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The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission passed a ruling today that will block the sale of Tesla Motors Inc. vehicles in the state, according to Bloomberg, which could ding the company's growth plans. The rule would require an auto dealers franchise agreement in order to legally sell new cars in the state. But Tesla sells its cars through direct sales – from the manufacturer straight to the consumer. Tesla may have to close its two showrooms in the state, Bloomberg noted.

Are you thinking about buying a new fuel efficient car but are wary of hybrid technology? Fear not! There are dozens of cars on the market today that deliver great fuel economy without resorting to heavy and expensive battery packs. While most of these vehicles are designed to run on petroleum products (either conventional gasoline or diesel fuel), the Ford Focus SFE is a FlexFuel vehicle that can run on 100% domestic E85 ethanol fuel as well as conventional unleaded gasoline. 2014 Ford Focus five-door E85 holds a significant price advantage over regular unleaded gas in some parts of the...

One of the main criticisms of Generation Why is the lack of hard data to support this column’s ongoing thesis: that the lack of interest in car ownership among millenials is related to economics, rather than any sort of anti-car/pro-environment/pro-urban ideological shift among young people. Now, a key study from Deloitte confirms our initial hunch: young people want cars, but cannot afford them, and the notion of a car-free future, with walking, cycling and transit replacing the automobile (whether privately owned or shared via a service like Zipcar) is an unrealistic fantasy that somehow continues to have currency. Deloitte’s annual...

Chinese automakers have been making noise about entering the North American market for years, stretching back a decade or more. A combination of factors – from the disjointed nature of the Chinese auto industry to lingering quality issues – have kept that from happening, but the day when Chinese cars roam the Great American Road may finally be upon us. Following aborted efforts by such automakers as Geely and Great Wall, it's BYD that appears to be leading the charge this time. The company backed by investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate is now targeting 2015 – just a year...

It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to join the dark (blue) side. Every year, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department runs the newest crop of donut-holders around Fontana Speedway. With no significantly new entries available, it’s no surprise that the results are fundamentally the same as they were last year. I’m not exactly sure what the justification is for using lap times to rank police vehicles, but we live in an era where police get to do pretty much whatever they want. Why not run ‘em around a track? Some of the significant laptimes: Ford (Taurus) Police Interceptor:...

Ford Motor Co. is coming a little late to the race to design an ultra-low cost car for first-time car buyers in developing markets, but company executives have learned a lesson from rivals that moved first. Affordable, yes; cheap, no. Ford is unveiling in Brazil on Wednesday a prototype for a new tiny subcompact car called the Ka that aims to tackle the entry-level buyer in countries where being middle class means you can just afford a car that costs about $10,000, or a third the average price of a vehicle sold in the U.S. With a car like the...

About two years from now, Cody and Tyler Kor, now 20 and 22 years old, respectively, will drive coast-to-coast in the lozenge-shaped Urbee 2, a car made mostly by 3D printing. Like Jackson and Crocker, the young men will take a dog along for the ride—Cupid, their collie and blue heeler mix. Unlike Jackson and Crocker, they will spend just 10 gallons of fuel to complete the trip from New York to San Francisco. Then they will refuel, turn around, and follow the same west-to-east route taken by Jackson, Crocker, and Bud.

Although CO2 is considered a "greenhouse gas" that contributes to climate change, if the Energy Department (DOE) finds partners to capitalize on the research of one of its laboratories, someday cars might run on sunshine. Technically, cars would run on the product of sunlight, CO2, and water using a "two-step solar thermochemical cycle" developed by the Albuquerque, New Mexico government lab. The DOE posted the special notice seeking interested companies on the Federal Business Opportunities website on Tuesday: Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) is conducting ongoing research and development into solar fuels, the conversion of sunlight, CO2, and H2O into high...

This clip is from Västerås, Sweden. Each year, a festival celebrating classic American cars is held in this Nordic city. See link below.

German carmaker BMW is recalling 176,000 vehicles from the model years 2012 to 2014 over a problem with the power brake system. The company says in rare cases an interruption in the oil supply to a part can mean the loss of power braking assist. The brakes will still work, but the driver would have to press harder on the pedal. The recall covers 76,200 vehicles sold in the U.S.

Seventeen years have passed since Ray Lambrecht closed his Chevrolet dealership, a small-town operation in northeast Nebraska with a big and valuable secret. For decades, the owner of the Lambrecht Chevrolet Co. in Pierce held on to new cars and trucks that didn't sell right away. He stashed them in warehouses, at his farm and in other spots around the town he worked in for 50 years. Now, his automotive nest egg — about 500 vintage cars and trucks — will go on the auction block. Next month, visitors from at least a dozen countries and throughout the U.S. will...

As demand climbs for more fuel-efficient vehicles, knowledge compiled over several years about diesel engines and a new strategy known as "low-temperature combustion" (LTC) might soon lead auto manufacturers and consumers to broader use of cleaner diesel engines in the United States. The journal Progress in Energy and Combustion Science published a summary of recent research on diesel LTC in a review article titled "Conceptual models for partially premixed low-temperature diesel combustion." The article, prepared by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, provides what the authors say is a necessary science base for auto and engine manufacturers to build the next...

An amazing video of American industrial prowess, prior to WWII.

Click on a question to get the answer. Q. Is the Elio available for international customers? Q. Who makes the engine/drive train/brakes etc.? Q. How will it do in the snow/bad weather? Q. Will I fit in the vehicle? Q. Where can I buy an Elio? Q. What options will be available on my Elio? Q. Can I be a distributor or a service outlet for the Elio? Q. Once I make a reservation, how long before I get my Elio? Q. What kind of gas does Elio take? Q. Are test drives available? Q. Is Elio a car or...

Tesla Motors said Thursday it would demonstrate a way to quickly recharge electric cars by swapping drained batteries for fresh power cells. Tesla chief executive and founder Elon Musk used popular the messaging service Twitter to put out word that a "live pack swap demo" was taking place at the company's design studio in the Southern California city of Hawthorne. Video from the event was to be posted on the Tesla website about 0430 GMT on Friday, according to Musk. Making it fast and easy to restore full power to electric car batteries is seen as a big step in...

India's Apollo Tyres Ltd (APLO.NS) agreed to buy U.S.-based Cooper Tire & Rubber Co (CTB.N) for about $2.5 billion in a deal that would make it the world's seventh-largest tire maker and reduce its dependence on a slowing Indian auto market. Apollo, which currently gets two-thirds of its revenue from India, will pay $35 per share, representing a premium of about 43 percent to Cooper's Tuesday close. The acquisition of Cooper, the world's 11th biggest tire company with annual sales of $4.2 billion, will give Apollo access to the U.S. market for replacement tires for cars and light and medium...

Among major automakers, Ford Motor Company (+9.33 percent) and General Motors (+7.17 percent) were the leaders, while Toyota Motor Company (+4.34) and Chrysler Group (+4.11 thanks to a +30.33-percent performance by Dodge) managed to stay positive. Nissan North America, however, fared less well, reporting a drop in year-over-year sales of -6.65 percent. Among brands, we see many luxury marques near the top, including Bentley (+42.86 percent), Porsche (+30.53 percent), Audi (+27.77 percent), Mercedes-Benz (+23.05 percent), Cadillac (+20.34 percent) and Land Rover (+19.97 percent). If taken as a sign of a recovering economy, then the wealthier among us appear to be...

In its simplest form, an exotic car with a Montana plates is an immense tax dodge. Being the Wild West, you see, Montana levies no sales tax. Instead, its government chooses to operate under the unique “we don’t need no stinkin’ money” principle, which possibly explains why they went without speed limits for several years: they couldn’t afford the signs. In my home state of Georgia, the Veyron’s $1.7 million MSRP would be taxed at seven percent, which comes out to $119,000. For a license plate. Anyway, if you lived in Montana, the same Veyron would cost virtually nothing to...

The U.S. new car market was up strongly in January. GM and Ford surprised analysts with double digit sales rates. Toyota, up 26.6 percent also surprised. GM is up 16 percent on very strong sales of the Equinox and its Silverado and Sierra pickups. Ford prints a 22 percent increase, powered by the Fusion. Lincoln sales are down 18 percent while customers wait for the MKZ to arrive in quantity at their dealers. Chrysler was up 16 percent, but jaded analysts expected more. Detroit OEMs and analysts expect the SAAR to be in the mid 15 million range

[Video] A foreign diplomat in Rabat, Morocco cruises around in a custom vehicle made up of two Jeep Wranglers!