Automotive News

,

Seven ugliest car colors at the 2013 LA Auto Show

New cars are rarely identified as simply painted blue, green, white, black or gray. The color names are most often embellished with fancy-sounding word combinations. It’s no different at the 2013 LA Auto Show. I recently drove the 2014 Nissan Versa Note. It had several rich exterior color options,  including an inviting shade of blue. It was called Metallic Peacock. At the LA Auto Show there are plenty cars with exteriors that simply could be called red, white or blue. But manufacturers and going to extremes not only to come up with fancy names for the colors of their cars, they’re introducing more colors, some not very attractive. Of course, the beauty of cars, like many things, is in the

Read more
,

2013 LA Auto Show: Money, statistics, prices

The 2013 LA Auto Show presents a sensory overload of new cars — entry level Chevrolet and Toyota models to exotic models from Lamborghini and Aston Martin. But the auto show is also showcase for a varying array of auto industry statistics. J.D Power, the automotive industry analysis company, annually presents the statistics at LA Auto Show. Here’s a varied list of the 10 most interesting statistics from 2013 LA Auto Show: 1. The current average new-vehicle retail transaction price is $30,205. 2. The average customer cash rebate amount on a new vehicle transaction is $2,362. 3. Fifty-one percent of new-vehicle transactions include a customer cash rebate. 4. The average of a vehicle traded in for a new model is

Read more
,

Women of the 2013 LA Auto Show

As per tradition, the 2013 LA Auto Show open this week not only featuring about two dozen stunning world debuts and many North American unveilings  — Toyota to Porsche to BMW — but the manufacturers’ equaling stunning product specialists. The automakers may not be willing to admit it, but the choice of models they choose to present their new products around the world may be as important as the cars presented. It all means one thing: pretty women. The history of the car show models is detailed in the 2008 book called “Sirens of Chrome” written by Margery Krevsky. The author owns an agency that books the product specialists and Krevsky also has extensive knowledge of the tradition of the

Read more

Hyundai full-speed ahead with hydrogen Tucson in 2014

Hyundai will announce details Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Auto Show that beginning in 2014 it will become the first manufacturer of a mass-produced car that will run on a hydrogen fuel cell. The vehicle will be the Tucson sport utility vehicle. Hydrogen-powered cars have been discussed in the automotive industry since the 1960s. General Motors and Honda both experimented with limited offering of hydrogen cars in the mid-2000s, respectively the Chevy Equinox and FCX Clarity. Hyundai will begin selling the hydrogen Tucson in Southern California and will further distribute the SUV as filling stations are constructed. According to an Associated Press report, the California Air Resources Board reports there currently are nine hydrogen filling stations open to the

Read more
,

History of the LA Auto Show: VW, Lincoln, Mini-me?

Product specialists at the LA Auto Show and other auto shows around the globe enjoy their work on serious and not-so serious occasions. Two women product specialists who had just met worked for Buick at the LA Auto Show in 2012. They looked liked twin sisters despite a substantial height different. “Doesn’t she look like my personal “mini-me?,” one of the women said during the first media day and in a reference to the character in the Austin Powers movies. And when asked if she was prepared for the first public day of the show, she said: “This is my first show; Is there a difference?” The product specialist concept dates nearly 90 years and it’s detailed in the 2008

Read more
,

History of the LA Auto Show: Chrysler to Concepts

The LA Auto Show in 2012 attracted slightly more than 1 million visitors. They viewed 42 car brands, American mainstays General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to international heavyweights Honda, Toyota, Audi and Hyundai. Organizers have announced more than 50 global and North American debuts from nearly a dozen manufacturers for the 2013 edition and with a promise to “Blow Your Doors Off.” The multiple concourse convention center showcase is in the hub of the Southern California entertainment scene. Concerts and major sporting events are held nearby during the show at LA Live entertainment monolith and nearby Staples Center. For the past several years, the Moroccan-styled Figueroa Hotel, a few blocks away, has hosted the show’s kickoff party. Last year, while

Read more
,

History of the LA Auto Show: Pretty Girls to Aston Martin

New and shimmering, value priced to vastly expensive, the auto industry shines when its machines are showcased on the yearly auto show circuit, particularly at the LA Auto Show. Under bright lights and spinning platforms, cars and trucks just don’t get any more awe-inspiring — unless it’s from behind the wheel. Nearly every carmaker, Audi to Volkswagen and Bentley to Volvo, displays its lineups at auto shows. Electric vehicles, family sedans, performance sports cars and futuristic concepts all have their place in auto shows from Los Angeles to Tokyo. It’s as if the vehicles are presented to the media and public for at least a week by one giant indoor dealership representing all manufacturers. Held throughout the year in major

Read more

2013 Chevrolet Corvette: Performance Car of the Year

Throughout its 60-year history, the Chevrolet Corvette has attracted a collection of enthusiasts as loyal as any in the auto industry Often called “America’s Sports Car,” the Corvette is now in its seventh generation. It has undergone a lot of design challenges, but it’s still uniquely a Corvette and made like no other car via design, performance and ride. The Corvette has also received a lot of awards through the years, including its most recent honor as Performance Car of the Year in the Road & Track inaugural “Best Cars” List. The publication’s editors tested 13 of the industry’s best on mountain road and on the Motown mile, the publication’s private circuit. “We selected the Corvette because it represents an

Read more

Toyota gets top-2 spots in Consumer Reports’ reliability

Toyota has again ranked at the top of the 2014 reliability rankings of Consumer Reports, the independent testing organization. The Lexus ES 300h Hybrid is the top-ranked vehicle, followed by the Toyota Prius. Consumer Reports uses surveys returned by their subscribers and compiles reliability histories on vehicles and predicts how new cars currently on sale will hold up. Lexus is Toyota’s luxury brand. The ES 300h is reliable and safe. The hybrid earned the highest ratings in each of the government’s crash evaluations, including overall driver safety, frontal crashes and overall side impacts. Here’s the list of the top-seven most reliable cars in 2014, according to Consumer Reports. 7. Volvo XC70 Sticker Price: $34,500 – $45,650 Invoice Price: $32,430-$42,911 Fuel

Read more

Dario Franchitti retires after doctors’ crash concerns

Dario Franchitti, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and four-time IndyCar titlist, retired November 14 upon his doctors’ recommendations in the aftermath of his crash about five weeks ago in Houston,Texas. Franchitti, 40, fractured his spine, broke his right ankle and suffered a concussion in the Oct. 6 IndyCar race. Franchitti’s car made contact with Takuma Sato’s vehicle on the last lap and sailed into a fence. Debris from the accident injured 13 fans in the grandstands and one IndyCar official. “One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing,” Franchitti said, according

Read more

NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric

Mercedes-Benz has waited a long time to enter the electric car business, but it will early next year with 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class. It’s all-electric hatchback with a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack offering a driving range of up to 124 miles on a single charge. Mercedes reports the car will have an electric motor supplying 134-horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque. The new car can reach a top speed of 93 miles per hour and accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 10 seconds. Mercedes-Benz unveiled B-Class electric vehicle at the 2013 New York Auto Show in March. The new B-Class will feature active parking assist and a radar-based collision prevention system. The B-Class Electric Drive will be the smallest

Read more
,

Ferrari LaFerrari: Fastest Ferrari and it’s a hybrid

Unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, the LaFerrari is a limited production hybrid sports car built by Ferrari. The LaFerrari is the first hybrid from Ferrari, providing the highest power output of any Ferrari while decreasing fuel consumption by 40 percent. Only 499 units will be built and each will cost more than $1.6 million. LaFerrari’s mid rear mounted V12 Internal Combustion Engine has a 6.3 liter engine capable of 789 horsepower. But it’s supplemented by a 161 horsepower KERS unit (called HY-KERS). It provides short bursts of extra power. The new Ferrari also has a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission and is rear-wheel drive. Top speed is 220 mph and with 0-60 mph in just under three seconds.

Read more

Volkswagen: Bugs, Beetles, Bliss

Like several friends, my first car was a Volkswagen. It was a family friend’s car and the 1962 VW Bug was pristine. I bought it for $500 in 1972 when I was age 17. The memories of learning about its simple engine and driving it everywhere are still vivid 40 years later. All these years later, I just drove a 2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line for a week. It’s still unmistakably a Volkswagen, but it’s also a completely different car. The new VW Beetle has five times the horsepower of my Bug from yesteryear. And the driving difference, from what I can remember from 40 years ago, is remarkable. Vintage and new Bugs and Beetles still share a wondrous trait: Both

Read more

Bugatti Veyron as a police car? Sure, in Dubai

Chevrolet and Chrysler is understood. But a Bugatti and an Aston Martin as police cars? It can’t be true, can it? Turns out it is the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai. The Emirate of Dubai, including the modern City of Dubai, are wealthy places where excess is the norm — including cars. People in Dubai drive fast and the policemen of Dubai drive past or at least they hope to drive faster than the public considering the cars in their force. There’s a Ford Mustang GT and Camaro SS in the fleet. But both are pedestrian compared to the vehicles. The Dubai police force vehicles also include: a $110,000 BMW M6 Gran Coupe, $190,000 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, $200,000 Bentley Continental

Read more

NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2015 Hyundai Genesis gets makeover

The 2015 Hyundai Genesis will feature a low vertical grille, higher quality cabin controls and a safer seatbelt system, the South Korean manufacturer has announced. Hyundai detailed its new Genesis is the result of a four-year project that cost nearly $500 million. The carmaker said the new Genesis will have the best chassis in its class, plus drivability that matches European luxury cars. Hyundai detailed it has tested new Genesis on the famed Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Hyundai calls its latest design “Fluidic Sculpture 2.0.” Updates from the current Fluidic Sculpture 1.0 include an edgier, flat-bottom hexagon in the Genesis — a feature on the Veloster hatchback and Santa Fe SUV. The current Genesis has a 333-horsepower V-6 or 429-hp

Read more

Ford slammed in Consumer Reports’ reliability study

Ford has been rocked with unreliable scores, with five of the 10 least reliable cars in the United Sates manufactured by the iconic carmaker, according to Consumer Reports. The carmaker was represented on the dubious list by the Ford C-Max Hybrid,  C-Max (Plug-in Hybrid), Escape (1.6L Ecoboost), Explorer (V6, 4WD) and Taurus (Turbo). The annual survey is conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. It considers the experiences of drivers of 1.1 million vehicles. Consumer Reports uses the survey data to compile reliability histories on vehicles. It then predicts the dependability of new models. Predicted reliability is usually based on the three most recent new model years if a model hasn’t redesigned in that time period. Models with an

Read more
Previous Next