Toyota sells 400,000th hybrid in diesel-loving Europe

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Europe/EU

Some notable dates for Toyota and/or hybrid fans:

1997: Toyota introduces its first production hybrid vehicle, the Prius

August 2010: Toyota sells on millionth hybrid in Japan.

May 2011: Toyota sells one millionth Prius hybrid in the U.S.

June 2011: The two-millionth hybrid is sold in the U.S.

As of today, Toyota has sold over 3.5 [...]

Audi launches 99 g/km A1 1.6 TDI in Europe

Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Audi, Europe/EU

German automaker Audi has launched a revised version of its A1 1.6 TDI with CO2 emissions of 99 grams per kilometer. Its 104-horsepower 1.6-liter diesel-burning engine, which is mated to a five-speed manual transmission, has undergone a slew of revisions that help slash the A1’s CO2 emissions from 105 g/km [...]

Volvo says road trains will be used in Europe by 2020

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG, Europe/EU

Swedish automaker Volvo says that road trains will be a fixture on Europe’s roads by the end of the decade, according to Autocar. Thomas Broberg, Volvo’s senior safety engineer, told Autocar that closed-road trials have already successfully been conducted and revealed that Volvo will participate in field trials in Sweden [...]

Honda, Air Liquide join Clean Energy Partnership to promote hydrogen in Europe

Filed under: Hydrogen, Honda

Honda FCX Clarity – Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda has joined the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) in Europe to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell technology and support the essential development of a European hydrogen refueling infrastructure. As part of the agreement, Honda will support CEP activities by providing two FCX [...]

Avis to rent out 500 electric Renault Fluences, Kangoos to customers in Europe

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Green Daily

2011 Renault Kangoo Z.E. – Click above for high-res image gallery

Avis Budget Group – like Hertz and Enterprise Rent-A-Car – will begin offering “zero-emissions” vehicles for rent to the public. Unlike Hertz and Enterprise, which inked deals that will land Nissan Leafs on their lots, Avis elected to [...]

Tesla denies it is having a “Europe problem”

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Tesla Roadster in Europe

So, is Tesla Motors having trouble selling vehicles in Europe? Recently, BNET’s Jim Motovalli spoke with Tesla’s vice president of European sales, Christiano Carlutti, who said that selling the all-electric sports car in Europe was “complicated.” Add this to the fact that the California company [...]

Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors will be expanding Chevrolet of Europe’s lineup by adding a five-door Cruze, and while we won’t get our first look at this new hatchback for a few weeks, GM has decided to preview it [...]

Toyota Prius eclipses 200,000 total sales in Europe, doubling mark set in 2008

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Green Daily, Europe/EU

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you throw out the question “which car best symbolizes the hybrid segment?”, the nearly unanimous answer is the Toyota Prius. The Prius’s success in the hybrid segment is unparalleled and it has become the definitive example of what a [...]

Peugeot-Citroen says three small electric car sizes are all that’s needed in Europe

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Citroen, Peugeot, Green Daily

The European automotive market is decidedly different than ours. For one, Europeans tend to have an affinity towards vehicles with wee dimensions, while a lot of Americans still trend towards a go-big-or-go-home mentality. Since Europeans seem to have a better grasp of the benefits of small cars, Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) [...]