Cars.com has been compiling data on users who research hybrid vehicles, and ranking America’s “greenest” metro areas according to the number of people who research hybrid cars, trucks, SUVs and crossovers. No surprise that the winner was the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland metro area, known for being a hot bed of progressive politics, organic food and other connotations used in conjunction with the stereotypical hybrid driver. While the list was skewed heavily towards the West Coast, Madison, Wisconsin, Gainsville, Florida and (interestingly) Glendive, Montana managed to crack the Top 10 list.

Of the bottom 10 locales, 9 of them were from Texas, Mississippi or Louisiana. While cars have hardly been conflated with any sort of political science research, the findings suggest that the Red State/Blue State dichotomy might be a little more accurate than previously though.

[Source: Cars.com]

See after the jump for the full list of the top 210 Green car cities. Is your city on it?

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At last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, Volkswagen gave us the first look at the new Polo BlueMotion and released a tiny bit of info on the new model. Now, VW has released just a little more, including official torque and horsepower numbers, debuting the new 1.2-liter 3-cylinder TDI engine at the Vienna Motor Symposium.

We already knew that the new 1.2 TDI engine made 75-hp, but now VW has confirmed a total of 180 Nm (133 ft-lbs of torque) available from just 2200 rpm.Impressively, the VW Pololo BlueMotion achieves 71.3 mpg on the more generous European test cycle and when equipped with a 12 gallon (45 liter) tank it has a theoretical travel distance of 847 miles (1,363 kilometers).

In addition to the Polo, VW also sells a BlueMotion Golf and Passat in Europe. The BlueMotion Golf gets 61.9 mpg while still producing 105-hp and 185 ft-lbs of torque, allowing it to hit 62 mph in 11. 3 seconds and top out at 120 mph (190 km/h) on the German autobahn. The BlueMotion Passat gets 53.5 mpg and while it does take 12.5 seconds to hit 62 mph thanks to the same 105-hp engine as found in the Golf, it can travel 989 miles (1,591 km) on a single tank.

GALLERY: VW Polo BlueMotion

Official release after the jump:

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Having just introduced the new Accent/Verna at the Beijing Auto Show last week, Hyundai has now unveiled the 2011 Elantra at the Busan Auto Show in South Korea. Called the Avante in its home-market of Korea, it certainly takes after the styling of the new 2011 Sonata, which works well to give a sporty and sophisticated look to the compact sedan, which in past iterations never was very handsome.

Powering the new Elantra is a 1.6-liter gasoline direct-injection (GDI) 4-cylinder that makes 138-hp and 123 ft-lbs of torque. When combined with a six-speed automatic transmission Hyundai claims this new powerplant will deliver roughly a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy.

There’s no word on the new Elantra’s launch date in North America, but we’re likely to see a debut at the LA Auto Show at the end of this year with sales starting either later 2010 or early 2011.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Elantra / Avante

Official release after the jump:

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First Ford unveiled its new EcoBoost 3-cylinder at the Beijing Auto Show, then came reports that we would get it, followed by reports that we wouldn’t. The latest news on the subject suggests Ford wants to bring it to North America but that there’s no car suitable for it yet. According to a report by Automotive News, an unnamed Ford exec told the news outlet that, “For North America, it is a ways off. It certainly has been talked about to come here, but there is not a vehicle for it yet.”

When we first heard about the EcoBoost 1.0-liter 3-cylinder we surmised that it could be a suitable powerplant for the new Fiesta. After all, Ford says the EcoBoost 3-cylinder makes roughly the power of a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder – which just so happens to be what’s in the Fiesta right now – with 120-hp.

While in our recent review of the new Fiesta we did comment that it’s engine was lacking in power, considering an EcoBoost motor should get added torque, it seems strange that Ford still doesn’t see the Fiesta as a suitable platform. Instead, we’ll have to wait to see if Ford ever decides to bring over it’s Ka mini-car (above). And while that may sound like a far-fetched idea, with the Fiat 500 set to debut this year and Nissan planning to launch the new Micra in North America, anthing is possible

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog Green]

Volkswagen has made a slight change to its electric vehicle production plans, moving up the launch of the Golf EV. Initially VW had planned to introduce the e-Up! (above) first, but according to new reports the German automaker has decided that the e-Golf will be first, citing the car’s popularity and importance in the VW range, not to mention the expected launch of several compact electric vehicles in the next few years. Along with its push for diesel vehicles, Volkswagen has also been at the forefront of electric vehicle technology and execs obviously feel that its best to have the e-Golf arrive sooner than later – when the market is flooded with already established models.

Following the launch of the e-Golf will be the E-Up and then the E-Jetta, which has been confirmed for the U.S. market, but probably not until 2013 or later - about the same time the e-Golf will launch in Europe.

[Source: Yahoo Deutschland via Autoblog Green]

The world of racing is a tough one to break in with. Sadly for some, no matter how much talent you have, unless you get a big break or have real deep pockets you might never get the opportunity you deserve. The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving is looking to change that, offering a full ride into the 2011 Bondurant Championship Race Series for one extremely talented driver.

Hosting its first-ever Bondurant Driver Search on October 4-5th, 2010, Bondurant has partnered up with Championship Karting International to give a driver an opportunity to showcase their skills on the track. The Bondurant Championship Race Series is also fresh to the scene, launched in September of 2009 and sanctioned by ASA Racing. The series is built on helping drivers achieve their dreams with prizes packages including test days in a World Speed Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda, or even a Finlay Motorsports Daytona Prototype racer. Finlay Motorsports also lends a helping hand with driver management services.

Not everyone can simply waltz on up and participate in the driver search however. Bondurant has a list of requirements and the search is limited to only 20 participants:

• $1,500 fee
• Must be between 15-19 years old
• Completed the following: Bondurant School’s 4-Day Grand Prix Road Racing course, 2-Day Advanced Formula Car Racing course or submit a qualified resume

The deadline to submit your entry is July 15th, 2010 and the 20 participants will be selected by July 30th, 2010. So if you have any interest, don’t waste another minute and get ready to shine.

Check out the official press release from Bondurant after the break.

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When Chrysler gets around to replacing the current Sebring it also hopes to erase all memory of the failed mid-size sedan by changing its name to the Nassau. The name may sound familiar to some as back in 2007 the American automaker debuted the Nassau Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, sporting some details that were later incorporated into the current Sebring model.

Word of this name change comes via the Detroit Free Press, which suggests Chrysler isn’t likely to adapt the concept’s looks, but rather head in an all new direction.

As for the rest of the vehicle, expect a majorly updated interior as well as a choice of either a 190-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine or a 280ish-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. A six-speed dual-clutch transmission is also expected, delivering much improved fuel economy.

The Chrysler Nassau is expected to debut in 2012.

GALLERY: Chrysler Nassau Concept

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

A heavily disguised prototype of the 2012 Mercedes ML crashed into a Mazda that was stranded on the side of a road near Stuttgart, Germany. The driver of the Mazda was killed, and the ML rolled down the road for 800 feet before coming to a stop.

Three fatal crashes involving manufacturer test vehicles have occurred over the past seven years, two from Mercedes and one from Porsche. In the previous Mercedes incident, innocent bystanders were the victims, while in the Porsche accident, it was the driver who was the sole casualty. Germany’s transport minister Peter Ramsauer lashed out, admonishing the test drivers not to act like “Rambos” and called for a code of conduct among test drivers.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Fiat is taking dead aim at the MINI brand and is set to introduce two new versions, a three-door estate (a long wheelbase 500 modeled after the Clubman) and a proper five-door hatchback with more interior room. Not surprisingly, these versions will be offered in North America, where the increased space and practicality should broaden the appeal of Fiat’s hot hatch.

Fiat is set to introduce 34 models across all its model ranges by 2014, but the AutoGuide staff still have their hearts set on the Abarth model (above), complete with 5-point racing harnesses and a 170-horsepower turbocharged engine. No word on whether a five-door Abarth will be offered, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

The standard Fiat 500 3-door is set to go on sale in North America by the end of the year.

[Source: TopSpeed]

The last parking garage we have a vivid memory of was in Detroit. In January. You can imagine how idyllic the setting was, with rotting concrete and whirring trash presiding over a dusty view of the city’s crumbling skyline.

Things can be different, it seems. In Miami, Florida, head over to the structure at 1111 Lincoln Road, where it seems — finally — that parking isn’t an afterthought. Swiss designers Herzog & de Meuron were entrusted to create a building that presented a unique shopping, dining, residential and parking experience for Miami’s residents and visitors.

300 spaces are in artfully arranged, with shopping, restaurants — including one on the roof! — that take advantage of the incredible design and stunning views of the city that the location afforded.

If all parking structures looked like this, we’d complain less about the high fees — and maybe spend more time in the area, leaving our car to soak up the view. Click over to Dezeen to view some incredible photos of the property.

GALLERY: 1111 Lincoln Road by Herzog & de Meuron

[Source: Dezeen. Photos: Nelson Garrido]