LOS ANGELES The BMW i3, a plug-in hybrid made of carbon fiber, is the 2015 Green Car of the year.

The winner was announced Thursday morning at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The i3,with its range-extending engine, beat out the other finalists, including the Chevrolet Impala 3Bi-Fuel with a 3.6-liter engine that runs on gasoline or compressed natural gas; the Audi A3 TDI which has a high-efficiency diesel capable of 73 m.p.g.; the Honda Fit which has a gasoline engine that gets at least 40 m.p.g.; and the VW Golf which is available in some states with a choice of a 2.0-liter diesel, a gasoline engine and all-electric drive.

The winner was chosen by a committee selected by the Green Car Journal.

Green Car Journal Editor Ron Cogan said hybrids used to dominate the awards but over the years the field has become varied as new car buyers have decided environmental vehicles must meet a wide range of needs.

The i3 won because it is an electric vehicle and has a range-extending engine i critical to...

As Toyota sees it, the future isn't some fuzzy, far-off point in the distance. It's here in the form of a midsize sedan I was able to drive this week, when the Japanese automaker made its bold bet on hydrogen.

It takes little more than a glance to understand the Mirai fuel cell vehicle is different. Whether it's the dramatic air intakes at both front corners that force oxygen to interact with the key ingredient that generates onboard electricity, or a tail pipe that slowly drips water, the Mirai reads as a sedan while simultaneously hinting at what's happening under the hood.

Upon opening the driver-side door and sliding into its leatherette seats, it's clear the Mirai is similarly futuristic inside. Starting at the premium price of $57,500, or $499 per month to lease, the interior fit and finish is a hybrid, so to speak, of the Prius and a more upscale Lexus. Its black interior feels modern with a swipe screen housed in shiny piano black and offset with bright blue buttons and silver...

There shouldn't be much of a reason to include a snow scraper in a Kia Soul EV. The Korean automaker's first plug-in car, an all-electric version of its hottest seller, has been launched in urban areas of California, where snow is as rare as uncongested roadways.

But we were lucky enough to test the Soul EV in Chicago in November, and we needed the snow scraper.

More on that later.

The Soul EV retains virtually all of the quirky charms of its gas counterpart , which was redesigned for its second generation in 2014 with EV compatibility in mind. The Soul has led the charge of urban mobility with seating for five, tall ride height like a crossover, the latest in in-car connectivity and with hatchback versatility. Rear seats fold flat to solve most urban challenges, from loading up a short move across town to packing the pet and gear to head away for the weekend.

Officially, the EV retains 91 percent of the cargo space but even that is misleading. The space under the floor in the cargo...

Concerned about slow sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, automakers are increasingly betting the future of green cars on hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Even Toyota Motor Corp., maker of the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid, will use hydrogen instead of batteries to power its next generation of green vehicles.

"Today, Toyota actually favors fuel cells over other zero-emission vehicles, like pure battery electric vehicles," said Craig Scott, the company's national manager of advanced technologies. "We would like to be still selling cars when there's no more gas. And no one is coming to our door asking us to build a new electric car."

But even hydrogen's most ardent proponents agree the technology faces enormous hurdles. Like electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expensive. So is the infrastructure to refuel them.

Car companies have been slow to put hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market in part because of the lack of fueling stations. Operators of fueling stations,...

How does an automaker capitalize on a best-selling SUV? If you're Lexus, you launch a smaller, sportier one.

The all-new 2015 NX compact crossover comes in two models: the NX200t is a 2.0-liter with a twin-scroll turbocharger, which is a first for Lexus; or the NX300h hybrid, which is much more familiar ground for the world's leading luxury hybrid seller.

The NX represents Lexus' aggressive strategy to lure in a new generation of upscale car buyers with sportier designs and sexier advertising. For 25 years, Lexus has built its reputation on approachable refinement and incomparable reliability. Will its youth-minded focus turn off its core baby boomer demographic? Will the NX cannibalize sales of the RX sport utility vehicle, which is not only the best-selling Lexus but also the best-selling luxury SUV in an increasingly crowded field?

Lexus is expecting the NX to turn more people onto the brand and for good reason.

Compared with the ubiquitous suburban bubble butt known as the RX350...

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia will pay a $100 million fine, the largest in Clean Air Act history, for inflating the fuel economy ratings of their vehicles, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday.

The agreement stemmed from an investigation by the EPA and the Department of Justice into Clean Air Act violations based on the sale of about 1.2 million vehicles with overstated ratings by the two automakers. The inflated fuel economy ratings also resulted in the emission of approximately 4.75 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in excess of what the automakers certified to the EPA.

“This settlement upholds the integrity of the nation’s fuel economy and greenhouse gas programs and supports all Americans who want to save fuel costs and reduce their environmental impact,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Businesses that play by the rules shouldn’t have to compete with those breaking the law.”

The automakers also will spend $50 million on measures to prevent any...