Honda EV-STER Concept to Spawn a Production Model

It looks like the retro-styled N Concept 4 city car won't be the only Honda study displayed at this month's Tokyo Motor Show that will end up going into production as the Japanese carmaker's CEO Takanobu Ito told German magazine Auto Motor und Sport that the open-top EV-STER has also received the green light.

The Honda boss revealed that the battery-powered, rear-wheel drive roadster could arrive in the market as early as 2012, adding that the company may also introduce more conventional version with a classic gasoline engine, without offering any more details.

However, it's only reasonable to assume that the gasoline model would be a hybrid matching an internal combustion engine with an electric motor.

At 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.), the tiny concept is marginally larger than Honda's 1990s mid-engined kei car, the Beat.

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Nissan Confirms New Pathfinder and All-Electric Van Concepts for Detroit Show

As we're approaching closer to the 2012 edition of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9, more automakers are slowly rolling out their plans to create some additional buzz around their products.

Today, Nissan confirmed that it's presence at the show will be highlighted by the worldwide debut of two concept vehicles, including a Pathfinder preview study and an all-electric van prototype.

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Ford Begins Production of 2012 Focus Electric, Promises to be Better than Nissan’s Leaf

Having already launched its first all-electric vehicle, the Transit Connect Electric in December 2010, Ford announced today that it is beginning production of its first plug-in passenger car, the Focus Electric.

The all-electric, zero-emissions version of the Focus will be manufactured at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant from this month – and the Blue Oval is making some really bold statements about its EV.

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GE's Wall Mounted Fast Charging Station for EVs and Plug-in Hybrids Now Available on Amazon

It's amazing but at the same time scary of how many things you can buy online at the touch of a button, without ever leaving the comfort of your chair.

Adding to the long list of products one can acquire on the web is General Electric's 'WattStation' wall mount charger for pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles that is now available directly to U.S. consumers though Amazon.

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GM Moves On to New Battery Technology for the Pure-Electric Spark

Electric vehicles may be all the rage in the zero-emission-obsessed 21st century automotive world, but they are not the novelty carmakers would have you believe.

In fact, the first electric vehicle was manufactured in the early 19th century, predating the invention of both gasoline and diesel internal-combustion engines. Its limited range, though, along with the rapid development of road infrastructure in the early 20th century that made travels much easier, caused its demise.

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Put a Socket on it: Nissan Celebrates Leaf's First Birthday with an Ad

It's been about 365 days or a year since Nissan launched its new pure-electric Leaf onto the market and to celebrate the event, the Japanese company released a commercial featuring household electric-sockets singing the traditional 'happy birthday song'.

Over the course of a year, Nissan says it has sold more than 19,000 Leaf hatchbacks worldwide. In the U.S., sales of the all-electric model have totaled 8,720 units through the end of November. Just this week, Nissan announced that it is going to expand the availability of the Leaf to seven more states starting from spring of 2012.

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Media Headlines Reduce Demand for Volt, Coolant May be the Cause of Battery Fires

Despite handling the Chevrolet Volt fire-risk issue brightly going to great lengths to dispel current owners’ fears and satisfy them, media headlines seem to have taken their toll on the extended range EV's sales after all.

According to CNW Marketing president Art Spinella, a new survey conducted by his research company reveals “a decline in the consideration of the GM vehicle”.

The study shows that the number of early adopters “Likely” or “Very Likely” to buy a Volt between July and December decreased by 20.5% after the fire reports, a percentage that was double among the general public. Electric vehicle enthusiasts are the only ones not affected by the reports, yet analysts expect the Volt to will miss its 2011 sales target by around 20%.

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Rinspeed Shows “Dock+Go” EV Extending Range Add-On Concept Ahead of the Geneva Salon

Rinspeed is a Swiss-based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer with a very vivid imagination. Although it produces “normal” tuning products like the 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo, it is projects like the James Bond-like submersible Lotus Elise or the BamBoo EV study that are its hallmark.

Now, the innovative design house is planning to launch a new “mobility concept” at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March. The “Dock+Go” is the brainchild of Frank M. Rinderknecht, who describes it as a docking “backpack on wheels”.

The idea behind its creation was born out of most electric vehicles’ problem: their restricted range. Although any EV can serve as a basis, Rinspeed chose the electric Smart ForTwo for displaying its solution.

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Smart to Debut For-Us Small Pickup Concept at the Detroit Motor Show

One company that you would never think would consider building a pickup truck is Smart. Yet the Mercedes-Benz-owned maker of the ForTwo city car plans to present a small pickup truck-like concept named the For-Us at the coming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

“We at Smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable," said Smart CEO, Annete Winkler. "With the Smart For-Us a petrol station is no longer required!”

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Nissan Expands Availability of Leaf EV to 7 More States Across America

On the heels of the one-year anniversary of the first delivery of the Leaf on December 11, Nissan announced on Tuesday that it is expanding the availability of its dedicated electric model into new U.S. territories. Read more »

Chevrolet Volt Deemed as 2011's Top Collectible Car of the Future by NAHC

For a second year in a row, the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection (NAHC), which is billed as the world's largest public archive of automotive literature, have selected a Chevrolet model as the most collectible car of the future among 23 all-new cars and trucks launched in the States in 2011.

Last year, the winner was the Camaro sports coupe while for 2011, the award goes to the Volt extended range electric vehicle. NAHC did not name the other competitors for this year's award.

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NATS Turns First-Gen Honda Insight into the EV-Sports Prototype01

The students over at Nihon Automobile College [NATS] in Japan have churned out some pretty bizarre creations over the years ranging from a Honda Beat dressed in an NSX suite to a high-ridding Volkswagen pickup truck.

At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, NATS displayed the EV-Sports Prototype01 that is based on the first generation of the Honda Insight hybrid.

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Tokyo Motor Show Oddities: Kowa Tmsuk's Kobot Electric Trikes[with Video]

Japan's traditional automotive and motorcycle brands aren't the only ones pushing the envelope with their odd concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Kowa, a company that engages in medical and optoelectronic business, and Tmsuk Co. Ltd., a robot development manufacturer, joined forces to create three attention-grabbing electric-powered prototypes under the Kobot brand name.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Gordon Murray's Toray Teewave AR.1

Making its first appearance on Japanese soil at the Tokyo Motor Show is the Teewave AR.1, a working prototype for a pure-electric roadster model that is the result of a nine-month partnership between Gordon Murray Design and materials company Toray Industries.

To keep the two-seater model's weight down, Toray designed a frame made out of carbon fiber while the seats, outer body panels and other parts are also all molded out of the lightweight material.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Mitsubishi's Concept PX-MiEV II Plug-in Hybrid SUV [Updated]

At the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show that runs from November 30 through December 11, Mitsubishi unwraped the second generation of its Concept PX-MiEV, which brings the study a little closer to production.

Believed to preview the looks and possibly an alternative powertrain option for the next generation of the Mitsubishi Outlander, the Concept PX-MiEV II is a follow up to the PX-MiEV study displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

On the outside, there are some minor styling changes such as the higher roofline, larger mirrors, plus more conventional looking alloy wheels, lights and bumper designs, all of which suggest that the PX-MiEV II is pointing to the styling of the next Outlander.

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NISMO Adds Some Zing to Nissan Leaf EV with New Concept at Tokyo Motor Show

This has been a rough year for Japanese automakers but if there's one company from the Land of the Rising Sun that's showing a lot of potential, that would be Nissan - be that with its quirky looking Juke crossover, the pure electric Leaf or the tarmac-shredding GT-R sports car.

Perhaps the most important news coming from Nissan at the Tokyo Motor Show is the company's decision to heavily invest in its performance arm NISMO and expand its offerings to include more focused editions of Nissan's mainstream models.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Tiny Daihatsu Pico EV Concept [Updated]

The third Daihatsu concept model that made it to this year's edition of the Tokyo Motor Show is the PICO, a futuristic proposal for a diminutive two-seater EV commuter positioned between small cars and motorcycles.

At 2,400mm long, 1,000mm wide and 1,530mm tall with a wheelbase of 1,830mm, the Daihatsu concept is much smaller than the Smart Fortwo, yet it has space for two passengers sitting in tandem-style.

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Tokyo Motor Show: Honda’s New EV-STER Concept is the Beat of the Future

While not the NSX or S2000 replacements that enthusiasts have long been waiting to see, the Japanese firm's EV-STER concept shows that Honda still has some faint traces of sporty genes left in its DNA.

The pure electric roadster model is very compact in size measuring just 3,570mm (140.5-in.) long, 1,500mm (59.0-in.) wide and 1,100mm (43.3-in.) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,325mm (92.5-in.). That makes it slightly bigger than the Beat, Honda's mid-engined, two-seat roadster kei car that was produced from 1991 to 1996.

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GM to Provide Concerned Volt Owners with a Free Loaner after Fire Probe

General Motors is reaching out to Volt customers concerned that their vehicle's batteries might catch fire under certain circumstances after a crash, by offering them a free loaner car until the company resolves the issue.

The problem first arose in May when a Chevy Volt's lithium-ion batteries caught fire while the car was parked at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's [NHTSA] Winsconsin facilities, three weeks after it had been subjected to a side-impact crash test.

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Toyota and Yamaha to Jointly Display Concept Bikes at the Tokyo Motor Show

It's a very little-known fact, but one of, if not the most famous Toyota sports cars of all time, the late 1960s 2000 GT, was designed and manufactured in collaboration with Yamaha, which is mostly recognized as a maker of motorcycles, marine engines and pianos.

The two Japanese companies are now combining forces once again with a joint display of two concept models at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show to highlight their new collaboration in the development of communications-linked next-generation vehicles.

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