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No diesels in the running for 2016 Green Car Of The Year

It's a new era for the Green Car Of The Year. In the past, the theme of the award was to take a broad look at alternative powertrains and pick the best among them. "Clean diesels" from the Volkswagen group were often among the finalists and won the award twice. For the 2016 edition - which will be handed out at the LA Auto Show next month - not a single diesel made the list. There's little wonder why. Green Car Journal, which names the winner with a panel of experts, had to strip two VW brand vehicles of their past wins. The 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which won in 2008, and the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which won in 2010, have both lost their titles now that the world knows about the "defeat devices" that VW installed in many of its TDI vehicles around the world. So, what does that leave us with for 2016? Two plug ins, a hybrid, and two gas vehicles. The two electric vehicle are the Audi A3 e-tron and the Chevy Volt, while the all-new Toyota Prius (which will come with a plug-in version later) is the lone pure hybrid. Rounding out the pack are two efficient gas models: the Hyundai Sonata and the Honda Civic. This is the tenth year for the Green Car Of The Year, and it will be interesting to see if diesels can come back into the award's good graces (for the record, no diesels were among the finalists in 2013, either) in the future. For now, we'd like to know who you think should win. You can read more about the finalists in the press release below and then cast your vote in our poll. Show full PR text FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR Green Car Journal to Reveal Winner of 11th Annual Award at LA Auto Show Press & Trade Days, November 19 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 15, 2015) – Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine's prestigious 2016 Green Car of the Year® award. The 2016 models include the Audi A3 e-tron, Chevrolet Volt, Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata, and Toyota Prius. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.

Autoblog Podcast #384

Episode #384 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing and Chris Paukert talk about rumors that the Subaru WRX Concept styling may influence the next production model, the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and Chris' time with the 2015 Lincoln MKC. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #384: Topics: Long-term 2015 Subaru WRX introduction Subaru WRX Concept styling may see production 2015 Lincoln MKC 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E550 Cabriolet 2014 Volkswagen Jetta SEL 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Chris Paukert Runtime: 01:34:21 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Long-term WRX intro - 27:20 WRX Concept - 37:10 Lincoln MKC - 47:49 Corvette Z06 - 01:07:18 Q&A - 01:16:18 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Rumormill Chevrolet Lincoln Mercedes-Benz Subaru subaru wrx concept

2016 Chevy Malibu exhaustively tested with four decades of data

Chevy is preparing to unveil its new Malibu sedan at the upcoming New York Auto Show next month. But when it does, it's not like it will have appeared overnight. The development of any new vehicle – especially one as widely produced by a major automaker as the Malibu – involves rigorous and relentlessly punishing tests. In the Malibu's case, that meant 1.5 million miles of driving from the scorching heat of Arizona in July to the frigid cold of northern Canada in January and everything in between. The Bowtie brand also says it incorporated four decades' worth of data taken from vehicles driving in locations around the world since 1972 in order to make the Malibu the best it could be. We'll have to wait to find out the results of all that exhaustive testing, but you can catch a sneak peek at the new sedan in the video above. Four Decades of Data Used to Test 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Recorded customer use drives durability testing for next-generation midsize sedan 2015-03-11 DETROIT – Data collected over decades from across the globe is helping ensure the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu can handle the world's worst roads even if the all-new midsize sedan never drives on them. Data collection boxes are placed in cars in real-world driving conditions around the world. Since 1972, these devices have accurately recorded the harshness and frequency of every jounce, bump and shudder inflicted on the car on roads in the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and developing markets. "Although most Malibu owners will never put their car through similar abuse, we test all new vehicles in extreme climates, inclement weather and on punishing road surfaces," said Dan Devine, Malibu validation engineer. "The 2016 Malibu is definitely up to these challenges." Tests like these ensured the current generation Malibu was dependable and durable, two qualities that in turn helped Malibu stand out from its rivals in important quality surveys, such as J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study and Vehicle Dependability Study. General Motors engineers analyze the data to calculate the precise amount of damage potholes and other hazards create over 150,000 miles. Then the conditions are replicated at GM's Milford Proving Ground in Michigan on three unique road courses, each riddled with simulated potholes of increasing severity. Engineers run preproduction cars through the course up to hundreds of times.