India’s Mahindra will buy troubled Korean carmaker Ssangyong for $463 million, with Mahindra gaining a 70% stake in the company. The deal is expected to conclude in March, 2011. “Together with its financial capability, Mahindra offers competence in sourcing and marketing strategy while Ssangyong has strong capabilities in technology,” Mahindra President Pawan Goenka said in...
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Mitsubishi recently reached a milestone with the completion of their 5000th i-MiEV electric car, which rolled off the line at its Mizushima plant this week. After starting production in June of 2009, the i-MiEV has been a hit in Japan, and will make its debut in America in late 2011 after being unveiled at the...
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The re-designed Mazda5, the smallest minivan available for sale in North America, will go on sale with a base price of $19,990 starting in January of 2011. The Mazda5 will come in three trim levels, with the base trim being Sport, Touring being the mid-level and Grand Touring acting as a top of the line...
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General Motors is harnessing the small car expertise of their Daewoo division to develop two new small cars, an upscale hatchback to be branded as a Vauxhall or Opel products, and a smaller, less expensive version likely to be sold as a Chevrolet. The new cars are expected to slot in below the diminutive Corsa,...
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Are company cars destined to be a relic of the past? Probably not, but companies are begging to adopt a new kind of corporate vehicle, one that can be paid for by the hour and operated by Hertz or Zipcar, two of the biggest names in auto-sharing programs. An article in the New York Times focuses on...
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Subaru has released a video of their new Impreza Concept floating around a futuristic make-believe highway while funky new age music plays in the background. The two minute clip, looking remarkably similar to the types of videos shown at press launches, doesn’t really give any new information on the Impreza, but we do know that...
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With the Fiat 500 having just launched at the LA Auto Show, the aftermarket has already started releasing plenty of toys for the Italian economy car. Set to debut at the Essen Motorshow in Germany later this month, Hamann and H&R have teamed up to release their Fiat 500 rendition and there’s quite the surprise...
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Toyota‘s iQ microcar will get a fully electric version in 2011, the Japanese automaker has confirmed. The iQ will come as part of a plan to launch 11 hybrid or electric vehicles by 2012, including a hybrid version of the Yaris hatchback, a plug-in version of the Prius Hybrid and a Prius-based minivan. In a...
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This television ad, the first Fiat has produced for North American in almost 30 years, is longer than your average 30 second spot, and makes it clear that the new 500 isn’t just for the teeming masses, but people who like to enjoy life. Filled with images of happy people and young families, the Fiat...
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Fiat released their list of retail outlets in the United States and Canada, and one interesting tidbit jumped out at us. While 99% of Fiat franchises are paired with Chrysler dealers, one company, the Remo Ferri Group of Automobiles, which operates two Ferrari locations in the Toronto area, is listed as a distributor. A more...
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Hyundai has just added to the attractive qualities of its all-new 2011 Elantra sedan by announcing a new base price of $14,830. This is on top of the beautiful new exterior and the 40-mpg highway rating that Hyundai is promising for all models – not just special Eco models, like Chevy’s Cruze that cost a...
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And although a few 500s will be arriving in dealerships next month, none will be officially sold until January 2011, and even then they’ll only be trickling out in small numbers.
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Toyota‘s venerable Corolla gets a mild refresh for 2011, and the updated compact will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Toyota claims it enlisted the help of stylists in Turin, Italy, and the result is still somehow Toyota-like in the front, with the back end looking pretty good for a Corolla. Engine choices remain...
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Nissan is set to recall nearly 14,000 2010 and 2011 Sentras due to an engine malfunction that could cause the motor to cut out while the vehicle is running. NHTSA summarized the problem as “The bolt/washer surface on the positive battery terminal cable end may allow for a gap to occur in the contact area...
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In a move that would be unthinkable to most North American consumers, Honda will stop selling its ubiquitous Civic in Japan due to non-existant demand for the iconic compact. Japanese have been gravitating towards hybrids, ultra-compact cars and small minivans for some time now, leaving little room for the venerable Civic sedan, an extremely popular...
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Hyundai‘s Elantra Touring station wagon will still be offered once the Elantra sedan is replaced here in the United States. In fact, we’ll even see a new Touring sometime after the sedan launches. But the staggered introductions wont take place on the usual schedule, which often sees a new variant launch within 12 months of...
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Ford will sell an all-electric version of its Focus compact in 14 states, including Washington, D.C. when the vehicle goes on sale at the end of 2011. Among the locations where the Focus EV will be offered are Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Phoenix,...
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After providing all the juicy details on the new Elantra last week, Hyundai has now lifted the embargo on the car ahead of its LA Auto Show debut, allowing us to reveal one of the most attractive compact car packages on the planet. And while it does compete in that compact car class, the Elantra,...
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We all know Ken Block is a cool guy and a self-made millionaire, but what nobody seems willing to admit is that the guy can’t drive. Well, maybe he has some talent, but not nearly as much as Ford and Monster Energy Drink’s PR machine would have us believe. Although he has some of the...
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At today’s Michigan tech briefing, Hyundai announced plans for new transmissions, including a 10 speed automatic, and ambitious fuel economy targets. Hyundai claimed that a 10 speed automatic would be part of their overall strategy for 2016 through 2020, along with cylinder deactivation. Even more enticing, Hyundai confirmed that a dual clutch transmission would be...
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Hyundai is hosting a briefing at their HACHI technical center in Michigan, and Autoguide is on hand for the various presentations today. The first one focused on the upcoming Elantra, and CEO John Krafcik revealed some important details. Among them was a claim that the Elantra will get 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway,...
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Nissan is set to recall 605,000 vehicles over defects with the steering system and vehicle batteries. The recall will comprise of 303,000 Frontiers, 283,000 Xterras and 18,500 Sentras from the year 2000 to the year 2010. The affected vehicles reside in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, with 85 percent of the cars...
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Chevrolet‘s Cruze Eco compact sedan has returned 28 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway, allowing it to capture the top spot in its segment for fuel economy. Using the new 1.4T engine that displaces 138 horsepower, the Cruze Eco also has a few aerodynamic tricks up its sleeve, including a front...
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Chrysler has announced pricing details for their upcoming 200 mid-size car and their Town & Country minivan. Both cars are notable for their upgraded interiors and 3.6L Pentastar V6s, which should make them infinitely more palatable than the vehicles they replace. The 200 will start at $19,995 for the base LX model, with the Touring...
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