If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It



Look at the 2013 Nissan Leaf – even one parked next to a 2012 model – and you'll be hard-pressed to spot the differences. Changes and updates have been made, but you have to know the details to tell. It's sort of like listening to a hipster tell you why Interpol and The National have completely different sounds. We should mention upfront that Canadians will have to wait a little while longer before they can stroll into their local Nissan dealership to pick out a 2013 model year Leaf. For now, you'll be shopping for a 2012 model year, which, as you'll find below, is not so different from the latest version.

Nissan says it didn't reinvent the Leaf because what the company has created is working. Over 25,000 Leafs have been sold to our neighbors south of the border (a few thousand have been sold here as well) – amounting to 62,000 around the world – since the car went on sale in late 2010. That may not sound like a lot, but it's heads and shoulders above any other all-electric car available anywhere. The car has its detractors – boy, does it ever – but Nissan knows it's hard to argue with real-world success.

We recently spent a few hours driving the new Leaf around the hills of central Tennessee after a visit to Nissan's new 44,129 square-metre (475,000 square-foot) battery plant. What we learned there provided a lot of hints about the company's electric future. Nissan may be leading today, but company head Carlos Ghosn has made huge, multi-billion-dollar bets on zero-emission technology and the rest of the world has been very slow to prove him right.

The revived Detroit Electric company will be partnering with China's Geely, but the mission is not to cooperate on bringing the all-electric Tesla Roadster-like SP:01 to market (pictured above). Instead, Detroit Electric and Geely will co-develop more normal passenger vehicles from Geely's Emgrand brand, starting with the EC7 sedan. The two companies will also work on "related electric drive systems." The recent announcement was made at the Shanghai Motor Show.

Geely and Detroit Electric have been working quietly for three years on feasibility studies and a joint development program that finally selected the EC7. All of the vehicles that emerge from the strategic partnership will be sold in China, and the first model, which will be called the EC7-EV and come in two range flavours 161 km (100 miles) and 257 km (160 miles) is due in 2014. The EC7-EV will apparently have a top speed of over 200 km/h (124 mph). The companies are bold enough to put out sales predictions already, saying they expect 3,000 to be sold in the first year and 30,000 in the first three years.

Detroit Electric is in the midst of an aggressive launch phase, with plans to already start building the SP:01 in Michigan in August. To refresh your memory, the SP:01 scoots on up to 100 kilometres per hour in just 3.7 seconds on the way up to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The powertrain includes a 37-kWh lithium-polymer battery and an air-cooled, asynchronous AC electric motor that puts out 201 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. The range (as calculated on the New European Driving Cycle) is 180 miles (290 km) – we figure that means about 150 miles (241 km) using American-based tests.

Click here to watch a video on the latest from Detroit Electric.

Cinquecento's Electrifying One-Price Strategy Is A Gas



North America's electric vehicle segment is getting crowded, but sales remain tiny compared to the overall market. Listening to EV pitchmen, a key phrase heard over and over is "no compromises." This particular EV, the seller says, offers all* the things you want in a car, without the gasoline and without compromises. That asterisk thing? Well, sure, the electric vehicle paradigm requires you rethink the "one car that does everything" mentality, but once that's out of the way, there are no compromises here. No siree.

Of course, all EVs require compromises – but the truth is that every car forces owners to make compromises. Big SUVs don't always fit into parking spaces and suck down fuel. Subcompacts can't hold a gaggle of children and dogs. High-performance sports cars compromise wallets. Once you wrap your head around the idea that choosing electric is an option just like vehicle size or colour – where no one choice is right for everybody, even if it's perfect for some – the 2014 Fiat 500e, going on sale this summer, asks a simple question: when you're driving in a city, why would you drive anything except an EV?

Fiat has been making the 500e at its Toluca, Mexico plant since early December, but it isn't busy building a million so that just anyone can own one. In fact, the automaker is going out of its way to make sure you don't buy a 500e if it's not right for you. The official website will soon have a "compatibility matching service" that will use information you feed it to determine if you're an EV candidate (we're guessing a short commute, an understanding of new technology and a place to charge at home will be the key factors). If the system doesn't think you're EV-ready, it'll propose a different 500 for you. Nice, huh?

So, does the 500e actually offer pure electric mobility without compromises? Yes and no. Mostly yes, and it's a fun yes.

For a company that does a pretty great job of tying its vehicles to the environment – or, better said, to people who like to actually get out into the environment – Subaru hasn't exactly been a leader in green vehicle production. In fact, it's 2013 and the company is finally releasing its first-ever production hybrid, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid. Tom Doll, Subaru's executive vice president, admitted as much at the unveiling today at the New York Auto Show: "We at Subaru were not the first to market with a hybrid, but we sure made sure we did it right."

That may be, but for now the automaker doesn't want to tell us all the details of how right it is. We do know that the powertrain takes Subaru's 2.0-litre boxer engine and adds in a 13.4-horsepower electric motor and continuously variable transmission. All-wheel drive will be, of course, standard, and Subaru promises the XV Crosstrek Hybrid will offer the "same utility and versatility as the gasoline model," including 221 mm (8.7 inches) of ground clearance. The hybrid does weigh 136 kg (300 pounds) more, though, which required a re-engineered chassis.

The motor can move the lifted Impreza in all-electric mode up to 40 km/h (25 mph) for a distance not specified. Subaru isn't talking precise fuel economy numbers, either, just that it will be the "most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive crossover" and will unsurprisingly have start-stop functionality. We do hear, though, that the hybrid will get around 10 per cent better fuel economy than the standard gas-only XV Crosstrek. The most efficient version of that car, the one with the CVT, estimates are 9.4 L/100km (25 mpg) in the city, 7.1 L/100km (33 mpg) highway and 8.4 L/100km (28 mpg) combined. Whatever this hybrid XV Crosstrek gets, we expect Subaru will sell a bunch.

For more Canadian info, scroll down to watch an official video and read the Subaru Canada press release.

We brought you coverage of BMW's new 328d bowing at the Vancouver Auto Show yesterday, and today we bring you another photo gallery of Munich's latest diesel-sipping sport sedan. Unfortunately, the company remains vague on the price, but we did hear dig up a few facts in Vancouver. We have confirmed that the 328d will be packing a variation of BMW's N47 engine which powers the European-spec 320d. We can expect to see 180 hp, 280 pound-feet of torque, and fuel economy at the 4.5L/100km mark on the highway. The New York Times obtained an estimated fuel economy of approximately mid-30 mpg (6.7 L/100km) in the city. If the engine isn't detuned for our market we can expect peak torque to roll in at 1,750 rpm, and holding solid to just shy of 3000 to propel the vehicle to a mid-7-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time.

We regret that the 2.0-litre TwinPower turbocharged and direct injected engine will not be available with a manual, but if we're forced to drive an auto-box, BMW's eight-speed ZF unit is a sweet one. As we noted earlier, the 328d will be available with every option and trim level – like all-wheel drive – that other 3-Series models have in Canada (transmission excepted) and should start just above $40,000 when it goes on sale this fall.

Officially, the 328d will be able to accept biodiesel blends up to B5 (or, just maybe B7), which is standard diesel with five (seven) per cent biofuel.

Can't get enough of BMW's latest uber-efficient 3-series? We were the first to post the 328d breaking cover at the Calgary Auto Show, you can find the corresponding photo gallery here. Click through to watch a diesel 3-series Touring in action.

Despite the fact that Daimler's press release doesn't mention this company by name, we have to assume that the 28-kWh lithium-ion battery in the upcoming 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive comes from Tesla Motors. What Daimler is being much more clear about is that the B-Class EV is likely coming earlier than you might expect. The car has a range of around 185 km (115 miles) and is being unveiled today at the New York Auto Show.

Last year, there was a hint that the electrified small Mercedes-Benz would have a range extender, but the information released today is all electric, all the time. We've got mention of "completely emission-free driving" and "electric driving at the premium level." With a motor that offers up 134 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque, the B-Class Electric Drive (we like the naming convention here, just like the Smart ED) can scoot from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in "less than ten seconds." The top speed has been limited to 160 km/h (100 miles an hour), "in the interests of operating range." Even if Tesla is providing the battery here, there is no Supercharging in sight: the recharge time for 96 km (60 miles) worth of range is two hours from a 240-volt, Level 2 charger.

Click here for a closer look at our photo gallery.

The previous version of the Exagon Motors Furtive-eGT was a subtle – in colour, not design – silver. At the Geneva Motor Show this week, Exagon took the wraps off a beautiful copper version of the carbon fibre and honeycomb body. We're not quite sure why the wrap was necessary, since the car was also shown off at the Paris Motor Show last fall, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an electric looker with a 53-kWh lithium-ion battery pack (not 57-kWh as was previously suggested).

Thanks to two liquid-cooled Siemens electric motors that put out 402 horsepower between 5,000 and 10,000 rpm, the Furtive-eGT has a limited top speed of 250 kilometres per hour (155 miles per hour) and can go from 0-100 kph (62 mph) in a scant 3.5 seconds. Despite this performance, the orange EV has a range between 360 kilometres (224 miles) on the urban cycle (as tested using the ECE15 standard) and 310 km (193 miles) on the combined cycle (NEDC standard).

That substantial range can be refilled (from 30 percent to 80 percent) using an undisclosed fast charge method in 32 minutes. Exagon is also claiming the batteries in the four-seat EV will retain "more than 80 per cent" minimum capacity after 3,000 charging cycles (which should take around 10 years). And if you don't trust those new-fangled battery things, the Furtive-eGT has an optional range extender to recharge the batteries (not drive the wheels). Adding liquid combustibles puts the car's fuel economy at something like 3.4 L/100 km (70 mpg) (depending on test cycle).

The base vehicle will start at 448,451 Swiss Francs, which is about $477,000. If you've got that kind of dough, you can order now and take delivery before the end of the year.

Be sure to watch Sabine Schmitz hurl this EV around the Nurburgring, and then hit the jump for more details in the press release.

Mitsubishi is stretching the electric jellybean. For years, the i-MiEV was a regular presence at Mitsubishi's auto show booths around the world, and the car rightfully earned its nickname because of its rounded shape. Today, at the Geneva Motor Show, Mitsubishi finally unveiled a version of the i-MiEV that looks much more more at home among the alternative-powertrain car fleet of the near future.

But there's more being elongated here than just the shape. The official range of the standard i (as the i-MiEV is known in North America) is 100 km. The Concept CA-MiEV – where the CA stands for Compact and Advanced – is supposed to be able to go 300 kilometres (186 miles) from a 28-kWh lithium-ion battery and lightweight 80-kW motor/inverter/charger unit. This is kind of astonishing, given the range estimates of other compact and midsize EVs on the market today – most are in the 130 km - 160 km (80-100-mile) range. Of course, the specific test used to get the 300 kilometres (186-mile) result matters, too, since the regular i received 157 km (98 miles) on the LA4 driving cycle range. The NA-i has a 16-kWh pack.

The increased distance means that Mitsubishi is talking about the Concept CA-MiEV as the "suburban EV," with enough range for "about one week of driving for an average European driver." If you need more, Mitsubishi hints that the flat battery pack leaves room for a range-extender. Add in convenience features like WiTricity wireless charging and the ability for the car to send an emergency email if it's stolen, and you've got the commuting vehicle of the future. With a coefficient of drag of just 0.26 and boomerang lights, of course.

Mitsubishi is saying the CA-MiEV is "not planned for production," and is instead a showcase for "the various technologies MMC intends to introduce mid- to long-term across its range of global vehicles." That means, perhaps, some of the goodies here could make their way to rebadged, updated versions of the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero models, both based on the i-MiEV.

Check out our gallery of the CA-MiEV and read more in the press release below.

Toyota is taking the tiny tandem Tango to Tron town. In a teaser video for the new i-Road, debuting at the Geneva Motor Show next week, we catch a light-bike-like glimpse of Toyota's quirky tandem-seat concept. We still don't know much about the vehicle itself, but the video does flash the words "fun, compact, emissions-free," which suggests this is an electric ride. Then comes the apparent tagline: "i Roll, i Rock i Road." An indication that the tilting image we see in the video isn't just a special effect, perhaps? We'll have to wait until we get to Switzerland next week to find out. Until then, you can watch the video below.

In more earthly reveals, Toyota will also show off its hotly anticipate FT-86 Open sports car concept and Auris Touring Sports wagon on its Geneva show stand.

Take the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell, stretch it and take off the wheels then make it float and you've basically got the just-unveiled Cigarette AMG Electric Drive Concept. Powered by an all-electric powertrain that offers 2,200 horsepower and 2,213 pound-feet of torque (and uses "numerous components" taken from the not-quite-as-yellow SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive), the sleek concept is being called the "world's most powerful electric drive powerboat." What that means is a top speed of over 100 miles per hour (96 km/h) from four 60-kWh lithium-ion batteries and two banks of six liquid-cooled, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors. And the 240 kWh of total energy should provide plenty of juice out on the water.

Launched (but not literally) at the Miami International Boat Show today, the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive Concept is the result of a partnership between Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing. The boat is 38 feet long (much longer than the 15-foot SLS) and is plastered with AMG branding on the sides and top of the bow above the matte chrome yellow paint (officially called AMG Electricbeam mango). Two 220-kW chargers can refill the batteries, dockside, in about seven hours.

The idea of a powerful electric boat is nothing new (Henrik Fisker talked about a plug-in hybrid watercraft late last year), but this is the first time we've seen Mercedes put its EV technology on the water. Anyone who's afraid of driving an EV in the rain should take note. Check out the complete press release below.

Plug In Cars is reporting that there have been "massive layoffs" at California electric vehicle startup Coda Automotive. Apparently, more than 50 employees, "including a substantial part of its sales and marketing staff," were let go according to an anonymous source. The source said the situation was a "real mess," and that, "They just cut everybody they possibly could."

That things have come to this is perhaps not exactly a surprise. Sales have been slow – not even 100 units of the company's US$37,250 all-electric sedan have been sold since it went on sale in March, then there was a safety recall and reviews haven't been kind. Last week, the vehicle scored just two stars in frontal crash tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

One source we've dealt with in the past, Coda's now former director of corporate communications, Larkin Hill, told Plug In Cars she was, "not able to talk on behalf of Coda anymore. I sincerely hope that they pull through this tough time." We have reached out to Coda to confirm Plug In Cars' report, but have yet to hear back.

After three years that saw a diesel, a plug-in and a natural gas vehicle win Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year award, the Ford Fusion won the title this year at the start of the second day of the LA Auto Show. The Fusion was nominated in part because it has a variety of powertrain options: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and an EcoBoost gas engine.

The other 2013 finalists included the Dodge Dart Aero, and Ford C-Max, Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv and Toyota Prius C. For what it's worth, the C-Max won the informal Autoblog/AutoblogGreen poll for 2013 with 31.5 per cent of the vote. The official votes were tallied by a panel of judges of "the nation's top environmental leaders," car freaks like Jay Leno and the GCJ staff. GCJ's Ron Cogan said the winner was chose by majority vote.

Cogan also said that the award (and his magazine) have never been about vehicles that eke out mileage gains by stripping away the joy of driving. The method by which the five finalists are chosen is somewhat shrouded in mystery, but the Tesla Model S was left off the list due to its high price and the current unavailability of the base model. He said:

The Tesla Model S offers everything, by all reports. What it doesn't offer are things that are crucial to the Green Car Of The Year program, which are different than Motor Trend's Car of the Year or Yahoo Autos. We deal specifically in cars you can buy and buy now and vehicles that are affordable enough that you can buy them. We deal in vehicles that are available in significant enough numbers so you actually have quantifiable emissions reductions and oil displacement. It doesn't have to be a mass produced car in the sense that it's one of the best-selling cars, but it does have to be available. And, right now, the Tesla Model S, as good as it is, is the Signature Series at US$95,000 to US$105,000. That's not accessible. And the base model is not being delivered.

Last year, the Green Car of the Year winner was the Honda Civic Natural Gas. Previous winners include the Chevrolet Volt (2011), the Audi A3 TDI (2010), the Volkswagen Jetta TDI (2009) and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (2008).

There's an analogy to diesel engines hiding in the new Ford Fiesta with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost powerplant. There's still a segment of the population that has bad memories of diesel engines, and that makes it harder for Audi or Volkswagen to sell their new clean diesels in the US today. Not impossible, but more of a challenge than it needs to be. In the same way, ask any car geek if they've had good experiences with three-cylinder engines, and the response is likely to be a flashback to a bad ride in a Geo Metro.

But, if no one were to tell you that the new Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost is rocking three cylinders, you'd probably be hard pressed to notice. The engine has already found a home in the Ford Focus (read our Quick Spin) and, after driving about 160 kilometres (100 miles) around Los Angeles and the Malibu hills in a Euro-spec Fiesta equipped with one, we can safely say that this is a solid B-segment car – one that happens to get over 5.9L/100km (40 miles per gallon EPA) (city) without a hybrid powertrain. Here's what we learned about the car and Ford's plans to bring it to the North America.

• The Fiesta with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is already on sale in Europe, and will come to North America in about a year, in late 2013. There will be a few little changes (the Econetic badges will be replaced with the EcoBoost wording that we have here) and what we think is a big one. Specifically, auto start-stop, which is available on the European model, will not be an option for Americans. The reason, we were told, is that B-segment customers are extremely price sensitive, and spending a few hundred extra bucks on this technology – which the EPA tests still don't quite understand – is something Ford doesn't expect them to do. There is still a chance this will change, though.
• Still, at an estimated 5.9 L/100km EPA (40+ mpg EPA), this flavor of the Fiesta will likely be the "most fuel-efficient, non-hybrid vehicle sold in North America." The current high-mileage Fiesta SFE model gets 5.9L/100KM (40mpg) on the highway and (7.1 L/100km (33 combined), 8.1 L/100km (29 city)). Ford is not talking about combined or city mpg estimates for the new Fiesta just yet.
• It bears repeating that you do not feel that this is a shaky three-cylinder engine. The power – 123 horses – is there when you want it, with plenty of low-end torque. Some people on our drive were bothered by noise from the high-speed turbocharger that spins up to 248,000 rpm "almost instantaneously," but this is not enough to detract many points from the overall package.
• Also, since a three-cylinder engine is inherently imbalanced, Ford optimized the engine mounts and made other adjustments to decouple engine shaking forces for "extreme smoothness." It worked.
• For shorter people, the low placement of the side mirrors, especially on the passenger side, might be a problem. I'm about 5'9", and it was fine, but my co-pilot on this drive was a few inches shorter and she could not easily use the mirrors. They do sit awfully low, as you can see here.
• Going around tight corners, the Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost feels a heckuva lot better than the Honda Fit in the same situation, but we found it roughly the same as the new Chevrolet Spark, two vehicles it will compete against for frugal-minded city drivers.
• Some of the other ways the new Fiesta will try to set itself apart is the big "40+ mpg!" sign that's sure to be emblazoned all over the dealership, the connectivity of Sync and MyFordTouch (with a new, 6.5-inch touch screen) and Sony HD radio.
• Jim Farley, executive vice president of global marketing, sales, service and Lincoln, said the new Fiesta is part of Ford's new high-mpg line-up, making fuel economy a reason to buy a Ford. It used to be, he said, "when people thought fuel economy, they did not think of Ford. We have made a tremendous amount of progress in the last few years of changing that perception."

Put all this together and you've got a compelling "smaller is better" package that we need more details on to properly assess (price is a big one). For years, people have been asking for the Euro-spec Fiesta in North America. Well, we're going to get it, start-stop excluded.

The Accord Gets Friendly With A Volt-esque Powertrain



After 30 years, Honda is trying to teach the old Accord new tricks, and they're of the plug-in variety.

We've been teased by various prototypes at auto shows and in spy shots, but Honda will finally start selling the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid in January 2013. Part of the overhauled ninth-generation Accord lineup, which will also include four-cylinder and V6 models and a non-plug-in hybrid (completely different than the first-gen Accord Hybrid that was sold from MY 2005-2007) later in 2013, this PHEV is a slightly confounding creature. Everything works well, the car behaves exactly how you'd expect an Accord plug-in to work and the included LaneWatch display is incredibly well done, but there is more going on under the hood than will make sense to the average driver. It took a small cluster of green car journalists 15 minutes of back and forth with Yasuyuki Sando, the Accord PHEV's chief engineer, to finally figure out what the different drive options are for this car. But more about that in a bit.

The last few years have not given Americans a lot of confidence that Honda still knows how to make an engaging gas-electric vehicle. The CR-Z and Insight struggle for proficiency and don't inspire. Now, with the 2013 Accord, the challenge is clear: increase the efficiency level of Honda's incredibly popular mass-market sedan to meet today's regulatory and consumer demand, and don't make it boring. Based on an afternoon cruising the hills and highways of Southern California, it's clear Honda has met this challenge with a lot of newfangled technology hidden away in a largely normal-looking vehicle.