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• A Current Event: Jay Leno Samples the Cadillac ELR

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 18 June 2013

  

  Having seen the production Cadillac ELR in natural daylight at a recent car event, we can honestly say that it looks good. No, make that unabashedly, staggeringly sexy. It looks like an escapee from the set of a sci-fi movie that takes place about 50 years from now. And because this chiseled Cadillac is, like the Chevrolet Volt with which it shares a sizable chunk of its anatomy, a plug-in hybrid (or as GM likes to call it, an EREV, short for extended-range electric vehicle), its powertrain wouldn’t seem completely out of place in 2063.

  Cadillac recently brought an ELR (as well as its chief engineer and the head of the studio that designed it) to Jay Leno’s garage. And while Jay loves horsepower as much as any of us, he also loves efficiency; in fact, he already owns a Volt. Might he replace his Chevy hybrid with an ELR? Maybe, maybe not, but if we were in his shoes/and or denim ensemble, we absolutely would, and not just because we think it’s better looking. Think about it: The Volt might get you tail at Whole Foods; the ELR has the potential to get you tail everywhere.

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• 918 and Life: Chris Harris Tests the New Porsche Supercar [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 17 May 2013

  

  Not even 24 hours ago we brought you the skinny on the production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder, Stuttgart’s shapely plug-in hybrid hellraiser. It looks wicked cool (particularly with the flashback-fabulous Weissach Package), and puts up staggering performance and economy numbers, but how does it look (and, more importantly, sound) when in motion? The one and only Chris Harris RSVP’d to the car’s launch at Porsche’s Leipzig test track (which is adjacent to the Cayenne and Panamera factory) to find out.

  It’s safe to say that Chris finds himself quite smitten with the driving experience, but he’d really love to see a lightweight, non-hybrid version. Frankly, we’d be curious to see how such a creation would perform, too, but we realize that, like the McLaren P1 and the LaFerrari, the 918 was designed around a hybrid powertrain and thus plays the role of technological showcase and assuager of greenie anger toward its maker. Besides, it’s damn fast and sounds like Wagner’s subconscious, and by Georg, that’s good enough for us.

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• Porsche 918 Spyder Production Model Revealed in Full

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 16 May 2013

  

  In 2010, Porsche stunned the automotive world by revealing the 918 Spyder Concept, a plug-in hybrid supercar. Not long after the concept completed its tour of the auto show circuit, Porsche announced it would be putting the 918 Spyder into production, with assembly of the first car set to begin on September 18 (9-18…get it?) of this year. Granted, Ferrari and McLaren beat Porsche to the punch by premiering their hybrid hypercars at Geneva in March, but there’s still anticipation aplenty surrounding the 918.

  Now Porsche has pulled back the curtain on the production 918 Spyder’s shape, as well as its technical details. And even though it’s the last of the big-name green supercars to go public, we don’t think that has even a slight chance of hurting its chances for success.

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• Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi: Smarter Than the Average Electric Car

  In Road Tests / By Tom Anderson / 9 May 2013

  

  Some 50 weeks ago, we accepted an invitation from Ford to try out some of its newest and coolest creations on the streets and freeways of Los Angeles County’s South Bay region. We came away from the experience more than a little impressed with not just the hog wild rides like the Mustang GT and SVT Raptor, but also the more sensible rides like the then-new Escape crossover and the remarkably zippy Focus Electric. We could barely believe this was the same company that, a few short years earlier, brought the American motoring public vehicles like the “Did someone ask for MOAR OVALS?” third-gen Taurus and the “Pay no attention to the rest of the world’s Gen 2 Focus behind the curtain” Focus Sedan and Coupe.

  This year’s test drive event picked up more-or-less where the 2012 edition left off, but there were some notable changes this time around. For one, there were no V8s or naturally-aspirated V6s present. And, perhaps not coincidentally, Dearborn sent multiple examples of its two new Energi plug-in hybrid models – the Fusion mid-size sedan and the C-Max wagon/crossover/mini-minivan thingy – for us car journos to try out.

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• Flat Chat Fever: Audi R18 e-tron quattro Longtail Testing Sounds Amazing [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 2 May 2013

  

  It used to be that racecar builders like Alfa Romeo, Porsche and Ferrari would construct special low-drag “longtail” versions of their sport prototypes for high speed tracks like Le Mans, Daytona and Monza. But as those tracks were reconfigured to reduce vehicle speeds, the need for such extended-rump specials disappeared; the last one we can think of is the McLaren F1 GTR Longtail of the late 1990s. This makes us sad.

  However, the fact that Audi has created a longtail version of its R18 e-tron quattro diesel-electric hybrid (set to debut at this weekend’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps) has turned our frown upside down. And this video taken by Italian racing paparazzo 19Bozzy92 makes our smile even bigger. It shows Audi’s latest LMP racer blasting right past Monza’s tight first chicane and hauling the mail through the long, sweeping Curva Grande at a speed our cameraman estimates to be above 211 mph. And that sound? Just plain incredible! If we close our eyes we can almost picture that 3.7L V6 turbodiesel is wooshing its way through turn 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a Dallara DW12. Oh well, maybe it is in some parallel universe (maybe the one where we’re behind the wheel of it).

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• 2013 Geneva Motor Show: The Top 20 Debuts

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 5 March 2013

  

  More than a few people think supercars are an endangered species. All the concerns about flaunting wealth inequality and using lots of gas are just some of the forces conspiring to make these most athletic of automobiles less and less desirable for both builders and buyers. So we can look forward to a future with fewer tarmac-melting monsters and more plug-in kumbaya cracker boxes, right?

  Not so fast, kemosabe. If the lineup of world debuts at this year’s Geneva Motor Show is any indication, we may be entering a new golden age of 200+ mph hypercars. The difference this time around is many of them are a bit more responsible, with overdrive (and occasionally double overdrive) 7-speed transmissions and hybrid assist. Of course, these aren’t the only automotive stars in the lakeside Swiss municipality. Here are the 20 premieres that really stir our hot chocolate.

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• The Top 10 Debuts of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

  In Featured / By Tom Anderson / 15 January 2013

  

  The Detroit Auto Show (the proper name, North American International Auto Show, makes our eyes and ears hurt) is traditionally the first major auto show of the calendar year, and it’s reprising that role in 2013. And befitting its status as a kickoff event, it often sets the tone for the rest of the season’s shows both here in the U.S. and abroad.

  If that’s the case again this year, then we as car enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to in 2013. The Detroit Auto Show is the site of some significant concept and production vehicle debuts, many of which combine exceptional performance, style and efficiency into one machine. But which of these will be the most memorable in the months (if not years) ahead? Here are the 10 debuts that we think have real staying power.

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• The Top 10 Debuts of the 2012 Paris Motor Show

  In Auto News / By Tom Anderson / 27 September 2012

  
  

  Ah, Paris in the autumn. The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are turning to varying shades and saturations of crimson and, if the year ends in an even number, the automotive world is converging upon the Porte de Versailles for the Paris Motor Show. As always, there are plenty of new automobiles on display, running the gamut from tiny urban runabouts to TGV-smoking supercars. So which rides caught our eye like a cute mademoiselle sipping java at a sidewalk café? Bust out of your invisible box and click below to read the rest of the article, s’il vous plait.

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• Wald Body Kit Gives the Lexus CT200h Mean to Match Its Green

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 17 July 2012

  

  If you’re in the market for a fuel-sipping urban runabout but want the premium features associated with a premium nameplate, you can’t do much better than the Lexus CT200h. This strikingly-styled five-door compact – which shares its hybrid drivetrain with the Toyota Prius – offers an enticing combination of remarkable efficiency, posh interior appointments and, perhaps most notably of all, not suggesting to the world that you’re a granola-huffing drum circle stalwart.

  However, if you want to distance yourself further from the (stereo)typical hybrid buyer, there aren’t tons of options out there for personalizing your CT200h. Thankfully, that number of options has grown by one thanks to Japanese tuner Wald International. And it’s not just any option; it’s one honey of a body kit.

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• Toyota TS030 LMP1: Not Your Average Hybrid

  In Motorsports / By Andre Ravinowich / 29 January 2012

  

  For the first time in 12 years, Toyota will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP1 category. The team recently concluded its first full test of the car, known as TS030 Hybrid, at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France. The team will be based in Cologne, Germany, at Toyota's old Formula 1 facilities. This will be the first time a hybrid-powered car will compete in the LMP1 category of the 24 Hours.

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