It was no surprise that the Chevrolet Volt and Nisan Leaf grabbed center stage at the ride-and-drive event that took place outside the Business of Plugging-In conference this month. But they weren’t the only vehicles to be sampled on...

Smart announced today that it is collaborating with Nissan on a new, small car for the U.S. market. As described, Smart USA has obtained "the rights to procure and distribute a five-door, gasoline powered, B-segment vehicle" from Nissan. "The...

Those little electric semi-cars look appealingly green, but in a crash with a real car, the results would be disastrous, according to a new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And that, in turn, highlights a...

The Smart ForTwo has the strongest roof among small cars. The Smart earned the highest rating of Good in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) roof strength test of micro and minicars. The Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mini Cooper...

The auto industry is very complicated these days, with constant change across all corners of the globe. The worldwide economic slowdown dictates widespread cost reductions, inspiring partnerships and changes in ownership. Further confusing the scene are past commitments between...

General Motors announced a proposed deal for Penske Automotive Group to buy Saturn, just two days after announcing an intended buyer for its Hummer brand.Penske is one of the largest dealer networks in the country. In a joint news...

We’ve had two redesigned Fits in our test fleet for several months now and have accrued many miles driving them. (Read our detailed First Drive report.) We bought a manual-transmission Sport model ($16,730) and an automatic Base ($16,020). The...

The word “turkey” means different things to different people. Thanksgiving, for many, is a great time for turkey…unless you’re a turkey. For those of us who drive different cars every day, we sometimes come across features that rank as...

One of the first thoughts I had when we bought our Smart was how it compared to my John Deere x300 lawn tractor. Both fit in my garage easily. Both are pretty slow and noisy on the road. Both...

At Consumer Reports, we are constantly buying new vehicles to put through our exhaustive test program consisting of more than 50 tests. As vehicles start the evaluation process, we share our initial, raw impressions through the "Logbook" posts to...

After commuting in the Smart ForTwo a few times, I couldn’t help contemplating how little the world of automobiles has advanced over the last fifty years. My motorized career began in the early 1960s, with a 1957 BMW Isetta...

Sometimes events converge together: Wednesday: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) releases crash test results for the Smart ForTwo.Thursday: We take delivery of our Smart.Friday: The start of my annual pilgrimage to the Carlisle (Pennsylvania) Import and Replicar Show....

Buying a Smart ForTwo guarantees you a lot of looks. Part of that stems from the Smart’s 106-inch long diminutive size and gawky cuteness. But another reason is its rarity. Since the car only recently went on sale, there...

With the Smart ForTwo coming to the United States for the first time, we have heard many questions about this microcar’s safety than its fuel economy. How will its occupants fare in a collision? We now have some definitive answers...

In the final installment this month, Consumer Reports writers offer their own views on the budget cars featured in the December 2006 issue. Jim Travers: There are only two good reasons to buy a Smart ForTwo. One is if you...