Automotive Reviews

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Toyota planning new challenge to 'cheap car' Tata Nano

Since the announcement of the first production plans for the Tata Nano, the auto industry has remained abuzz about the minimalist vehicle known as the world’s cheapest car. After months of controversy and delivery delays, the Nano is now being sold in India and Tata has plans to export the $2,000 car to other countries. Several other manufacturers make cars that cost less than $10,000. And Toyota now says it will join the “cheap” car market. It plans to release a concept car  it will target to the world’s emerging markets. The concept model’s name is EFC. It stands for Entry Family Car. Toyota has not announced pricing for the car, nor many of its details. But the expected price

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Ford Escape Hybrid, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

A hybrid sport utility vehicle? About six years ago, the idea still seemed outrageous. But then the Ford Escape hybrid debuted. Skeptics sneered. But now SUV hybrids are plentiful from several manufacturers. In other words, there’s competition for the Ford Escape, even if some of the competition remains from Ford via the very similar Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute. The Escape hybrid is a “full” hybrid electric system, meaning the system can switch automatically between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power or a combination of electric battery and gasoline engine operating together. That means  maximum performance and efficiency. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Inclement weather or off-road treks are always good ways to test an SUV. I didn’t do

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Kia Soul, 2010: The Weekly Driver car review

The Soul debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, it was first available in February 2009 in Europe and a month later debuted in North American dealerships. With its varied trims, engines, colors and accessory options, Kia proudly declares the 2010 Soul is available in more than 10,000 combinations. The Weekly Driver Test Drive By coincidence, I drove in consecutive weekly test drives, the Nissan Cube followed by the Kia Soul. Both vehicles are innovative and in some ways, they’re a lot of alike — versatile, Utilitarian Hatchback Vehicles or UHVs (I made up the term.) I primarily drove the Soul in city jaunts, the grocery store and other routine life tasks. Like the Nissan Cube and Scion xB,

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Think Global will soon begin U.S. production of new electric car, The City

The Oslo-based company, reorganized with a $47 million capital injection, is “30 to 60 days” from announcing a U.S. production site for its cars, Richard Canny, chief executive officer, told Bloomberg. Three U.S. cities are vying for the production facility with the announcement of the location expected before the end of January, 2010. The City has a range of 112 miles on a charge and will cost about $30,000 in the U.S. after a $7,500 federal tax credit, Canny said. The company said it has orders for 2,350 cars. Think Global hired investor Valmet Automotive, a contract manufacturer, to build the cars. The first customers will be in The Netherlands and other European countries. U.S. sales are expected to begin

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Audi debuts super sports car, 2010 R8

New for 2010, a refined 5.2 FSI V10 engine joins the R8 lineup. With menacing, unmistakable styling and the unshakable performance of quattro all-wheel drive, the R8 represents the very edge of what is technically possible in a sports car today. The 2010 Audi R8 is unique in the Audi portfolio and is hand-assembled at a maximum of 20 cars per day. A wide, low stance is derived directly from the Audi motorsports program and helps to provide the R8 with its world-class handling. The R8 was inspired not only by victorious Audi Le Mans race cars, it shared the same design team. Two large bladed air inlets and aggressively slanted headlamps join the signature Audi single-frame grille, while the

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Honda electric concept car: The Native

Honda has come a long way since its original eco-friendly car, the first generation Insight. Its latest effort is the concept car, the Honda Native. It can change colors. Designed by Tudoran Liviu, the Honda Native concept comprises an electric engine powered by a heavy-duty lithium-ion battery pack and can house three passengers including the driver. This ultra compact car with great aerodynamic features has been designed for the massively congested future traffic where speed will be ignored over low space riding efficiency. The interior is designed from lightweight materials such as aluminum and offer an OLED display to provide information regarding the performance of the car and a touchscreen control panel for easy access to all other functions. Honda

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Honda showcases concept P-NUT, personal neo-urban transport vehicle

Among all the flashing lights and flamboyant unveilings of new cars, no vehicle attracted any greater curiosity at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show than the Honda P-NUT. The acronym stands for Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT). It’s a vehicle design Honda touts as: “A futuristic concept for an ultra-compact and sophisticated city coupe.” Conceived around a small “footprint” for maximum convenience in tight urban settings, the packaging concept integrates a center driving position configuration and a rear powertrain layout. The exterior styling leverages crisp angles with dynamic flowing lines that originate from the front of the vehicle and span outward toward the rear. The end result is a sleek and aggressive exterior that also allows for a spacious and open

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Honda Pilot, 2009: Weidel on Wheels

When Honda came out with the Pilot six years ago the Japanese automaker quickly had another hit. The Pilot became one of the forerunners in the eight-passenger midsize crossover segment. It’s a sport utility vehicle whose car-like qualities and hauling capabilities were lauded. Despite the accolades, one aspect of the Pilot got exposed – third-row seating was lacking. It wasn’t accommodating and the guess is in many Pilots the third row lay flat and it was left unused. The weakness remained, but the popularity of the Pilot grew with sales rising more to than 152,000 by 2006. But one year later, the competition caught up; Honda sold only 117,000 Pilots in 2007. Obviously, something had to be done. Have you

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BMW Z4 Coupe, 2007: The Weekly Driver Car Review (Video)

According to Consumer Guide, the 2007 BMW Z4 convertible and coupe are Best Buys in the premium/sporty car category. The car is racetrack able, yet also reasonably practical as a daily driver. The American-built two seaters have incline 6-cylinder engines. The base 3.0i convertible has 215 horsepower, 3.0i model has 255 horsepower and the high-performance M version has 330 horsepower. The Z4 gets a perfect 10 score from Consumer Guide in steering and handling and 9 marks in acceleration. On the contrary, the BMW gets scores of 0, 2 and 3 respectively in rear seat comfort, cargo room and ride quality. Its total score is 50. The average for the class, which includes the Honda S2000, Porsche Boxster and Porsche

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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance preparing for 60th anniversary in 2010

With its 60th anniversary celebration set for next August, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, founded in 1950 as a celebration of the automobile, has evolved into one of the world’s foremost classic car events. Additionally, as exemplified by the more than 20 new and concept vehicles showcased at the 2009 Concours, the annual event now offers a glimpse into the automotive future. Several vehicles made world debuts at the 2009 Concours last August, including the Bentley Mulsanne grand tourer, Bugatti Sang Bleu, Devon Motor Works GTX, Iconic Motors Heritage Roadster Concept Chassis, 2011 Infiniti M and Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder. North American debuts included the Aston Martin One-77, Hyundai Equus, Infiniti Essence concept, 2010 Jaguar XJ, Morgan Aero SuperSports and

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Tata Motors planning diesel and facelifts for 2011 Nano

The exported edition will also feature 5-speed gear box which is absent in the Indian models which restrict speed to 65 mph based on safety. The five-speed gear box will be ideal for the European roads as Indian roads to do not facilitate gear changes at 65 mph. The exterior changes will also include and opening tailgate and a modified outside rear view mirror which allows movement of the mirror in its casing. This feature will also allow electrical adjustment feature in the future. There will also be check straps on the doors to limit the opening of doors. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The

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Ford Fusion selected Motor Trend's Car of the Year

After tallying the judges’ feedback, the redesigned Ford Fusion came out on top. The 2010 Ford Fusion range demonstrates impressive bandwidth, from a fun-to-drive entry-level model with a four cylinder engine and six speed manual transmission, to a high-tech, highly fuel efficient hybrid, to a sporty version with a 3.5-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive. According to Motor Trend’s editors the 2010 Ford Fusion offers a “sweep across one of the market’s more hotly contested segments.” The extensively revised and redesigned 2010 Fusion is a better, smarter, nicer, comfier and greener car than its predecessor. “It looked, felt and drove like an entirely new machine,” the magazine’s editor noted. The For Fusion took top honors from a field of 23 diverse

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New Ferrari (Red) Super Facility Theme Park, Retail Store in Abu Dhabi, Dubai

Ferrari may have outdone itself. Not with a new car, but with a spectacular new facility in Abu Dhabi to house all things Ferrari. The Italian automotive manufacturer in collaboration with real estate developer Aldar Properties plan on rivaling Disneyland with their new Ferrari themed amusement park. Its estimated cost is $624 million. In conjunction with the announcement of the theme park, expected to open in 2010, was the opening a few days earlier of the Ferrari store in Dubai. The theme park was originally scheduled to open in time for Sunday’s Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. According to AME Info, the United Arab Emirates news agency, the facility will be approximately 250,00 square feet. According to AME:

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Lexus GS450h, 2009: The Weekly Driver Car Review

It’s a heavy heavyweight in the premium sedan market. It features extraordinary technology, including some features other hybrids don’t offer. The GS 450h operates in gas-only or electric-only mode or a combination, for example, with little difference in performance but plenty of eco-friendly ambition. The Weekly Driver’s Ratings Acceleration (8) Rating of 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds. In a hybrid? Impressive is an understatement. Cargo Room (7) Nicely configured and deep trunk, but where’s the light? Side pockets pull out for easy access. Front-seat cup holders a little snug. Controls (6) Elegant dials. Nothing too high-tech. Independent temperature controls “ping” when increased or decreased. Some numbers and switches and not-so-easy to reach, so there’s a learning curve. Details (7) Wood

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Infiniti G37, 2009: The Weekly Driver Car Review

Last year, Infiniti changed its coupe’s name to G37, a reflection of the car’s newly powered 3.7-liter engine. Now the brand’s sedan and convertible share the same title, and all three have a lot to offer. But it’s the coupe, on several top-10 lists in 2008, that stands out again in 2009. First Impression: How classy! Great exterior color (Amethyst Graphite) interior color (Graphite), beautiful body design, great dark wood interior trim. It looked proud and elegant in the driveway and everywhere else for that matter. The Weekly Driver’s Ratings Acceleration (7) There’s a hint of lag, but then watch out. The new seven-speed automatic transmission (with manual shift mode) accelerates quickly and with plenty of reserve. Hit it hard

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