Automotive News

Ready for a road trip? Napa Valley gets US honors in global survey

Vehicle finance company Moneybarn has released an intriguing automotive study. Compiling information from websites, tallying scores from seven criteria and adding a mathematical formula for “normalization values” it’s determined the world’s best road trips. Headquartered in Petersfield, England, the company named the 95-mile drive from San Francisco to Healdsburg as the world’s fifth-best trek. It’s among the journeys Moneybarn calls “50 Unbeatable Road Trips.” Designated as “Through Napa Valley,” the trip begins in San Francisco and advances to Napa via Vallejo. It progresses through more than a dozen communities including Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Calistoga and Healdsburg. The wine country region is listed just below some lofty geographic company among trips in 32 countries. Rankings are based fuel costs, availability

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Aptera Motors touts an industry first, a no-charge EV

Range anxiety will disappear in electric vehicles if Aptera Motors can make good on its latest promise to offer an EV that never needs charging. The San Diego, California-based maker of the self-advertised “world’s most efficient passenger vehicles,” has introduced Never Charge. It’s an integrated solar-charging option that means never having to charge your car again. Aptera says it’s going to offer the first solar vehicle-charging system capable of meeting well over the mileage needs of most drivers. The carmaker further says: “Power required for most driving comes from the sun, not the grid.” The Aptera, which can go 1,000 miles on a single charge, is four times more efficient than the average EV. At 100 watthours per mile, it

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Say goodbye to 20 cars in 2020, Aston Martin to VW

Every year the auto industry bids farewell to cars. Some years, it’s the unpopular trim levels of well-established cars and trucks. Some years, a substantial selection of easy-to-guess cars are discontinued. And there are surprises, buyers’ favorites who’ve had their time. With many 2020 models now on the market, here’s a list (and synopsis of few departing vehicles) in alphabetical order of 2019 models being discontinued. The list represents a spectrum of standard sedans to sports cars and SUVs to long-time family favorites. And The Weekly Driver says farewell to our favorites with short commentaries. We’ve provided links to the vehicles we’ve reviewed. Aston Martin Vanquish How does any Aston Martin leave us? It’s arguably the most beautiful car on

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Nissan concept EV defines brilliantly bizarre city car future

Concept vehicles are polarizing, preposterous and brilliant, and sometimes simultaneously. Nissan has added to the wacky category with its new, all-electric IMk. Designed with the ideas of Japanese “city cars,” the IMk has been defined by Nissan as a chic vehicle and with the clever marketing phrase, “reduces driver stress.” What car has ever reduced driver stress? Built on a new electric vehicle platform, the IMk features ProPILOT advanced driver-assist technologies and seamless connectivity features. The carmaker reports the concept “gives a glimpse at what urban-oriented cars might look like and feel like in the near future.” The design and proportions of the IMk are meant to reflect a minimal aesthetic drawing on the Nissan design philosophy called Timeless Japanese

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New Jersey gets dubious honor, country’s worst highways

Lousy newspaper delivery, telecommunication company hassles and increasing utility costs are constant common public annoyances. But poor road conditions may be the leading frustration. The Reason Foundation embraces it. Among other public issues it investigates, the Los Angeles-based Libertarian think tank recently released is 24th Annual Highway Report. It analyzes via a varied list of considerations, the best-performing and most-efficient highways systems state-by-state and the worst. The report details what drivers may think seems obvious. After years of improvement, overall the nation’s highway systems are deteriorating. California ranks 43rd in performance and cost-effectiveness, one position worse than the previous report. One-third of the nation’s urban Interstate mileage in poor condition is concentrated in five states: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and

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Kwik Fit interactive game highlights distracted driving dangers

Kwik Fit takes its business as a retail tire seller and vehicle serving company seriously. But the United Kingdom-based enterprise isn’t opposed to having some educational fun while immersed in the importance of safe driving in the automotive industry. Which is why Kwik Fit has developed the interactive game Driven To Distraction. It clocks users’ recreation times and those shows how districting it is for drivers to use their phones while driving. The game challenges users to click on the screen as soon as they see the stop sign appear. The game records how many milliseconds it takes for players to react. Driven To Distraction drivers must then attempt to the same test while simultaneously answering questions shown on a

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Auction backfire halts rare Porsche sale after $53 million mistake

What’s a $53 million error among friends, collectors and vintage Porsche fanciers? It likely what was the biggest blunder in car auction history, an auctioneer with a hard-to-decipher Dutch accent at RM Sotheby’s on Aug. 17 during Monterey Auto Week began bidding on a 1939 Porsche Type 64 at was heard at $30 million. The starting bid for the one-of-kind vehicle was actually $13 million. It’s what was expected for the spacecraft lookalike. Only three of the cars were built and the prototypeup for auction is the only survivor. But monitors in the room showed the bid at $30 million. It quickly escalated to $40 million, $50 million, $60 million and then $70 million. While a stunned and quickly confused

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100-year Bentley legacy set for Monterey Auto Week

Bentley Motors’ continued centennial celebration will be highlighted in several ways during Monterey Auto Week, most notably the British carmakers’ spotlight on its past, present and future. The varied occasion will be held Aug. 15-18 during the now nearly two-week yearly celebration of all things automotive on the Monterey Peninsula. A featured marque during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Bentley will showcase several all-new and soon-to-be-available vehicles for the United States market. Highlights will include the debut of the Flying Spur luxury four-door Grand Tourer and the EXP 100 GT: a vision of luxury mobility in 2035. The Bentley spotlight will also include the new Continental GT V8 (coupe and convertible) and the Bentayga portfolio of Design Series, Speed, V8

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Dodge Challenger owners’ alert: AmericanMuscle has $5K giveaway

Attention Dodger Challenger owners. Start you engines. This is your chance to win a $5,000 Challenger parts shopping spree on AmericanMuscle (AM) courtesy of SR Performance. SR Performance is among the most trusted names in the Challenger aftermarket. It offers performance parts surpassing factory OEM standards. Although SR Performance specializes in go-fast parts, prizes are not limited solely to SR’s line as the finalist can choose from anything on AM’s site including popular categories like: Cold Air Intakes, & Challenger Suspension and Handling Kits. Enter today, enter every day until Sept. 30, 2019. It’s your the best chance to take home a $5,000 shopping spree on AM from SR Performance. A winner will be selected at random on or around

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Ford celebrates enduring truck success with clever emoji

Ford Motor Company makes the country’s best-selling vehicle, the F-150 pickup. It takes the truck seriously. But the carmaker can also have fun. Consider the manufacturer’s recent clever marketing: “Developing a new vehicle is a challenging process under normal circumstances, but this is something completely different. Today we’re proud to introduce the #TruckEmoji.” The campaign has fun with the wondrous, sometimes silly world of emojis. It’s posted on Ford‘s official YouTube channel. Viewers of the video had many responses, some clever, others were less than complimentary. Here are a few: “Wanted a Bronco reveal, got a pick-up emoji.” “It looks like the hill climb challenge game pick up truck.” “Where can I use or find that emoji? what applications does

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The Weekly Driver Podcast: cruising toward episode 100

The mountainous highway drive from Boulder City to downtown Las Vegas takes about 45 minutes unless there’s inclement weather. A flash flood had hit the area the day before, the skies looked ominous and we were late for an interview with Alex Honnold. Traffic moved slowly. As the passenger in a review vehicle, I texted and called the mountain climber. We’d met a year before for an early breakfast at a trade show in Salt Lake City. Knowing Honnold’s zen demeanor, I was confident our tardiness wouldn’t matter. “No problem,” Honnold replied when I apologized. “I’m just getting up.” It was about noon on a January weekday. When Bruce Aldrich and I arrived for the taping of Episode #22 of

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Next car trend? Michelin, GM, Goodyear making airless tires

Airless tires make sense. But how the product becomes viable is another matter. It now seems like Michelin and General Motors with one project and Goodyear with another could soon help alleviate millions of punctured tires yearly bending up on landfills. According to a report on Dezeen.com, Michelin’s UPTIS (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) promises to eliminate the waste and danger of a flat or blown-out tire. It hopes the tires will be available by 2024. Goodyear has also recently touted an airless concept called Aero and Oxygene. The former tilt to turn into a propeller for flying cars. Oxygene is an oxygen-producing moss tire concept. The Michelin-General Motors airless tire concept features a complex internal architecture made from carefully engineered

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Justin selects his top-5 parts under $500 for 2009-2014 F150s

In this episode of AmericanTruck’s (AT) “The Haul” YouTube Video Series, host Justin 
Dugan selects his favorite top-5 parts for under $500 for 2009-2014 F150s. Including parts from AT’s most popular categories like Truck Lighting, F150 Lift Kits, Exterior Accessories+ more, Justin’s Top 5 focuses on functionality while sprinkling in a few F150 exterior styling mods for good measure. Parts featured in this video: Barricade HD Bull Bar w/Skid Plate & 20-inch. Dual Row LED Light Bar, Textured Black, JLT, V3.0 Black Oil Separator Passenger Side, ReadyLIFT 2 in. Billet Aluminum Leveling Kit Anodized Black, Husky X Act Contour Front Floor Liners Black & TruShield Soft Rolling Bed Cover. American Trucks is regarded as one of the best, most reliable

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Matt Damon, Christian Bale set for FORD v. FERRARI film

Among the epic rivalries in motorsports, Ford v. Ferrari and the 1966 contest between Carroll Shelby and Kevin Miles at Ford and Enzo Ferrari and his entourage at the 24 Hours of LeMans is unsurpassed. Actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale weren’t born yet when the respective drivers and carmakers from Ford and Ferrari matched their driving skills and risk-taking desires in the famous French race. But the accomplished actors will portray the icons in the film FORD v. FERRARI. 20th Century Fox recently released the official trailer and poster for the pending film. It’s based on the story of Shelby, the visionary American car designer, and Miles, the fearless British-born driver. They’re dispatched by Henry Ford II and the

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Honda, Acura finish long Takata fiasco with 1.6 airbag recalls

Honda and Acura are recalling 1.6 million cars dating from 2001 to 2015 in the manufacturers’ last phase of a several-year recall of potentially deadly Takata front passenger airbag inflators. The airbags, made with the chemical ammonium nitrate, are prone to exploding upon deployment, potentially hurling fiery shrapnel into passengers. Twenty-four people have been killed and hundreds injured by the inflators worldwide. When the newly announce recall is complete, Honda says it will have recalled or accounted for 22.6 million inflators in about 12.9 million vehicles. Affected Honda models include the 2001-2012 Accord, the 2010-2015 Crosstour, the 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, the 2011-2015 CR-Z, the 2003-2011 Element, the 2007-2014 Fit, the 2010-2014 Insight, the 2002-2004 Odyssey, the 2003-2015 Pilot and the

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Maintaining proper tire condition help drivers’ safety

When you drive a lot, you may not think much about your tires enough. You may think getting from place to place is all that matters. The condition of each tire, however, is equally important for your safety. Tires’ conditions and the way you treat them could mean the difference between you staying safe or getting in a horrific accident. Here arecompelling reasons to visit a tire shop. Change of Season It can snow in any month in Calgary, but the snowy season typically starts in October and ends in May. That’s seven months where there is consistent snowfall. Due to this, snowy and icy road conditions are a constant issue. To be safe, during the winter you should put

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