Toyota officials in the U.S. may express public skepticism over market prospects for plug-in vehicles, but that doesn't mean the company isn't working on related technology. The latest batch of plug-in hybrid Priuses will arrive late this year and…

The VW IROC concept is on its way to production in a couple of years as the new Scirocco. For most production cars from major manufacturers, one of the inevitable stops along the way is California's Death Valley for hot weather testing, and the…

Late last year, Ford shelved plans to introduce a new 4.4-liter diesel V8 into its light duty F150 pickup trucks and full-size Expedition SUV. Ford has apparently continued to work on a larger diesel V8 that it has developed to replace the…

General Motors announced this morning plans to invest $69 million in their Moraine Ohio joint venture diesel engine plant to produce an updated version of the Duramax 6.6L diesel V-8. The plant is a 60/40 joint venture with Isuzu Motors and began…

Fuso Duonic dual-clutch-transmission – Click above to enlarge
Dual-clutch transmissions have become increasingly popular in small cars and have even appeared in high-performance machines like the Porsche 911 and Bugatti Veyron. Now, Mitsubishi Fuso…

Besides automotive interiors and batteries for hybrid vehicles, Johnson Controls is also in the business of facility management and control systems. As part of that effort, the company is partnering with Nexterra Energy of Vancouver, British…

After countless spy photos and appearances at auto shows for the past several years in two different styling forms, the Lexus LF-A made its first official appearance on the road this weekend at the Nürburgring 24 hour race. At some point during the…

Yet another prototype BMW X3 has been spotted out and about going through its final rounds of testing before it hits the streets later this year. While this most recent one didn't trigger any car bomb scares in Manhattan, it does have one feature…

Underscoring the increasing importance of the Chinese market to automakers around the world, Porsche has unveiled its newest model at the Shanghai Motor Show. We've seen official images of the Panamera for at least six months and even had a chance to…

Over the last several years, there has been plenty of speculation about the fate of worldwide lithium supplies as auto and battery makers ramp up production of lithium ion batteries and plug-in vehicles. Bolivia has some of the largest known deposits…