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2015 will be the biggest year ever for cars at CES

Like the SEMA Show, major automakers are paying increasing attention to the CES, with 2015 expected to be one of the most auto focused yet. Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, General Motors, Hyundai, Mazda, Audi, BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will all be in attendance when CES 2015 kicks off next week, taking up a record-breaking 165,000 square feet of space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. "We've come a long way from a single car on a carpet," Ford's Alan Hall told Bloomberg. Unlike SEMA, or a more traditional auto show, like the upcoming festivities in Detroit, CES doesn't necessarily focus on entire cars or the way they perform, but on the way our technology will interact with vehicles, and in how those vehicles will deliver information to drivers. "CES has become a major launch point for a lot of the big automakers," IHS tech analyst Mark Boyadjis told Bloomberg. "CES is a way for them to get on a global stage for technology." As for what kind of wares automakers will trot out in Las Vegas, we already know that BMW will show off an autonomous i3 electric car that can navigate its way through a multistory car park and can be hailed via a smartwatch app. According to Bloomberg, Hyundai will show off its own smartwatch app for the Genesis sedan, while Audi and Mercedes-Benz will show off autonomous vehicles next week. Automakers won't be the only companies looking to capitalize on CES. Tech firms, like chipmaker Nvidia, are becoming increasingly involved in the automotive game and will be in town showing their wares off to OEMs. "Two years ago, our booth would have been filled with PCs and people playing video games," Danny Shapiro, Nvidia's senior director for automotive business, told Bloomberg. "This year we made a strategic decision to shift the focus of the booth on automotive and de-prioritize some of the other things." Needless to say, you can expect to see a lot of news out of Las Vegas come next week. Stay tuned. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Julie Jacobson / AP CES Audi BMW Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Hyundai Mazda Toyota Volkswagen Technology CES 2015

BMW's plans for next plug-in i model, due after 2020

BMW entered the fight in the green car ring with gusto thanks to the one-two punch of the i3 and the i8. However, it seems that there could be a wait ahead before the German's i sub-brand is ready to land another strike at the market. "We are still in the strategic research phase where we brainstorm," Klaus Frohlich, BMW Group development boss, said to Automotive News Europe about the future vehicle. He indicated the next new model to bear the i prefix wouldn't arrive until after 2020. Frohlich also underscored that the sub-brand's products wouldn't be based on a standard BMW product. The German brand was at one point rumored to have a model called either the i5 or i7 on the way that would have added a plug-in hybrid drivetrain to the 5 Series. Frohlich's statement would seem to invalidate that possibility. Although, there's nothing stopping the vehicle from carrying regular BMW branding in the vein of the X5 xDrive40e PHEV. The current i-badged models won't just stagnate on the market in the meantime, though. "We have a minimum 20 percent battery density improvement every three years, thus over the i3 and i8's life cycle, we will offer more performance, more range or a combination of the two," Frohlich said to Automotive News Europe. Sadly, current owners won't be able to upgrade to the improved parts, though. Rumors about a third i sub-brand model go back years with much of the talk swirling around the i5. In addition to the speculation about a 5-Series-based version, there was also supposed to be a stretched variant of the i3 with that name, possibly even with a hydrogen fuel cell version. Although, BMW claimed the vehicle was purely "hypothetical." Related Video:

The most efficient gas or hybrid cars of 2024: Not the greenest, but still very green

Not a single electric vehicle appears on the “greener choices” list assembled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in its annual compilation of the most environmentally friendly cars in the United States. But for potential car buyers seeking an efficient, fairly affordable gasoline or hybrid vehicle this year, the list of 12 cars, trucks and SUVs can help with decision making. Topping this yearÂ’s list was the gas/hybrid Honda Accord, priced at $33,990 with an estimated annual fuel cost of $982. Rank Make & Model Powertrain Vehicle Class Green Score MSRP Estimated Annual Fuel Cost* 1 Honda Accord Gas Hybrid Large Car 62 $33,990 $982 2 Kia Niro FE Gas Hybrid Compact SUV 61 $28,315 $885 3 Mitsubishi Mirage Gas Compact Car 59 $17,955 $1,189 4 Lexus ES 300h Gas Hybrid Midsize Car 59 $44,590 $1,073 5 Lexus NX 350h Gas Hybrid Midsize SUV 57 $43,465 $1,207 6 Ford Maverick Gas Hybrid Compact Pickup 55 $24,900 $1,297 7 Toyota Sienna Gas Hybrid Minivan 55 $39,080 $1,304 8 Mini Cooper Convertible Gas Subcompact Car 54 $35,700 $1,412 9 Toyota Highlander Gas Hybrid Large SUV 54 $40,720 $1,348 10 Kia Soul Gas Small Wagon 53 $21,565 $1,467 11 BMW Z4 sDrive30i Gas Two-Seater 50 $53,600 $1,626 12 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 Gas Hybrid Large Van 49 $43,000 $1,596 13 Volvo V90CC B6 Gas Hybrid Midsize Wagon 45 $59,800 $1,843 14 Ford Ranger Gas Standard Pickup 43 $32,670 $1,968 *ACEEE analysis using EIA data of the annual cost of driving 15,000 miles In making its evaluations, the ACEEE examines each 2024 model based on its cost to human health from air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing and disposal, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity, and vehicle tailpipe emissions. The group also takes into account air pollution associated with EV battery manufacturing. The organization also ranks what it calls the “greenest” cars — it selected the Toyota Prius Prime SE plug-in hybrid is the greenest model of 2024. As well as the “Meanest.Â’Â’ or least efficient vehicle. At the top of that list this year was Mercedes-Benz AMG G63. The group says that the greener choices are those that are available nationwide “with among the lowest environmental impacts in each vehicle class but that didnÂ’t make the Greenest List.