Matthew Wilde

Articles by Matthew Wilde

Toyota, BMW among 22 LA Auto Show global debuts

Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Land Rover, MINI and Nissan and Subaru will combine to present the global debuts of 22 vehicles at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. World debuts include the NISMO JUKE RS and a NISMO Concept vehicle from Nissan, as well as four models from Mercedes-Benz, which will be unveiled alongside the brand’s North American introductions of the GLA 250 and the S63. Porsche has added two new world debuts to its lineup, in addition to the previously announced Macan, the manufacturer’s highly anticipated SUV crossover vehicle. In addition to the roster of global premieres, a variety of North American debuts will be unveiled in Los Angeles,

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Green Car of the Year?: BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Audi, Honda vie

The Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda Accord, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla have been selected as finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal. The winner will be announced at this year’s LA Auto Show beginning Nov. 19 with three media days. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year program each year, a reflection of the auto industry’s expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important “green” vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005. Finalists are selected for their achievements in

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Motor Trend: 2014 Subaru Forester SUV of the Year

Motor Trend is a well-heeled automotive publication. Its reviewers are experts. They take their jobs seriously and they recently selected the 2014 Subaru Forester as the 2014 sport utility vehicle of the year. Really? Anyone who lives in mountainous areas knows Subaru’s strengths. Its all-wheel drive system is the best in the auto industry. And if you’re a dog person or dog family, Subaru always gets top honors for its design consideration to animal comfort and safety. Still, the Subaru got top honors over Acura, BMW and Land Rover, among others. The editors begin their decision process with a statement: “What makes an SUV? Ask 10 people and you’ll get 11 answers, as no doubt some will change their minds

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Andy Warhol famed Mercedes Benz silkscreen for $16 million?

A famous silkscreen of a Mercedes Benz, made by And Warhol in 1986, is expected to sell for as much as $16 million when it’s auctioned Nov. 12 by Christie’s in New York. “Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Grand Prix Car (Streamlined Version, 1954)” is being offered by the Daimler art collection. The collection was established 30 years ago by Daimler-Benz, the German luxury manufacturer. The 14-foot-high work shows the automobile repeated 12 times on the canvas. It was created for the centennial of the modern automobile. Warhol did numerous Mercedes Benz renditions. The model was the Mercedes Benz Formula One entry in the 1954 and 1955 Formula One seasons. The auction house says the sale proceeds will be used to

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CAR PREVIEW: Prices slashed on 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in

The 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be available in two models and both will cost substantially less than last year’s editions of the increasingly popular family of green cars. Toyota has reduced the MSRP on the 2014 Prius Plug-in Hybrid by $2,010, lowering the starting MSRP $29,990. Pricing for the 2014 Prius Plug-in Advanced model has also been adjusted to make the model more accessible to consumers with a $4,620 reduction in MSRP to $34,905. Production of the 2014 model year Prius Plug-in begins in October with pricing taking effect when these models arrive in showrooms in November. The Prius Plug-in qualifies for a Federal Tax Credit of up to $2,500 in addition to the State of California’s Clean

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid: 50 mpg

The Honda Accord Hybrid, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,155, will use a gasoline-electric powertrain to achieve an EPA rating of 50 mpg city, 45 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined. The 50 mpg standard is a milestone and it leads the mainstream sedan segment against primary hybrid competitors, the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata. And it’s only 1 mpg behind the Toyota Prius — the country’s dominant best-selling hybrid. The new Honda Accord Hybrid, scheduled to go on sale in late October 2013, is closely related to the 2014 Accord Plug-In Hybrid, announced earlier this year. Its 1.3-kWh battery is smaller than the plug-in’s 6.7-kWh battery, which has a 13-mile all-electric range. The plug-in

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CAR PREVIEW: 2014 Hyundai Sonata: Major makeover

The 2014 Hyundai Sonata will include more than 50 new or redesigned features, including exterior enhancements, safety technology, comfort and convenience additions. The 2014 Sonata GLS will also offer a greater value for money, with MSRPs beginning at $21,350 — an increase of $155 from 2013. Gas mileage for the 2014 Sonata is 24 mpg city/35 mpg highway with the standard six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC®. The Theta II GDI engine produces 190 horsepower and 179 lb.-ft. of torque. In the SE trim, which includes a standard dual exhaust, the engine delivers 192 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. of torque. This high-tech, all-aluminum, 16-valve engine also features Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (DCVVT) and a Variable Induction System (VIS) for better

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Baby, you can drive (and own) Ringo Starr’s Facel coupe

Baby, you can drive (and own) his car. A rare 1964 Facel Vega Facel II owned by Ringo Starr will be auctioned by Bonhams auction house on Dec. 1 and is expected to sell for approximately $500,000. According to the Los Angeles Times, Starr purchased the deep burgundy two-door coupe at a car show in 1964. He paid the equivalent of $68,000 in today’s dollars and owned the right-hand-drive car for four years. Facel a French manufacturer, had a short tenure as a luxurious automaker of power classics compared to Rolls-Royce. It built around 2,900 cars. This Facel II is one of only 182 ever made, with only 26 of those sold with the right-hand-drive like Starr’s. The four-seat coupe

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Elon Musk responds to Tesla fire, defends technology

Elon Musk, CEO of electric car company Tesla, responded three days after one of his high-performance sports cars caught on fire by defending the vehicle’s electric battery technology. “For consumers concerned about fire risk, there should be absolutely zero doubt that it is safer to power a car with a battery than a large tank of highly flammable liquid,” Musk wrote in his blog. Musk said a piece of curved metal caused the Tesla model S catch on fire. He said the object’s shape led to a powerful hit on the underside of the vehicle, punching a 3-inch hole through an armor plate that protects the car’s bottom. The company said the car properly contained the blaze. The driver was

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Tesla: Safest car in the world to fiery mass of metal

The Tesla, the high-performance, all-electric sports car, continues its seemingly never-ending spotlight position in the auto industry. In a short time span, it’s has received the highest safest rating in automotive history and it has exploded in a fiery mess on the side of the freeway exit in Kent, Washington. The latest and potentially damaging scenery for the Tesla and its controversial owner Elon Musk occurred in early October in Kent, Wash. A Tesla S caught on fire in an accident when the car’s driver told the police he hit metal debris. The Tesla model S was destroyed and the inferno was filmed by two nearby witnesses on a smartphone whose voices seemed to echo would-be characters on Saturday Night

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MotoGP hits wall, won’t return to Laguna Seca in 2014

MotoGP, the most prestigious international motorcycle racing series, won’t return to California in 2014 after a nine-year tenure at Mazda Raceway Lagua Seca. According to a report on the Monterey County Herald website and confirmed by racetrack officials, the hugely popular event held as the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, will stop after a mutual agreement with Laguna Seca and the MotoGP parent company, Dorna Sports. The absence of the MotoGP on the Monterey Peninsula means the global series in 2014 will have only two stops in the United States — in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Austin, Texas. “There is, frankly, not enough of everything to go around for three world championships in the United States,” Gill Campbell, general manager of

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Subaru versatility results in best sales month in history

Subaru owners in mountain states have long known about the unheralded carmaker’s merits. The original all-wheel drive system was the precursor to many other manufacturers’ all-wheel drive systems. And Subaru has also been at the forefront of the auto industry for car owners who travel with pets. Subaru’s designs and accessories for animals are unmatched. Subaru’s enduring versatility has finally paid off. The automaker reported its July 2013 sales of 35,994 vehicles was the best month in the manufacturer’s history. The record month included best ever July sales for Forester, Outback and Impreza models. The record month of sales was a 43 percent increase over July 2012. The company’s 240,591 sales for 2013 is 27 percent higher than the same

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Furloughed? Hyundai says ‘We’ve got your back’

Within a few hours after the government shutdown, Hyundai Motor America launched a payment deferral program aimed at helping furloughed federal employees. Hyundai will defer all auto loan and lease payments during the shutdown for current Hyundai owners who are furloughed. “We recognize the impact on family budgets that the furlough will drive,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Like we did almost four years ago when we launched Hyundai Assurance, this is our way of saying ‘We’ve got your back’ during this uncertain time.” Current Hyundai owners will be provided relief from payments for as long as they are out of work. Furloughed employees who wish to buy a car in October will be offered

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Honda drives save the drive-in theater campaign

Like soda fountains and mom and pop markets, drive-in theaters could be the next symbol of American culture to disappear. The reason, the nearly 375 remaining drive-in theaters in the United States will be required to convert to digital projection by the end of 2013. The cost is $80,000 per theater and that expense would prevent many drive-ins from staying open. But Honda isn’t too keen on letting another symbol of Americana disappear. And to hopefully prevent the loss of the theaters, the carmaker has undertaken The Save The Drive In campaign to preserve the concept that began 80 years ago. Drive-ins date to June 6, 1933 when inventor Richard M Hollingshead, Jr. opened the first location in Pennauken, New

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Kia to offer more Soul with 2014 all-electric edition

The 2014 Kia Soul will be offered early in 2014 as the South Korean manufacturer’s first all-electric vehicle in the United States. The Soul EV, which will be available in selected markets, will be powered exclusively by a battery for gas-free driving and zero emissions. Range and eMPG estimates have not been announced. “Eco-consciousness already comes standard on the all-new Soul with 85-percent of its materials able to be recycled at the end of its lifespan, and the Soul EV will further demonstrate Kia’s engineering capabilities as well as our commitment to producing vehicles with reduced environmental footprints,” said Orth Hedrick, executive director of product planning. Kia Motors was recently ranked by Interbrand as one of the “50 Best Global

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PRODUCT REVIEW: ProClip offers simple, safe iPhone car use

When I received my ProClip in the mail I was skeptical. Why would I want to car mount my iPhone where I could easily see it? I didn’t want an iPhone distracting me from my driving. I have always synced my phone to my car and thrown the phone in a inconvenient storage area — never to be seen again while driving. Not any more. iOmounts has paired its patented, infinitely rotatable, magnetic mount with the uber-slick, auto dashboard mounts from ProClip USA. With ProClip, my mobile phone usage habits have totally changed. The phone is held in my ProClip where I can easily see it with a quick glance.  When the phone rings, I still answer it through the

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