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Green Car Journal announced five finalists for the publication's annual Green Car Vision Award. The award recognizes innovations in fuel efficiency, low emissions, alternative fuels, or electric power.

To be considered for the Green Car Vision Award, vehicles must be in demonstration on public highways today or nearing commercialization but not yet widely available to consumers, Green Car Journal said in a press release.

The five finalists include the BMW i3, the Cadillac ELR, the Ford's C-MAX Energi, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell, and the Tesla Model S.

The 2012 Green Car Vision Award winner will be announced at … Read more

BMW announced today that drivers of vehicles equipped with BMW Online will be able to access Yelp in their cars.

That's right, the love-it or hate-it user-contributed review site is the latest app to make it into BMW's suite of application integrations. But this time, drivers will be able to Yelp with or without an iPhone.

Thanks to a change earlier this month with BMW Online, drivers will be able to download the Yelp application directly to their vehicles. Unlike Pandora and Mog app integrations, users won't need to have or use their iPhone to access Yelp. … Read more

In its annual list, Wards Auto lauds what its editors perceive as the 10 best engines powering cars today.

The 2011 Ward's 10 best engines list pays homage to electrification, including both the mixed gas and electric system driving the Chevy Volt, and the pure electric motor in the Nissan Leaf. One diesel also made the list, Volkswagen's TDI. Among the gasoline engines, most feature forced induction. Direct injection also makes an appearance. But big displacement has its place, as seen in the 5-liter V-8s from Ford and Hyundai.… Read more

Joining the four-door coupe trend pioneered by the Mercedes-Benz CLS 550, BMW adds rear doors to its 6-series, calling it a Gran Coupe.

At first glance, the 6-series Gran Coupe seems an odd overlap with the 7-series. BMW says the Gran Coupe fills a niche, being a car for buyers who want the sporty look of the 6-series, but also want a usable rear seat.

Normal rear doors give access to the rear seat, which will only hold two adults comfortably. BMW calls the seating configuration 4+1, as the hump in the middle of the rear bench is too … Read more

This decade will bring a lot of changes to the fuel cell market, the latest being a partnership between General Motors and BMW.

The two automotive manufacturers will sign a cooperation agreement that gives BMW access to GM's existing fuel cell technology in exchange for research funding supplied by the German auto maker, according to reports in German weekly business magazine WirtschaftsWoche.

Both manufacturers have been developing and testing hydrogen-powered vehicles for more than two decades. After clocking more than 2 million miles during Project Driveway, GM is fleet and consumer testing its Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles in … Read more

As 2011 rolls to a close, we look back at the cars we've reviewed over the last year to see which one should earn our Tech Car of the Year Award.

This year's nominees come largely from the luxury market, where automakers are pushing their best cabin tech and most-advanced driver assistance features. Connected features are also starting to appear, with online search available in navigation systems. All of these vehicles use advanced engines, but the Volt pushes the boundaries the furthest.

Please vote for the car you think should be the 2011 Tech Car of the Year, and discuss it in the comments. The Car Tech staff jury will place its own votes, voting closes on December 19, and we will announce the winner on December 21. … Read more

Chevy Volt spontaneous combustion is investigated, Toyota and BMW swap tech, Tokyo Motor Show wows us with weird (duh), and Maybach is dead.

Hybrid car leader Toyota and BMW are joining forces in pursuit of a better vehicle battery.

The two automakers today announced a research partnership around basic research to speed development of next-generation lithium ion battery cells.

As part of the collaboration, BMW will supply its "clean diesel" engines to Toyota for vehicles sold in Europe. The 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines are slated for certain Toyota models in Europe starting in 2014, the companies said.

The joint research is designed to give the two companies a leg up on competitors for core technology in cleaner, fuel-efficient … Read more

The Chevy Volt gets the feds look at the safety of all electric cars, Nissan makes a fast charge cheaper (sort of), Toyota puts Intel Inside, and Mercedes reworks the lowly windshield wiper.

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