Matthew Wilde

Articles by Matthew Wilde

Carmony re-focusing website with upscale brands

Carmony, one of the United Kingdom’s leading used car websites, is rebranding its website and will now focus on prestigious brands with price tags of more than 25,000 pounds. The Carmony website previously featured a full range of used cars. And it will continue is reputation for providing a simple, effect website that allow consumers to search for vehicles and dealers for the best products. The special lifestyle search feature allows consumer to look for a used car using criteria such as boot space or number of seats. Additionally, the website offers the latest news and reviews from the industry. The rebranding is clever. There’s a gap in the market for the advertising of used or nearly new cars appealing

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Mercedes-Benz, Kia drop Clippers, Donald Sterling

At least six companies involved in the automotive industry, including Mercedes-Benz and Kia Motors, have removed advertising budgets from the Los Angeles Clippers and their now banned and fined owner, Donald Sterling. The exodus occurred prior to the announcement of the NBA’s decision to reprimand Sterling after the 80-year-old billionaire’s racially insensitive remarks. (Editor’s Note: The WeeklyDriver.com has decided not to print the remarks attributed to Sterling.) In addition to Kia and Mercedes-Benz, CarMax, State Farm Insurance, Red Bull and Yokohama have ended their relationships with the team. Several other major sponsors have also ended their relationships with the Clippers and its owner. Teams’ finances aren’t made public, so it is not known how much money the loss of sponsorships

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Elio Motors, Pep Boys establish service deal

If the Elio Motors concept vehicle is launched, its buyers will have a nationwide official service provider, Pep Boys. The automotive aftermarket retailer has more than 800 service centers in 35 states and in Puerto Rico, and it will cover 90 percent of the markets where the start-up Elio Motors vehicles will be sold. Elio Motors will service vehicles at its company owned stores in remaining markets. For more than one year, Elio has promoted its three-wheel vehicle. The company claims it will have a price tag of $6,800, fuel efficiency of 84 miles per gallon and a top speed of 100 mph. “Pep Boys’ rich history, dating nearly 100 years, makes the company a cultural icon, and a well-known

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Nissan testing new trend — self-cleaning cars (video)

Some folks like mowing their lawns and cleaning their cars. They won’t allow anyone else to touch their grass or their wheels. Other people don’t want to be bothered, and that’s what Nissan in counting on with its self-cleaning car experiment. The carmaker is testing a new paint technology that repels mud, rain and dirt. So far, the testing has only been done Europe, and only on theNissan Note. If the idea works, the environmental advantages and time-saving efficiency sound promising. The technology is called Ultra-Ever Dry. It’s never been used on automobile before. The concept works when a layer of air between the paint and the environment prohibits standing water and road spray from remaining on the exterior paint.

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Free car giveaway: 2014 Custom Mustang GT

Modern Muscle Design (MMD) is offering the chance to drive away with its SEMA built, custom 2014 Mustang GT. AmericanMuscle and MMD collaborated on the custom design. It’s called Project MMD. Featuring more than $30,000 in aftermarket parts and the sleek, modern design MMD is known for this one-of-a-kind versatile Mustang. It’s a perfect show car or a daily driver. The winner will be selected on August 4, 20014 and will be handed the keys at the AmericanMuscle, the word’s largest all-Mustang show of August 16. Not only is this Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords (MM & FF) May 2014 Cover Car, it’s also the same build featured at Forgestar’s booth for the 2013 SEMA Auto Show. This giveaway car

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Best Used Cars Under $10,000? Ford Dominates

New cars or used cars? Buy a new car and you lose as soon as it leaves the showroom floor. Buy a used car and you get someone else’s headache. There are many reason for both types of purchases, of course. And there’s the leasing option, which has been increasing popular for business owners and other buyers for a variety of reasons. The used car market has always been a good choice for savvy buyers. The financial website bankrate.com recently posted its selection of the 10 best used cars currently available. The list features the car model, the best years of its best values, the percentage of the editions of the cars listed available for less than $10,000 and the

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Driverless cars: Real deal or the apocalypse?

Autonomous vehicles, commonly known as driverless cars, have been portrayed in futuristic movies for years. And dating nearly 100 years, automakers have experimented periodically with various vehicles not needing drivers. But what once was Hollywood fantasy is now on the not-too-distant horizon. Directors’ imaginations could be the daily driving reality for soccer moms and traveling salesmen. In recent years, major carmakers — BMW to Volvo to Toyota — and technology monoliths like Google have ramped up their driverless car research. They’re testing driverless technology at least in part via new legislation in several states allowing the testing of autonomous cars on public roads. The new driverless technology, most notably unveiled in prototypes by Audi and BMW at the 2014 Consumer

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What’s wrong with the auto industry? Technology overload

Technology thrives in the automotive industry. Safety, performance and efficiency are improving in cars and trucks at a wickedly fast pace. Mobile device connection to the Internet, navigation systems, emergency response systems and driving habit-monitoring devices has revolutionized the auto industry. But as automakers continue to keep drivers connected in their vehicles at the same pace as when they’re not behind the wheel, is there reason for concern? Is too much of good thing not so good? Or, have consumers gained more confidence that carmakers’ ever-advancing innovation overrides the need for technology distraction concerns?   According to Harris Interactive, the marketing research company in Rochester, N.Y., that conducts the annual AutoTECHCAST study, the answer has slightly shifted toward the later.

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Elio Motors: 15,000 now believe, but will they build it?

Lots of car buyers can’t wait for the three-wheel Elio Motors vehicle. And lots of detractors think the concept of a 84 mpg, 100 mph, 55-horsepower machine will never come to fruition. But since the idea debuted about a year ago, Elio Motors has continued to market the $6,800 vehicle it expects to launch in 2015. And  it appears there are more believers willing to place reservation deposits than there are non-believers. In early February, the website announced reservations had reached 10,000. Six weeks later, the reservation total approached 13,000. The number of reservations by mid-April was more than 15,000 Deposits from $100 to $1,000 are accepted with different levels of “bang for your buck” if and when the Elio

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PREVIEW: 2015 Toyota Camry gets sporty redesign

The 2015 Toyota Camry features a new design. It’s longer and wider, has a large, aggressive grille and chiseled sides. The change is the result of sportier rivals providing increased competition for the best-selling car in the United States. The Camry, the top-seller for the last 12 years, has plenty of loyal buyers. But Toyota representatives stressed at the car’s debut at the recent New York International Auto Show that buyers’ tastes have changed. Known for it reliability, the 2015 Toyota Camry will be available in the fall of 2014. It will now also emphasize style, comfort and performance. Bill Fay, the U.S. Toyota division chief, said the carmaker began to redesign the Camry in 2011. It was influenced by

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Elio Motors gets last gas as cow fart criticism backfires

The automotive car culture website Jalopnik is often a clever read. It makes fun of the car industry when it’s well-deserved. However, it’s been overtly skeptical of Elio Motors. Its writers have posted often that the plans of company owner Paul Elio to introduce in 2015 a $6,800, three-wheel car that gets 84 mpg and can accelerate to 100 mph are dubious at best. The latest sarcasm by Jalopnik about Elio Motors occurred on Earth Day, April 22. The site poked fun at Elio’s press release that touted the car’s latest attribute. Elio, obviously with tongue firmly planted in cheek (but also with a degree of seriousness) announced its car is “cleaner than cow farts.” Jalopnik wrote Elio Motors was

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2015 Subaru Outback

Subaru has introduced new 2015 Outback, the fifth generation of the world’s first sports utility wagon, and it’s has the roomiest interior, most capable chassis and highest fuel-efficiency in the model’s 20-year history. The 2015 Subaru Outback, which debuted at the New York International Auto Show, offers improved on-road agility, off-pavement control, ride comfort, interior refinement and safety technology. The 2015 Outback arrives in Subaru dealerships in summer 2014. The 175-horsepower 4-cylinder Outback 2.5i model is available in Standard, Premium and Limited trim lines, accompanied by the top-of-line 6-cylinder 3.6R Limited with 256 horsepower. All trim lines add more standard amenities, conveniences and new infotainment systems. The original Outback established a template for many competitive crossover models that followed, and

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2014 Audi A3 gets World Car of the Year honors in NY

The 2014 Audi A3 has been named World Car of the Year over the BMW 4 Series and the Mazda 3 at the New York International Auto Show. The World Car Awards program, now in its 10th year and held in conjunction with Bridgestone Corporation, chose the 2014 Audi A3 from an original list of 24 vehicles from around world. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, said: “The Audi A6 was the first winner of this award and we are delighted that the 2014 Audi A3 has repeated that achievement by being voted 2014 World Car of the Year.” “The Audi A3 showcases Audi’s technical competence in all aspects of carmaking, not least in the

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PREVIEW: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta is all new

The redesigned 2015 Volkswagen Jetta sedan, which will include a host of interior and exterior upgrades — green technology innovation to design efficiency — will debut at the New York International Auto Show. The show will be held April 18-27 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. The new Jetta’s efficiency has been improved by reducing air drag and utilizing new tires that help improve rolling resistance. New driver assistance systems are available, such as Blind Spot Detection, frontal collision warning and rear cross-traffic alert. Inside, the Jetta sees an upgraded interior with new materials and an enriched assortment of available equipment. The 2015 Jetta continues to offer three four-cylinder gasoline engines (2.0-liter naturally aspirated and 1.8T and

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Rare Ford Mustang display in Sacramento honors iconic car

Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Sacramento will be celebrating Ford Mustang’s 50th birthday on April 16 with a display of the iconic cars, including the first Ford Mustang to enter the State of California. The celebration, which will also include a birthday cake in the shape of a Ford Mustang, will be held at UTI, 4100 Duckhorn Blvd., from 8 a.m. until noon. Ford Motor Co. unveiled the first Mustang on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building on April 17, 1964. More than nine million Ford Mustangs have been sold since. The cherry red 1965 Mustang entered the state of California in November 1964 by train from Michigan. This Mustang will be the focal point for  UTI’s Ford

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Rare vintage cars to rust buckets set for Oklahoma auction

Another stash of vintage cars and trucks, some left untouched for more than 50 years, will go on sale via auction in June in Oklahoma. And the cache of about 250 vehicles may generate a vast amount of attention — similar to a globally popular auction last year in Nebraska. The new auction is a graveyard of scrap metal compared to rarities in the Lambrecht family auction that featured many nearly new and rare vehicle models and attracted buyers worldwide. The auction was broadcast live on the internet. Still, the new collection of Oliver Jordon, all stored on a scrapyard in Enid, Okla., since 1945 and closed in 1953, includes some vintage cars and some expected high-priced sellers. The likely

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