Jim Motavalli Blog

In praise of American cars
Once painfully uncompetitive, the U.S.-made automobile is clawing its way back with good-looking designs, attention to detail, and even respectable fuel economy. At GM, an unlikely hero named Bob Lutz gets at least some of the credit.
Two green cars in the driveway
In a stellar week, I get to test both a Mercedes fuel-cell car and the new Toyota Prius V, an environmentally friendly station wagon for our times.
Close encounters of the automotive kind
The 9 lives of an auto journalist. I was nearly a goner on several continents. Believe me, these stories weren't as amusing then as they are now.
Gas gobblers: A holiday travel guide
Thanksgiving is responsible for one of America's biggest travel weeks. Here's how to cope, even if you haven't done the right thing and gotten rid of that turkey in the garage.
Power SHFT: Adrian Grenier's high-watt celebrity
Ford is partnering with Grenier's new green lifestyle website SHFT.com, and I was there to kick the tires on the C-MAX Hybrid, eat the organic snacks, and try in vain for an interview with the star of 'Entourage'.
Forget electric vehicles: Here come the 50-mpg gas and diesel cars
Electric cars get all the love and the federal money, say diesel and turbo advocates — and they want a level playing field.
Driving the electric Rolls-Royce
This traditional luxury marque, founded in 1906, is the last carmaker I'd expect to plug in. But the Phantom 102EX is here, and I suspect owner BMW has something to do with it.
Supercars and the dictators who love them
Pity the poor Ferrari Enzo or Bugatti Veyron that lives a short life at the hands of an idiotic playboy owner. (It helps if daddy is an oil sheik or African dictator bleeding his people dry.)
Gas prices are just too damned high
Americans will pay an extra $100 billion for gas in 2011, and it's hitting the working middle class right where it hurts.
Fast charging at the Cracker Barrel
You can now eat your way across Tennessee emission-free, as a 12-station EV charging network — with 480-volt fast charging, too — is in place. Since plugging in is free for now, will people head on down?

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