We're going to come right out and say it the Fisker Karma is freakin' hot. Fisker Automotive has released photos of the production car it unveils next month at the Detroit auto show. Although the car is nearly identical to the drop-dead gorgeous prototype we first saw 11 months ago it even keeps the rooftop solar panel that silvery-chrome paint somehow makes it even sexier. The only significant changes to the 408-horsepower super-luxe plug-in hybrid are a grille that's a little bigger at the corners, an air intake that's a little larger and an aerodynamic diffuser beneath the rear bumper. It's impressive to see the production car hew so closely to the prototype because too often something that wows the crowd at an auto show gets watered down as it moves from concept to reality. Of course, that isn't a problem when the guy who designed the car is the same guy who founded the company building it.  read more »

Several companies have begun converting Toyota Priuses and Ford Escape Hybrids to plug-in vehicles. Having watched this aftermarket industry develop, we have had our Prius Touring converted to a plug-in for evaluation, sacrificing a factory warranty for science. Toyota, too, has taken notice and developed its own plug-in Prius, which it showed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November. The company plans to offer a production plug-in Prius based on the next-generation car by 2012. Like todays hybrids, plug-ins improve gas mileage by using both electricity and a gasoline engine to power the car. However, plug-ins have bigger batteries than ordinary hybrids, and the batteries cant be recharged by the engine alone.  read more »

SAN JOSE, California -- The electrification of the automobile may well be inevitable and plug-in hybrids our best chance to save the planet, but if they're going to sell, automakers and advocates must figure out how to market them. That...


Chuck Squatriglia

The Cars team reflects on the 2008 Detroit auto show, selecting their personal picks for the most memorable, significant, or simply favorite cars at the event. Audi R8 V12 TDI: Last week, I gushed over the brilliant Audi R8 V12 TDI concept (see blog). The intoxication of it has stuck with me like a bad cold...I can't seem to shake it. The look is mean. The headlights squint at you like Clint Eastwood. The engine looks like it should be in a museum of modern art. And while Audi also had a "standard" R8 on display, it was one of only a few cars people were waiting in line to sit in. This car could reside in my garage forever.Mike Quincy Chevrolet Corvette ZR1/Hummer HX: These pure vehicles push American icons to new reaches. The ZR1 is history in the making.  read more »