Fifty Ferrari owners set for SF to LA charity great escape

It’s not often 50 Ferraris, new models to rare vintage offerings, are available for viewing in one location. But having same collection advance across the Golden Gate Bridge and caravan to Los Angeles is even more rare. But that’s exactly what the Ferrari Owner’s Group (FOG) has organized for charity. In conjunction with CarWoo.com., 50 iconic Ferrari models — the new 458 Italia, a F430 Scuderia, 599 GTB Fiorano, 512TR, 328 GTS and a classic 250 GT California Spider — among others, will depart Sept. 22 from Ferrari of San Francisco. The Ferrari group will progress along Highway 1 and arrive

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Chevrolet Spark debuts in India with a different Beat

The Chevrolet Spark, all-electric minicar scheduled to debut in the United States as a 2013 model next year and promoted as “the smallest diesel engine in the world in mass production,” recently debuted in India where it’s known as the Beat. The Beat/Spark has a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine displacing less than a liter and is as rated, via Indian testing, at a 56.5 miles per gallon. The 936cc engine has a fixed-geometry turbocharger and vacuum-operated wastegate, giving it an output of 58 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque. But it also has more unique statistics: the cars weighs 2,260 pounds

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PGA Championship: 4 shots, 1 hole in one, 1 Mercedes-Benz

Spectators attending the PGA Championship this week will not only watch their favorite PGA Tour pros, but they’ll have a change to win a 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML 350. The chance will be slim, but all spectators attending the PGA Championship can participate in the special hole-in-one competition from Thursday’s opening round through Sunday’s final 18 holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Each guest will receive one shot per day on the par-3 — 165 yards for men and 145 yards for women. In addition to the opportunity to win the new Mercedes-Benz ML 350 as the hole-in-one prize, a closest

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Subaru Forester, 2011 car review

In its 17-year tenure, the Subaru Forester has transitioned to having one of the coolest names in the automotive industry from having one of the worst names. The name Forester implies “Of the forest.” But when the vehicle debuted in 1995 at the Tokyo Motor Show as a concept, it was called the “Sutoriga” or Stalker. The reason for its first name is subject to interpretation, but a decade-and-a-half and several editions later, the Forester is fully ingrained in Subaru‘s practical, if unspectacular, lineup of sedan and utilitarian sports vehicles all featuring symmetrical all-wheel drive. The Weekly Driver Test Drive

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Toyota Yaris, 2012: New look, price for subcompact, siblings

The 2012 Toyota Yaris sub-compact, redesigned for 2012, will have a base price of $14,115 for the L grade three-door liftback with a five-speed manual transmission and increase to $17,200 for the SE grade five-door liftback with a four-speed automatic transmission. Prices for the 2012 Yaris will begin with the start of production on August 31 and new prices for 2012 Tundra full-size pickup truck, Sequoia large sport utility vehicle (SUV) and Sienna van will begin in the same time frame. The 2012 Sequoia adds an extra measure of towing safety with the addition of a Trailer Sway Control system

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Ford invests $900 million, seeks to challenge Maruti Suzuki

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Ford has taken direct financial aim at the quickly expanding Indian auto market dominated Maruti Suzuki by announcing plans to build a $900 million production plant in Sanand, the same city in which the Tata Nano is built. Maruti Suzuki currently leads India car sales with about 45 percent followed by Hyundai (18 percent), Tata (13 percent) and Mahindra & Mahindra (6 percent). Ford‘s planned factory in Sanand, in the business-friendly western state of Gujarat, will be operational by 2014 and employ 5,000 people, according to Ford. With initial annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles, the plant will bring Ford‘s total

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Yugo endures as endearing, worst car ever made

The legend of the Yugo, the Yugoslavian-built mini sedan often cited as the worst car in history, lives on. Jonathan Welsh, writing in revolving automotive blog Driver’s Seat in The Wall Street Journal, contributed a recent piece about the Yugo. The author noticed 1987 Yugo on the street and it triggered thoughts of a college friend who owned one of the early versions of the cheap car. Welsh’s bog is critical of the car, yes. But it’s also endearing, an homage to the dubious history of the now infamous car. In one paragraph, Welsh writes: “Its tan interior was sleek

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Ford, Volkswagen cooperating with feds on safety concerns

Ford and Volkswagen are cooperating with safety regulators conducting preliminary investigations into issues with two of the manufacturers’ most popular vehicles, the Mustang and Jetta. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining the Ford Mustang for possible manual transmissions for possible shifting problems and diesel Volkswagen Jetta sedans for possible fuel leaks. Spokesmen for both automakers said they were not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issues. A preliminary investigation is the first step in a process that could lead to a recall if regulators determine a manufacturer needs to address a safety issue. The NHTSA

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Honda recall: 2.26 million Accords, CR-Vs have shifting woes

Honda has announced the recall of more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. and China, including popular Accord, CR-V and Element models because of automatic transmission software issue. The recall in the United States affects 1.5 million Accords and from model years 2005 through 2010, the CR-V (2007-2010) the Element (2005-2008). According to the automaker, shifting between the reverse, neutral and drive positions can damage a bearing in the automatic transmission system. The problem could cause the engine to stall or make the parking gear difficult to engage. Honda will also recall 760,515 Accords, Odysseys and Spirior cars in

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Honda Civic again gets poor rating from Consumer Reports

The 2012 Honda Civic, redesigned for it ninth edition, has drawn extensive criticism from Consumer Reports, the independent review publication that as recently as 2007 gave the perennially top-ranked small sedan its top score. The publication’s biggest complaint was the Civic LX’s cheap plastic interior, numb steering, weak stopping power, road noise and flighty handling. A lack of  Bluetooth and outside temperature display in the $19,405 LX sedan dropped its score from a “very good” 78 to a “mediocre” 61. Consumer Reports also didn’t list the Honda Civic among its recommended vehicles last year, but its score wasn’t as low.

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Hyundai Azera 2012: Redesigned sedan set for LA debut

The redesigned 2012 Hyundai Azera, the poorest-selling of the hot-selling manufacturer’s models which will be available early next year, will be unveiled in November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. “We’re in the final stages of ride/handling tuning for the 2012 Azera, and it’s dialing in nicely,” said John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, on the company’s Twitter account. Hyundai Azera Specs Not Available Hyundai has not released details of the new design, but a company spokesperson to the automotive site Inside Line that the Azera will get get the “fluidic design language of the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra

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Napa Main Street Reunion will feature 400 vintage cars

The 10th annual Main Street Reunion, which will feature more than 400 pre-1976 cars and newly added collection of motorcycles, will be held Aug. 20 in downtown Napa. The free event is open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The show features car owners from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Napa Valley Cruisers, an antique car club. Cars (and motorcycles) line the streets of downtown for display and judging. Registered vehicles are judged in one of 30 categories, with the Best of Show and The Publishers Award the most coveted awards. The

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Honda, Toyota again top U.S. top 10 most stolen car list

In its yearly report called “Hot Wheels,” the 1994 Honda Accord was the most stolen car in the country in 2010, following by the 1995 Civic and the 1991 Toyota Camry. Hot Wheels is the only report that examines all theft data without regard to a vehicle’s insured status thereby providing a more complete view of the vehicle theft landscape. For example, certain models of older cars and trucks are popular with thieves because of the value of their parts — but many are not insured against theft. Whereas newer, more expensive and insured vehicles are often stolen to be

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Honda Odyssey, 2011 car review

Has it really been nearly two decades since the Honda Odyssey debuted? In fact, it was 1994 and the 2011 version is newly designed as the fourth generation of the increasingly popular family van. Unlike some minor changes throughout its tenure, Odyssey’s redesign is drastic. Unveiled as a concept at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, the public debut was later in the year. It showcased a larger, wider body, lower roofline, and a more sleek and modern appearance. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The five-door Touring Elite, one of five available trim levels, has the most “bells and whistles” and,

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Ford recall: 1.1 million pickups including best-selling F150

Ford, whose line-up of pickups includes the perennially largest-selling vehicle in the United States, is recalling 1.1 million trucks in 21 states and Washington, D.C. because their gas tanks can fall off and cause fires. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes the Ford F-150 (1997-2004), the country’s best-selling vehicle, F-250 (1997-’99) and Lincoln Blackwood (2002-’03). The recall affects trucks sold or now registered in cold-weather states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington,

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Mazda 5, 2012 car review

The small-but-versatile Mazda5 minivan is popular in congested European and Japanese cities, which makes one wonder why it’s overlooked in America, which has plenty of congestion. Styling sells, and the revised styling of the Mazda5 — still the only such vehicle in its class — looks sleek. The upgraded interior has a redesigned instrument panel with large climate controls, plenty of cupholders and a decent amount of interior storage areas. However, the glovebox is small and the rear sliding side doors lack storage pockets. Annoying flaw: The driver-door power window controls are too far forward, making it easy to accidentally

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