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Euro NCAP finds small cars offer plenty of protection

Europe's crash testing authority, Euro NCAP, has published a series of new tests that includes the latest small and fuel efficient models offered there. The top scorers in the small car segment, with five star results, were the Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20 and Kia Soul. The Audi Q5 and the Peugeot 3008 also scored the maximum in their category. What Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said that the findings should help combat the false feeling that only large cars are safe: "Many claim that the weight and size of a car is the only ... Read more →

Seat Ibiza gets 5 starts in EuroNCAP crash test Xavier Navarro

Although you can no longer say that the new Ibiza is small, it still plays a role in the European supermini segment. It's about 4-meters long, about the size of a Golf II series. Nevertheless, it's ...

GG Quadster defies classification Jeremy Korzeniewski

Click on the image for more shots of the GG Quadster digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/GG_Quadster_defies_classification'; Take a look at the GG Quadster, a machine which is designed with ...

At least one electric car dealership sees increased sales as gas prices rise Lascelles Linton

Are high gas prices having an impact on EV sales? Yep. Washington state news station KING5 did a report on an electric car dealership's recent sales increase. Jim Johnson of MC Electric Cars has sold ...

Geneva '08 Preview: 78 MPG Nano hits Europe within four years Lascelles Linton

We got our first official look at Tata's Nano in January (and a very good unofficial look in December). Tata's Nano will make its international debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show but when will it ...

Does the airbag waiver mean the Tesla Roadster isn't safe for kids? 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, we told you that Tesla got a waiver for advanced air bags for the Roadster. The Roadster "will be manufactured under Tesla's supervision and direction at a factory owned by Lotus" according to a file with regulations.gov. Lotus (which does not sponsor Tesla and Tesla is not a subsidiary ...

Does the Heritage Foundation misstate results of a CAFE-safety study? 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

The video above, "The Energy Debate: Just the Facts," is from the Heritage Foundation and includes the results of a study on CAFE and safety that I think may have been misstated. The video starts out by asking the loaded question "why will raising CAFE standards hurt Americans?" to which Ben ...

Hybrids to get roll over testing for first time in 2008 model year 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Want to know a dirty little secret about the car industry? A lot of cars are not that different from other cars. I don't mean designs look the same, I literally mean many car brands are exactly the same cars (frame, engine, etc, etc) except for small differences in things like the interior design. ...

Audi A3 crash tested in the US. Named "Top pick" 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the Audi A3 as "Top Safety Pick". The A3 scored very well in the tests preformed at the IIHS, which shows that small cars don't have to be unsafe. Other Audi models in the US such as the A4 and the A6 have already been awarded with the ...

Miles Automotive tried to stop Tesla from getting "advanced air bag" exemption 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, I wrote about a small, public fight between Aptera and Tesla over safety. It was just a few remarks and there are just a handful of electric car companies. Could they actually be fighting each other behind the scenes? Yes, and the fights have apparently gotten really serious. According to ...

Are hybrids less likely to roll over? 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

The video below the fold includes Stephen Heckeroth talking about his RAV4 EV on Green Wheels, a Zoom HD TV show. Stephen mentions that the RAV4 EV's 800-pound battery pack is under the floor, as low as you could want it, giving the still-popular electric vehicle a very low center of gravity. This ...

2008 Toyota Highlander hybrid less safe than 2007 model 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

I don't mean to pile on the bad news that seems to be hitting Toyota recently but I was doing some work on AutoblogGreen's second annual pick for safest hybrids and things don't look good for Toyota. Our pick for safest hybrid in 2007 was, for passenger cars, the Toyota Camry and, for SUVs, the ...

Will America lose the "electric car race" to China? 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, I wrote that the Zap-X could be "months" away from mass production. No one shared my enthusiasm because the estimate included an indeterminately long "testing" period. I contacted Zap and they said the "situation is evolving very quickly because Youngman is already a very large ...

Smashing Roadsters at a thousand frames per second (Video of Tesla crash tests) 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/Smashing_Roadsters_at_a_thousand_frames_per_second'; Recently, we wrote that Tesla's director of communications enjoyed crashing the company car in Project Gotham Racing 4. How about a taste of the real thing? Below the fold is a video from Gadgetoff 2007 of ...

Prius owners: don't stack your floor mats! 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, we told you Consumer Affairs wrote the Prius had unintended acceleration problems caused by something mysterious. Consumer Affairs later wrote that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had quietly started an investigation. Today, it looks like we know what caused the ...

Battery- or fuel cell-powered inflatable car just might be safest in the world 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Small cars are not as safe as big cars in a crash. It's basic physics: If you put tons of metal around you, of course it's going to take the brunt of a crash. The engineers at XP Vehicles just might change that with their new small car, the Whisper. They say the Whisper "is the safest car ever ...

NTSA investigating Prius runaway acceleration 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, we told you Consumer Affairs raised concerns that the Prius may have a serious problem with control. Consumer Affairs now writes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has "quietly opened an investigation into complaints." When pressed for details, Consumer Affairs writes, ...

Car shares lower age requirement 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Many car rental services have an age requirement of 21. Car sharing services Flexcar and Zipcar are lowering their requirement to 18 as they expand into more universities this Fall. Car companies avoid younger drivers because they crash. 16 to 19 year olds crash four times more often than people ...

AutoblogGreen readers correct government website 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/health/Blog_readers_correct_government_car_safety_website'; As regular readers might know, I wrote an article ranking the best hybrids by crash test ratings. I had not seen anything quite like it and thought it would be useful for readers. Numerous comments later, I ...

6 hybrids have important safety feature 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

This is a follow up to the article ranking the 5 safest hybrids. I stand by my methods but I think a fair criticism was that I might have missed safer hybrids if I had started with a larger test group. I repeated this test using the methodology of the National Highway Traffic Safety ...

Remember what I said? 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

This picture is intended to make 2 points: 1. The exterior of automobiles is made out of soft steel/aluminum. Wrapping more soft steel around you - as in an SUV - doesn't mean you are safer. It only means you are heavier. 2. Sometimes it is best to evaluate where you are parking before you park ...

Consumer Affairs: Prius may have "serious flaw" with control 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Consumer Affairs first wrote about unintended acceleration in a Prius August 1. It had just 600 miles on the odometer but a driver was reporting problems with acceleration and the display. It won Consumer Affairs Lemon of the Week Award. August 12, Consumer Affairs is writing again about the same ...

Automakers create radio and print ads in an attempt to stall fuel economy regulations 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

In an effort to sway consumer's minds when it comes to the types of vehicles they purchase and the regulations concerning fuel mileage of those vehicles, a consortium of automakers is running radio and print advertising in some states. The group, Auto Alliance, consists of General Motors Corp., ...

Moderate speed crash in Indian EV likely to be fatal 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Several months ago we reported on an Indian-built Reva electric car that was crushed in Australia because the vehicle had never been crash tested. The same vehicles are sold in England as the G-Wiz and like the Zap Xebra sold in the United States it is exempt from crash testing. The three wheeled ...

Super recyclable new Volvo S80 arriving Down Under 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the Volvo S80. Volvo is coming off a bumper year for sales in Australia when shipments were up 37 percent. But the Swedish automaker isn't ready relax yet. Volvo has just released is the new flagship S80 luxury sedan, available with either a ...

Geneva Motor Show: Volvo introduces the all-new Volvo V70 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the Volvo V70. Volvo has announced the all-new, third generation Volvo V70 premium wagon, which is said to offer a "perfect balance of luxury, versatility and safety." With this model Volvo is looking to bring a new level of design and comfort ...

Hybrids dangerous for accident first responders? 2 years ago on Autoblog Green

If you're the first responder to a traffic accident involving a hybrid, does the fact that there are batteries on-board make it more dangerous? Missouri seems to think so and will be putting nearly 1,800 first responders through essential training during the next two months so that they will know ...

California company offers green driver training 3 years ago on Autoblog Green

With California being the hottest market for hybrid vehicles, it makes sense that a California-based driver training company would begin using a fleet of exclusively hybrid vehicles including Toyota Prius's and Ford Escapes. Drivers Ed Direct hopes to instill some environmental responsibility in the ...


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