Automotive News

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2017 cheap cars abound, average new car price climbs

The average price of a new vehicle in the United States has increased for several years. It’s now more than $31,000. But quality new cheap cars are readily available, too. Pushed by competition in the automotive industry, improved safety and technology innovation, there’s and abundance of new cars available for, most for about half the price of the average new car price. Personal preferences vary, of course. And recently a list compiled by Car and Driver details the diversity of the country’s 10 cheapest 2017 new cars. Here’s the list, cheapest to the most expensive among the cheapest. The prices listed are for base trims. 1. Nissan Versa S, $12,855 2. Mitsubishi Mirage ES, $13,830 3. Chevrolet Spark, $13,875 4.

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Elio Motors Timeline, 2014-2016: Plans, Promises, No Cars

In early 2014, The Weekly Driver reported on the ambitious plans of Elio Motors to debut about a year later an unnamed three-wheel vehicle conceived by company founder Paul Elio. The attraction was startling: the futuristic-looking contraption was touted as costing $6,800, and it could achieve 84 mpg. Further, the company promoted the vehicle as featuring an eight-gallon gas tank with a 672-mile range and a top speed of more than 100 mph. The small front-mounted engine in the Elio was promoted as 1.0 liter, with three cylinders and 70 horsepower. It would feature two seats, with an optional fold-down passenger seat for cargo space. In the nearly three years since Elio Motors received its first public notoriety a lot

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EVgo expands profile with country’s fastest charging station

Construction of the first high-power public charging station in the United States has begun in Baker, California. It’s under the auspices of EVgo, the nation’s nation’s largest network of public electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations. The new station’s chargers will be capable of charging at a rate of up to 350kW. The rate is seven times faster than any fast chargers currently available and represents a new level of convenience for EV charging. When completed, EVgo’s High-Power charging station at the site of World’s Tallest Thermometer will link Southern California to Las Vegas, furthering EVgo’s position as the leading national fast charging provider. The High-Power Charger complements EVgo’s existing fast charging stations throughout California and the U.S., allowing EV drivers

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Bugatti As Kinetic Art? Rare Pedal Cars Honor Iconic Brand

Bugatti is often considered the world’s most prestigious automobile. The French car company was founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti. Throughout its more its now nearly 108-year history, the craftsmanship of its vehicles is unmatched. Despite the beauty and legend of Bugatti, the exclusive company has endured its pitfalls like nearly every other high-end manufacturer. Ettore Bugatti died in 1947 and was preceded in death by his son Jean. The elder’s passing marked the beginning of the demise of the original company. The company was in such financial disarray in the early 1960s, its inventory was sold for use as airplane parts. The company was sold to Hispano-Suiza in 1963, and the Bugatti name was sold to its current owner

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Lyft offers one-day tip bonus to drivers, debuts sweet film

About a year ago, I used the Lyft platform for the first time on a business trip to Long Beach. I relied on the service five times in three days, including on two occasions in which the drivers told me they’d left their jobs to take care of their aging fathers. They’d become Lyft drivers part-time while becoming full-time caregivers. One driver said his father was on the mend, but he preferred driving the Lyft rather than returning to his corporate job. The other driver said his father had died, but he remained a Lyft and Uber driver because he also preferred the employment flexibility his former corporate job didn’t offer. I’ve now used Lyft about a dozen times, including

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If Elio Motors fails, Canadian EV start-up will honor deposits

As Elio Motors continues its fledgling future, another start-up is seeking the opportunity to capitalize — if the long-promised but undelivered three-wheel fails. Elio Motors’ website lists more than 62,000 reservations for the futuristic-looking 3-cylinder vehicle its founder Paul Elio claims will get as much as 84 mpg. But a recent report on the website Gas 2.0 details Elio Motors loss of more than $123 million in its filing with the Security Exchange Commission (SEC). In the filing, Elio further reports its future is in jeopardy without additional fundings. In reaction to the most recent post on TheWeeklyDriver.com (we’ve written more than a dozen articles on Elio Motors), A Canadian EV start-up, Electra Meccanica Vehicles Corp., sent us a comment:

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2017 Volvo S90: New luxury sedan trumps German rivals

Imagine a Swedish-built sedan trying to infiltrate the luxury market dominated by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi? Welcome the 2017 Volvo S90. The new flagship replaces the Volvo S80 as a slightly wider and longer offering. Its sleek exterior design features take Volvo further past its former reputation. It’s no longer a manufacturer of sturdy but stodgy vehicles only at their best Scandinavian winters. Offered with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine, the Volvo S90 is offered in T5 and T6 models. The latter was my weekly driver, and it’s the more powerful with 316 horsepower while utilizing the turbocharger and supercharger. Both models have eight-speed automatic transmissions, with the T5 front-wheel drive and the T6 all-wheel drive. As expected in luxury

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Elio Motors: So long, farewell to your three-wheel hype

The fate of the much-hyped, low-cost, high gas mileage, three-wheel vehicle manufactured by Elio Motors may end before it starts. A report on the website Gas 2.0 details the company’s massive spending, substantial debt, and severe concerns it will continue. Elio Motors, which has touted its predicted 84 mpg futuristic vehicles for several years, has missed many deadlines for the vehicle’s debut. It has produced five three-wheel prototypes, but its prediction of creating 1,500 jobs at its Louisiana plant has never materialized. In a partial description of the company’s Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filing on the Gas 2.0 site, Paul Elio, the company’s founder and president, reports an accumulated debt of $123,212,422 as of Sept. 30, 2016. In the company’s

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2016 Fiat 500X: Little SUV has faults, but rules the road

Four years after the Italian carmaker return to the United States, the 2016 Fiat 500X joins the little car family as its first subcompact crossover. It combines the traits of its motoring siblings, the 500 and 500L, with an elevated driving position and several upgrades. Like some of its siblings, the Fiat 500X is also among an increasing number of vehicles with more interior space than it appears from the outside of the car. It’s a subcompact SUV, surprisingly spacious and possessing a spunky personality. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Fiat 500X is available in five trims, including my weekly driver, the top-line Trekking Plus. It features a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder, front-wheel drive engine that produces 180 horsepower. It’s matched

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2018 Toyota Camry: Watch the debut live from Detroit

When you sell more than 400,000 units of a car in a year, you get to have bravado. That’s how and why the 2018 Toyota Camry is just a tease — for now. The carmaker has announced the new edition of the best-selling car in the United States for many years will be unveiled in January at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, often called the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s only preview image of the new Camry is a close-cropped, three-quarter low-angle rear view. Sure, it’s a partial view. But it appears the usually conservatively styled sedan has been modernized. While the Toyota Camry had a long reign in its top-selling perch, its sales have decreased more than nine

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2017 Mazda MX-5 Miata: One size fits all for iconic roadster

The tall, lanky guy getting into the car parked next to mine contorted his frame into a 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. I unfolded my body to exit another MX-5, the same year and color. Both vehicle’s rag tops were down. “You’re a tall guy for a small car,” I said during the parking lot exchange. ”Yeah, I’m 6-4, but it’s worth every second of it,” he said, as we both smiled while acknowledging our twin vehicles. And so it is for enthusiasts of the little, lightweight sports car that can. Like aficionados of muscle cars, pick-up trucks and minivans, MX-5 fans are as passionate as the owners in any car segment. For the past quarter century or so, no vehicle

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Cars3 trailer: Big crash shatters film series’ theme

Six years after its predecessor, Cars3, the computer-animated film starring Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), will be released on June 16, 2017 in 2D 3D and IMAX 3D formats. And, man, will there be a surprise. The third installment in the popular series will have a more serious theme. McQueen is suddenly dispatched from racing after a crash. And to return to to the sport, he needs the assistance of a young race technician, Cruz Ramirez. But she has her own ideas and plans to win. And there’s another twist: Guidance from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet as well as a few other figurative and literal tumultuous racetrack corners to negotiate. The heavy tone from the teaser has garnered

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Automotive technology overload can ruin your day

The Interstate 680 South and Highway 24 West interchange in Walnut Creek, California, is a manic maze. It’s often a showcase for drivers’ worst behaviors. You can drive it a thousand times, prepare for a safe move to the proper lane and still face peril. The freeways’ designs don’t help. Rather, the awkward connection between the roads often prompts motoring lunacy. Cars cut across lanes at the last second and merging traffic from freeway ramps isn’t given proper access. But there’s a still a potential positive in the chaos. However hectic the traffic gets, modern automotive technology can help, except for when it doesn’t. Such was the case recently while approaching the 680 South to 24 West traffic mess in

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LA Auto Show: Hydrogen cars, electric vans and a gold-gilded rarity

The LA Auto Show is an annual automotive sensory overload. It’s all new cars and trucks, technology innovation and, in recent years, an increasing focus on hybrid, electric and other alternative fuel vehicles. This year’s show is no different. With new focuses on custom and vintage vehicles in the “garage” (basement), the future of autonomous vehicles, and the usual offering of global and North American debuts, there’s a lot see across the automotive spectrum. Including a full day’s schedule on Thanksgiving, the 2016 LA Auto Show will continue through Nov. 27 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. (Video produced by Bruce Aldrich (www.tahoetruckeoutdoor.com) Here are five highlights from this year’s show: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt — With a 238-mile range, the

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2016 LA Auto Show: foam cars, electric vans, new colors

The 2016 LA Auto Show is emphasizing technology this year with its newly named segment, AutoMobility LA. The expanded format allows for more innovation exhibits — some logical advancements in the automotive landscape, other products and software hard to decipher. In the latter category, consider the Spira4u Co. It debuted its three-wheel electric trike. It’s steered with a tiller and its exterior looks like a toy car covered in styrofoam. The Spira4u can be driven with a car or motorcycle license in California, and a helmet is not required. The body is constructed of recyclable light foam, fiberglass and plastic. Top speed is 75 mph. The gas version is priced at $6,000 and the electric version is priced at $10,000.

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Original Honda N600 restored, honors brand’s success

With its perennially top-selling Fit, Civic, Accord, and CR-V, it’s easy to appreciate the Honda lineup. Consistency rules. But not every Honda offering has been a success and some models, like the Civic Natural Gas and Crosstour, while innovative, failed. But perseverance counts in the automotive industry, and there’s at least one Honda enthusiast who’s thrilled to share his experience and passion for Honda. Tim Mings, a Los Angeles-based mechanic, and his team restored a 1969 Honda N600, the first Honda sold in the United States, star in video series, “Serial One.” The 12-part documentary chronicles the step-by-step renovation of the N600. It’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is 1000001. https://youtu.be/ETI5FGAUeos The series finale showcases the restored “Serial One” and revisits

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