One of Toyota's numerous non-car-building business is getting into a new field tangentially related to cars. Toyota Industries Corp. is developing a new solar-powered charging station for plug-in vehicles. In Toyota City, where the automaker is…
Category: Autoblog
Ann Arbor News columnist thinks Al Gore should buy Chrysler
With all the speculation about the future of Chrysler and who might buy them, Ann Arbor News business columnist Rick Haglund has floated an interesting idea that I hadn't seen publicly uttered previously. How about Al Gore leading a takeover of the…
U.S. National Federation of the Blind concerned about quiet hybrids
We've discussed the issue of lack of noise from electric vehicles in the past and now the US National Federation of the Blind has returned the debate. It's tough enough for sighted pedestrians to take note of the humming of the motor, but those who…
Can't wait for the Tesla WhiteStar? You might be able to get an Acura TL EV, or not
The Tesla WhiteStar sedan is still at least a couple of years away from production (if not more). However a reader sent in a link to a site that purports to offer a Luxury Electric sedan. The car in question is an Acura TL shorn of its…
Design firm showing solar-diesel hybrid VW camper
In the wake of Volkswagen displaying their Chameleon battery and solar powered 1964 bus, a Montreal, PQ-based design firm has announced that they have won a special jury prize at the Caravan Salon Dusseldorf in Germany for their solar-diesel hybrid…
Report: Chrysler Sebring name to live on, at least until all-new model arrives
Despite the fact it adorns one of the most derided cars on the U.S. market today, the Sebring badge will apparently survive for at least another couple of years. Recent reports had indicated that Chrysler wanted to make a clean break with its…
Tesla engineering chief Mike Donoughe resigns
Just over a year after joining Tesla Motors, Mike Donoughe, executive vice president of vehicle engineering and manufacturing, is leaving. The former Chrysler executive was brought in to help get the engineering and manufacturing processes sorted…
Nissan unveils NV2500 light commercial vehicle concept
Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Nissan NV2500
Today at the Nissan Technical Center in Farmington Hills, MI, Nissan revealed its new NV2500 concept commercial van. The NV2500 is a preview of its upcoming light commercial vehicle that…
Honda to supply IndyCar engines at least 5 more years
Honda is now in its third season as the sole supplier of engines for the IndyCar series, and it has decided to re-up for another five years. Honda originally jumped into IndyCar from the now-departed Champ Cars in 2003, and at that time, the H was…
Hybrids going mainstream, have to sell on cost and mileage, not image
In the first few years after Honda and Toyota introduced the Insight and Prius to the market, the price premium and limited utility of the vehicles meant they appealed mostly the most environmentally conscious drivers. As more manufacturers introduce…