Automotive News

Honda Civic 2012 unveiled with new design, new engines

Honda has introduced the ninth generation of the Civic, the carmaker’s second most popular car, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will go on sale this spring as a 2012 model. The new Honda will be available as a sedan and a coupe and with conventional gasoline, hybrid and natural gas drivetrains. The new shape of the popular Civic is more windswept and aggressive. The Civic Si concept coupe has a more angular front end, mesh grille and tapered rear roofline. The 2012 Civic hybrid version will be Honda‘s first use of lithium-ion batteries. The gasoline-powered model will feature the same Eco Assist technology Honda debuted on its CR-Z hybrid last year, which allows drivers to

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Lexus announces price, gas mileage for new hybrid

Lexus has announced the price, gas mileage and other specs of its new 2011 CT 200h hybrid, available at dealerships in March 2011 as the manufacturer’s fifth hybrid. The CT 200h will have the luxury industry’s best at 42 mpg and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,120. The CT 200h emits approximately 60 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new car, and has EPA-estimated ratings of 43 mpg city and 40 mpg on the highway utilizing regular 87-octane gasoline. Moreover, the CT 200h can be operated in a switchable EV mode which generates zero emissions. In addition to the EV and Normal drive modes, the CT 200h offers Sport and Eco modes which can help enhance either

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Ford Fiesta 2011 car review

Small mass-produced cars long have taken a back seat to larger vehicles in America. But now Ford hopes its 2011 Fiesta will convince Americans they need not sacrifice with a small, premium car. In short, Ford hopes the stylish, upscale front-drive Fiesta will “redefine small-car customer expectations” and thus be a “game-changing product for North America.” With unusually stiff upcoming federal fuel economy and emissions regulations,  automakers fervently hope far more Americans will embrace small cars. Ford rivals also will be introducing upscale small models. A lengthy test drive of the Fiesta over twisty, challenging mountain roads outside San Francisco and on freeways surrounding that city during a media preview of the car showed it to have European road manners,

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Hyundai, VW share top 2011 safety institute honors

Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV — from economy to luxury models — plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms.

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Toyota accepts huge penality, raising investigation record fine total to nearly $49 million

Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay the government an additional $32.4 million, increasing the carmaker’s record fines to nearly $49 million as settlement  into safety investigation into more than 11 million of its cars. The Transportation Department announced the latest civil penalties in the two major issues — stuck accelerator pedals that could get trapped in floor mats, and steering relay rods that could break and lead to drivers losing control. Toyota has already paid a $16.4 million fine in a relate case, bringing the total penalties levied on the company to $48.8 million. Toyota has recalled more than 11 million vehicles globally since the fall of 2009. The company agreed to the penalties without admitting to any violations

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Chevrolet Cruze 2011 car review

American automakers mostly concentrated on building large cars and trucks because that’s where the money was, and that was what most of their customers wanted. But the federal government is mandating that car companies build more fuel-stingy (and thus less-polluting) vehicles. And a growing number of Americans are accepting such models, partly because they’ve had a few bad gas price scares in recent years and because above-average domestic small models finally are being built. Thus we have General Motors’ new compact Chevrolet Cruze sedan, which has been sold for more than a year in Europe. It will be marketed throughout the globe, while being modified for each region and carrying different badges. With all its competition, the front-drive Cruze should

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Overstock.com announces overhaul of car site

Overstock.com, the Salt Lake City-based online retailer, has launched a new design for its cars section, featuring a more intuitive layout and improved search options for its 2.5 million new and used vehicles. Customers on Overstock.com Cars can search by make and model, year, location and price. They can also use the “Go Green” section of the site that displays a nationwide list of all hybrid, bio diesel, electric, natural gas, ethanol, and plug-in cars advertised on the site. Stormy Simon, Overstock.com SVP of Marketing and Customer Care said: To view the new look of the Overstock.com Cars website visit:  www.cars.overstock.com. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review

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Honda sees the light, announces 1.35 million Fit recall

Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 1.35 million Fit subcompacts because of wiring issues that could lead to failure in the vehicles’ low-beam headlights. The recall includes 143,083 Fit vehicles in the United States from 2007 and 2008 model years, 734,392 Fits in Japan and about 380,000 similar Honda Jazz models in Europe, according to a Honda spokeswoman. Honda detailed in a news release that a connector on a wiring harness could corrode and fail, which would extinguish the low beams. However, the high beams would still work. No accidents or injuries relating to the problem have been reported. The recall follows an investigation begun in September by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after it received eight complaints

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Mazda2 2011 car review

Publisher’s note: With this review, the Weekly Driver.com has added the What The Wife Says category to my reviews. According to recent statistics, 52 percent of the new cars purchased in the United States are made by women and more than 80 percent of new car purchases are influenced by women. My wife comments about many of the cars I test drive. She’s eight inches shorter and a lot of pounds lighter than I am. Of course, women are different than men in other ways, too. Cheers, James Raia ** Available in global markets as the Demio, the 2011 Mazda2 joined the carmaker’s number-named lineup in the United States and Canada this year as its new entry-level sub-compact. Available in

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Chevrolet nears 100, Camaro to Volt, Cruze to Impala

Founded by Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss-born race car driver, and William Durant, the founder of General Motors, Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was incorporated in November 1911 and acquired by GM in 1917. Also known as Chevy, Chevrolet is GM’s highest-selling vehicle brand. Many iconic and unique cars, some short-lived, others offered in Europe, Asia or in South America but not in North America, have been part of the Chevrolet brand. Consider, for example, the new Agile (General Motors, Brazil) or the Yeoman station wagon (manufactured in 1958 only). Chevrolet was considered an entry level division, but it changed in the 1950s with the addition of power brakes, power windows and air-conditioning as available features. It was also during the 1950s

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Hyundai surpasses 500,000 yearly U.S. sales for first time

For the first since it debuted in the United States in 1986, Hyundai Motor Co. has sold 500,000 vehicles during a year in the United States. The South Korean automaker previous U.S. sales record was 467,009, in 2007, and, surpassed the half-million sales point in early December. It expects to sell 530,000 vehicles in the country by the end December. Hyundai sold about 160,000 Excel compacts in 1986 when it launched exports to the U.S. The following year, sales improved to more that 260,000. Quality issues prompted a sales decrease and Hyundai sold only cars 91,217 in 1998, its lowest sales year. Hyundai launched a concerted effort to improve its vehicles in 1999. It began offering a quality assurance program

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Hyundai, Kia recall 2011 Santa Fe, Sorento for brake issue

Hyundai, the South Korean manufacturer whose popularity has drastically improved based on value, improved styling and extensive warranty, is recalling some 2011 models of its Santa Fe sport utility vehicle because of potential rear break flaws. The Korean car maker’s Kia unit, which shares the same platform and have many similar parts, is also recalling some 2011 Sorento SUVs. The rear brake calipers in both vehicles may not have been machined properly and could allow brake fluid to leak. If the leak occurred, it would trigger a warning light indicating the fluid level is low. If the driver doesn’t take corrective action, the symptoms could worsen to include spongy-feeling brakes and an eventual loss of braking power. The recalls affect

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Hyundai Elantra, 2011 review

Why not get sub-compact car fuel economy with a slick compact auto that’s so roomy the EPA classifies it as a mid-size car and that even offers heated rear seats? Why not, indeed? That’s the question Hyundai asked itself and came up with its new sleekly styled 2011 Elantra sedan, which does all that . . . and then some. Hyundai is especially proud the EPA says all versions of the Elantra get an estimated 40 miles per gallon on the highway, with either a new six-speed manual gearbox or new six-speed automatic transmission. Estimated city economy for all versions is 29 mpg. “We don’t charge extra for any Elantra version with a 40-mpg rating,” quipped a Hyundai executive at

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Volvo maintains reputation for safety, innovation in 2011

Founded in 1927 in Gothenberg, Sweden, Volvo (Swedish for “I roll”) manufactures sport utility vehicles to sedans, coupes to compacts — all featuring the carmakers’ emphasis on safety. Volvo has introduced numerous new automotive technologies throughout its tenure, most notably laminated glass (1944), padded dash boards (1956), three-point safety belt (1959) central high-mounted stoplight (1986) and side impact airbags (1994). During the 1960s, the P1800 sports car debuted and Volvo received international attention when actor Roger Moore in the television series The Saint drove it. But the carmaker was also at the safety forefront during the decade when it introduced padded dashboards and energy-resistant front and rear seat crumple zones. In the 1970s, technology was again industry leading in Volvo

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Car buyers remain neutral with silver, black favorite colors

There’s Ferrari Red, of course. Bruce Springsteen sings the praises of a pink Cadillac. But those colors are the exceptions to the rule. Most car buyers opt for silver or black, with the two uninspired colors battling closely for the most popular vehicle color globally. According to the yearly survey by DuPont, only two percentage points separate silver from black as the leading vehicle color globally. White and gray are third and fourth among car colors choice. Red is the only non-neutral color in the top five. The top 10 global vehicle colors: 1. Silver, 26 percent 2. Black/black effect, 24 percent 3 (tie). White/white pearl and gray, 16 percent each 5. Red, 6 perecent 6. Blue, 5 percent 7.

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Hyundai joins expanding auto industry 2011 PGA Tour season title sponsor list

Carmakers and other auto-related companies will have an increase presence presence on the PGA Tour in 2011, with Hyundai assuming a title sponsorship and BMW, Cadillac and Honda also remaining event title or co-title sponsors. In all, nine of the 49 PGA Tour sanctioned pro events in 2011 will included automakers or affiliated companies in their titles. Hyundai will debut as a title sponsor for the PGA Tour’s traditional early January start in Hawaii with Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua The PGA Tour season will continue through Nov. 27 with the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in China. In addition to Hyundai, Farmers Insurance, Honda, Cadillac, Shell, Travelers, John Deere, Bridgestone and BMW will all be title sponsor in

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