Automotive News

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Ray Elliott Commentary: Never buy a Chrysler product

Oh My God. Never buy a Chrysler product. My reasoning? It’s a dangerous product that not only thinks for you, but also will endanger your life and damage the interior for something as simple as a flat tire. This, in my opinion, is one of the best examples of piss-poor engineering. Why? My first example was when I encountered one of these vans last winter. It was two weeks old, still with dealer plates, and it had overheated. It did start and run, but the windows were frosted over because of the cold morning. To see where I was going, I lowered the driver’s window to stick my head out. When I lifted my butt off of the driver’s seat,

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So long, Toyota Prius C; It’s been a good eight years

The Toyota Prius c, introduced in December 2011 as the carmaker’s least expensive and smallest hybrid, will likely be retired with the introduction of the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid. According to a report on Motor1.com, the little hatchback will be outdone in its well-touted economy by the new Corolla. Available in the spring of 2019, the EPA has already released the mileage estimates for the new Corolla, 53 mpg in city driving, 52 mpg on the freeway. The Prius c is rated at 48 mpg in city driving, 42 mpg on the highway Fuel economy for the 2020 Corolla Hybrid is already available from the EPA. It gets 53 miles per gallon city and 52 mpg highway for a combined

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Winnebago Launches New Wheelchair-Friendly RV Collection

Winnebago has launched three accessibility-enhanced motorhomes, the Intent 30R AE, Adventurer 30T AE, and Forza 34T AE, to assist travelers with limited mobility. The new wheelchair-friendly models are available in three standardized floor plans that include the most commonly requested options. The new models debuted at the 2019 Florida RV Supershow in mid-January. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 report, there are around 3.6 million people over the age of 15 who use a wheelchair, with an additional 11.6 million people using a cane, crutches or walker to get around. To serve these large markets, Winnebago offers customers a sense of travel and adventure with an accessibility-enhanced motorhome. The new vehicles reduce the need for extra planning related to

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Save money with do-it-yourself used car parts

SPONSORED CONTENT When considering purchasing a vehicle for yourself or for a friend or family member, the flawless condition of its safety features is most important. Driving in winter conditions, snow to icy roads to rain, places further safety at the forefront. And to prepare for any driving in any conditions, what’s the best way to ensure your vehicle is safe? Would prefer to go to a service station and spend more? Or why not consider saving lots of money and do the repairs yourself? All you need for this approach is the ideal online shop where you will find all the components that will definitely be compatible with your car. Onlinecarparts.co.uk is an ideal online shopping site. Just select

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HERE, Amazon announce navigation collaboration

HERE Technologies has announced a new collaboration with Amazon. The companies will integrate Amazon Alexa and HERE navigation and location services. The combination of the voice-first interactions through Alexa with a leading in-car navigation solution makes it easy for automakers to deliver an intuitive, voice-first experience for users inside and outside the car.

Alexa will come pre-integrated within HERE Navigation On-Demand, the new one-stop solution for automakers to enable compelling, full-featured and always-fresh navigation experiences in their vehicles. Leveraging the Alexa Auto tools and APIs, HERE has built a voice-first car navigation experience that keeps users focused on the road while enabling Alexa to deliver personalized guidance when and where it’s needed most. 

HERE will also provide information from its location services

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VW Beetle to Chevy Volt to Ford Focus: goodbye, farewell

The end of the year in the automotive world always marks the end of the run for a car or two and sometimes more vehicles. The end of 2018 was among the most drastic farewells to vehicles in recent years. Manufacturers announced their departures from the car-making business to focus on sport utility vehicles and trucks. Vehicles with long histories and some that barely had time to build a sustained buying base will soon be defunct. In all, the production of at least 14 cars has stopped or will soon cease. The most significant departure from the new car landscape is the Volkswagen Beetle. The “people’s car,” as designated in the late 1930s in Germany, will no longer be produced

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Ford calls another massive recall in F-150, Super Duty trucks

For the second time in three months, Ford is recalling large quantities of the best-selling F-150 vehicles in North America over a several-year time frame for fire risks. The manufacturer has just recalled 900,000 F-150 and Super Duty trucks to replace an engine block heater cable to due to the risk of fire. The recall involves more than 410,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. and nearly 464,000 in Canada. Affected models include: * 2015-19 F-150 vehicles built at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant between March 18, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018, and at its Kansas City plant between Aug. 21, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018. * 2017-19 Super Duty vehicles built at Ford’s Ohio assembly plant between Feb. 5, 2016,

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2020 models aplenty set for debuts

Some 2019 car models haven’t arrived in dealerships, yet many 2020 new cars and trucks are on the near horizon. More sport utility vehicles, an electric version of a luxury sedan and an enduring compact sedan have been announced. Here’s a look at three 2020 vehicles set for release soon and a list of others with new editions or with multiple upgrades. Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 — The manufacturer’s first full-electric vehicle, the EQC is a crossover and another addition to the ever-increasing popularity of SUVs. The EQC, positioned between the GLC-Class and GLC-Class SUVs, features two electric motors, one for each axle, combining for 402 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque. Energy is stored in an 80-kWh battery pack with

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Opinion: Driving is a privilege; it’s not your right

Driving in the State of California is not a right; it is a privilege, revocable at any time. Operating a motor vehicle is not just an act. it is a way of life. Each of us has our own styles of driving; some bad, some good. Most of us obey laws as we interpret them. I for one interpret the basic speed law as; travel at a speed that is safe for current conditions. The Basic Speed Law in fact states: (CVC 22350)  “No person shall drive a motor vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and

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Commentary: Elon Musk unhinged on 60 Minutes?

During the mid-1980s, comedian Martin Short had a recurring character on Saturday Night Live named Nathan Thurm, an always-defensive defensive attorney. I couldn’t help but think of the character while watching Elon Musk being interviewed Sunday night by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes. Like the Short’s character, who always appeared jittery while chain-smoking and making nervous facial expressions, Musk often looked uncomfortable during the opening segment of the perennially popular news program. Musk called out the Securities and Exchange Commission, which recently charged the founder of Tesla with fraud when he used Twitter to announce the possibility of taking electric car company private. The case was settled with Musk paying a $20 million fine and leaving his role as chairman

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Elon Musk unplugged set for 60 Minutes interview

There’s no one more innovative, controversial and eccentric in the automotive industry than Elon Musk. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX will be a guest on 60 Minutes on Sunday, December 9. Veteran broadcaster Lesley Stahl will interview the billionaire and discuss his business projects and his recent unusual behavior. “I am somewhat impulsive,” Musk tells Lesley Stahl in a clip the pending program. “I don’t really want to try to adhere to some CEO template.” Stahl asks Musk about his strong opinions, actions and penchant for his flare-ups on Twitter. The interview, according to a preview released by CBS, includes Stahl asking Musk about his impulsiveness. Musk’s unique opinions have included calling a diver involved in the cave rescue

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Ballerina Misty Copeland defines beauty in Pirelli calendar

For decades, the Pirelli calendar, the annual calendar published by the famed tire manufacturer, has featured famous female models scantily dressed, topless or naked. Not this year. The new Pirelli calendar, which features Misty Copeland, Julia Garner, Gigi Hadid and Laetitia Casta photographed by Albert Watson, highlight the models, actresses and athletes pursuing their dreams. The 40 prints of the models, shot in New York and Miami, each mounted on black, unfold one by one to tell the stories. On the back, dates are scribbled in white, as if in a diary. Copeland, a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater, plays the role of an aspiring dancer biding her time at a Miami strip club. Hadid is a stylish

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Byton concept set to challenge Tesla but with China debut

Byton, the much-touted electric concept SUV and sedan with Chinese financing and projected as a challenger to Tesla, is getting closer to its production launch. Company representatives showcased the M-Byte crossover and K-Byte sedan and spoke about the company’s plan at AutoMobility LA, the precursor days of the LA Auto Show, Nov. 30-Dec. 9. The M-Byte will be on display throughout the show. If projections materialize, the vehicle will be available in China at the end of 2019 and six months later will be available in the U.S. market. With an advertised base price of $45,000, the Byton is marketed for drivers and passengers to operate the vehicle with Amazon Alexa voice commands or hand gestures. The command operation is

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2019 Genesis G70 debuts with Car of the Year honors

The 2019 Genesis G70, the entry-level compact luxury sport sedan new to the two-year manufacturer morphed from Hyundai, has been named Car of the Year by MotorTrend. Held in conjunction with the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the award is presented annually by the esteemed publication. The Genesis G70 competed against more 19 vehicles in the publication’s determination of the most competent, desirable and capable vehicle to debut for the 2019 model year. MotorTrend editors examine each contending vehicle in street and track testing. Genesis to date in 2018 has won highest-ranked brand in the automotive industry awards for quality and owner satisfaction from industry experts such as J.D. Power, AutoPacific and Strategic Vision. Hyundai launched Genesis Motors two years

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GM shocker: Here are the plants, cars destined for demise

It didn’t take long after GM announced its massive downsizing and demise of several vehicles to provide specific details of plant closings and the dates for production stoppages. The Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse will stop being produced in March 2019. The Cadillac CT6 will end its production June 1, 2019, followed by the Chevy Impala and Cadillac XTS in the fourth quarter of 2019 — at least in the United States. GM announced November 26 its severe layoffs and its plans to close five North American manufacturing facilities. According to a report by Jalopnik, the global fate of the Cruze, CT6 and LaCrosse hasn’t been specified. Those vehicles are made in several countries, and GM is only expected to stop making the vehicles

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2019 BMW 3 Series gets 330e

The 2019 BMW 3 Series, the perennially top-ranked sedan, recently had its global unveiling at the Paris Auto Show. It will be available to the public in the summer of 2019. The car’s seventh generation will feature a new plug-in hybrid 330e. The PHEV includes BMW’s latest eDrive Technology to enhance efficiency and performance. A vital component of the new BMW 330e plug-in is the addition of XtraBoost, a system that allows the sedan to increase system output temporary by up to 41 horsepower (30 kW). It will increase the 330e’s 252 horsepower (185 kW) output up to 293 hp (215 kW). The 330e also sees its all-electric driving range increased to up 50 percent, to 37 miles (60 km)

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