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2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year finalists revealed

The finalists for the 2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year were announced Tuesday at AutoMobility LA ahead of the 2016 LA Auto Show. Approximately 60 judges, including Autoblog's editor-in-chief Mike Austin, evaluated over 40 vehicles and named three models as the finalists in each category. The award for the Utility Vehicle of the Year is new for 2017 and separates SUVs, crossovers, and minivans from pickup trucks. The finalists are: Car of the Year: Chevrolet Bolt Genesis G90 Volvo S90 Truck of the Year: Ford F-Series Super Duty Honda Ridgeline Nissan Titan Utility Vehicle of the Year Chrysler Pacifica Jaguar F-Pace Mazda CX-9 The winners for the 24th annual NACTOY awards will be named on January 9 at the Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: Chevrolet Chrysler Ford Honda Jaguar Mazda Nissan Truck Crossover Minivan/Van SUV Electric Luxury Sedan north american car of the year NACTOY

North Carolina now charging $100-per-year EV road-use fee

Tobacco Road just got a little more expensive for drivers of electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S. This year, North Carolina started instituting an annual $100 road-use fee for electric-vehicle drivers in order to close at least a little of the budgetary shortfall for road maintenance in the Tar Heel State, the News Observer reports. North Carolina legislators failed to green-light a hybrid-vehicle fee of $50 a year, which may have made a little more of a dent in the state's road funding. As it is, about 1,600 EVs are registered in North Carolina, meaning that the state will collect about $160,000 in such fees this year. And while some in the state are concerned that the fee could hurt EV adoption, others say it's fair because of the $7,500 in federal tax credits EV buyers get. Oh, and the fact that EV drivers don't pay gasoline taxes. Either way, the fees are a proverbial drop in the bucket, as North Carolina's transportation shortfall is estimated to average about $2 billion a year during the next three decades or so. Other states are starting to charge EV drivers a road-use fee as well. Last February, Washington State began instituting its own electric-vehicle fee of $100 per annum, and a number of other states are considering similar policies. News Source: News Observer via EV WorldImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco/AOL Government/Legal Green Nissan Electric north carolina

Mitsubishi admits to tampering with fuel economy data

Mitsubishi admitted this week to intentionally rigging fuel-economy testing in four of its models sold in Asia. The affected models are all so-called Kei class cars with sub-660cc engines manufactured at Mitsubishi's Mizushima plant in Okayama, Japan. About 157,000 of those cars are Mitsubishi eK wagons and eK Space models, and 468,000 are re-badged Nissan Dayz and Dayz Roox cars, which Mitsubishi produces for Nissan. The matter came to light after Nissan found inconsistencies in reported mileage data, which then led to Mitsubishi launching an internal investigation. The fraud was discovered to be related to falsified tire pressure data, which has an effect on mileage results – an important matter considering these kinds of vehicles are marketed by fuel economy. Mitsubishi said it has stopped manufacturing and marketing the affected vehicles. The news caused Mitsubishi's stock to plummet over 15 percent, slicing $1.2 billion off the company's value. When the eK models hit the market three years ago, they were decorated with a Good Design Award by the Japanese Ministry of Economy – a merit that is now surely tarnished. While Mitsubishi has been suffering in the US recently, with news of the Normal, Illinois plant closing, its small Mirage model has sold well. Related Video: Image Credit: Getty Images Green Plants/Manufacturing Mitsubishi Nissan Fuel Efficiency Hatchback Minivan/Van kei cars minicars