With only about three weeks until 2012, the Australian car market could end 2011 with a new best-selling sedan for the first time in 15 years. Although the Holden Commodore has been Australia’s favorite and a sales leader since 1997, Australia’s Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed that the Mazda3 has currently sold 301 more...
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While Chevy‘s Volt is having to battle some major negative press, Nissan‘s Leaf is celebrating its first birthday with over 19,000 owners who have given the world over 32-million gas-free miles. To celebrate its first birthday, Nissan employed the assistance of electrical sockets to sing the Leaf its birthday song. Dubbed “Singing Sockets”, the video/commercial...
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Out in Germany, a new vehicle must be inspected after three years by the TÜV, similar to America’s state-level emissions and inspection process (albeit much more rigorous). After that, residents of Germany then have to get their vehicles inspected every two years and each visit involves an extremely thorough inspection of your vehicle. Failing the...
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For decades, we’ve known Ford crate engines to be huge V8 powerplants packing plenty of cubic inches and power. But Ford has been quietly offering a 2.0L inline-four from its old Focus for midget racers but very few even paid attention to that option. Now Ford has added their new-generation 2.0L Focus engine and looks...
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The slow-selling Fiat 500 hit another snag after NHTSA gave the compact car a three-star crash test rating, a dismal score in an era where five-star ratings are practically ubiquitous. While the 500 got four stars in the frontal crash and rollover tests, the side impact result was a poor two stars. Only the now-dead...
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MINI wanted to celebrate its return to the world of rallying with the MINI WRC Team in the FIA World Rally Championship by offering a new accessories package for Cooper S and SD Countryman owners. The MINI John Cooper Works Championship tuning package pays homage to MINI’s new rally star and gives owners a nice...
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The Audi A3 was caught by our spy photographers undergoing winter testing in Sweden. Despite heavy camoflague, we already know what the next A3 will look like – look at any current Audi for clues to what the front and rear treatments will resemble. The new A3 will come in three and five door variants...
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Amid news of an introduction for both the Cadillac ATS and Chevrolet Sonic RS at this year’s 2012 North American International Auto Show comes news of a third vehicle – a Buick crossover – that will also make its debut. The crossover will reportedly be based on a platform that underpins the Opel Meriva (above)...
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The Chevrolet Volt was a big part of the restructuring deal General Motors had with the Obama Administration, when it applied for bail-out money. Now that the vehicle is here, it is not without its problems. Sales of this plug-in hybrid have not been great, and these days, everyone is talking about the recent crash-related...
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While the revival of the Fiat brand in North America and the acquisition of Chrysler suggested financial strength within the automaker, it seems no company is immune to the current global economic downturn. According to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, “a better line of sight” into Europe’s financial situation and its future is required before resuming Fiat’s...
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Car and Driver’s annual 10Best Cars awards are back and while other publications focus on the best new cars of the year, what makes Car And Driver’s 10Best unique is its consideration of all vehicles that are currently on sale. The rules of the 10Best list state that winners from the previous year get an...
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Honda is having a pretty tough year compared to its competitors, with an unsuccessful North American Civic refresh and the floods in Thailand hurting their production. Just how tough has this year been for Honda? They’re the only large automaker to post a US sales decline last month, when total sales jumped 14-percent throughout the...
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Toyota has issued a recall for 2010-2011 Corollas and 2011 Siennas sold through Southeast Toyota Distributors (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina) that were installed with non-Toyota aftermarket entertainment, navigation and Bluetooth systems on the A-pillar. The dealer-installed aftermarket equipment may not have been installed properly with the retention clip for the A-pillar trim...
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Dodge revealed teaser shots of their Dart compact car, designed to replace the wretched Caliber crossover, and so far it looks to be the first hit of Alfa Romeo-inspired product for North America. Using the underpinings of the lovely Alfa Giulietta compact, the Dart will use a 1.4L turbocharged Fiat MultiAir engine – good for...
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Volkswagen‘s Chattanooga manufacturing plant has become the first and only automotive manufacturing facility in the world to receive a Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). From the onset, Volkswagen had designed their Chattanooga plant, where their popular Passat is produced, to be as green as...
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Subaru‘s BRZ GT300 race car is looking fabulous on the track, but we couldn’t help but wonder where Toyota‘s GT 86 race car was at the Tokyo Motor Show. Apparently nowhere, maybe not even on the minds of Toyota engineers responsible for their GT300 race car. Rather than usher in a new era of racing...
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For nearly two decades, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (more commonly known as just the ‘Evo’) has been the benchmark sports sedan around the world. It might have arrived a bit late in the American market, only going on sale in 2003 with the Evo VIII model, but it has well-established itself as a giant killer...
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The current state of economy and the ever rising price of fuel is changing car buying habits in American households. Where once mid-size sedans like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry ruled, those spots are now being replaced by smaller cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra (above). Consumer survey specialists...
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Volkswagen has its redesigned Passat to thank as the brand as a whole posted a 41-percent increase in November sales compared to last year’s November. But it’s not all just Passat sales, as other popular VW models enjoyed success compared to last year. Volkswagen’s Jetta sales rose 16-percent from November 2010 to the tune of...
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Just when we thought absolutely nothing negative about Hyundai could hit the press, this happens. A group called Consumer Watchdog has requested that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigate Hyundai’s MPG claim on their popular Elantra model. Hyundai states that the Elantra can get 29-mpg city, 40-mpg highway with a 33-mpg average, but Consumer...
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General Motors is clearly taking the initiative in doing damage control with their Chevrolet Volt, first offering free loaners to Volt owners during the NHTSA investigation, and now offering to buy back Volts from any concerned owner. GM reassured that the cars are safe, but will have no reservations in purchasing back the vehicles. They...
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GM set a lofty goal of selling 10,000 Chevrolet Volts in 2011 and has finally admitted that they won’t be able to hit their target sales mark this year and probably won’t be achieved until sometime in early 2012. Through the first 11 months of the year, Chevrolet has successfully moved 6,142 Volts while their...
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Some good news for Chevrolet‘s Volt has hit the news today, with Consumer Reports saying that the electric car has the single highest rate of owner satisfaction of any car this year. CR did also mention that the survey was conducted prior to the media’s reports of the battery-pack fires, but it appears that the...
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In an attempt to address these concerns, Fiat recently hired Tim Kuniskis as its new North American head, replacing Laura Soave, who has left after just 20 months on the job.
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