The electric car has arrived, but odds are that there isn't one in your driveway. Several factors have gotten in the way of the eco-friendly automotive revolution, but at least now we can ask conspiracy theorists -- who argue that oil companies and the government are blocking plug-in cars from the road -- to leave the room and take their tinfoil hats with them. The electric car is here; drivers simply don't want them yet.
There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially now that the market is hitting multi-year highs again. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead.
Despite its troubles in recent years, Toyota retained its crown in Consumer Reports' annual survey of auto-brand perception, but the survey also showed that Ford is rapidly closing the gap, and other brands aren't far behind.
Last week, the auto paparazzi brought us pictures of the prototype 2013 Corvette, which will apparently reprise the classic Vette formula. But in an era of high gas prices and tightening environmental regulations, how much longer can GM's horsepower party last?
Upstart automaker Tesla Motors confirmed this week that its groundbreaking Model S, an all-electric luxury-sports sedan, was on track to enter production by this summer. It already has pre-orders for more than 8,000. Is the moment coming soon when electric cars go mainstream?
There was nothing wrong with the old Ford Fusion. In fact, it had its best sales year ever in 2011. It's a good-looking, high-quality sedan and a good value. But when Ford took the wraps off the new Fusion this week, it had been transformed from a good hybrid to a deluxe hottie.
On Sept. 29, 2011, the first module of a new space station blasted into orbit, initiating an era of space exploration different in one key respect: We didn't launch this station; China did. And while China's ascendance to space superpower confirms changes in the global economy, you shouldn't count the U.S. out of space just yet.
Tesla Motors, which went public with much fanfare last June, nearly tripled its losses for 2010 as it invested heavily to engineer and get ready for producing the Model S, its second offering and the first that targets a broader consumer market.
The automaker has licensed technology from the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory that will boost the performance of lithium-ion battery cells for its electric Chevy Volt. The next-generation power packs will be made at a new plant in Michigan by Korea's LG Chem.
Toyota plans to rev up its vehicle production in the U.S., despite November's 7.3% drop in U.S. sales. The automaker has hired the first of an expected 2,000 workers for a new Mississippi Corolla plant, and says it expects to boost overall capacity utilization significantly from last year's weak levels.
Toyota Motor is reportedly suing what remains of the discarded assets of the "old GM," officially known as Motors Liquidation Co., for pulling out of the companies' joint venture in California, a manufacturing plant known as Nummi.
Toyota says it will bring a plug-in hybrid to the American, Japanese and European markets in 2012. The company, which seemed to fall behind rivals Mitsubishi, Nissan and GM in coming out with a next-generation hybrid vehicle, says its technology isn't behind at all.
Panasonic is recharging electric-car company Tesla Motors with $30 million. The electronics manufacturer, which provides batteries for Tesla's cars, will now own 2% of its customer. The deal also puts Tesla back in the battery business.
Tesla Motors has signed a $60 million contract with Toyota Motor to develop an all-electric version of the popular RAV4 compact sports-utility vehicle, Tesla said Wednesday.