Automotive News

Rolls-Royce joins auto industry trend with first SUV

Get ready for something new from Rolls-Royce. The luxurious British carmaker will soon debut its first sport utility vehicle. It will be called the Cullinan and, as expected, it will be big and powerful as its namesake. The Cullinan, the largest diamond ever found, is part of the British Crown Jewels. Pricing and a release date haven’t been announced, but the Cullinan is expected to be available in late 2018 and with an estimated entry price of around $400,000. It will be the most expensive Rolls-Royce ever made. Constructed with all-aluminum architecture, the Cullinan will have impressive specs: a 6.75-liter, twin-turbo V12 with 563 horsepower. It will come standard all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and rear-hinged coach doors. The estimated 0-60

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How to wisely purchase a new car with bad credit

SPONSORED CONTENT Making a major purchase with bad credit is difficult, but trying to buy a car with bad credit or post-bankruptcy is more difficult. However, it’s impossible and there are conditions. When you get a car loan with bad credit, the interest rate will likely be high. Make sure you have enough cash each month to make payments. If you fail to meet the terms of the loan, your credit score will take another significant dip, your new vehicle will be repossessed, and you’ll be out the thousands of dollars you already spent on the vehicle. But don’t be discouraged. You can make a sound purchase, improve your creditworthiness and still driving away in a brand-new vehicle. But how

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Peugeot owner soon to launch an electric car division

PSA, the French owner of renowned automobile brands including Peugeot and Citroën, will launch a new business unit which will develop only electric vehicles. The announcement comes when the increasing electrification of automakers’ offerings has continued on pace, encouraged by expanding regulations to further curtail emissions. Division and conquer the electric car market? The new division will go operational in 2019 and “be responsible for defining and deploying the group’s electric vehicle strategy and rolling out the related products and services,” according to a PSA-issued statement quoted by the Financial Times. The automotive group appears to be playing catch-up in a market where regulations implemented in markets including Europe and China have incentivized other leading car manufacturers to further the

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New car technology improves safety, increases distractions

As infotainment systems become more complex and carmakers use further technology to improve automotive safety, driver distractions can also increase. In fact, information and entertainment systems in many new cars can distract drivers for more than 40 seconds, according to a new study by the American Automobile Association (AAA), Foundation For Safety. The AAA reports removing your eyes from the road for only two seconds doubles the risk of an accident. Conducted for AAA by researchers from the University of Utah, the survey included voice-based and touchscreen features and studied the visual and cognitive demands required to operate infotainment systems. Thirty new 2017 vehicles were included in the study. Participants were tasked with using interactive technologies to make a phone

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New auto books showcase Porsche racing, rusty relics

There’s no shortage of books written about automotive topics. Cars, drivers, craftsmanship, manufacturers and racetracks have all been exhaustingly detailed. But two new offerings cover unrelated compelling niche topics. Porsche Werks/Team, a coffee table-sized, image-dominated volume, intimately details a photojournalist’s three-year project for Porsche at three famous endurance races. Muscle Car Barn Finds is an equally enticing book from a far different segment of the automotive world. It’s the author’s quest to find abandoned and hoarded vintage vehicles as he travels throughout several states. Porsche is highlighted in a new endurance racing book. Porsche is highlight in a new enduracne racing book.With Porsche Works/Team (Delius Klasing & Co., $65), renowned photographer Frank Kayser and author Heike Hientzsch recall the performances

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Common sense tips to avoid driving and texting

Most drivers try to refrain from texting and driving, but it’s easy to yield to the temptation of an incoming text. While it may seem harmless to glance at your phone just long enough to scan a message, it’s not. Texting and driving statistics reveal reading one text message takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds. That might not seem like a long time, but if you’re traveling 55 mph you can cover the length of a football field in 4.6 seconds. That’s a long distance to travel with your attention diverted. Texting and driving are not a good marriage.Since 18 percent of all fatal automobile accidents are caused by distracted driving, it’s a good idea to learn

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Documentary ‘I Am Paul Walker’ set for late actor

Paul Walker, the late actor, car enthusiast and humanitarian, will be honored in an upcoming documentary from Paramount Network, Network Entertainment and Derik Murray, who produced “I Am Heath Ledger.” The documentary, titled “I Am Paul Walker,” will explore the late Fast and Furious star’s acting and film career. It will also detail the actor’s passion for marine life, the ocean and his charitable efforts in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. Many of Walker’s friends and co-stars are expected to be featured in the film. In addition to his Fast and Furious roles, Walker starred in numerous non-automotive based movies. He was killed in November 2013 when the Porsche Carrera GT in which he was a passenger, crashed into a concrete

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Uber halts self-driving program after pedestrian fatality

The Uber autonomous driving program has been suspended after a 49-year-old woman in Tempe, Arizona, was killed after she was hit by a car as she crossed the street. Self-driving cars have been involved in multiple accidents, but the pedestrian fatality is believed to be the first in the autonomous realm. Uber said it had ceased its autonomous program throughout North America. The accident, according to law enforcement accounts, occurred late in the evening on March 19 when the vehicle was autonomous mode. The vehicle also had a driver. Elaine Herzberg, the victim, wasn’t using a pedestrian crossing. She was transported to a local hospital where she died. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety

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Rare Tesla offered as children’s fundraiser giveaway

Kimbal Musk, often cited as a global social entrepreneur, is conducting a fundraising campaign through Omaze for fans to the chance to win the philanthropist’s personal and fully customized Tesla Model 3, the sixth model ever made. Musk, the younger brother of Elon Musk and founder of Tesla, is considered the “founding father of the modern food movement.” Proceeds raised from the campaign will benefit Big Green, Kimbal’s initiative to provide healthier futures for kids through learning gardens and food literacy programs. Your donation will help Big Green establish a culture in schools that promotes youth wellness and reduces preventable diet-related health disparities. Funds raised can provide seeds, plants and supplies for a school’s garden; give students access to brand new

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So long, farewell to the Volkswagen Beetle

Say goodbye to the most iconic car ever made, the Volkswagen Beetle. A representative from the German automaker told a reporter from the publication Autocar during the Geneva Motor Show that it plans to stop production of the vehicle at the end of its current generation. Frank Welsch, the carmaker’s research and development leader, said, “two or three generations is enough now.” The Volkswagen Beetle is the fourth best-selling vehicle in history, trailing the Toyota Corolla, Ford F series pickup trucks and Volkswagen Golf. But the Beetle’s sales have waned in recent years, with reports the carmaker’s engineers have lost enthusiasm for the vehicle. It was originally known as the “people car’s” when it was first commissioned in Germany by

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Richard Petty set to auction career of racing stuff (live)

Richard Petty, the legendary NASCAR driver, is 80 and it’s time to purge his stuff. The winner of five Daytona 500 races and scores of other races, is selling some of his most well-known racing cars trophies and other items May 12 in an auction scheduled at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Petty’s iconic day-glow red and blue 1974 Dodge Charger is among the expected highlights of the auction. Petty, who had 200 career wins, drove the ’74 charger to 31 wins, including his fifth Daytona 500 victory. A 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Petty drove in 1979 when he won his seventh series championship and a 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix he drove during his farewell tour are also set for

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5 Best Online Car Games For 2018

If you’re a car buff, your love of cars doesn’t stop in researching and fantasizing about your favorite models and ideal car. If you’re an avid car lover, your love doesn’t stop with reading car magazines, it extends into other aspects of your life — the movies you see, the books you read and the games you try to master online. Finding the best car games to play can be difficult and tedious. As fellow car enthusiasts, we’ve sifted through the many options of car games available and boiled it down to a list of the top-five favorites we think are most worth your time. These games greatly vary, but they all have one crucial thing in common — cars.

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Genesis cruises past Audi, tops Consumer Reports’ best car list

Genesis, the newcomer luxury brand from Hyundai, has accelerated past Audi and is now top-rated by Consumer Reports in its annual ranking of automotive brands. Audi was ranked No. 2, followed by BMW, Lexus and Porsche in the top 5. The remainder of the top 10 in order: Subaru, Kia, Tesla, Honda and Toyota. The magazine’s annual report card ranks brands based on road and safety tests, owner satisfaction and reliability. Lexus stood out in the rankings more for its reliability and standard advanced safety features than its road test scores, which often have trailed rivals. The magazine reported every Audi model tested, which totaled eight in the latest survey period, and every Genesis tested, just two models, are all

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Hertz, Avis among agencies, banks to sever NRA relationships

At least six car rental agencies and several companies that finance and insure cars and trucks have ended their relationships with the National Rifle Association (NRA) after the fallout from the organization’s statement following the massacre of 17 people at a Florida High School. In addition to several banks, Enterprise Holdings, which owns Enterprise, Alamo and National car rental groups, announced it will end the discount offering it has with the NRA on March 26. Hertz announced in a tweet it’s also ending its NRA rental car discount program. A partnership between the NRA and Hertz and advertised on the association’s website has been removed. Avis and Budget, owned by the same company, were also listed as discount providers on

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2018 Ford Mustang: Less is more with EcoBoost model

Like other automotive icons, the Ford Mustang is unmistakable. Its long hood, short rear deck, pony badge, overall styling and unique debut by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., on April 17, 1964, have all added to the sports car’s legacy. The Mustang’s current generation debuted in 2015. The showcase model for 2018 is the direct-injected, 5.0-liter V8 with 460 horsepower. It defines automotive testosterone for the masses and is the most powerful Mustang to date. But what if you don’t need all that power and the corresponding constant growl of the big beast? The alternative is the base model 2.3-liter turbocharged, four-cylinder, Ecoboost coupe with 310 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. With the

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RV industry awash in chaos; readers, advocate speak up

The Weekly Driver Podcast has reached its 25th episode, and we’re cruising toward highway speed. Our current broadcast, our most popular, investigates the complex issues in the RV industry. Sales have dramatically increased as more consumers can no longer afford traditional housing or are seeking a mobile lifestyle. But campgrounds are overcrowded, and retail box store parking lots, where more RVers live, are often unkempt. Further, the RV industry has a quality control crisis. Our podcast guest, Chuck Woodbury, editor and publisher of RVTravel.com, discusses his concerns. He believes the RV industry doesn’t care about the quality of its products. Too many buyers have faced major problems and they don’t have a consumer organization from which to get help. Woodbury

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