Rinspeed Oasis EV Concept Coming To CES In January

The Oasis two-seat self-driving electric concept vehicle, created by Rinspeed's Swiss boss Frank Rinderknecht, offers an interior like a modern-day family room with armchair, sideboard, TV, and a multifunctional steering wheel and the windshield also serves as a screen for virtual as well as augmented reality. Oasis will be on display at CES in Las Vegas in January 2017.

2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Coming In Early 2017 Starting At $32,390

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF (Retractable Fastback) two seater with a 155 horsepower 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G direct-injection engine paired with either a six-speed SKYACTIV-MT manual transmission or six-speed automatic transmission starts from $32,390 (including $835 for destination and handling). The Retractable Fastback has a 4.6-inch full-color TFT gauge and the availability of Machine Gray Metallic paint in substitution of Meteor Gray Mica that is available on the soft top. For 2017, all MX-5 Club models will come standard with Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, regardless of their roof option. Presale orders are being taken as production just began for North American and European markets, where sales launches begin in early 2017.

September 2016 U.S. Auto Sales

General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac) sold 249,795 vehicles, down 0.6 percent. Year-to-date sales of 2,212,397 is a 3.8 percent decline from a year ago.

Ford and Lincoln U.S. September sales totaled 204,447 vehicles, a 7.7 percent decline versus a year ago. Year-to-date sales of 1,988,456 is a gain of 0.8 percent from a year ago.

Toyota Motor Sales (including Lexus) reported September 2016 sales of 197,260, an increase of 1.5 percent from September 2015. Toyota Division posted September sales of 171,459, up 1.4 percent. Year-to-date sales of 1,822,419 is down 2.4 percent.

FCA US (Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo) reported U.S. sales of 192,883 units, a 1 percent decrease compared with sales in September 2015. Year-to-date sales of 1,714,360 is up 4 percent from a year ago.

American Honda (including Acura) reported September sales of 133,655 Honda and Acura vehicles, a 0.1 percent decrease from September 2015. Honda Division set a new September mark, gaining 1.5 percent on total sales of 120,842. Year-to-date American Honda sales of 1,228,380 is up 3.3 percent from 2015.

Nissan Group (Nissan and Infiniti) total U.S. sales for September 2016 of 127,797, is an increase of 4.9 percent over the prior year and a September record. Year-to-date sales of 1,183,024 is a 5.4 percent increase over 2015.

Hyundai Motor America posted its best September ever, with sales of 66,610, up 4 percent year-over-year. Year-to-date sales of 587,688 is a 1.6 percent gain over 2015.

Kia Motors America September sales of 49,220 was down 1.2 percent from a year ago. Year-to-date sales of 491,764 are up 3.3 percent.

Subaru of America reported 54,918 vehicle sales for September 2016, a 3.5 percent increase over September 2015 while year-to-date sales of 446,887 vehicles is a 4.2 percent gain over the same period in 2015.

Mercedes-Benz USA reported best-ever September sales of 29,500 vehicles, increasing 1.7 percent from the same month last year. Mercedes-Benz Vans also reported best-ever September sales with 2,970 up 28.2 percent and smart reported 605, bringing MBUSA total sales to 33,075 vehicles for the month, up 3.1 percent from last year. On a year-to-date basis, Mercedes-Benz retails totaled 249,204. Adding year-to-date-sales of 25,156 for Vans and 4,044 for smart, MBUSA posted a sales total of 278,404 increasing 1 percent from the previous year.

Sales of BMW brand vehicles of 25,389 was a decrease of 4.6 percent in September. Year-to-date, BMW brand sales are 249,956, down 7.9 percent.

Mazda North American Operations reported September U.S. sales of 24,889 vehicles, a decrease of 2.8 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales through September are 224,267 vehicles, down 7.2 percent.

Volkswagen of America reported September sales of 24,112, a 7.8 percent drop from a year ago. Year-to-date sales of 231,268 is a 12.5 percent decline from a year ago. Separately, Audi reported sales for September increased 1.6 percent to 17,617 vehicles, while year-to-date sales have risen 3.2 percent to 152,179.

Mitsubishi Motors North America reported September 2016 sales of 7,191, down 4.8 percent from September of 2015. Sales for the year of 74, 351 are up at 1.5 percent over the previous year.

Volvo Car USA, reported U.S. sales of 5,615 vehicles, a 1.6 percent increase versus September 2015. Year-to-date sales of 58,532 are up 26.2 percent year-over-year.

Porsche Cars North America announced an all-time September sales record of 4,479 vehicles, up 1.2 percent compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date retail sales stand at 40,246 vehicles, up 2.4 percent compared to last year.

Garia Luxury Electric Golf Carts Use Lithium Batteries

Garia, the high-end Danish golf car manufacturer, has released a new Golf model (above left) that weighs 880 lbs. including batteries. Garia’s lithium batteries offer benefits of having no maintenance, reduced weight resulting in less turf compaction, overall lower cost of ownership, a 5-year battery warranty, and a battery life of 10 years, double conventional electric cart lead-acid batteries.

The $50,000 Mercedes Benz Style Edition Garia Golf Car (above right) which debuted at The Open in Scotland in mid-June, was recently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Garia is a privately held company, founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Denmark, with a subsidiary in the U.S. and Sales offices in UK and Asia Pacific. Garia golf cart prices start at $15,000.

Energica Eva High Performance Electric Motorcycle For $34,000

Energica Eva has a 95 horsepower permanent magnet AC oil cooled motor without a clutch or transmission providing seamless acceleration similar to a Tesla car. Energica Eva has a range up to 124 miles (ECO mode) and can reach a top speed of 124 mph in Sport mode. Each component assembled on the $34,000 Eva is made by double layer carbon fiber, three layers for specific reinforced parts, autoclaved. It comes in electric green or dark blue. The streetfighter is fully compatible with commercial recharging stations or can be charged at home. Energica Eva is the only electric streetfighter in the world with an integrated fast charge system on board.

On sale since early July at Galleria Energica at 53 Page Street in San Francisco, orders can be made online at: http://www.energicamotor.com/en/configuratore/EA

Energica, a subsidiary of 46-year old high-performance auto supplier CRP Group, is the first Italian manufacturer of supersport electric motorcycles and are manufactured in Modena, Italy.

Mercedes-Benz "Generation EQ" Concept

Mercedes-Benz "Generation EQ" concept vehicle, with four individual seats, is powered by 402 horsepower in two electric motors on the front and rear axles and a battery in the vehicle floor, with a range of up to 310 miles. "Generation EQ" accelerates to 62 mph in under five seconds.

Volkswagen I.D. Concept Car Arrives In 2020

The Volkswagen I.D. concept car, the first Volkswagen built off the Modular Electric Drive kit, uses a 168-horsepower electric motor and has a range of between 249 and 373 miles on a single battery charge with zero to 62 mph acceleration in less than 8 seconds and a top speed of 99 mph. The rapid charging system brings the battery to 80 percent charged after just 30 minutes. I.D. is the first Volkswagen that is capable of fully automated driving. It is due to go on sale in 2020, fueling Volkswagen's goal of selling a million electric cars a year by 2025.

BMW Concept X2

BMW Concept X2 makes its world premiere.

Honda Civic Type R Prototype Coming Next Year

The new Honda Civic Type R Prototype, with styling insight into the next-generation Civic Type R, will make its North American debut at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, November 1-4, 2016, marking the arrival of the first-ever Honda-badged Type R in the U.S. It will be officially unveiled in 2017.

2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO On Sale Now For $176,585

The new 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO is powered by a 600-horsepower twin turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine with independent rear transaxle all-wheel drive system controlled by a paddle-shifted sequential 6-speed dual clutch transmission, which can be driver selected to shift at race car-like speeds. The new 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO, with 35 more horsepower than 2017 GT-R Premium models, is priced at $176,585 (including destination and handling of $1,595) and is on sale now after the new 2017 GT-R Premium model went on sale earlier this summer for $111,585.

2017 Jeep Compass Makes Worldwide Debut

The all-new 2017 Jeep Compass compact SUV made its world debut in Brazil and will be produced with 17 powertrain options for consumers in more than 100 countries around the world. The all-new Jeep Compass will make its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and be available in North America in the first quarter of 2017.

Land Rover Discovery Starts At $50,985 Mid-2017

The all-new full-size Land Rover Discovery three-row, seven-seat SUV, cutting more than 1,000 pounds from the weight of the outgoing LR4, offers a 340 horsepower supercharged 3.0L gas V-6 engine mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission or a 254 horsepower turbocharged diesel V-6. The new Discovery features a flexible seating that’s instantly configurable from Apple and Android smartphones using remote Intelligent Seat Fold technology. In the US, the all-new Discovery has a maximum towing capacity of 8,201 pounds and will go on sale from mid-2017, priced from $50,985 (including the $995 destination/handling charge).

2018 Chevrolet Equinox Coming First Quarter 2017

The all-new 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, five-passenger, four-door SUV, approximately 400 pounds lighter than the current model, is offered with a 170 horsepower 1.5L turbo engine mated to a six-speed automatic, a 252 horsepower 2.0L turbo engine matched with GM’s new nine-speed automatic transmission, or a 136 horsepower 1.6L turbo-diesel engine linked to a six-speed automatic transmission. The 2018 Equinox goes on sale in the first quarter of 2017 in North America.

2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Starts At $20,535 On Monday

The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback, available in five trims, is equipped with a 174 horsepower 1.5-liter DOHC direct-injected and turbocharged in-line 4-cylinder engine in LX, EX and EX-L Navi trims, and 180 horsepower in the Sport and Sport Touring trims and mated to either a sporty CVT (all trims) or a 6-speed manual transmission. The LX with 6-speed manual transmission that achieves 30 city/39 highway/33 combined MPG has a starting price of $20,535 (including $835 destination charge). The 2017 Civic Hatchback joins the 2016 Civic Sedan and Coupe as the third body style in the 10th-generation Civic lineup, arriving in showrooms starting next Monday.

2017 Mercedes-Benz B250e Starts At $39,900

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz B250e, has a 177 horsepower electric motor, and, depending on driving cycle, has a range of 87 miles (EPA) with a charging time at 240V in the United States of less than 2 hours and can be charged from any standard domestic power socket. For a starting price of $39,900, the B250e drives from zero to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds to an electronically limited top speed of 100 mph. By pressing a button on the console prior to charging, the maximum charge level of the battery will be  increased for the next charge cycle. The higher-capacity charge can provide up to approximately 17 additional miles of range.

2017 Hyundai Elantra GT

The 2017 Hyundai Elantra GT, powered by a standard 173 horsepower 2.0-liter gasoline direct injection engine mated to either a 6-speed manual, or 6-speed automatic, transmission, starts at $19,635 (including $835 freight charge) and delivers EPA rated fuel economy of 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway/27 combined mpg.

smart electric drive Coming In Spring 2017

The new smart electric drive (ED) has an 80 horsepower electric motor that works at the rear of the vehicle and transmits its power via a constant ratio to the wheels. A fully charged battery has sufficient power to cover approximately 99 miles with the maximum speed electronically limited to 81 mph to maximize the range. The U.S. range and overall electric motor specifications to be announced at launch. The high-performance on-board charger cuts charge time giving the U.S. preliminary new generation charge time of 2.5 hours vs. the previous generation charge time of 5.5 hours). The new smart fortwo electric drive will be launched in the U.S. in spring 2017 and the smart fortwo cabrio electric drive in summer 2017. The smart forfour will not be available in the U.S.

2017 Subaru Crosstrek Starts At $22,550 In November

The 2017 Subaru 2.0i Crosstrek with a 148 horsepower 2.0-liter Subaru BOXER engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive starts at $22,550 (including $875 destination & delivery charge). The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) has a 6-speed manual mode with steering wheel paddle shifters and is optional on the 2.0i Premium that starts at $23,370 with additional features like the All-Weather Package (heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors and windshield wiper de-icer). Lineartronic CVT is standard on Limited which starts at $26,090. For 2017, a new Premium Special Edition adds additional equipment and is priced at $26,690. The 2017 Crosstrek models will arrive at retailers November 2016.

2017 Audi A4 Offers Six-Speed Manual Transmission For $40,350

The 2017 Audi A4 powered by a 252 horsepower 2.0 TFSI® engine now has an optional six-speed manual transmission that accelerates the car from 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, a 0.7 second improvement over the previous generation. The quattro® with ultra® technology, and the Sport plus package offers S model performance in the entry level variant with S line interior, dynamic steering, sport adaptive suspension, and 18” wheels. The A4 quattro manual starts at $40,350 (including $950 destination charge). The 2017 A4 is also available with a seven-speed S tronic® dual-clutch automatic transmission with front-wheel drive or available quattro® all-wheel drive.

Chevrolet Bolt EV Later This Year For $37,495 Before Rebates

The Chevrolet Bolt EV capable of going an EPA-rated 238 miles on a full charge, has a base price of $37,495 (including destination charge) for the well-equipped LT trim. Depending on individual tax situations, customers may receive an available federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for a net value of $29,995. The Bolt EV will be available at select dealerships in late 2016.