Super Bowl: Melissa McCarthy saves the planet in a Kia

Kia takes chances with its Super Bowl commercials. Who would have thought a pack of talking hamsters would be successful promoting the Kia Soul? But it’s been a hit for years. The Kia commercial last year featuring Christopher Walken, the “Walken Closet,” and beige and colorful sock puppets is arguably on the top-10 all-time Super Bowl commercials list. It brilliantly promoted the Kia Optima. And now comes along Melissa McCarthy, the comedic actress who while driving a 2017 Kia Niro has the task of saving the planet. She tries to save whales, trees, the polar ice cap and the rhinoceros

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Elio Motors “owner” files lawsuit against fledgling company

The backlash surrounding the delay and recent official SEC filings for fledgling Elio Motors has resulted in a lawsuit by a wannabe customer who now wants his deposit returned. As reported on the website Gas 2.0, a posting on Reddit by a user named jimmbybob479 details his small claims court action against the manufacturer of a three-wheel vehicle that has been delayed for several years. According to the Elio Motors website, more than 68,000 interested buyers have made deposits for the $7,300 vehicle touted as getting 84 mph and a top speed of 100 mph. The person seeking his deposit

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2017 Mitsubishi Lancer: Goodbye, you’ve had a good life

Say hello to the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer and wish it farewell. Overshadowed for years by perennial favorites and fast-charging newcomers, the 2017 model is the compact car’s last year. With plans to stop Lancer production in August, Mitsubishi will continue to emphasize its popular sport utility vehicle and crossover lineup. For its final year, the Lancer has improved technology: a rearview camera and a 6.1-inch center screen standard. But the updates won’t reach many buyers. With competitors like the Honda Civic, Madza3, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, the Lancer lost its luster with only 14,304 units sold in 2016. The

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Jerry Seinfeld, Comedian in Cars, drive to Netflix

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Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, the innovative and increasingly popular program in which Jerry Seinfeld drives another comedian or personality to a coffee shop in an iconic car, has switched its streaming broadcast from Crackle to Netflix. The 59 shows produced for Crackle and sponsored by Audi since 2012 will be all be cataloged on Netflix. Twenty-four new segments, two standup comedy specials and other pending programming are included in the new deal. New episodes of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee will debut in late 2017. The original program received three Emmy nominations. Seinfeld’s guest have included many of comedy

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Winter car care can help ensure safe driving

Proper winter car care can mean the difference between safe driving and catastrophe. From exterior washing to paint preservation to ice prevention, using the diligent precautionary practices can eliminate potential inclement weather issues and ensure as much as possible efficient, problem-free travel. Michael Kahn on his lifestyle website www.mklibrary.com provides a detailed, step-by-step checklist to take proper measures when you travel in cold weather or other climate issues — hail, frost, snow and rain — or a mixture of several problematic elements. In one example, Kahn describes the best way to persevere your vehicle includes spraying your car’s exterior as

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What dealers do to make car buying difficult

A root canal and shingles might be worse. But a trip to a car dealership, as opposed to car buying online, is often high on the list of unpleasant experiences. It’s not universally bad. But there’s still plenty of salesmanship, up-selling and other persuasive ways car dealers make the most they can from every buyer. With Jim Dykstra (www.vinadvisor.net) and Jaclyn Trop (www.jaclyntrop.com) and James Raia (www.theweeklydriver.com) take a look at the Top 6 Things Car Dealers Do To Make Car Buying Difficult in text and a corresponding video. Car Dealers Price People Jim Dykstra, Vinadvisor
 “What’s the number one

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A golf ball on wheels and other new auto innovations

Despite massive recalls and emissions-cheating scandals, more than 35 million new vehicles were sold in the United States the past two years. With equal fervor, so too has the automotive market been saturated with innovations — unique accessories to inventors’ passions. Here’s a look at four new offerings: Drive Like A Sparrow — Three-wheel electric vehicles aren’t new. Companies large and small have for decades experimented with and sometimes manufactured inexpensive contraptions and costly high-end machines likely best used in Mad Max movies. Among the latest innovations is the second carnation of the Sparrow. It’s built in the global headquarters

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2017 Mazda3: Classy compact keeps getting better

Nearing the end of its third generation, the 2017 Mazda3 continues its stellar reputation as a versatile compact available as a sedan or hatchback. The Mazda3 improvements include a retuned suspension, a new electronic parking brake, an updated dashboard design, a new steering wheel and new front and rear fascias. Stiff competition in the compact segment from Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, Kia Forte and perennial best-selling Honda Civic prompted the upgrades. Read about the 2019 Mazda 3 here. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The top-of-the-line Mazda3 Grand Touring model, my test vehicle, featured a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower.

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Nissan legacy: small sedans, SUVs, super cars

Approaching its 85th birthday, Nissan has endured ownership changes, collaborations and mergers and has emerged as the manufacturer of a varied collection of popular cars and trucks. Shortly after debuting in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd., the company merged with another Japanese company and was renamed Nissan Motor Company. It manufactured cars under the Datsun brand and those vehicles, like the Datsun 100, were first available in the United States in 1958. Another merger later, the Datsun 510 sedan was unveiled and proved a hit. But it was outdone by a sibling, the arrival of the first in

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Vanderhall: a 3-wheel wonder related to a Chevrolet Sonic

It’s hard to define a vehicle that’s related to Chevrolet Sonic but looks like a beach cruiser, a toy car or a kit car. The only likely explanation: It’s a Vanderhall, and it’s no toy. The new autocycle debuted about a year ago. It features a monocoque design aluminum chassis. It has carbon-fiber body panels and a double wishbone adjustable coil-over suspension. It’s also equipped with ABS brakes as well as stability & traction control. As the original Vanderhall, the Laguna isn’t cheap with a base price  slightly less the $50,000. The Sport Premium trim is $58,500 and the top-line

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Manufacturer Spotlight: BMW, airplanes to supercars

With its legacy dating nearly 110 years to manufacturing airplanes, BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) is renowned for its luxury vehicles that provide a unique combination of driving pleasure and performance. It took 18 years after BMW began in Munich, Germany as Bayerische Motoren Werke AG for the company to transition from airplanes to cars. The Dixi, the first four-wheel effort, was a hit. It joined by the Type 328 roadster as the brand’s defense against the Depression. The two-seater was hugely successful on the racing circuit with more than 120 victories during a five-year tenure ending in 1940. Following WWII,

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Manufacturer Spotlight: McLaren, the elegant supercar

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Lightweight, fast and British is the most succinct way to define McLaren. But the supercar is much more. Conceived with the passion of Formula 1 driver Bruce McLaren from New Zealand, the exclusive and powerful coupe represents innovation at its stealth best. While enduring financial catastrophe and design issues since its arrival in 1963, McLaren‘s racing division consistently challenges Ferrari for supremacy with its impressive array of prestigious honors. McLaren’s sensational racetrack pedigree also reflects the lightweight automotive rocket’s success of the road. The supercar may be exclusive, but when it’s on the scene as a racetrack celebrity or as

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2017 Genesis G90: A new luxury sedan star is born

Like other manufacturers initiated years ago, Hyundai now has a new luxury spinoff brand. It’s the 2017 Genesis G90. Gone are the Hyundai Genesis and the Hyundai Equus in favor of the Genesis lineup, currently the G90 and G80. The 2017 Genesis joins Toyota (Lexus), Nissan (Infiniti) and Honda (Acura) with its upscale Hyundai relative, a sedan ready for a tough gig. It’s entering a car segment where brand loyalty is difficult to shatter, particularly when the competition includes Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Available with a twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6 with 365 horsepower or a 5.0

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Elio Motors backfires again: debut delayed until 2018

Hopeful buyers of the fledgling three-wheel vehicle made by Elio Motors will have to wait at least another year. For the third straight year, the company that seeks to revolutionize the automotive industry has delayed its vehicle’s debut. The company founded by Paul Elio recently announced new relationships with new suppliers in a press release. It also touted another prototype on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In the same time frame, however, the company also posted its latest delay on its Facebook page. Several media outlets, including The Weekly Driver, recently reported the automaker has

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Fiat Chrysler cheated on emissions tests, says EPA

One day after Volkswagen was slapped with a multi-billion dollar fine for its emissions scandal involving 11 million vehicles, Fiat Chrysler has been accused of the same wrongdoing in its Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA said Fiat Chrysler used software the allowed about 104,000 of its 3.0-liter diesel vehicles made from 2014 to 2016 to cheat on the test. The Dodge Ram pickup was the third best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2016. The Jeep Grand Cherokee was the country’s 19th best-selling vehicle. Janet McCabe, head of EPA’s

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VW emissions scandal result: $4.3 billion fine, 5 arrested

The lingering emissions-cheating scandal that has plagued VW for nearly three years has resulted in a guilty plea from the manufacturer and a fine of $4.3 billion in criminal and civil charges. New U.S. charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and using false statements to import cars to the U.S. were also announced against five former Volkswagen employees in Germany. ADDITIONAL VW SCANDAL POSTS Volkswagen may buy back your dirty diesel Volkswagen can’t sell 2016 diesels in the U.S. Volkswagen emissions scandal affects 11 million cars globally Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn quits in emissions scandal In 2014, as U.S. suspicions increased

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