James Raia

Articles by James Raia

Ten 2012 Ferrari FFs sell in 50 minutes . . . that's fast

It wasn't the fastest sellout in automotive history, but Ferrari's popularity is still acutely intact after 10 Ferrari FF models recently sold in 50 minutes. The caveat: the 2012 editions were part of the annual Fantasy Gift category in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. Despite a $395,000 price tag (about $100,000 more than the cost of the same car at a delearship), the allotment of Ferraris as catalog gifts were purchased quickly because there's more to the story. Since only 10 specialty Ferraris were made, each car's exterior is painted "Grigio Caldo" and will bear a numbered interior plaque. Each of the buyers of a Ferrari from he Neiman Marcus catalog was also given a Ferrari Winter Driving Experience in

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Ford liable in 2004 California crash, must pay $50 million

Ford Motor Company is liable for an April 2004 van accident and is required to pay the family of a man killed, and a surivor in the mishap, $50 million, according to a report on sacbee.com, the website of the Sacramento Bee newspaper. The ruling, via a Sacramento Superior Court jury, detailed Ford must pay the punitive damages to the family of Tony Mauro, 41, who was killed in the crash, which occurred on Interstate 5, and to Marlene Shirley, who suffered abdominal injuries in the accident. The full article will appear in the Bee's print and online editions on Nov. 11. The abbreviated post on www.sacbee.com, details Plaintiffs lawyer Roger Dreyer argued Ford was liable because it had information

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World debut of 2013 Camaro ZL1 Convertible at LA show

The 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible, which like its sibling the ZL1 Coupe, has 580 horsepower and 6.2-liter V8, will make its world debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. "The Camaro ZL1 convertible will be one of the most powerful and most capable, convertibles available at any price," said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer. "This is a car that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face every time you drop the top – or hit the gas." The Camaro ZL1 convertible's power is complemented by advanced powertrain and chassis technologies designed to deliver exceptional performance on the road or track. In fact, it's the same balance of acceleration, handling and ride quality that enabled a Camaro

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Subaru tops best 2012 all-wheel drive cars

Inclement weather isn't often good for cars or vehicle occupants. Which is one main reason all-wheel drive cars – Hyundai to Subaru, Ford to Mazda — are increasingly popular. As the winter season approaches, Kiplinger.com has compiled a list of 10-top recommended all-wheel drive cars that offer "a shoveful of value" as well as vehicles that rank well in resale value, fuel economy and safety. Subaru, the only manufacturer whose entire lineup has all-wheel drive, has two cars on the all-wheel drive list including the top choice, the 2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium hatchback. Here's what Kiplinger's wrote in part about the Imprezza: "The Impreza is one of the least expensive all-wheel-drive vehicles on the market. Redesigned for 2012 to

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Toyota, Lexus recall 400,000 cars with crankshaft woes

Toyota is recalling more than 400,000 Lexus and Toyota models from 2004-2006 because of a potentially faulty crankshaft pulley that could result in steering problems in V6 engines. The voluntary recall includes models: Toyota Avalon (2004), Toyota Camry (2004, 2005) Toyota Highlander (2004, 2005), Toyota Sienna (2004, 2005), Toyota Solara (2004, 2005), Toyota Highlander HV (2006), Lexus ES330 (2004, 2005), Lexus RX330 (2004, 2005) and Lexus RX400h (2006). If the crankshaft pulley is faulty, the outer ring of the pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light. If the condition is not corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may notice

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Toyota Corolla, 2012: More features, improved electronics

The Toyota Corolla, the largest-selling car in history, has received upgrades in several 2012 models, including more features in the base L model and a new standard audio system for the LE and S grades. A year after a "refrshed design," the Corolla L gains color-keyed power side mirrors as well as power windows with driver’s auto-down, power door locks and remote keyless entry. The Corolla LE adds standard 16-inch wheels and steering wheel audio controls. The sporty S model adds a double-stitch accent to its seats. The 2012 Toyota LE and S offer a new standard audio system. The head unit combines an AM/FM/CD player (including MP3/WMA playback) A USB port enables iPo connectivity, while an auxiliary input jack

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World debuts for Mazda, Ford, Honda at LA Auto Show

World debuts of 20 cars from Chevrolet to Honda and more than 30 North American auto unveilings will comprise a chunky dose of the anticipated start November 16 of the Los Angeles Auto Show. In addition to the 1,000 new vehicles on display at the Los Angeles Convention Center, several manufacturers have upgraded exhibit spaces and added enhanced features with more interactive content and experiences. There will also be more than a half-dozen test drives that put consumers in the seats and on the streets in some new vehicles on select days. Notable this year will be a significant increase in fuel efficiency across the board in all categories. Nearly 20 highly-efficient, 40-mpg-plus vehicles, using internal combustion engines-such as the

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Smallest production car ever made? It’s the real deal Peel

Forget the Smart ForTwo, Fiat 500 and Scion iQ. They’re only small cars. And the Mini? It’s really only small via its name. If you want a small car, how about the smallest car ever made — the Peel? Located on the Isle of Man, Peel primarily made fibreglass boats as well as fairings for motorcycles. But it was also the manufacturer of the Peel Manxcar, Peel P50 and Peel Trident microcars. The original Peel 50, for example, was 54 inches long (less than half the length of the new Scion iQ), 41 inches wide and weighed 130 pounds. And it was legal to drive on roads in Great Britain. The company halted manufacturing in1969, but the three-wheeled Peel P50 is

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Dodge Charger, Aston Martin battle: Best car in a movie

Top-10 convertibles. Top-10 Green Cars. Top-10 sedans, coupes and luxury cars. They're all worthwhile lists and fun to agree with or make fun of as worthless. But for a car list to be pertinent it has to include passion, and thus Edmunds.com, site InsideLine took on the task of creating the most important list of cars — in movies. Cars old and new are in most movies, sometimes witth subtle but important roles like the gangster cars in The Godfather trilogy. And cars are importnat in small films, too, like in the art house film of a few years ago, Frozen River. In reverse order, and subjectively chosen, a 1969 Dodge Charger wins out over a 1963 Aston Martin DB5

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Andy Rooney takes on gadgets, green cars and Ford technology in new rant

Andy Rooney, age 92, and part of 60 Minutes on CBS since 1978, offered his latest rant on the second week of the new season of the longstanding program on Oct. 3. The essay was about his dislike of gadgets, particularly in the automobile industry and including Ford's latest smartphone application. Here's the transcript and video of the segment: "I have a lot of gadgets here in my office. I don't really like gadgets. I don't even like the word 'gadget.' " "I read though where automakers have plans to install even more electronic gadgets in their cars soon. Do we really need more of them? I knew I'm out of the loop when I read recently that the Ford

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Andy Rooney: A 'love affair' with Lexus and the used car industry

In his iconic career with CBS, Andy Rooney gave opinions about politicians and personalities and even used cars, including the history and affection for his one-time Lexus sport utility vehicle. In the commentary, Rooney traced his former Lexus SUV's life after he sold it. It transitioned from wholesaler to wholesaler to used car lots to car auctions to the suburban family who bought the car. As was his style, Rooney expressed his opinion, noting that the only company who didn't speak with him was the company "that probably made the most on the car." Even in his three-minute commentarty, Rooney was a master at explaining the entire used car industry. He had a passion for his Lexus and found out

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Andy Rooney: Bumper-to-bumper rant on car repairs

With this rant by Andy Rooney on car bumpers, the logical assumption is that the CBS commentator, who retired Oct. 2 from with his regular end-of-the-show segment on 60 Minutes, must have had some fender benders along the way that were his fault. Rooney doesn't make mention of any accidents in his two-minute routine. But he rails against car manufacturers as clips of all kinds of vehicles backing in the same post are featured with his monologue. Rooney explains how bumpers, once extensions of cars, are now built as a part of cars. He says the only way to have fewer one-sided bumper accidents is to have cars in which all bumpers are the same height. It all makes for

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Tesla debuting three new retail stores to unveil Model S

Tesla Motors, which next year will introduce Tesla Model S, the newest offering from the California-based, high-end electric sports car manufacturer, is opening three more retail stores in North America. Tesla Bellevue Square at the plush shopping center in Bellevue, Washington, opens today (November 5, 2011). It will be followed by Tesla store opening in Chicago's Oakbrook Center (Nov. 12) and a store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California (Nov. 19). The Bellevue Square store will feature a display of a Model S Beta prototype and drivetrain components. All of the new stores, like the current Tesla sales areas, are designed to demonstrate the technology involved in the new Model S and the benefits of driving electric. Specifically, the

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Bugatti plans plug-in electric Galibier for 2012

The rumor has been around for a while, but Bugatti has confirmed it will soon a offer a plug-in hybrid. Wolfgang Durheimer, the Bugatti CEO said the luxury automaker will debut, likely in 2012, a 1.4 million super car based on the 16 C Galibier concept that debuted in 2009. The four-seat sports sedan will feature 16-cyclinder engine, with the plug-in hybrid option possessing a 25-mile radius in electric-only driving. Durheimer didn't report if Bugatti hybrid engine will be downsized, but he commmented Bugatti hopes to sell around 1,500 units during car's yet-to-be determined tenure. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.

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Toyota Camry SE, 2012: New look, more car (video review)

During a recent Toyota media launch at the Sonoma Mission Inn in Northern California, videographer Bruce Aldrich and I drove, among a caravan of other journalists, to Infineon Raceway for a full day of comparison driving — 2011 Toyota Camry models versus 2012 Toyota Camry models. With the 2012 models of the best-selling Camry, Toyota has resigned the sedan throughout the four-trim line-up. The improvements are immediately noticeable. Despite its popularity, Toyota has obviously prepared as other top-selling sedans, particularly the Hyundai Sonota, are making serious efforts to grab larger shares of the mid-size sedan marketplace. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's Ferrari 360 an eBay no-sale but still for sale at Sacramento Maserati dealership

Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's 10-year Ferrari 360 didn't sell during its recent auction on eBay, but the pristine high-powered machine is still for sale. According to Andrew Lyon of Sacramento Maserati, the 2002 vehicle formerly owned by the former Governor of California attracted some international attention, but there were no potential buyers on eBay from the United States. The listing for the car on eBay ended Nov. 1. Schwarzenegger had listed the Ferrari 360 Spider, via the dealership and eBay Motors for $92,450. The convertiable Ferrari features a 3.6-liter, eight-cylinder, 400-horsepower and has silver exterior and black interior. The vehicle has been driven less than 13,000 miles. In 2002, the list price for the car new was $161,475. Lyon said

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