Page 10 – Paul Riegler – The Green Car Driver –

Mazda and Toyota announced Wednesday that the two automakers have selected Alabama as the site of a future joint-venture auto plant.
The $1.6-billion plant, to be located in Huntsville, will eventually employ as many as 4,000 workers. Production is expected to start by 2021, the two automakers said. Production will be …

Along with laws legalizing recreational marijuana in California and restricting cigarette smoking to those over 21 in Guam at the start of 2018, a new law went into effect in Oregon that relaxed restrictions on self-service pumps, making New Jersey the last remaining state in the union in which drivers …

The European Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that ride-hailing service Uber was a transportation business and not merely a technology platform that connects passengers with drivers.
“The service provided by Uber connecting individuals with non-professional drivers is covered by services in the field of transport,” the court said in a …

Toyota, which led the gas-electric hybrid revolution but has lagged behind rivals in offering fully electric vehicles, announced its strategy for that market.
The plan calls for the Japanese automaker to invest ¥1.5 trillion ($13 billion) in research and development by the year 2030. Half of that investment will be earmarked …

One of the great pleasures of traveling abroad is driving the magnificent highways and scenic roads, be it the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße in Austria, Route One in Iceland, the Stelvio Pass in Italy, the Trollstigen in Norway, or the Karakoram Highway connecting China and Pakistan. A drive is a brilliant way …

The original Fiat 500 or Cinquecento, known for its appearances in multiple films including “The Italian Job,” was a rear-engine four-seat city car manufactured by the Italian automaker from 1957 to 1975. On its 50th anniversary in 2007, Fiat introduced a new 500 whose design was clearly inspired by the …

The Los Angeles Auto Show returned to the Convention Center and many automakers took advantage of the post-Thanksgiving event to introduce multiple new vehicles that will be available with Apple CarPlay, Apple’s in-vehicle touch-based display interface that functions as an extension of a driver’s iPhone.
Virtually every car manufacturer offers vehicles …

Royal Dutch Shell said Monday it is working with leading automakers to deploy ultra-fast chargers on European highways.
The move will propel Shell ahead of its rivals and provide a solid backbone of charging stations across the continent. Shell said it is working with Ionity, a joint venture between BMW, Daimler, …

Volvo announced that Uber Technologies will purchase 24,000 self-driving cars with delivery dates set to begin in 2019. The deal, announced without any specific financial terms, is estimated to be worth $1 billion.

The Swedish automaker, owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, will supply a vehicle based on the current Volvo …

Tesla unveiled its first ever electric semi-truck on Thursday evening at an event in Los Angeles that also included the surprise reveal of a new electric sports car.
The Roadster, as the new sports car is dubbed, carries the same name as Tesla’s first vehicle, which was produced from 2008 to …

U.S. and California regulators approved Volkswagen AG’s recommended course of action for 38,000 diesel-powered vehicles from the company’s Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche brands, according to a letter released publicly on Monday.
The approval addresses the automaker’s SUVs with 3.0-liter diesel engines believed to emit excess emissions and means that the German …

General Motors announced plans on Monday for 20 all-new all-electric vehicles. The automaker said it would introduce all 20 by 2023, including two within the next 18 months.
The General’s move was followed by an announcement by Ford, which said it would add 13 electrified models by the end of the …