Toyota, Honda, and Nissan all support the White House’s revised CAFE standards, but still view market response as an obstacle. All three companies dabble in hybrids or electric vehicles, so it’s less of a surprise that they’re willing to accept these higher standards. All three CEOs of their North American divisions have issued statements, to...
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Ford concealed documents pertaining to a case it won in 2010, according to a Florida judge who has thrown out its verdict. In 2003, two people were injured in a 1991 Aerostar that suddenly accelerated into a telephone pole, seriously injuring them. The case went to court in 2010, and during the trial Ford argued...
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Ford will invest over $1 billion in new factories located in northwest India, to better capture its growing market. The plants will build around 250,000 cars aimed at two sectors Ford lags in sales, the Asian and African markets—including India itself, where car sales grew 29% in the last year, with 2.5 million cars. Ford only...
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The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to remove its controversial red light cameras, citing difficulties in enforcing them. According to the photo-enforcement law, paying its tickets was merely “voluntary,” which is an excuse that might not work for your next school-zone speeding ticket. Only 60% of tickets issued were actually paid. Naturally, accusations of...
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GM has spent a not-insubstantial sum on Sunlogics, a manufacturer of solar energy systems, in order to supply its Chevrolet dealerships with environmentally-friendly charging stations. GM’s cash injection will also provide over 300 jobs in Detroit and Ontario for when Sunlogic expands their manufacturing bases. In addition, GM’s facilities will install solar arrays en masse...
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Still plagued by the effects of the March 11th earthquake, Toyota won’t be able to turn a profit Stateside until September. Sales of Toyotas have been plummeting since May: 33% then and 21% in June, and a projected 21-33% for the month of July. This comes on a total 4% slide from the first quarter,...
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The barter system is alive and well, it seems, with the offer of a free goat (the animal kind, not the Pontiac kind). But it’s not what you think—on many different levels. The company in question is Flyin’ Miata, which is well-known in the Miata world for their go-fast products. And if you buy a...
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Fiat and Chrysler can get to know each other a little better, now that CEO Sergio Marchionne has introduced a single team to manage both companies. And it’s quite a shake-up: Fiat, Chrysler, and Lancia get new CEOs, while Fiat-Chrysler gets four regional executives to oversee the company in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Marchionne...
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The video (below the jump) is the stunt that was most voted on by fans of the Mercedes-Benz Facebook page. So if it’s not extreme enough, you have a lot of people to blame. How about a C111 rotary gullwing jumping the St. Lawrence? Why not a bunch of E-Class convertibles and GLKs in a symphonic...
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At 20/28 MPG city and highway, Ford‘s Ecoboosted Explorer is the most efficient seven-passenger SUV on the market. With 28 MPG on the highway that’s 3 more than a Highlander, 4 more than a Traverse, and 5 more than both the Highlander and Grand Cherokee. Not bad for a four-cylinder. Four pistons in an SUV, of course,...
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Plug-in technology aren’t just the darling of shoe-shaped hybrids anymore. Ford’s F-Series heavy-duty trucks are getting the chance to ride the lightning, and it could mean sweeping changes in the commercial truck segment. Don’t look for this on the popular F-150 yet, however. Think bigger. The commercial F-550 Super Duty will get the first plug-in...
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If Ford has any say, the CD player could go the way of the cassette, 8-track, and the phonograph: because what are ya, some kind of Metamucil-chuggin’ geezer? Time to throw out that David Bowie’s Greatest Hits CD, because digital media is the only route for Ford and its SYNC system. The well-publicized “infotainment hub”...
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The White House announced earlier that it would be lowering its CAFE standard from 56.5 MPG to 54. The proposal, however, won’t be finalized until Friday—and until then, the White House is looking towards automakers to approve the change. Automakers have yet to officially endorse the new limits, but many are expected to favor any CAFE...
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Some good news for this recession: according to J.D. Power and Associates, the cars on sale today are more appealing than ever before—all the better to win consumers in this difficult economy. Most appealing? How is J.D. Power able to gauge this seemingly-subjective criteria? Through customer surveys of 80 vehicle attributes, combined with sales figures,...
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There’s more auction madness from Bonhams, but this time they’re flaunting their BMW love: the single-marque auction entitled “Power By BMW” will feature some rare historic BMW race cars and concepts, including the 1969 BMW/Bertone “Spicup” pictured above. First introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, the Spicup was based on a shortened 2000 CS drivetrain with...
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There’s a scene in the movie Just Married—scratch that, every comedy about Europe ever—where the main characters squeeze themselves into a hopelessly small rental car that may or may not be a Smart, and then zany hijinks ensue. But those traveling to Europe might get the chance to rent something a little more exciting than...
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Imagine you’re Indian royalty. Your favorite hobby is the Most Dangerous Game, the hunting of wild tigers in the wilderness—as befitting a maharaja. Such a gentlemanly pursuit requires only the most luxurious and extravagant of conveyances: when blasting tigers with a Browning 30-06 machine gun (the choice of professionals!), why would you settle for anything...
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After much debate, the White House has lowered its CAFE target for 2025 from 62 MPG to 54.5. The original 62 MPG figure has been dragged through the dirt before, having previously been lowered to 56.2 before this current figure. But now, the 1.7-mpg drop helps ease the concerns, however slightly, expressed by the auto...
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Toyota’s Prius plug-in hybrid has been testing in London, all the better to usurp the Continent’s diesels in favor of its “27% better” electric cord. What does this “27% better” get you? Well, Toyota says, the Prius plug-in takes 27% less fuel than a diesel after a full charge, which takes around 72 minutes. As...
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For any car guy worth his mettle, the one Fiat to look forward to hasn’t been the cabriolet, the electric one, or even the Gucci edition—it’s been the fire-breathing Abarth, the one we thought would only be sequestered in the Italian boot. But we Yanks are indeed getting the Abarth, and we’ll get a glimpse...
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Pharmacy giant Walgreens is planning to add electric car chargers to 800 of its stores, which will be handy if you actually spend a lot of time at Walgreens. So far, 60 stores across the country have been upgraded with Level 3 chargers, which can refill a Nissan Leaf to 80% of full capacity in...
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If the Transformers really wanted to blend in with Earth technology in order to fight the Decepticons, they probably wouldn’t have transformed into a rare Corvette prototype, a flame-job purple 18-wheeler, or a bright yellow Camaro. After all, those aren’t exactly inconspicuous. You know what is, however? A Chevrolet Cruze. That’s why the Cruze gets...
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Chrysler head of design, CEO of motorsports and rad dude Ralph Gilles recently talked about the future of SRT and the next Dodge Viper, as well as confirming this: there will be no new Dodge Magnum. Appearing on Fox Car Report, Gilles noted the popularity of the fast wagon and mentioned that he misses it; despite...
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With the allegations of bent frames, the Ford Raptor has had some wind taken out of its off-roading sails. The outcry from its owners has made SVT Chief Nameplate Engineer Jamal Hameedi come out of hiding to answer some questions. Speaking to Autoblog, Hameedi believes that the frame bending isn’t a Ford issue, and one of owner...
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