Automotive News

Tow truck driver Ray Elliott pans 2019 Chrysler Pacifica, GM Sierra

Ray Elliott is a veteran tow truck driver in the San Francisco Bay Area who also publishes the website idiotsontheinterstate.com. In addition to his vast expertise helping motorists, he posts commentaries and videos that ideally define his online platform’s name. Elliott has twice been a guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast and the subject of a column I wrote several months ago for the San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times. He knows the industry from a unique perspective. It’s when vehicles aren’t running properly after breakdowns or involvement in accidents. For the past several years, I’ve written end-of-the-year articles, selecting the top vehicle of the year. To view the list, visit: 2019  Best Cars and Trucks. Elliott disagrees with

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Consumer Telematics Show 2020 offers auto tech immersion

SPONSORED CONTENT TU-Automotive has powered B2B automotive technology events for over 20 years. Having recently combined with WardsAuto and Wards Intelligence, we are able to offer much more top industry-led expert content through conferences, exhibitions, reports, digital media and more. Join us in 2020 for the first in our series of events, Consumer Telematics Show 2020. Join us on January 6 and immerse yourself in the future of automotive technology. Automakers are no longer just focused on the exterior. Increasingly, the consumer is being swayed by the in-vehicle experience. To stay competitive, automakers are adopting new consumer-centric technology that seamlessly brings our creature comforts into the car. CTS 2020 talking points include: • Entertainment: Will the future car be seen

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2019 Best Cars, Trucks

Welcome to the 13th annual Best Cars and Trucks of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. As is our logical way, we wait until the end of the year to name our selections. As in previous years, the 2019 choices were selected only from the list of 35-40 cars and trucks manufacturers provided for weekly reviews. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I will discuss the list on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The 10 vehicles on the 2019 Best Cars, Trucks list include manufacturers from the United States, South Korea and Japan. The Weekly Driver has been writing about our main automotive vent for years. How do prestigious industry publications determine their vehicles-of-the-year selections before the calendar year starts? Selecting a list

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North Dakota, California have best, worst highways

Lousy newspaper delivery, telecommunication company hassles and increasing utility costs are constant common public annoyances. But poor highways may be the leading frustration. The Reason Foundation embraces the issue. 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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Kia President Michael Cole stars with new Seltos SUV at LA Auto Show

The name Michael Cole is shared by a television actor, professional wrestling announcer and a prominent Southern California psychologist. Michael Cole, the recently named President of Kia Motors America, has some of the other Michael Cole traits — all intriguing. The latter Michael Cole was named to his new position two weeks before the just concluding Los Angeles Auto Show, and he was ready. A career automotive executive who previously worked for Toyota, Cole, 55, presented the new 2021 Kia Seltos under the show’s bright lights and theatrics and with the enthusiasm of an actor and showman. After the pending subcompact crossover SUV’s unveiling, Cole, a native of England, was as serious as a psychologist, but forthright and humorous. He

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Brembo, Bollinger, Kia presidents interviewed at LA Auto Show

The Weekly Driver Podcast co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia spent three Media Days at the LA Auto Show and interviewed the presidents of Brembo, Bollinger and Kia. The show’s public days began today (Nov. 22) and continue through December 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The multi-floor, multi-hall extravaganza will feature more than 500 exhibits and dozens of manufacturers and the North American or global debuts of their vehicles. It’s all about entry-level cars, top-end luxury vehicles, the ever-expanding alternative fuel industry, custom made machines and unique concepts. But unlike visiting a car dealership where the goal of salespeople to sell, auto shows are public question and answer sessions. Attendees are encouraged to ask manufacturers’ representatives, sometimes called

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Shelby Cobra is back as an e-bike to celebrate Ford v Ferrari

Just in time for his portrayal in the movie Ford v Ferrari, the iconic Cobra made by automotive legend Carroll Shelby is back — sort of. Vintage Electric released November 15 a limited edition Two-Wheeled Cobra. It’s an homage to Shelby’s 289 Slabside Cobra in the form of an electric bicycle. Designed with the help of Shelby’s grandson Aaron, the bike has a motorcycle-like profile. It’s painted the same metallic blue with black racing stripes as its namesake. The bike also features hand grips, a matte black fork, retro LED headlamp and leather saddle seat that all reminiscent of the 289 Slabside. And the iconic Cobra logo is also prominent. Shelby’s powerful cars included the Ford GT40 that beat Ferrari

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Stuntman Robert Nagle silent car star in Ford v Ferrari

Actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale weren’t alive when Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles were in their most determined whirlwinds of pride, ego and obsession. Ferrari ruled the automotive world at the time; Ford didn’t like it. Robert Nagle knows the story as well as anyone. He’s the stuntman, engineer and consultant who taught Damon and Bale how to drive in the pending movie Ford v Ferrari. The veteran actors, respectively play Shelby, the visionary American car designer, and Miles, the fearless British-born driver. They’re dispatched in the film by actors playing Henry Ford II and the recently deceased Lee Iacocca to humble Ford. They’re assigned to build the Ford GT40, a new race car with the potential to defeat

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Mesa tops five Arizona cities with least stressful commutes

Mesa, Arizona is known for its vast parks system, golf courses and dry climate. But it also has a new appealing attribute — the country’s least stressful commute. In fact, Arizona has five of the country’s least stressful commute cities, according report researched released by SleepHelp.org. To identify the cities with the most and least stressful commutes, a composite score was calculated based on the following metrics from several national data collection and environment agencies. The criteria: Average one-way commute time; Average annual days with precipitation; Relative collision likelihood; Percentage of workers who drive; Diversity of times that people leave for work. Here are 10 cities in the United States with the least stressful commutes: 1. Mesa, AZ • Population:

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Detroit synonymous with auto industry but commute horrible

The automotive industry is deeply rooted in Detroit. But the city would rather not have one of its honors. It has the most stressful commute in the country. Here are the stats. In Detroit, the average one-way commute time, 25.4 minutes; average annual days with precipitation, 135 days; relative collision likelihood, 22.9 percent above average; percentage of workers who drive: 83.0 percent; diversity of times people leave for work, worse than average. As a result, Detroit doesn’t fare well in the associated issues with long commutes. Many in the workforce leave jobs because of excessive commute stress. Likewise, lack of long commute times not only increases stress, it decreases job satisfaction and leisure time satisfaction. The combined effects lead to

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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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