by Jonathan Spira The BMW i3 is a car that has long fascinated me, both for its unusual and handsome good looks, unparalleled greenness, and the story that goes with it. While we’ve spent considerable time with the i3 since its launch, the Bavarian EV gained additional range and power for 2017 and …
Read the full story »
Volkswagen didn’t put all of its eggs in the diesel basket. The company’s plans call for it to produce one million electric vehicles a year by 2025, a number similar to what Tesla is projecting for its own sales. The significant difference is that VW has experience in building millions …
Read the full story »
Mazda announced a significant breakthrough, a petrol engine that works more like a diesel engine and is 20% to 30% more fuel efficient than its current engines.
The new homogenous charge compression ignition engine ignites gasoline through compression, virtually eliminating the use of spark plugs except in very cold temperatures. The …
A senior Volkswagen executive pleaded guilty on Friday to charges relating to the automaker’s diesel emissions compliance scandal, known as Dieselgate.
Oliver Schmidt, who as general manager of the engineering and environmental office for VW of America, had served as the beleaguered automaker’s top emissions compliance executive in the United States, …
It fell to me, the sole Android user on staff, to put together a dispassionate wish list for new features in CarPlay when Apple launches its iOS 11 operating system come fall. Some of the more rabid CarPlay fans here at Frequent Business Traveler, including FBT Editorial Director Jonathan Spira …
It’s happened before. Venerable nameplates such as Sedan de Ville, Buick LeSabre, Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler Imperial, and Lincoln Continental once ruled American roads. They were repeatedly downsized starting in the 1970s and most eventually became extinct. Now, amidst tanking sales, it appears the current crop of large American sedans might …
If you scratch your head when someone mentions the Infiniti QX30, you aren’t alone: based on the Q30, the QX30 was introduced at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2015. It made its U.S. debut the same year at the New York International Auto Show.
Nissan’s third SUV also bears an …
A new distracted-driving law went into effect in Washington State on Sunday that goes well beyond what the state’s current law covers.
In addition to making it illegal to hold a mobile phone to one’s ear while driving or to send text messages by typing them on the device, the new …
MUNICH—BMW went on record about its diesel-powered cars Sunday after a media report stated that German automakers had illegally colluded to rig their vehicles to pass emissions tests.
“BMW Group vehicles are not manipulated and comply with respective legal requirements,” the Bavarian manufacturer said in a statement.
“This of course also applies …
MUNICH—Daimler announced Tuesday that its management board had given the green light to plans to reduce pollution from diesel-powered vehicles. The move includes authorizing an investment of €220 million ($255 million) to update the emissions systems over three million Mercedes-Benz diesels in Europe.
The announcement comes after Daimler, the parent of …
MUNICH—Daimler, the parent of Mercedes-Benz, stands accused of selling over a million cars with non-compliant emissions controls, according to a warrant issued by the Amtsgericht Stuttgart, the city’s municipal court.
The news was first reported on Wednesday by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The discovery appears to impact over one million cars that were …
If you want a view into the future of electric vehicles, you need not look much farther than Scandinavia, specifically Norway and Sweden.
Drivers in Norway are adopting electric vehicles faster than anywhere else, where high taxes on conventionally-powered vehicles (i.e. diesels and gassers) alongside generous subsidies available to those purchasing …
France will ban all diesel- and gasoline-powered cars by 2040. The news was announced by the new environment minister of France, Nicolas Hulot, at a briefing.
Hulot also pledged to make his country completely carbon neutral by 2050.
The minister said that the French government will be offering incentives to drivers who …
Volvo announced plans to offer an electric power train on all of its models by 2019 and will phase out conventionally-powered vehicles.
“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion-engine-powered car,” said the company’s CEO, Håkan Samuelsson. “People increasingly demand electrified cars and we want to respond to our customers’ …
The cold temperatures in the northeastern United States have made it clear that winter is upon us. The sun has already started to set later, another sign of the need to change tires.
While most cars in the United States today come fitted with what are referred to as “all-season tires,” …
If you are thinking about a more fuel-efficient vehicle, be it a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, or diesel, you are certainly not alone. Seesawing fuel prices over the past decade have made fuel economy one of the top selection criteria on everyone’s list.
This notwithstanding, when it comes to finalizing the …
The Lexus GS first made an appearance in 1993 and throughout all four generations has been available with six-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive. A hybrid version debuted in 2005 and the fourth generation GS received a mid-life refresh in 2016.
It’s clear that Lexus has worked hard to differentiate the GS …
