The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – including as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico (Mk1).
The Volkswagen XL1 is a two-person limited production diesel-powered plug-in hybrid produced by Volkswagen. The XL1 car was designed to be able to travel 100 km on 1 litre of diesel, while being both roadworthy and practical. To achieve such economy, it was produced with lightweight materials, a streamlined body and an engine and transmission designed and tuned for economy. The concept car was modified first in 2009 as the L1 and again in 2011 as the XL1.
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is a subcompact executive MPV manufactured and marketed by Mercedes-Benz since 2005, and now in its third generation.
The Ford C-Max is a compact multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) produced by the Ford Motor Company since 2003. The Ford Grand C-Max has a longer wheelbase.
Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), also known as Toyota Hybrid System II, is the brand name of Toyota Motor Corporation for the hybrid car drive train technology used in vehicles with the Toyota and Lexus marques. First introduced on the Prius, the technology is an option on several other Toyota and Lexus vehicles and has been adapted for the electric drive system of the hydrogen-powered Mirai, and for a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius. Previously, Toyota also licensed its HSD technology to Nissan for use in its Nissan Altima Hybrid. Its parts supplier Aisin Seiki Co. offers similar hybrid transmissions to other car companies.
The Porsche Panamera is a mid/full-sized luxury vehicle manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche. It is front-engined and has a rear-wheel-drive layout, with all-wheel drive versions also available.
Venturi is a Monaco-based automotive manufacturer. Founded in 1984 by French engineers Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy as MVS , the company's purpose was to compete in the "Grand Tourisme" market. This was only the most recent post-war attempt at building a sporty luxury car in France, following in the footsteps of Facel Vega, Monica, and Ligier. As with its predecessors, Venturi was immediately faced with many challenges ranging from an unknown name to its under-capitalized and under-staffed state. Venturi did nonetheless manage to continue in production for nearly sixteen years, declaring bankruptcy in 2000. The same year, Monegasque Gildo Pallanca Pastor purchased Venturi, and decided to focus on electric-powered motors. This change of direction led to the limited-production Fétish, the first electric sports car in the world. Following the public's enthusiasm for this first electric model, the brand developed 5 other innovative concept cars.
Gibson Technology is an automotive and motorsport company based at Repton, Derbyshire, England. It was founded by Bill Gibson as 'Zytek Engineering' in 1981.
Aptera Motors is an American startup high-efficiency car company based in San Diego, California.
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car, based on the Lotus Elise chassis, that was produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway legal serial production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production all-electric car to travel more than 320 kilometres (200 mi) per charge. It is also the first production car to be launched into deep space, carried by a Falcon Heavy rocket in a test flight on February 6, 2018.
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was a set of competitions, programs and events, from the X Prize Foundation, to "inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break America's addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change." Progressive Insurance was the title sponsor of the prize, the centerpiece of which is the Competition Division, within which a 10-million-dollar purse was divided between the winners of three competitions.
The ZAP Alias Roadster is a plug-in electric three-wheeled sports car, from the American electric car maker ZAP in Santa Rosa – California, project initiated in 2007 through a collaboration between ZAP and Lotus Engineering, the UK-based automotive engineering company, who is assisting with the development of the vehicle.
Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited, formerly known as the Reva Electric Car Company, is an Indian company based in Bangalore, involved in designing and manufacturing of compact electric vehicles. The company's first vehicle was the REVAi electric car, available in 26 countries with more than 4,000 of its different versions sold worldwide by mid-March 2011. Reva was acquired by Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra in May 2010. After the acquisition, the company launched the electric hatchback e2o in 2013. Today, the company sells electric vehicles in different segments – the electric sedan eVerito, the electric commercial vehicle eSupro, and the Treo range of low maintenance, lithium-ion battery-powered three-wheelers. Recently, Mahindra Electric became the first Indian car manufacturer to cross 170 million kilometers traveled on its fleet.
Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent is a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. MPGe is used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to compare energy consumption of alternative fuel vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and other advanced technology vehicles with the energy consumption of conventional internal combustion vehicles rated in miles per U.S. gallon.
Jason Fagone is an American journalist and author. His work has appeared in GQ, Wired, Esquire, The Atlantic, New York, Grantland, The New York Times, and the Huffington Post Highline, among other outlets. In 2002, the Columbia Journalism Review named him one of "Ten Young Writers on the Rise". He currently writes investigative stories for The San Francisco Chronicle.
The Very Light Car (VLC) is a prototype design for 2- and 4-passenger automobiles emphasizing low weight and overall efficiency. It was originally developed by the Edison2 team for the Automotive X Prize competition. Two such 4-passenger cars were the only qualifiers in the finals of the "mainstream" division of the competition, and one of them won the 2010 division prize of $5 million with a competition fuel economy of 102.5 MPGe.
The Ford Focus Electric was a limited-production 5-door hatchback electric car produced by Ford. The Focus Electric is Ford's second production all-electric vehicle, and production began in December 2011.
The Coda is a four-door, four passenger electric car once manufactured by Coda Automotive. After being rescheduled several times, deliveries to retail customers in the United States began in March 2012. The car was sold exclusively in California and only 117 units were delivered by April 2013.
The McLaren P1 is a limited-production mid-engine plug-in hybrid sports car produced by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. Debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, sales of the P1 began in the United Kingdom in October 2013 and all 375 units were sold out by November. Production ended in early December 2015. The United States accounted for 34% of the units and Europe for 26%.
The second generation Honda Fit is a subcompact car or supermini manufactured by Honda from 2007 to 2014. It debuted on 17 October 2007 at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show.
