Automotive News

First Corvette swallowed by sinkhole emerges, drives

The first of eight Corvettes swallowed by a sinkhole in the National Corvette Museum has been removed by construction crews and was driven about 20 feet after its emergence. With visitors, staff, media at the museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and an international audience watching via a live stream, the 2009 “Blue Devil” ZR1 was rescued. The car was in good shape and started after a few attempts. “It’s wonderful… just seven more to go,” said Mike Murphy, construction manager for the project. “That’s a GM product for you. They take a licking and keep on ticking.” The crews have been working six days a week since the Feb. 12 sinkhole incident that swallowed eight Corvettes in the National Corvette

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The $6,800 Elio 3-wheeler will have a hitch — a traveler

The anticipated arrival of the Elio three-wheel vehicle with a nearly 700-mile range and an estimated 84 mpg, has created vast public interest. With a top speed of more than 100 mph and its innovative styling, it’s no wonder why more than 10,000 pending buyers have placed deposits ranging from $100 to $1,500. According to the manufacturer, Elio Motors, based in Phoenix, Ariz., the Elio will feature an eight-gallon gas tank and will be made with 95 percent American parts and by an American labor force. Interest in vehicle has resulted various pending owners’ websites and forums. One of the most discussed topics of Elio forums is the availability of a trailer hitch. Several options are in discussion, including the

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Coming soon, 3-wheel Elio: $6,800, 84 mpg, 100 mph

If Paul Elio’s plans materialize, his company, Elio Motors, will introduce in early 2015 a three-wheel vehicle, the Elio. It will cost $6,800 and achieve 84 mpg. The vehicle (it’s not a car) will feature an eight-gallon gas tank that will take the vehicle 672 miles and have a top speed of more than 100 mph. The company plans to use 95 percent American parts and American labor. The Elio will be built in the abandoned Shreveport Louisiana assembly plant. It will be sold at specialized retail centers in the top 60 markets across the United States and will be available in eight colors. Elio standard equipment will include: a reinforced roll cage and airbags for safety, radio, air conditioning

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2014 Tesla Model S innovation detailed in video

The 2014 Tesla Model S and its older siblings have been bombarded with awards. In its latest honor, The Tesla was Consumer Reports’ top pick overall among 10 categories of cars, light trucks, and SUVs. The top-10 list was selected from more than 260 vehicles the organization has recently tested. The magazine considers the Model S a “technological tour de force, while pricey, is brimming with innovation.” Consumer Reports rated the Model S with a score of 99 out of 100, becoming the magazine’s best car ever tested. “If it (the Tesla) could recharge in any gas station in three minutes, this car would score about 110,” said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. Fisher called the

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General Motors recall lapse could cost carmaker millions

General Motors could face millions of dollars in civil penalties as the aftermath of publicly apologizing for responding quickly enough to a safety issue linked to 13 deaths and 31 accidents. The financial ramifications could occur if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines the automaker neglected to inform regulators. The NHTSA is also facing criticism for not demanding GM act more quickly to recall more than 1.6 million vehicles, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The recall is linked to the cars’ ignition switches, which GM says can be accidentally turned from the “run” position to the “accessory” position while the car is being driven. When this happens, the engine shuts off and safety systems

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Tesla honored again, Consumer Reports’ best overall car

For the first time in four years, Consumer Reports has named a top overall pick in its annual best vehicle list. The winner is the 2014 Tesla Model S electric car. In 2010, the last time an overall pick was selected, the Lexus LS 460L received the honor. The magazine’s 10 top picks this year included five Japanese nameplates, including Honda’s Accord and Odyssey, Subaru’s Impreza and Forester and Toyota’s Prius hybrid. German manufacturers had two vehicles on the list, the BMW 328i and the Audi A6. American manufacturers were represented by Tesla and the Chrysler Ram 1500 pickup truck. It was the first time since 1998 a Chrysler vehicle made the list. The Jeep Grand Cherokee achieved top pick

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gluttonous sink hole eats eight rare Corvettes

Mother Nature has caused a lot of havoc, and her strange ways now include swallowing eight rare Chevrolet Corvettes formerly showcased peacefully in an automobile museum. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., where the sports cars are manufactured, has reported a sink hole 40 feet across and as deep as 30 feet deep has caused what could a total loss of the cars. According to a museum spokesperson, here’s what happened: “We received a call at 5:44 a.m. from our security company alerting us of our motion detectors going off in our Skydome area of the museum. Upon arrival it was discovered that a sinkhole had collapsed within the museum. “No one was in or around the museum

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Toyota woes again: 1.9 million Prius models recalled

Toyota’s massive problem with recalls dating to 2009 has continued. The Japanese manufacturer is recalling 1.9 million hybrid Prius cars globally for a software issue that could cause the vehicle to stall. Toyota Motor Corp. said 997,000 Prius cars in Japan, 713,000 in North America, another 130,000 in Europe and the rest in other regions are being recalled for a problem in the software to control the hybrid system. No accidents or injuries have been reported related to the problem. The software could cause transistors to become damaged, causing warnings lights to go off, driving power to be reduced or the car to stop. The recalled vehicles were manufactured between March 2009 and February 2014. Toyota has recalled more than

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Toyota on hot seat, shuts down production

Toyota sold more cars than any other carmaker worldwide in 2013. But the Japanese manufacturer’s vehicles also had the most problems in 2013. For 2014, it’s worse. Because of a potential fire hazard in seats via seat heaters, Toyota has stopped sales of nearly all of its new cars and trucks. Included in the stoppage: Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra vehicles equipped with seat heaters. According to Toyota, in some the carmaker’s best-selling cars a portion of the seats were not manufactured with materials that met flame-retardant standards. Toyota said that a small portion of the seat assembly failed to meet a provision of U.S. motor vehicle safety standards requiring materials to retard flame

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Carmen Electra does Wayne Chung in VW Super Bowl commercial

The mix of actress, model and personality Carmen Electra and English new wave band Wayne Chung might seem  odd. But Volkswagen thinks it works in the manufacturer’s teaser for its 2014 Super Bowl commercial. Puppies, a rooster, babies, confetti, an annoying car alarm and some cheap jokes are in the mix, too. It’s all accompanied by the tune, “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” It’s of five Top 40 hits Wayne Chung had and it reached No 2 in 1986. The spot shows two Volkswagen engineers developing an algorithm to create the ultimate Game Day commercial. Things quickly go awry. And the one-minute tease ends with one of the VW engineers saying, “I don’t like that.” I don’t like it, either. Matthew

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Michael Schumacher slowly being taken out of coma

Retired Formula 1 race car Michael Schumacher is gradually being brought out of his month-long coma “to allow the start of the waking up process,” his manager has reported to international media outlets, including the French newspaper, L’Equipe. Schumacher, 45, suffered a severe head injury Dec. 29 when he fell and hit a rock while skiing in the French Alps. Surgeons performed two operations to remove blood clots around his brain. The coma was induced to help reduce and control swelling in the brain. The process of reducing sedation and bringing Schumacher out of the coma “may take a long time,” his manager said. The French newspaper quoted doctors who said there have been “encouraging signs” from recent neurological tests.

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Smartphone case madness one car owner’s delight

Car art is nothing new. But this creation is among the wildest (and ugliest) I’ve seen. Is it social commentary? Is it a bad dream? Is it a smartphone company salesperson’s idea of clever marketing? My friend Dan Clarke, editor and publisher of tastecaliforniatravel.com, spotted this beast in front of Peet’s Coffee in Sacramento. I haven’t counted the number of smartphone case and nor have I called the phone number made from yellow phone cases along the passenger side of the vehicle. Of course, depending upon one’s perspective, this car art wonderment is either a masterpiece or complete trash. If nothing else, it’s an attention grabber and likely a good marketing idea for the company it represents. My take: It

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Ford Series trucks again top-selling vehicles for 2013

The Ford Series trucks, paced by the F-150, have been the best-selling vehicles in the United States for more than three decades. And they’ve been the country’s best-selling trucks for more than four decades. In 2013, the trucks’ top-ranking remained in the end-of-the-year sales totals. But the pick-up trucks’  numbers were even more impressive. The entire F-Series sold 763,402 units in 2013, an 18 percent increase from 2012. The Chevrolet Silverado and Ram Pickup were also among the top-five sellers on the top-10 list. The Ram was fifth on the list and had a 21.1 percent increase in sales from one year ago, the largest increase in the top-10. Remaining changes on the 2013 top-sellers list weren’t dramatic different from

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Michael Schumacher: Will he remain comatose?

Michael Schumacher, the most decorated Formula One driver in history, remains in stable but not critical condition more than two weeks after he was placed in a coma in a French hospital following a skiing accident. Schumacher’s physicians have not updated the retired driver’s condition to the public for more than one week. German media is speculating he may not emerge from the coma. “The sooner an artificial coma ends, the faster return usually normal body functions such as breathing,” Heinz Peter Moecke, director of the Institute for Emergency Medicine, Asklepios Kliniken in Hamburg told the German newspaper Bild. Moecke said patients are usually kept in a coma for a few days or at most one or two weeks because

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Consumer Reports ruthless in 2013 worst cars list

Consumer Reports annually releases many car lists, best to worst, most efficient to gas guzzlers, unheralded vehicles to those to avoid. The organization’s most dubious list is its Worst of the Year collection. Consumer Reports reviewed more than 80 vehicles is 2013. Two cars from Nissan and Mitsubishi made the top-10 worst list in 2013. Consumer Reports was vicious in some descriptions of its least favorite cars in 2013. The best (worst?) example was publication’s assessment of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Here’s the synopsis: The Chevrolet Spark’s low price and clever connectivity features may be tempting, but for daily driving, it is painfully slow, irritatingly noisy, rides uncomfortably, and feels Spartan—and not in a mighty warrior way. We expected at

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REVIEW: 2014 Lexus IS combines luxury, sportiness

Some cars don’t mix sportiness and luxury very well. But the 2014 Lexus IS sports sedan has been strategically revised to provide both luxury and sporty driving. Width of the new rear-wheel-drive IS has been increased by nearly half an inch for a more aggressive stance. The large bold-looking grille has a more “three-dimensional” design with a chrome-plated frame, but looks overdone. However, styling is generally sporty. Major changes include a nearly 2.7-inch wheelbase increase to 110.2 inches for more rear seat legroom and cargo space. The interior easily holds four 6-footers, but isn’t spacious  and has little in-cabin storage. There’s a larger, decent-sized trunk, and split 60/40 rear seatbacks flip forward and sit flat to enlarge the cargo area.

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