Although Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) basically invented the popular notion of hybrid vehicles years ago by making the Prius compact passenger car the spokescar of the hybrid world, the automaker now has its sights set a little higher. Toyota wants to sell at least one million Hybrid cars every year shortly...

For the final month, San Francisco’s Muni has been trying out double decker buses built by Alexander Dennis Ltd., the same company that made London’s and Hong Kong’s buses. The only difference amidst bus tested in San Francisco and those in London was that the bus drove on the right...

Many society wonder why San Francisco’s Muni Metro lines have letters J through N, skipping all the preceding letters. Ninety five years ago, on 28 December 1912, the San Francisco Municipal Railway (which is now called Muni) opened its first line, the A Geary-Park, which traveled from downtown...

It’s no secret that diesels are more fuel efficient than gasoline engines and advancements in refining and engine technology have made them cleaner than ever. But some society may be surprised to memorize diesel cars can be less polluting than hybrids. As Popular Mechanics notes in its current...

As you’d expect, Tata’s 1-Lakh will use copious amounts of plastic. Where you’d normally find bolts, there will be a new kind of welding, which will reduce weight and save manufacturing costs. Tata officials insist that anyone with a six-foot-plus frame will ride comfortably in the...

There’s no two ways about it - that car is ugly as sin and as refined as a shipping pallet. But it gets 95 mpg. Its owner, known only as “basjoos,” says he spent $400 building “Aerocivic” in his yard using things you can get at hardware and art supply stores. That pretty...

Toyota has seen its approval rating among environmentally inclined car-shoppers wane a little in recent months — the frugal Prius continues to earn admiring glances, the hulking new Tundra earns dirty looks. Enter the A-BAT concept, which places a tough-guy pickup-truck shape atop an eco-friendly...

It???s the day of year for Sleigh bells, New Year???s Eve parties and, of course, brutal weather. As it does every year, winter takes its toll on the interior and exterior of your car. Fortunately, Colette Fischer has discovered the key to at least keeping your interior carpet safe from the nasty elements...

There aren’t a lot of new cars introduced in August but one new crossover seemed to be in short supply. We have a faceoff for high-rollers but it doesn’t include the new Bentley Continental GT Speed. Two more pricey droptops get special treatment.  We get our first drive in the...

The triptych of (relatively) affordable German roadsters has now passed the decade mark. All three show plenty of staying potential, though the Mercedes Benz SLK has lagged behind the BMW Z4 and the Porsche Boxster in both sales and reviews, most notably considering there wasn’t sufficient sport...

In a press conference final September with Chevrolet’s general manager Ed Peper, Canadian journalists were unrelenting. The Canadian dollar had reached a par with the American greenback, yet cars still cost thousands of dollars more than in the States. Why? Peper explained that manufacturing costs...

You just knew it would happen, and it has - someone in Detroit is whining that the new 35 mpg fuel economy standard set to take effect in 13 years will be the end of the muscle car. Uh-huh. certain it will. Tadge Juetcher, chief engineer for the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, says the tougher fuel efficiency...

Honda brought the first gas-electric hybrid to America when it launched the funky Insight in 1999, but it was soon overshadowed by the Toyota Prius and Honda’s been trying to catch up ever since. After eight years playing second-fiddle, Honda has decided suitable is ample. Company president Takeo...

An engineer and sailor from New Zealand hopes to circumnavigate the globe in world-record duration at the helm of a boat powered in part by the final renewable fuel - human fat. Pete Bethune, a former oil exploration engineer, is so committed to proving biodiesel is a viable alternative to fossil fuel...