Economy Cars

There’s no denying that we are spoiled for choice when it comes to hot hatchbacks. The Honda Civic Type-R, Hyundai Veloster N, and VW Golf GTIare currently some of the most popular global models out there, but now there’s another one on the way. It seems Toyota Gazoo Racing is not done with launching hot versions of boring cars and a GR Corolla is on the way. However, it’s not going to arrive when initially expected.

MG, the iconic British brand, is making a comeback of sorts. The company has not really been in news as much as the other mainstream automakers, but with its latest offering, it sure should. From building fancy two-door sports cars, MG has moved to the commercial trucks fray. The company is fondly remembered for its two-seater sports cars from the 1960s and 1970s like the MGB and the MG Midget. Fast-forward to 2109, and the company has a pickup truck in its hands – the MG Extender. This is arguably the best segment to draw in volumes. For now, MG will be launching the Extender only in Thailand.

The 2019 New York Auto Show was not a very exciting event this year, perhaps because it clashed with the Shanghai Auto Show. But out of the few positives from the show, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata managed to hog a lot of limelight. Hyundai has taken a big stride in terms of the design and technology of the Sonata, and the results are evident. There is nary a thing that goes wrong with this car. So, will Hyundai be able to tip over the rivals with this new sensation?

Nissan just dropped details on the brand-new 2020 Versa subcompact sedan, and so far, so good. Outside, the new Versa looks much improved thanks some sleek body panels that work well with Nissan’s latest signature styling features, including the V-motion grille and boomerang-shaped headlights. The dimensions also play a part here, as the new Versa is lower, longer, and wider than the outgoing model.

Inside, the cabin takes after Nissan’s larger sedans, including the Altima and Maxima, and emphasize the horizontal for an added sense of space. The cabin is also stuffed with safety stuff, including standard features like Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist, Rear Automatic Braking, and frontal Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection. You can also opt into features like Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Intelligent Cruise Control, Intelligent Driver Alertness, and Blind Spot Warning.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto headline the infotainment bits, while automatic climate control and heated front seats keep it comfy.

Motivation is derived from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which sends 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Transmission options include either a five-speed manual as standard, or an optional CVT.

The 2020 Nissan Versa will go on sale this summer, or you can catch it next week at the 2019 New York Auto Show. No word on pricing just yet, but it should be quite reasonable considering the current model comes with an MSRP of $12,360.

Over the last year, legislators became more and more concerned about EV’s drivers not paying any gas taxes. Last February, a team of Republican senators, sponsored by the oil industry and other supporters, introduced a bill that destroys the federal electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500, and includes an annual tax for “alternative fuel vehicles.”

Honda is testing an all-new Jazz subcompact hatchback, also known as the Fit in some markets. It’s the fourth generation for the nameplate and it looks like it will retain the wedge-nosed one-box design of its predecessors, albeit with a slightly sportier design twist.

The camouflaged prototype spotted by our spies reveals quite a lot about the car, which is slated for a reveal no earlier than 2020, since the refreshed version of the current model only came out last year. Aside from the completely new and slightly more rakish-looking body, changes will be made to its powerplant lineup and interior. The hybrid version may share its powertrain with the new Insight.

Update 04/4/2019: The 2021 Honda Jazz was caught out in the wild again and, while it hasn’t dropped a lot of camo, we can make out a few subtle differences. Check out what we know in the Spy Shots section below!

Less than a month after the company launched the facelifted version, Volkswagen is all set to launch the sporty variant of the Passat Estate at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The Passat Variant R-Line Edition comes with a lot of new goodies and will certainly induce the younger folks’ interest. The company has announced that the R-Line edition will be limited to just 2,000 units!

Seat is set to unveil its first all-electric car next week at the 89th edition of the Geneva Auto Show. The compact model will be the first non-Volkswagen to be underpinned by the MEB platform that is known to be underneath each and every vehicle part of VW’s I.D. family. In fact, Seat’s EV will be a close relative of the entry-level I.D. Hatchback.

When Volkswagen announced it is developing the global MEB platform, we were told that it will end up as the base for just about any new EV built under the Volkswagen Group’s umbrella. Up until now, we’ve only heard news about Volkswagen’s own plethora of EVs sharing the MEB platform, but Seat will join in soon enough, followed by Skoda who’s working on a crossover that should be similar to the Vision E and Vision iV concepts presented in the past couple of years.

Renault is previewing its future mini electric crossover with the K-ZE concept revealed at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Taking a closer look at the K-ZE, it becomes immediately apparent that it is, in fact, just a dressed up Kwid (which Renault already sells in emerging markets) which has had its internal combustion powertrain swapped out for a full-electric one.

The future electric crossover will look much closer to this concept, than it will to the current Kwid, although it will maintain its basic body shape. What will set it apart visually more significantly are the new, redesigned front and rear fascias, as well as various details around the exterior. It also promises to offer “class leading” range for a vehicle in its size-bracket.

Toyota hasn’t offered the Camry sedan in Europe for well over 10 years, relying on the Avensis as its top three-box car for the Old Continent. However, at this year’s edition of the Paris motor show, Toyota brought the new eighth-generation model, which it intends on selling here again in the near future.

DS presented the new DS3 Crossback at the Paris Motor Show. The SUB-compact city SUV is the second SUV debut for the premium brand under the PSA Group and it took the path of competing with other small city crossovers. Without a direct premium competitor in its segment (save for the Audi Q2), the DS3 Crossback represent an interesting attempt by the French to excite buyers into this class. In essence, this car succeeded the DS3 small city car, but brings numerous novelties demonstrating DS ideology of creating exciting, different, and unique cars.

From hatches to muscles, cars of all shapes and sizes are adopting green technology. Whether autonomous cars will become a reality or not is a different question; electric cars are the future. Even though the ‘EV’ cars were introduced barely a decade ago, the kind of transformation and innovations we’ve seen in the last couple of years makes the whole thing look like a yesteryear concept. In this article, we’ve listed out the ten most fuel-efficient vehicles.

But before that, let’s just put the basic questions to rest once-in-for-all: the difference between EV, Hybrid, and Plug-in Hybrid - an electric vehicle is the one that runs solely on electric power. You don’t have a combustion engine here whatsoever. A hybrid engine is the one where the car will charge its own batteries on the run with the gasoline engine. As for the plug-in hybrids, the car can be plugged into electricity points to charge the batteries. Now that we have clarified the obvious and bored you enough, let’s move on to the heart of the article.

When my friends talk about compact hatchbacks, sometimes the Volkswagen Golf gets left out of the conversation. But it really shouldn’t be that way: The Golf is far and away the best-selling compact in Europe. There are good reasons for that, not least of which is the Golf’s supreme practicality.

Here in America, we don’t get quite as many Golf variants as Europe does. We get the highlights, though: regular Golf, sporty GTI, raucous Golf R, cargo-friendly Golf Sportwagen, and most recently, soft-road-ready Golf Alltrack.

Volkswagen has sent me two Golf Rs in the last year. You might consider those the most evolved version of the car, in terms of overall performance. Fast and fun to toss around the twisties, the R also happens to be the most expensive version of the Golf — expect to pay $40,000 if you want one. But this time, VW sent me a regular Golf TSI SEL, a luxurious hatchback without all the high-performance hype — and it’s 25% cheaper than the Golf R, even though it’s loaded with options. It proved itself to be a great little transportation pod for my family of four.

Fisker, the company that has worked diligently to bring about a dead-to-rights Tesla Model S fighter, has just announced a new battery patent that promises a new technology capable of ranges exceeding 500 miles and one-minute recharging. Let me say that again: One-minute recharging.

Details are still rather thin at this point, but we have learned that Fisker’s new power storage technology will allow the company to build solid-state batteries with lots of surface area in comparison to the current thin-film solid-state electrodes currently in development and use. This ultimately means better conductivity below the shell which, in turn, makes for a battery that works better in cold weather and charges faster. Keep in mind; this is why lithium-ion batteries are the go-to right now for EVs – the current capabilities of solid-state batteries are insufficient and low conductivity levels is a primary cause of this. So, if what Fisker is saying is true, the company could have just solved a very big problem and could, very well, usher in the next generation of battery technology.

Of course, Fisker isn’t the only company gunning for solid-state batteries, and Toyota has even promised its battery would be put to use in electric cars by 2022, just two years sooner than what Fisker claims it can do. Then again, Toyota hasn’t proved its technology, so it still has the same burden that has now be thrust onto Fisker’s shoulders as well. It’s obviously an arms race in which the winner will reign supreme in the EV world. In the end, Fisker if lofting out claims for density 2.5 times that of current lithium-ion batters, which means these babies could charge in minutes and offer up ranges of 500 miles. Just think, you can pull into a “gas station” and by the time you make up your hot dogs, buy a beverage, and take a leak, you’re EV is good for another 500 miles. Range Anxiety? Not in this future. The question now is: Who’s going to deliver on these lofty promises first?

Toyota still has a few years, and the man behind Fisker isn’t exactly working with a full deck of successful resumes either. He hasn’t exactly been the most successful cat on the street, and he promises an advanced battery in the Emotion just to retract his claims. But, for EVs to be truly successful, this is the kind of technology we need, and if we’re really this close – Toyota claims 2022 and Fisker 2024 – we’ll certainly be seeing it happen in most of our lifetimes. And, once that technology is there, there isn’t really a need for the ICE anymore either now is there?

Have something on your mind? Let us know in the comments section below. We’re curious as to what you think about these hefty claims.