Van Connection

Ten Things We'd Like To Tell Automakers About EV Publicity

Copy of HGM network — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:43:00 +0000

Automakers have had it tough over the past few years. An economic downturn, consumers looking for ever-fuel efficient vehicles and everyone clambering to make it to marketplace first. But just what do automakers need to keep in mind when advertising their first electric vehicle. We assume that any publicity is good, but here are ten facts we think...

2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive: Quick Drive

Copy of HGM network — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:20:00 +0000

It's fair to say that Smart haven't had quite the success they were probably hoping for in the U.S. with their diminutive Fortwo. Gambling on consumers 'downsizing' due to spiralling fuel prices, the initial rush to own the tiny city car has slowed to a trickle. Not only that, but recent research shows that only 8.1 percent of owners would buy...

2012 Focus EV Will Rely On Liquid-Cooled Lithium-Ion Battery System

Copy of HGM network — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

As electric cars start to increase in power and range, so do the stresses and requirements placed on their oh so vital batteries. Most automakers have chosen to stick with lithium-ion batteries to power their new generation of electric vehicles and one of the crucial factors determining the performance of the power source is temperature. Thermal...

2010 Scion xD: Weeding out Toyota’s little boxes

Copy of HGM network — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:52:00 +0000

Little Boxes, They're Not All Alike Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand offers two, two-box cars: xB and xD. Most people are aware of the former but unfamiliar with the latter. Here’s an xD primer. Start with a Toyota Yaris platform, wrap it in a five-door hatchback cab-forward body, give it a sliding rear seat and presto you’ve...

A Look At What’s Cooking At Argonne National Laboratory

Copy of HGM network — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:14:00 +0000

A couple of weeks back, I received an invite to visit Argonne National Laboratory in suburban Chicago. The lab spends a fair amount of time on transportation research--up to 10 percent of what the lab does revolves around transportation--as it looks towards the future of fuels used to power the nation's fleets. The lab claims that is independent...

New Chevrolet Cruze Ad Spots Get Familiar Tool Man Voice

Copy of HGM network — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:54:00 +0000

The Chevrolet Volt isn’t the only car on the horizon for GM; it is also not the only car that has been anticipated for quite a while. The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is supposed to be quite the step up from the compact cars GM has produced in the past. It has been rated with top safety (more here) and is getting some good drive reviews as...

Average Insurance Costs for Toyota Camry

Copy of HGM network — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:34:18 +0000

() If you are considering purchasing a Toyota Camry, you are probably wondering how much you can expect to pay in insurance costs. Unfortunately, there is no set answer to that question. A lot of factors will determine the cost of your insurance, and not all of them are dependent upon the type of car that you drive. Where you live, your personal...

Report: Subaru Working On More Efficient Four-Cylinder Boxer Engine

Copy of HGM network — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Subaru is sticking to its almost trademark horizontally opposed or ‘boxer’ engine for its future lineup of cars, improving on the design, making it more refined and fuel efficient with it each generation. According to latest reports, we could see the next iteration of the famous Subaru four-cylinder boxer engine as early as the end of...

Is A Big Green Family Machine In Your Future?

Copy of HGM network — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:41:00 +0000

What kind of new family car will you be buying in the near future--say, 2012? If the federal government has their way, you’ll be looking at new car labels that make it very clear how fuel efficient and environmentally friendly all new cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in America really are. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. After all, the...

2011 Lexus CT 200h: How Many Modes Does It Take To Drive A Hybrid?

Copy of HGM network — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:41:00 +0000

When I think of power modes, I really think of the ‘80s and ‘90s. I can remember the 300ZX having multiple suspension modes and the introduction of the new Maxima having Power, Comfort and a combination setting (basically changed the shift points and timing). The selectable “mode” for cars seems to have become very popular...