Automotive News

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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Doctors say Michael Schumacher ‘fighting for his life’

Michael Schumacher, the retired seven-time Formula 1 world titlist, is fighting for his life, his physicians confirmed Monday evening, Dec. 30, from Grenoble, France. Schumacher, 44, crashed and hit his head on a rock while skiing Sunday in Meribel, France. Although he was wearing a helmet, Schumacher is in critical condition with severe head injuries. Physicians said Schumacher is in an ‘artificial coma.’  The doctors also said they could not provide any further information about Schumacher’s condition. Schumacher’s family, including is wife, Corinna, and his teenage son and daughter, have remained at his bedside. “Unfortunately, he had some lesions to his brain when he came in, he had some diffuse injuries to his brain, but we can’t really say what

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Honda Accord named Car of the Decade

Since The Weekly Driver website began in 2004, Honda has been represented more than any other manufacturer. I’ve driven every model the manufacturer offers, the Fit to the Odyssey and the S2000 to the Ridgeline. The Honda Accord is the beacon for the carmaker, remaining among the top-selling cars in the United States for 25 years. In the observance of our first 10 years, The Weekly Driver has selected the Honda Accord as the Car of the Decade. The versatile sedan is unmatched in its combination of comfort, styling, efficiency, safety and resale value. The first generation Honda Accord was launched on May 7, 1976 as a three-door hatchback with 68 horsepower, a 93.7-inch wheelbase and weighing about 2,000 pounds.

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Michael Schumacher in coma after skiing accident

Michael Schumacher, the retired seven-time Formula One champion and extreme sport enthusiast, remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery following a skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher, 44, who retired from Formula One racing for the second time in 2012, fell while skiing off trail in Meribel, France, earlier Sunday, Dec. 29. He hit his head on a rock, according to a statement from the resort and as reported via major news organizations. According to the resort managers, Schumacher was wearing a helmet and was conscious when rescuers arrived on scene. The Grenoble University Hospital Center said the retired driver arrived at the clinic in a coma and underwent immediate surgery for a serious head trauma. It was

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Toyota Prius honored as best value in auto industry

The Toyota Prius has been named the best value in the automotive industry for 2013. The top-selling hybrid costs owners only 47 cents per mile to drive, according to Consumer Reports. The Prius, which debuted in the United States in 2000, moved ahead of the Honda Fit in 2012 for the first year of its now two-year reign at the top of the best value list. The Fit held the No. 1 position for the previous four years. In its best value reports, Consumer Reports also selected leaders in many segments of the auto industry. The list incorporates owners’ costs via money per mile driven based on fuel economy, reliability, versatility and other factors. Here’s the list: Compact/Subcompact Car: Toyota

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Toyota cans FJ Cruiser, Yaris, Venza next?

Toyota manufactures the most successful gas and most successful hybrid car in history. The Japanese carmaker makes the Corolla and the Prius, of course. And it makes the perennially popular Camry, Avalon and Highlander. But Toyota also makes the some vehicles that don’t sell particularly well. And it’s about to discontinue a model and may consider abandoning a few other models. According a report on WardAuto.com, Toyota, as previously announced, will discontinue its FJ Cruiser in mid-2014. Through November, FJ Cruiser sales were down 2.6 percent in 2013 to 11,826 units, according to WardsAuto data. The model’s best year was its debut in 2006 when 56,225 FJ Cruisers were sold. The Toyota Venza and Yaris aren’t scheduled to be discontinued,

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Super Bowl commercials: Hyundai to tout Genesis, Elantra

Let the 2014 Super Bowl and its commercials — especially for carmakers — begin. And for Hyundai, the game Feb. 2 will mark the automaker’s seventh straight time participating in the biggest advertising day of the year. Hyundai will focus on two c ars in two 30-second spots on Fox Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII, the Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Genesis. The Elantra is the South Korean manufacturer’s best-selling car. The Genesis is the Hyundai’s luxury sports sedan. The Genesis commercial spot, which will be broadcast in the first quarter of the Super Bowl, will focuses on a suite of 360-degree, sensory-based active-safety features like emergency braking and lane-departure warning. The Genesis ad will also highlight the sedan’s AWD

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Hyundai named most reliable carmaker

Hyundai has continued to receive praise. This time, the Korean carmaker has been named the “Most Reliable Manufacturer” in 2013 via the CarMD Vehicle Health Index Manufacturer & Vehicle Reliability Ranking. The annual report by the California-based consumer organization compiles a system that helps drivers monitor vehicle health and minimize related repair costs. The ranking details the manufacturers and vehicles with the lowest combined “check engine” repair incidents and costs. The Index ranks the top 10 manufacturers, top 100 vehicles overall, top vehicles by category and the most common repairs by make. Hyundai finished second to Toyota the past two years. Hyundai’s 2013 Index rating was .80 with an average repair cost of $312.67, the lowest Index rating of all

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GM first: Mary Barra picked as new chief executive

Mary Barra became the first woman at the top level of the United States automotive industry Dec. 11 when she was named chief executive of General Motors. Barra, 51, the currrent executive vice president of global product development and global purchasing, will replace current chief executive Dan Akerson on Jan. 15. The selection of Barra to lead GM marked the latest among several appointments of woman chief executives to corporations long dominated by men. Last year, the technology firm Yahoo named a woman as president and CEO. Also, women have been named in recent years to run defense contractors General Dynamics Corp. and Lockheed Martin as well as computer giants IBM and Hewlett-Packard.   Barra’s promotion came one day after

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