Automotive News

Tesla announces Model 3 for 2017 with $35,000 price

Tesla may be the safest car ever tested. And company Elon Musk may have shaken up the car industry. But since its debut, Tesla’s inability to make an environmental difference with its high-performance electric car has been thwarted by one large problem. The Tesla and its six-figure price made the car unaffordable to most buyers. Now, it may all change with the announcement of the new Tesla Model 3, the manufacturer’s third platform. The base price for the Model 3 is anticipated at $35,000. The price does not include a $7,500 to $13,000 governmental rebate depending upon the state in which the car is purchased. According to Tesla, the unveiling of the Model 3 will take place in March, and

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Academy Awards often an homage to new, vintage cars

Perhaps only second to the theme of love, cars are nearly an inescapable part of movies. Among this year’s Best Picture nominations in the upcoming Academy Awards extravaganza, vintage and futuristic vehicles are prominent in Mad Max: Fury Road, Brooklyn and Bridge of Spies. But while prominent, cars aren’t the stars of any of this season’s top films set for the spotlight in the 88th edition Academy Awards on Feb. 28. Still, cars are often presented in starring roles. In many instances, the vehicles used in iconic Academy Awards films through the years are as famous the actors and actresses who’ve drove them in anger and in sheer joy. Cars Often Shine In Academy Awards Movies Cars, in fact, are

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Elio Motors debuts TV commercials for its $6,800 vehicle (video)

Elio Motors has continued its steadfast public relations campaign for its still-pending three-wheel, inexpensive, fuel-efficient vehicle with its first two national television commercials. The 30- and 60-second television spots, titled “Own the Future,” feature sweeping shots of the company’s P4 prototype. Paul Elio, Elio Motors Founder and CEO, talks about his vision to alter the course of society by creating a low-cost, highly fuel-efficient vehicle unlike anything on the road today. According to the press release, “Elio’s goal is to strengthen American manufacturing, create American jobs, provide access to low-cost mobility for millions of people and reduce our overall oil consumption.” The commercials will air on national cable networks, including Animal Planet, ESPN News, ESPNU, Fox Business Network, Fox News,

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Jerry Seinfeld ready to unload three rare Porsche rarities

Three of Jerry Seinfeld’s vast collection of Porsches, including a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder that may be worth $6 million, will be offered at the Amelia Island Auction in Florida on March 11. Although more Porsches from Seinfeld’s collection may be sold, the other two confirmed vehicles for sale: * a 1958 Carrera Speedster, expected to fetch at least $2 million. It’s one of only 151 Carrera Speedsters ever built, and one of only 13 painted a unique green called Auratium. * a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera. It was the first of 15 RSRs built specifically to compete in the International Race of Champions series in 1973 and 1974. Its estimated sale price is $1.2 million to $1.5 million. The

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The Fiat Popemobile (maybe two) set for charity auction

How cool would be to own a Popemobile or two? A 2015 black Fiat 500L used by Pope Francis on his trip to the United States in September 2015 is being auctioned off at the Gooding & Co., to benefit the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. A gray Fiat 500L used by the Pope will also at the auction. But no there’s no confirmation if it will also be auctioned. The Fiat or Fiats, used at Popemobiles, will be available January 29 at the Black Tie Tailgate event, scheduled during the Philadelphia Auto Show. The midsize 500L crossover was introduced in 2014. Its MSRP is at just under $20,000. According to Kelley Blue Book, a well-equipped used Fiat

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New Nissan Titan XD gets Cars.com truck of the year honors

Every car publication annual selects its cars and trucks of the year. It remains a mystery why it’s done early in the calendar year, but Cars.com has selected the Volvo XC90 as its 2016 Car of the Year.  And the debuting Nissan Titan XD as its 2016 Pickup Truck of the Year. In part, here’s what editors at Cars.com wrote about the 2016 Nissan Titan XD: “Not only does this new truck attempt to carve a unique place for itself in between two well-established segments (the half-ton and three-quarter-ton segments), but it also tries to re-establish Nissan as a competitive player in the world of full-size pickup trucks — and that’s a tall order. “Where the previous light-duty Titan was

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Obama accelerates self-driving cars with $4 billion

The future of self-driving cars continues to accelerate. The Obama Administration has announced an investment  of $3.9 billion into the 2017 budget for a 10-year plan to support the technology. Correspondingly, Anthony Foxx, the Department of Transportation secretary, has unveiled a plan. It’s the legal framework for autonomous driving technology that would encourage consistent rules across all 50 states. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be in charge in drafting the framework. Although the federal government can dictate manufacturing regulations, non-interstate highway traffic laws are left to the states. California, Nevada, Michigan and Florida have their own respective regulations on self-driving cars, creating a rough patchwork of rules. Foxx encouraged car companies to work with the Department of

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PREVIEW: 2017 Hyundai Elantra defines when more is less

The Hyundai Elantra, the South Korean manufacturer’s best-selling car, will begin its sixth generation in 2017 with a starting price $100 less than the 2016 model. The 2017 Hyundai Elantra will be available in SE, Eco and Limited trims. The SE comes standard with a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engine with a 6-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transition. The MSRP is $17,150 for the manual transmission option and $18,150 for the automatic transmission. The Limited trim, which features leather upholstery as well as additional safety and technology features, has an MSRP of $22,350. The Eco trim pricing has not been announced. A sport model will debut later in 2016. Elantra’s base SE trim is available with a Popular Equipment package

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Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff Agrees: Formula 1 Too Predictable

The most watched sporting league in the world, the Barclays Premier League, is arguably as popular as Formula 1 because of its guaranteed entertainment and sheer unpredictability. Unfortunately, the same traits are not currently associated with the Formula 1 worlds. Since rule changes in 2014, competition has been limited and even boss Bernie Ecclestone has labeled the sport he runs as “crap”. Periods of domination aren’t always boring in Formula 1. Michael Schumacher’s years on dominance brought relentless excitement. But the late 1990’s were full of competitive races and podiums with new names. A the Mercedes domination at the top of Formula’ 1’s current hierarchy looks unlikely to change any time soon. As such, the biggest questions of the 2015

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Ford, Toyota dominate 2015 U.S. car, truck sales — again

As has occurred yearly since nearly the invention the the automobile, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2015. The iconic pick-up truck, manufactured since 1948, had a 3.5 percent increase in sales last year from 2014. The Ford F-Series was the country’s best-selling vehicle for the 34th straight year. It sold 780,354 units in 2015, and it also led a top-three sweep of trucks as the top sellers in the country. The Chevrolet Silverado was the country’s second-highest seller with 600,544 units sold, followed by the Ram Pickup, with 451,116 units sold. The Chevrolet Silverado had 13.4 percent sales increase from 2014 to 2015, while the Ram had an increase of 2.6 percent. The

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Christopher Walken lends pipes, pitches Kia in Super Bowl 50

Christopher Walken may or may not drive a Kia. But like Blake Griffin, his predecessor as a celebrity spokesman for the South Korean manufacturer, Walken is anything but basic and boring. He doesn’t blend in. That’s the catch in the carmaker’s in three new commercials touting 2016 Kia Optima. Walken, the Academy Award-winning actor, narrates but does not appear in the already airing spots titled “Middle C.” He also does the narration only in the yet-to-be broadcast “Cookie Cutter” commercial. But fans be ready. Walken will appear in a another new Kia commercial set for broadcast during Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016. Kia is promoting the new Optima as a “vibrant alternative for those determined not to blend

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Volkswagen plan to fix diesel emission issue rejected

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has rejected Volkswagen‘s plan to fix its pollution-spewing 2.0-liter diesel cars. The vehicles are equipped with software that allows them to emit up to 40 times legalll allowable pollution. The CARB said VW’s proposed fix was not adequate or fast enough, according to a report from Reuters and several other media organizations. The agency said it would continue its investigation as well further discuss with VW new potential solution. Only the proposal to fix 2.0-liter diesel engines, the most common affected, was rejected. The proposal for fixing the 3.0-liter diesel engines also affected, is not scheduled for evaluation by the CARB until February 2016. Since the faulty VW emissions issue was announced in September

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Good Housekeeping debuts Best New Cars list

Good Housekeeping, the magazine whose testing institute has evaluated products and presented the Good Housekeeping Seal of approval since 1909, has unveiled its inaugural “Best New Cars” for 2016. The new list was compiled in conjunction with Car and Driver, the renowned automobile publication. The two publications’ collaboration narrowed 160 vehicles to 41 across four categories; eight winners: Compact, Sedan, Eco and Crossover. Then, the engineers from the Good Housekeeping Institute logged 2,000-plus miles on real roads, assessing performance, safety features, family friendliness, price, infotainment systems, usability, storage and intuitive design. Here are the winners, announced January 11, 2016 at North American International Auto Show in Detroit: Compact Mazda3 S 5-Door Grand Touring (2015): Swift acceleration gives this car a

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Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Dodge get dubious honors

Owning a Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan or a Dodge Charger muscle car might be a dream vehicle of your choice. Both automobiles have long been popular to different buying groups. But both vehicles are also expected to be among the worst depreciating cars in 2016. According to a new report on Forbes.com and compiled from statistics from the used-vehicle website Carlypso.com, the Nissan Leaf is expected to be with the worst anticipated depreciating in 2016. The Leaf will likely be worth only 52 percent of its original MSRP after one year. The Forbes’ article states depreciation values are “essentially educated guesses.” But it also cites the data from Carlypso.com and its most recent tabulation from 2015 of more than 46,000 used

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2016 Honda Civic gets Car of the Year honors in Detroit

The perennially best-selling Honda Civic, manufactured since 1972 and in its 10th generation, was named 2016 North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Volvo XC90 took top truck honors. Both models are repeat winners. The Honda Civic won the best car award in 2006. The Volvo XC90 claimed Truck of the Year in 2003. Repeat Honor For Honda Civic It was the third time since the awards were launched in 1993 domestic automakers were shut out Honda swept the awards with the Civic and Ridgeline winning in 2006. Land Rover and Hyundai won in 2012. The winners were chosen by a jury of 53 automotive journalists from a group of three

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2017 Preview: Honda Ridgeline Longer, wider, innovative

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with the pickup’s versatility, capability and comfort emphasized. Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the Ridgeline will be available to he public on a yet-to-be announced date in the first half of 2016. Honda is promoting the midsize pickup as having the “largest, most versatile cabin.” It’s touted as the “only 4-foot-wide flat bed space in the midsize pickup segment, along with payload capacity rivaling top competitors.” Powered by a 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC™ V-6 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Honda Ridgeline will also feature the industry’s first in-bed audio system. For the first time, front-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations will be available. Front-wheel

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