Preview: 2014 Chevrolet Spark Electric Vehicle

Story and photos by John LeBlanc SAUSALITO, Calif. — Toyota has become synonymous for them. Ford is launching a bunch of them. And Honda is working on getting some. No, I’m not talking about product recalls. I’m speaking of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles — the best known of which is Toyota’s iconic Prius.

Top 10s: Future New Fuel Sippers

[svgallery name=”2012 Fuel Sippers”] By John LeBlanc It’s déjà vu all over again for new car buyers. Just like in 2008, when gasoline peaked at nearly $1.50 per litre, buying an inexpensive and fuel-efficient small car is starting to look like a smart idea. So while we’re witnessing a bunch of new, small cars being […]

The Crank: The General’s naming games

By John LeBlanc As part of Chevrolet’s recent small car religion— that includes the 2011 compact Cruze, next year’s Orlando compact tall wagon and a future Spark city car—an all-new subcompact  2011 Aveo, left and below, is on the way as well. We saw the production version last month in Paris, initially, next spring it […]

2010 Detroit: Chevy gets small

By John LeBlanc DETROIT – Like Ford’s presentation at this year’s show, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet has got small car religion—bad.