2014 Nissan Murano Sv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan Leaf earns IHS Loyalty Award, people actually care about the environment

The Nissan Leaf has earned the IHS Automotive Loyalty Award. It won the award for best Non-Luxury Traditional Compact Car, and it is the only plug-in vehicle to earn the Loyalty Award. IHS Automotive analyzes loyalty and gives the award for vehicles that bring households back to buy the same make or model. "Our Leaf fans are some of the most loyal customers in the world, and we're thrilled to see that validated with this IHS award," says Toby Perry, marketing director for the Nissan Leaf. Read more at Hybrid Cars or in the press release below. A new study shows that environmental benefits could be more influential than money when purchasing EVs. The study, called "Altruism, Self-Interest, and Energy Consumption," found that subjects conserved more energy when reminded that it helps air pollution than when they were only told it would save them money. This is despite more subjects saying that they thought messages about money would be more influential at the beginning of the study. Researchers attributed the results to the dual benefit of clean air to oneself and to others. See the study at the PNAS website and read more at Green Car Reports. Group Bollore will receive government backing to build a nationwide EV charging network in France. The French conglomerate will spend $172 million to build 16,000 semi-fast chargers over the next four years. "Wherever you are on the map there will be at least one recharging point every 40 kilometres (25 miles)," says Bollore. The network will also provide wifi hotspots and carpooling services. Bollore's Blue Solutions division also already operates EV carsharing services and is working with Renault to build EVs in France. Read more at Reuters. Nissan LEAF only plug-in vehicle to receive 2014 IHS Automotive Loyalty Award NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a record-breaking sales year in 2014, the Nissan LEAF continues to earn praise and was named the best Non-Luxury Traditional Compact Car in the annual IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards. The all-electric LEAF – the only plug-in vehicle to be included in the IHS Awards – received this honor during the Automotive News World Congress at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards are presented annually to automakers and brands that demonstrate a manufacturer's ability to retain owners over repeat buying cycles. They are the only fact-based awards of their kind in the industry.

MotorWeek proves '90s were awesome with Supra, Stealth, RX-7, Corvette, 968, 300ZX comparo

Oh, the heady days of 1993, back when the Clinton Presidency was just getting underway, and it seemed like every hot new rock band was coming out of Seattle. Sports cars in the US had finally shaken off the shackles that slowed them during the '70s and '80s, and you could buy any number of legitimately quick vehicles again. MotorWeek recently went digging into its archives to find this six-model test from 1993 showing off some of the best semi-affordable performance coupes that money could buy at the time, and it's priceless.
Featuring the 1994 model year Toyota Supra in twin-turbo guise and MY 1993 versions of the Porsche 968, Nissan 300ZX TT, Mazda RX-7, Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and Chevrolet Corvette LT-1, MotorWeek definitely covered all of the bases. One thing that might surprise younger readers is these cars' performance. The video only provides 0-60 acceleration times, but several of these vehicles would still be considered pretty potent today - over 20 years since going on sale. The Supra is especially impressive, hitting 60 miles per hour in just 5 seconds. Even today, that's nothing to sneeze at.
Given their performance potential and still-attractive looks, it's amazing that some of these coupes are old enough to drink now. The progress of interior design and safety equipment in the intervening years is pretty shocking, though. In most of these models, having two airbags is touted as a big deal. Scroll down to watch a Throwback Thursday blast from the past about some of the '90s best sports cars.

The 11 best scenes from the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Over the last three days, the Goodwood Estate has played home to the eponymous Festival of Speed. Thrown by the biggest gearhead in the British aristocracy – Charles Gordon-Lennox, the Earl of March and Kinrara – the Festival of Speed is essentially a tremendous, gasoline-fuelled party, complete with a very large lawn sculpture, that features the world's hottest, weirdest, fastest, and loudest race, production, and historic models. While there are quite literally dozens and dozens of videos from the event – not to mention the full-day replays (of which only day one is available, at present) – we've sifted through them to pluck away the very best. There's stuff from the official Goodwood YouTube channel, as well as several videos from automakers and other third-party channels, and it's all available below. 2015 Ford Mustang GT350R Looks Barely Controllable If you thought the highest-performance Ford Mustang would somehow get more tractable or civilized once it moved to an independent rear suspension, this video shows you have nothing to worry about. Watch as an unnamed driver wrestles the new Shelby GT350R and its flat-plane, 5.2-liter V8 up the hillclimb circuit. Even with the new suspension and sticky tires, this Mustang wants to go any direction but straight, especially following its launch. 2016 Ford Focus RS, Is Very Loud, Blue Ken Block makes his first appearance on our list. Before he steps into his Hoonicorn Mustang, though, the Gymkhana expert tackled the hill in the all-new Focus RS. The vicious bellow of the 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is the star of this commentary-free video, although the gorgeous Nitrous Blue paint job is a nice accompaniment, as well. 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn Runs Hill, Nearly Kills Lord March Mr. Block's two runs behind the wheel of the Hoonicorn were, unsurprisingly, very eventful. While one attempt goes off without a hitch, seeing the American rally driver slip and slide his way to the top of the hill while taking a short break for a donut, the other is slightly more dramatic. Block, along with Lord March in the passenger seat, carries a bit too aggressive an angle into a turn and nearly puts the NASCAR-powered Mustang into the hay bales. Check out the first video above, and the second one below. Kimi Raikkonen Makes Us Miss F1's V8 Era The latest Formula One cars have been maligned for the lackluster noise produced by the new 1.6-liter, turbocharged V6.