Fuel

With gas prices continuing a steady upward climb, you may be headed to the dealer in search of something less thirsty at the pump. But which cars' sticker price gives you the most bang for your buck? We asked Edmunds.com to look at the vehicles with the lowest sticker price per fuel-economy rating. The math was simple: divide the car's base price by its EPA rating for combined fuel economy. The result gives a look at how much each mile per gallon will cost you. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg Topping the list is Ford's C-Max Energi.

TEHRAN - The stunning landslide election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran's next president highlighted a deep frustration among many Iranians about the direction of their country, especially an economy marred by skyrocketing prices, stagnant salaries and dwindling job opportunities. In explaining their vote for Rowhani, many spoke of change. They alluded not to hot-button international issues such as Iran's contentious nuclear program or its die-hard support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but to the slumping economy that has been especially unforgiving on the young, among whom the unemployment rate reportedly tops 40%. "People want a change in the economic situation," said Saman Hasani, 26, an engineering student who was among many people honking car horns on the streets of Tehran on Saturday evening after the Interior Ministry confirmed Rowhani's victory.

What would it take to get you into an electric car today? Forced by state regulators to sell more zero-emission vehicles, automakers are tripping over each other to offer consumers rock-bottom lease deals. For the first time, electric vehicles are penciling out cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. Honda joined the price war this week by dropping the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. It threw in collision and vehicle theft coverage, maintenance, roadside assistance - even a charging station at your house.

The corner of Pico and Sepulveda boulevards is your standard Westside traffic nightmare, with rush hour commuters inching along at discouraging speeds just blocks from an even more congested 405 Freeway. The intersection, already a subject of bitter conversations among nearby residents, could see thousands more cars each day if the Los Angeles City Council this month signs off on a plan for 638 apartments, a supermarket, new restaurants and possibly a Target store. Backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the so-called Casden West L.A. project is one of the city's most controversial examples of transit-oriented development - shopping and housing concentrated around a planned Expo Line light rail station.

Gas prices are high at the pump and rising higher, and prospective motorcycle buyers -- especially first-time buyers -- often cite fuel efficiency as their No. 1 reason for wanting to swap four wheels for two. It's always a good swap, as far as mileage goes. Even the thirstiest gas-guzzling motorcycles get more miles per gallon than the most economical cars. Honda's road racing CBR1000RR gets a reported 41 mpg, for example, while a big beast like BMW's R1200GS gets close to 50 mpg. A powerful road bike like KTM's 1190 RC8 gets close to 40 mpg, as does a mid-range cruiser like the Moto Guzzi V7. But some motorcycles are really fuel efficient.

Chrysler Group will recall more than 200,000 of its vehicles, including its Ram pickup truck,  Dodge Challengers and Chargers and Jeep Liberty and Patriots for a variety of problems. In the biggest recall, the automaker will inspect and fix about 120,000 Chrysler 300s, and Dodge Challenger and Chargers sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years because of an airbag problem. The wrong-sized crimps were used in building the airbag wiring harness, and that can can cause the airbag warning light to illuminate.

A former government contractor was charged with making false statements as military investigators probed the apparent theft of nearly $40 million in fuel from a U.S. Army base in Iraq. Lee William Dubois of Lexington, S.C., was arrested at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. At an initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Dubois was ordered held pending a detention hearing Monday. In a court affidavit, an Army investigator said Dubois and his conspirators stole 10.5 million gallons of jet and diesel fuel valued at $39.6 million from Camp Liberty in Baghdad.

Southern California Edison built San Onofre's two nuclear reactors in about nine years, but tearing them down will be a technically complex, multibillion-dollar job completed over decades. It is likely that Edison first will mothball the plant, which under federal rules could keep its imposing imprint on the Orange-San Diego County coastline for another half-century. When the plant does come down, it will be a massive job. Tons of highly radioactive fuel now stored in pools will have to cool before the rods can be moved to concrete pads outdoors.

Auto leasing deals abound these days, with offers that often seem too good to be true. How about a well-equipped Honda Accord for $250 a month with no down payment or any other drive-off fees? Or better yet, $199 a month for a Chevrolet Malibu? So, what's the catch? There isn't any if you know what you're getting into. There are always details. You need top-tier credit to qualify. You pay a penalty if you turn that Honda in with more than 36,000 miles. And the payment is not $250 a month because of that little matter of tax. It is more like $275, depending on where you live.

What does it take to go from a sixth-generation 2013 Corvette to the seventh-generation 2014 model? $1,400. Chevrolet on Friday announced pricing for the all-new C7 Corvette Stingray. The car will start at $51,995, including destination. The Stingray convertible will start at $56,995. PHOTOS: Seven generations of Corvettes Both models reflect a $1,400 increase over the outgoing Corvette. That extra money buys you a lot of changes, not the least of which is the controversial styling.

For two decades, some Jeep SUV models have shown an alarming tendency to burst into flames after rear-end collisions. At least 51 people have died. On Tuesday, after a two-year investigation, federal safety regulators identified a likely cause -- defective fuel tanks -- and called for parent company Chrysler to issue a massive recall of 2.7 million vehicles. The decision marked a victory for safety advocates who have compared the Jeep fires to the 1970s crisis involving fire-prone Ford Pintos.

Mortgage rates have risen half a percentage point since setting record lows last fall, and many economists expect them to continue rising for the foreseeable future. The increase, a reaction to the improving economy and housing markets, could fuel already hot housing markets as potential home buyers look to seal a deal before rates rise any further. "I think rates will drift slowly higher," said economist Christopher Thornberg, head of the West L.A. consulting firm Beacon Economics.

BEIRUT - With violence increasingly spilling over Syria's borders, refugees swamping its neighbors and new arms transfers to both sides on the horizon, a solution to the Syrian conflict has rarely seemed so urgent - and so far beyond reach. U.S. and Russian officials this month raised hope for a peace conference that could lead to a transitional government and, eventually, free elections. The accord between Washington and Moscow, long at loggerheads on Syria, followed a United Nations-backed formula long ignored as outside powers on both sides pushed their Syrian proxies for victory.

Home prices are soaring at a pace not seen since the housing boom, giving a much-needed boost to the larger economy. The rebound is helping homeowners recover losses from the crash and giving them confidence to spend. And that's raising the fortunes of banks, builders and investors - all reflected in a Tuesday rally on Wall Street. Home prices rose 10.9% in March compared with the same month last year, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 U.S. cities. Fueled by strong demand and tight supply, that was the strongest annual jump since April 2006.

BAGHDAD - Car bombs around Iraq killed at least 65 people Monday amid the worst wave of violence in the country since U.S. troops withdrew a year and a half ago. The attacks, which occurred along busy commercial streets in Shiite and Sunni areas, followed a string of bombings and other attacks last week that killed more than 200 people. The ongoing violence has stoked the impression among Iraqis that the country is sliding back into chaos reminiscent of the civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives between 2005 and 2008.

It looks like a truck, drives like a truck and hauls like a truck. So the 2013 Ram 1500 is, you guessed it, very much a truck. This is despite the fact that beneath the handsome sheet metal are two key elements that, until recently, would have disqualified it from many full-size-truck buyers' lists: an eight-speed transmission and a V-6 engine. Both are new additions for the current Ram truck, which received a thorough mid-life makeover for the 2013 model year. The new drivetrain and thoughtful upgrades mean this truck is well positioned to take on the longtime sales champ - the Ford F-150 - as well as all-new full-size pickups from Chevrolet and Toyota due out later this year.

"At the California Institute of Technology, they're developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars," President Obama said in his Jan. 25 State of the Union address. He was referring to the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis , or JCAP, where a team of California scientists are taking a multi-pronged approach to try to engineer a clean, cheap energy source from the sun. The project will be led by Caltech's Nathan Lewis, a chemist. Caltech physicist Harry Atwater is also part of the newly formed Department of Energy-funded project.

Cincinnati Bengals player Terrell Owens' life hasn't exactly been private over the past few years. But those who've followed his personal ups and downs might be less familiar with the athlete's unwavering dedication to his sport, his fitness and his physical health. "I've been in the game for 15 years now," he said, speaking at "Conversations on Beauty, Health & Wellness," Saturday's daylong event sponsored by LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine. "I have to motivate and push myself at all times.

Automakers are spending billions of dollars to squeeze efficiency from a car part most people never think twice about - the transmission. Over the next five years, many new vehicles will have transmissions with up to 10 speeds, replacing the mostly six-speed transmissions in cars now. Though designed for refinement and performance, the transmissions aim mostly to help meet stricter federal fuel economy and pollution standards. "We are trying to extract efficiency out of every subsystem of the vehicle," said Mircea Gradu, vice president of transmission and driveline engineering at Chrysler Group.

California's entrance last month into the Powerball lottery game is helping swell the jackpot, which now stands at  more than $600 million. “California joined and all of a sudden everyone's luck ran out,” California Lottery spokesman Alex Traverso joked. Traverso said officials expect about $10 million in California ticket sales Friday. On the Friday of a record-setting Mega Millions draw, he said tickets were selling in California at a pace of $5 million worth per hour.