NHTSA has announced a safety recall for 10,600 model year 2007-2008 Kia Sorento SUVs. A sensor used to deactivate an airbag when a child or baby seat is installed at the front passenger side may incorrectly deactivate the airbag when an adult is in the passenger seat. Airbag deactivation will cause an increased risk of...
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The 2012 Ford Focus will get a 1.0L 3-Cylinder Ecoboost engine, but it will only be offered in the North American market. Ford says that the motor will make 118 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque at just 1300 rpm. An overboost feature will provide short bursts of up to 147 lb-ft of torque, while...
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Today, Ford Motor Company announced the official end of the Panther Platform, which has served as the underpinning of numerous Ford products, including the Ford Crown Victoria and the Lincoln Town Car, since 1979. Arguably one of the most successful products in automotive history, sales amongst fleet buyers for the Town Car remained strong and...
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The last Jaguar to offer all-wheel drive was the X-Type, a compact sedan that was ignored by the U.S. marketplace. But that isn’t detering Jaguar from planning to offer AWD on their XF and XJ sedans. With a significant portion of Jaguar customers based on the East Coast, Jaguar needs to offer AWD for customers...
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Chevrolet cranks up its production capacity for the fourth quarter as the Azia Avto plant in Kazakhstan agrees to support the production of three new Chevy models. As the largest automaker in Kazakhstan, the Azia Avto plant is responsible for more than 87 percent of all passenger cars in the country. GM considers Kazakhstan and areas...
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Earlier this week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Infiniti released teaser sketches of their upcoming Nissan Leaf-based Infiniti electric sedan concept. As if that wasn’t enough to stir the press, Nissan’s global communications chief Andy Palmer informed the media of an upcoming Infiniti mid-engine electric sports car as well. The car will use many of...
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Subaru has recalled 69, 590 2011 Outback and Legacy models over defective sunroofs. Vehicles manufactured between August 3, 2010 and July 1, 2011 can have the sunroof’s glass panel detach from the sunroof entirely. This could understandably cause a serious safety hazard to owners and occupants, as well as other vehicles on the road. Owners can contact Subaru...
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After decades of borrowing powertrains from Ford, Renault, Toyota and other OEMs, Lotus has revealed some of the first pictures of a working engine, designed and built in-house. From the photo released on Facebook, the engine appears to be a DOHC V8 with a racy looking intake plenum and airbox setup, similar to an Italian...
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Unlike American auto shows where where tuners are segregated off into some basement hall, at the Frankfurt Auto Show they’re invited to join in on the action. Sharing hall space with the likes of Land Rover, Lotus and Jaguar, tuners such as Brabus, Mansory and TechArt. Highlights include the new Brabus 800 ‘Rocket’, the TechArt...
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When it comes to bizarre concept cars, the Tokyo Auto Show might be the traditional winner, but when it comes to production time, often things end up looking like a Camry. Not so for those baguette-loving Frenchmen (and women). From Citroen, to Renault, to Peugeot, their production cars are plenty strange and the concepts that...
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After having showcased numerous new concept cars at the past several auto shows, one might expect that Lotus had dried up its reserve of new car news. Not so. At the Frankfurt Auto Show the British manufacturer had on display six new or newish models. Many won’t make their way to North America, but some...
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Just a week after Lexus confirmed its LFA Nurburgring Edition had set a new lap record on the Green Hell, Dodge has one-upped the Japanese automaker. With a 7:12 time, the now out of production ACR’s time is a solid two seconds ahead of the $400,000 LFA supercar. With a 32-hp advantage on the LFA,...
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The Aston Martin special edition gravy train continues to roll through Frankfurt with the DBS Carbon Edition, giving wealthy owners a reason to keep upgrading to a new model. Changes are absolutely minimal; 10 spoke gloss black diamond wheels, a quilted leather headliner and the option of either orange or black leather upholstery. Outside, Carbon Black,...
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Volkswagen will halt its practice of acquiring auto makers as a means of boosting its total sales volume, according a report by Bloomberg. With Volkswagen in place to become the world’s second largest automaker, the company’s massive stable of brands, which includes Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Lamborghini, Audi and Bugatti, will remain static, with...
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Infiniti will adopt Mercedes-Benz’s small car architecture, used to underpin the front-drive B-Class, as part of the technology sharing agreement signed between the two companies. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told Autocar that “you’d be very surprised if in five or six years that Mercedes and Renault/Nissan had only cooperated on small cars,” signalling a much wider...
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According to the EPA, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will receive a lower rating than GM’s optimistic 40-mpg figure. The standard model with a five-speed manual transmission, powered by a 1.8L four-cylinder with 135-hp is getting an EPA-estimated 26/35/29-mpg rating for city/highway/combined. The six-speed automatic transmission is just slightly less at 25/35/28-mpg. The 1.4L turbocharged four-cylider...
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BMW says that the 2012 M5 delivers 9.9 liters per 100 km (23.75 mpg US) in the EU combined test cycle, a gain of some 30 percent over the old and much lamented E60 chassis, V-10 powered version.
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It’s surprising to learn that with all the information out there about the dangers of distracted driving, according to a recent Virginia Tech study, it is still responsible for 80 percent of all car crashes. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted driving is the main factor for about 5,500 automotive fatalities...
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The teasing starts early as Infiniti takes an opportunity at the Frankfurt Auto Show to hint at the public of a future zero emission luxury vehicle. This sketch gives us another look at Infiniti’s design movement. First seen in the 2009 Infiniti Essence Concept, the trademark indented surface treatment trailing the quarter window will make...
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Not long after Mercedes-Benz revealed their C-Coupe DTM car, Audi went ahead and one-upped their German rival with the launch of the A5 DTM. Like most DTM cars, the A5 DTM has nothing in common with its road car sibling. The A5 DTM uses a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis and a 455 horsepower V8 as well...
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It’s only been a mere six months since Japan was devastated by earthquake and tsunami, but on September 13, 2011, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing Executive Vice President Steve St. Angelo proudly announced that all Toyota models in the North American line-up have finally returned to 100 percent production. Just weeks after the quake hit...
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The highlight of Volkswagen‘s press conference at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the Up! was designed as a spiritual successor to the original Beetle. Priced at 9,850 Euros (roughly $13,500) it is intended to be the new “people’s car”. That is, if the people you’re referring to are numbered four or less. You see, the diminutive...
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According to official stats from Audi, the new 2012 S6 will sprint from 0-100 km (0-62 mph) in just 4.8 seconds; the S7 in 4.9; while the S8 will do the same jaunt in just 4.8 seconds. All three cars are limited to a stop speed of 155 mph and are said to return at...
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Honda unveiled a new five-door Civic designed specifically for Europe at the Frankfurt Auto Show. According to Takanobu Ito, Honda Motor president and chief executive officer, the new Civic was tested on European roads more than any other Honda model produced. The hatchback Honda Civic will arrive in European showrooms in early 2012 with...
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