact hybrid model to be the performance leader in the segment, thanks to a turbocharged engine and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that VW calls DSG. That estimate reflects a significant 32% improvement over the next most efficient Jetta, the […]

I previously posted about Audi’s hybrid prototype sports cars racing in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the legendary endurance race just days away, Audi shared a video and technical specs of the R18 e-tron ultra it plans to race.  

AutoTrader.com’s full coverage of the New York International Auto Show is wrapping up. The show featured dozens of debuts, both concepts and new models. I covered BMW, Hyundai, Mini, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Volkswagen, each of whom presented at least one new vehicle to the North American audience.