fuel efficiency

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Obama Snaps Up 17,600 Fuel-Efficient US Cars

Government will buy thousands of fuel-efficient cars

(Newser) - President Obama announced yesterday that the government plans to buy up 17,600 American-made hybrid and fuel-efficient cars for the federal fleet, reports the Washington Post. In addition to being a way to get some more money to the automakers, the plan will boost the efficiency of the government fleet...

Obama Raises Fuel-Economy Standards

(Newser) - US fuel-economy standards are going up, an Obama administration official tells Bloomberg today. By 2011, new cars and light trucks will have to hit an average of 27.3 miles per gallon—30.2mpg for cars and 24.1 for light trucks and SUVs. Automakers have raised no objections—the...

Price War Heats Up Hybrid Market
Price War
Heats Up
Hybrid Market

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...

Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead
Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead
AUTO REVIEW

Muscled and Svelte, New Camaro Is No Meathead

Reworked car could be Detroit's savior

(Newser) - General Motors hopes to muscle its way back from the brink of bankruptcy by reintroducing the Chevrolet Camaro, a macho stud-machine that is flexed to impress, Joseph Szczesny writes in Time. “The new Camaro goes well beyond the old-fashioned ‘Detroit iron’ of the 1960s and '70s,” writes...

Obama Lets States Tighten Fuel Standards

(Newser) - Barack Obama announced a drastic change in the nation’s energy policy today, beginning with an executive order allowing states to raise their fuel efficiency standards. "America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources,” Obama said. “Today I announce the first steps on our journey to...

Fiat to Take 35% Stake in Chrysler, Enter US Market

No-cash deal offers platform sharing and markets to Fiat, a lifeline to Chrysler

(Newser) - Fiat arranged a no-cash deal with Chrysler today that could put the Italian automaker behind the wheel of Chrysler’s operations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Fiat will take a 35% stake in Chrysler with an option for 20% more. Fiat will receive a foothold in the US market, retooling...

Plush New Prius Will Hit 50mpg
 Plush New Prius Will Hit 50mpg 

Plush New Prius Will Hit 50mpg

As hybrid market goes mainstream, so does iconic car

(Newser) - Toyota's sleeker, more fuel-efficient update to its iconic Prius, already the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the market, offers a city-highway average of 50mpg—up from 46—and a bunch of new amenities. Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, the 2010 model comes with a more powerful engine, a moonroof, and...

Oregon Mulls Mileage, Not Gas, Tax

State worries about tax shortfall as vehicles get more efficient

(Newser) - Worried that the rise of fuel-efficient and hybrid cars will wipe out revenue for road repair, Oregon is considering taxing drivers by the mile instead of by the gallon, reports the AP. Lawmakers—aware that hiking gas tax is a political kiss of death—believe a mileage tax is the...

This Ain't Charity: Detroit Must Win Consumers Back

Americans will get back on board if auto giants prove they can make good cars again

(Newser) - With a $17.4 billion bailout in hand, Detroit must now turn toward restructuring and making the cars America needs, Mark Phelan writes in the Detroit Free Press. “To win back American buyers’ respect,” Phelan continues, “the automakers must show the aid package was a sound investment,...

Bill Ford Driving a Green Future

Ford's chairman sees auto industry getting leaner and greener in recovery

(Newser) - While General Motors, Chrysler, and Congress are haggling over what strings to tie to a federal bailout, Ford chairman Bill Ford Jr is working behind the scenes to further his company's move toward greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The automaker, with enough cash on hand to get through 2009, isn’t...

Neil Young: Detroit's Dinosaurs Can Go Electric

Rocker makes the case for drivers going big and going green

(Newser) - Motorists considering electric cars can hang on to their Cadillac dreams as well, writes Neil Young at the Huffington Post. Barack Obama's plan to get a million electric vehicles on American roads within a decade is possible—and the cars don't need to be tiny or even have new designs,...

Rivals' Meeting Today Could Benefit Both Men

Obama and McCain to get together in Chicago to talk cooperation

(Newser) - Meeting today in Chicago to bury the hatchet, Barack Obama and John McCain could each be of considerable use to the other, the Wall Street Journal notes. Working together, McCain could get his maverick groove back, and Obama could get help on these key areas:
  • Auto efficiency: McCain has worked
...

SUV, Pickup Sales Rebound as Price of Gas Drops

But big trucks are becoming scarce as automakers retool for fuel efficient models

(Newser) - Gas prices are down and the sales of SUVs and pickup trucks are accelerating, albeit only into second gear, reports the Wall Street Journal. As gas edges closer to $2, buyers are picking up bargains on the big gas guzzlers dealers couldn’t give away couple of months ago. And...

Top Cars We Should Scrap
 Top Cars We Should Scrap 

Top Cars We Should Scrap

Coming soon to a compactor near you

(Newser) - The possibility that one of Detroit's Big Three automakers is headed for the scrap heap left US News and World Report wondering which cars Americans could live without. Here are some top candidates:
  • Jeep Commander: This boxy model gets 16 mpg and it shows: sales are down 55%.
  • Dodge Durango:
...

Insurance Guzzles Savings From Fuel-Efficient Cars

Trading down to save money on gas results in higher premiums

(Newser) - Think you’re saving money by driving that small, fuel-efficient car you traded in your SUV for? Maybe, but you’re probably paying more for your insurance—a lot more, reports the Wall Street Journal. In accidents, small cars tend to sustain more damage, and occupants more injures, than larger...

Toyota Weighs Spinning Off Prius Brand

Larger, smaller versions of popular hybrid would fill out lineup, exec says

(Newser) - Toyota may create a separate brand for the Prius, filling it out with new larger and smaller versions of the popular hybrid, the New York Times reports. Advocating for the creation of the brand is James Lentz, president of Toyota’s US sales, who argues that Prius is already a...

Bush OKs $25B for Car Giants

Money tabbed to help automakers in transition to fuel-efficient vehicles

(Newser) - President Bush today approved the $25 billion in low-interest loans aimed at helping US automakers in their transition to building more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reports. The industry long pushed for the package, estimating the total cost of the makeover at $100 billion. It’s now up the...

House OKs $25B Detroit Rescue
 House OKs $25B Detroit Rescue 

House OKs $25B Detroit Rescue

Package of low-interest loans aims to prop up staggering auto industry

(Newser) - The House has approved a $25 billion lifeline to Detroit's battered auto industry, the Detroit Free Press reports. The package of low-interest loans to help automakers switch to manufacturing more fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to be approved by the Senate today and signed by the president soon after. Michigan lawmakers...

Chrysler Goes Electric
 Chrysler Goes Electric 

Chrysler Goes Electric

Firm to offer hybrid and pure-electric models in 2010

(Newser) - Chrysler is hopping on Detroit's belated eco-friendly bandwagon, a source tells the Wall Street Journal, with a full stable of electric cars and trucks that it plans to market starting in late 2010. While most of the planned models are hybrids, at least one will be a fully electric car...

Mercedes Revs Up Hybrid
 Mercedes Revs Up Hybrid 

Mercedes Revs Up Hybrid

'09 version of luxury automaker's S-Class will get about 30 mpg

(Newser) - Mercedes is adding a hybrid model to its line of S-Class luxury autos in June 2009, BusinessWeek reports, promising nearly 30 miles to the gallon and adding $14,000 to its $88,000 base sticker price. The model—which, unlike some other hybrids, can’t run exclusively on battery power—...

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