The 2012 Ford Focus is being eagerly awaited by those looking to buy a car in the C-segment of the market, which includes cars like the Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cruze. However, if you want to achieve the claimed 40-mpg fuel rating, you’ll have to choose the Focus SE SFE (Super Fuel Economy) model....
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Tata has been trying to dip its toe into the wild, wacky world of the European automobile market ever since they released their $2,500 Nano supermini. They made an attempt at appeasing discerning European customers with the Nano Europa, an “upscale” Nano with alloy wheels, power steering, and an extra cylinder (bringing the total to...
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We’re all familiar with the Smart ForTwo, which is a polarizing vehicle to say the least, but initial impressions of their newest concept, the Forspeed EV Roadster, which debuted at the Geneva Auto Show, are all lining up in one direction, and it’s not exactly positive. Sure, the chopped roof and windshield are kind of...
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The Kia Rio used to have the ignominious honor of being a “penalty box”, a car you didn’t want to spend time in unless absolutely necessary. But with the upswing in quality from Kia, and shared underpinnings from the promising new Hyundai Accent, the all-new Rio, shown for the first time at the Geneva Auto...
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Diesel hot hatches have always been a bit of an oddity – one would think that a big, heavy diesel engine would throw off the superb balance and lightweight that are the hallmarks of most front-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks, but the MINI Cooper SD is one diesel hot hatch that deserves the benefit of the doubt...
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The Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet has always been a 4-wheeled shot of estrogen, and the new car, is no exception. While at first glance the Golf Cabrio looks identical identical to the Volkswagen Eos, the two cars have a couple key differences. The Cabrio shuns the complex folding hardtop used on the Eos in favor of...
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In Germany, the Volkswagen Microbus was affectionately known as the “Bulli”, proving that terms of endearment and the German language aren’t always compatible. While Volkswagen had a false start with their Microbus concept in 2001, the same idea is back 10 years later, and it manages to be even more contemporary while still providing Baby...
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One strange aspect about the Chevrolet Cruze hatchbackhas less cargo room than its sedan counterparty. While the Cruze sedan has 450 liters of cargo space, the hatchback has 50 fewer liters because of the model’s shorter rear overhang. Nevertheless, 65 percent of vehicles sold in Europe are hatchbacks, and a Cruze hatch is a necessity...
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Although Chrysler initially planned for an ambitious 165 dealer roll-out for their Fiat brand, so far only 12 dealers nationwide are operational, 8 more expected by the end of the week. Fiat said in September, 2010 that it wanted to see their dealerships open by the end of February, but only 30 to 40 franchises...
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The production version of the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback has broken cover ahead of its debut at the Geneva Auto Show, and interestingly has less cargo room than its sedan counterparty. While the Cruze sedan has 450 liters of cargo space, the hatchback has 50 fewer liters on account of the shorter rear overhang. Nevertheless, 65...
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Fiat and Gucci are among the strongest brands to emerge from Italy, and now they have partnered up to bring you a special edition version of the 500 super-mini. Creatively named the Fiat 500 by Gucci, the car is customized by Frida Giannini, the creative director of Gucci. The introduction of this special edition which...
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Giorgetto Giuigiaro and design studio Italdesign have given us a glimpse of two Volkswagen concepts set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Italdesign has collaborated with Volkswagen in the past, with the original Golf and Scirocco widely considered as classics of design. They’ve gone on to pen the Volkswagen W12 concept and...
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The Forspeed concept is Smart‘s interpretation of a zero-emissions roadster, based on the only vehicle Smart currently builds: its Fortwo city car. It’s designed to complement the rest of Smart’s electric transportation lineup for really small vehicles, which includes a scooter and a bicycle. The squat, roofless car features huge, ringed headlights reminiscent of eyelashes,...
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If car makers like Ford, GM and others are to really have a fighting chance and selling practical low priced cars in India, perhaps the success of the Ambassador is something they need to consider at least in the short term.
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Mazda‘s announcement regarding a SKYACTIV diesel engine in future products had car geeks hoping for a diesel Mazda3, but it looks like the oil-burner will actually make an appearance on the mid-size Mazda6, putting it squarely against the updated Volkswagen Passat, which will be available with a TDI diesel engine. While details on the SKY-D...
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The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a non-profit group sponsored by foundations, electric utilities and government agencies, released its list of the Greenest Vehicles, and the Honda Civic GX, a perennial favorite, continued to come out on top for the 8th consecutive year. In second place was the all-electric Nissan Leaf, while the much...
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While rumors of the new BMW sub-brand have been floating around for months, February 21st has been marked as the official announcement date for details the sub-brand, and the apparently revolutionary MegaCity electric vehicle. Many suggest that the new sub-brand will be a re-imagining of the Isetta microcar of nearly a half century ago, and...
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Honda has announced a recall of 700,000 Fits worldwide, with 97,000 in the U.S., for a problem with valvetrain springs, which may break and cause the engine to stall. The recall has caused no injuries so far, yet Honda is taking no chances: the recall covers the Fit, the Freed and the City models across...
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The new Chevrolet Cruze can add one more trophy to its case, being awarded the 2011 Canadian Car of the Year today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The Cruze beat out the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Jetta TDI to receive the honor from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada. Last year the...
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A fire at a Toyota assembly plant in Japan temporarily halted production at a facility that assembles the Prius, Camry and Scion tC. The fire broke out around 10 A.M. but was put out by now. Toyota reports that no production equipment was damaged, but the fire did affect the factory’s ceiling. An investigation is being...
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Suzuki is recalling their SX4 compact and Grand Vitara SUV over a faulty tensioner pulley that could cause steering difficulties and engine stalling if it causes the accessory belt to detach while driving. Dealers will replace the pulley at no charge starting February 16th. The recall affects 32,291 vehicles. [Source: NHTSA] Hit the jump to read the...
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While speaking to Motor Trend, Fiat USA head Laura Soave told the magazine that in addition to new variants of the Fiat 500, there will be a new subcompact car arriving sometime around 2013, with a focus on the needs of the United States market. Soave did not specify what body styles would be offered,...
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In Europe, hot-hatch enthusiasts can enjoy a faster version of the Golf in the form of the GTI, or they can go absolutely mad with the V6-engined, all-wheel drive Golf R32. But while they can also buy the Polo GTI, Volkswagen isn’t so sure about building a quicker and AWD version of the smaller hatch....
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Despite our initial reservations, we grew to adore the Nissan Juke, even though it’s styling could politely be described as “interesting”. Whether the Infiniti Etherea concept will do the same is a question only time can answer, but so far we’re not quite as enthusiastic about the concept car’s looks than Infiniti might like us...
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