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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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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Despite being known for its engine building prowess, Honda‘s new 2012 Civic does not live up to rivals in delivering the new 40-mpg benchmark number, set by cars like the 2011 Hyundai Elantra. In fact, Honda falls one short, with a 39-mpg highway rating. Powered by a 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine, the new Civic may, however,...
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Honda has just unveiled its 9th generation Civic for the 2012 model year, including a very fuel efficient hybrid model. With the standard 1.8-liter models expected to get a 39-mpg highway rating, the hybrid will achieve a 45-mpg average, making it the second most fuel efficient vehicle on the market, second only to the Toyota...
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Confirming speculation, Honda has revealed the new 2012 Honda Civic Si with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine making 200-hp. A slight increase of 3-hp over the outgoing model, the larger displacement engine (by 0.4-liters) makes 170 lb-ft of torque, a more drastic jump of 31 lb-ft. While perhaps not the massive jump forward that some would...
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Honda is well aware that it has a strong following of enthusiasts who love to modify their cars and with the launch of the 9th generation Civic expected later this year, the Japanese automaker is catering to its fan base, displaying a few tuner cars at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. Flanking the...
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Honda Canada today announced the first vehicle to wear the Honda Factory Performance (HFP) badge at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. While most of the upgrades are aesthetic, it is a bit of a shame that this limited Accord Coupe is a Canada-exclusive package, as it’s not all just about the new aero...
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Revealed today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Mazda has confirmed that the SkyActiv-equipped Mazda3 will arrive at dealers in the U.S. and Canada this Fall. In addition, a diesel SkyActiv engine will be available a year later, with Mazda joining Volkswagen as the only non-premium automaker to offer a diesel in a...
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Canada is a popular market for Mazda where the Mazda3 compact rivals the Honda Civic as the best-selling passenger car, and so it’s not a big surprise that the Japanese automaker chose the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto to announce the introduction of its SkyActiv engine and transmission in the 3. No details have...
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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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As we anticipate the launch of the Scion iQ here in North America, parent company Toyota is preparing to introduction an all electric version of the mini-car in Europe. Set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the car uses a lithium-ion battery located under the floor. As a result it doesn’t take...
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[vs-jwplayer movieid=”saoMA39lh3U” width=”640″ height=”390″ autoplay=”0″] Nissan knows exactly who the target audience of the new Juke is: young males. As though the crossover’s turbocharged direct-injection 4-cylinder and high-tech AWD system weren’t a sufficient argument, a new series of ads featuring a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model certainly speaks volumes. The Juke is tested is against the...
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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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Although the Smart ForTwo hasn’t been warmly received by American buyers, there is hope for the quirky maker of diminutive city cars, as parent company Daimler is backing the brand with new products and utilizing their alliance with Renault-Nissan to give the lineup a boost. A Smart representative confirmed that a four seat model will arrive sometime in the...
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Announced several months ago, details on the new GT-R Egoist edition were limited – and so were the photos. Nissan has solved that problem by releasing an extensive gallery of pictures of the rare GT-R that features some much-needed luxury updates. Not that there’s anything wrong with the GT-R for the price, but the Egoist...
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Toyota is preparing to showcase a second FT-86 Concept at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show, but that car is likely to arrive as a Scion in North America. Previously reported to wear the FR-S badge, the fan site Toyotobaru is claiming a name change to FT-S after word from a recent Toyota executive meeting. Pricing...
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Mazda has long been rumored to be planning to offer diesel-powered vehicles in North America and an official announcement is expected at the New York Auto Show in April. With relatively low fuel economy across its fleet, Mazda no longer has access to Ford’s more advanced hybrid powertrains. The company is working with Toyota to...
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For years Honda has relied on its Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, designed to help improve fuel economy without adding a lot of additional cost. A more basic system than Toyota’s two-mode, it doesn’t speak to Honda’s engineering prowess and has become out-dated. Honda will aim to rectify that soon with the introduction of a...
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Now that Acura has confirmed that they’ve resumed development of a next-generation NSX, it’s always a treat to revisit just how amazing Acura’s first and only exotic is – and maybe remind Honda so they don’t deliver a dud. The famed Tsukuba Circuit in Japan is similar to Nurburgring in the sense that it’s used...
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The World Car Awards were first instigated in 2003 to reflect a more global automotive landscape and complement existing national and regional Car of the Year award programs.
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The Lexus LFA has been on the auto show circuit for quite some time now and owners have even started to take delivery of their Japanese supercars, but what about that special Nurburgring edition? Announced several months ago, the limited edition LFA (just 50 of the 500) will make its first official appearance at the...
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In the most shocking drifting-related news we’ve heard thus far in 2011, Tanner Foust will be taking a temporary retirement from the world of American drifting, announcing today that Formula DRIFT will not be on his schedule of events to attend this year. This is after hearing rumors that the new Papadakis Racing Scion tC...
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