Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
The 2008 Audi A8 W12 is the German manufacturer’s powerful top-of-the-line sedan. It’s nearly a small apartment considering its spaciousness, powerful sound system, rear-seat refrigerator and solar sunroof. Videographer Bruce Aldrich and I take a look and the luxurious Audi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrDQljGPqSc
Read moreAmid overcast skies and cool temperatures, Monterey Auto Week began Monday with the two-day Concours on the Avenue in Carmel with a wondrous selection of varied classic cars — Ferrari to Volkswagen, Ford to Bentley, Fiat to Lamborghini.
Read moreIt’s often simply called Monterey Auto Week. No one organization oversees all of the activities, and it’s possible to attend perhaps only half of the events. The Concours d’Elegance, the grandfather of celebration, has been around for more than 50 years. And it’s still the grand finale to the festivities Sunday, Aug. 17.
Read moreMonterey Auto Week is hard to describe, particularly since it lasts nearly two weeks. And Monterey Auto Week isn’t really an official name, either, because there isn’t an official name to all of the car-related activities on the Monterey Peninsula in August. Nonetheless, the sensory overload of all things automotive continued this week with the second Carmel-By-The Sea Concours on the Avenue. Porsche and Ferrari were the attractions Monday on Ocean Avenue in Carmel and accompanying side streets. And on Tuesday marques from 1946-1971 were presented. Both days were nirvana for car owners and automotive enthusiasts. But the Tuesday gathering
Read moreIn its elaborate plans to appease consumers’ changing buying choices, General Motors Corporation will invest more than half a billion dollars in its Ohio manufacturing plant. It’s where Chevrolet will assemble the Cruze, its new compact vehicle set to debut in the United States as a 2011 model.
Read moreAfter much anticipation, earlier this year BMW introduced to the United States its 128 series. It’s the German manufacturer’s reasonably priced coupe and convertible, and it couldn’t have been introduced at a better time. From my weekly drive with the 128i convertible and its 3.0-liter, 230-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine, the car is an unqualified success. Videographer Bruce Aldrich and I present another of in the continuing series of new car video reviews. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATOAJIy0Wc
Read moreJim Henry, an automotive writer for Business Week Online, has written a succinct, informative piece detailing top-15 cars in the United Sates via gas mileage averages. Toyota is represented on the list by four vehicles — Prius, Camry hybrids, and the Yaris and Corolla gas-engined vehicles.
Read moreAfter much anticipation, earlier this year BMW introduced to the United States its 128 series. It’s the German manufacturer’s reasonably priced coupe and convertible, and it couldn’t have been introduced at a better time. From my weekly drive with the 128i convertible and its 3.0-liter, 230-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine, the car is an unqualified success.
Read moreCar-buying research details that women purchase 46 percent of new cars in the United States. More significantly, women influence more than 80 percent of the country’s new automotive sales. And considering the percentages, what are the most popular cars among women and men? The Honda Fit and Chevrolet Silverado (pick-up truck).
Read moreBeauty is in the eyes of thieves. That’s the ruth in terms of stolen cars since the most No. 1 hot-wired car in the United States is a 1995 Honda Civic. According to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB, the Civic is followed by its older sibling, the 1991 Honda Accord in terms of susceptibility to thieves.
Read moreAnother auto manufacturer seemingly joins the green automotive world each week. This time, it’s Chrysler and its new Envi division. Chrysler has announced it’s planning to launch all-electric vehicles within five years.
Read moreToyota is responding to changes in consumer demand and improving the production efficiency and stability of its North American operations by adjusting production mix at three plants. The changes include the addition of the Prius hybrid sedan to its North American lineup.
Read moreLooking to distance itself from the unpopular Freestyle, Ford decided to make a clean break, opting for a new name, new look and significant improvements. Although a practical seven-passenger vehicle, the car-based Freestyle never attracted much attention from car shoppers. It slid anonymously out of the Ford lineup after three years, replaced by the 2008 Taurus X, another crossover wagon.
Read moreToyota hasn’t provided details, but global media outlets, including the Japanese daily newspaper, The Nikkei, report the manufacturer’s highly successful Prius hybrid will include solar-powered air conditioning in its 2010 models. The solar panels on the roof of the new Prius model will provide two to five kilowatts of electricity, according to the newspaper.
Read moreThere’s nothing wrong with a good, healthy dose of competition. And in the automotive industry, there’s no better example than in the midsize sedan category. The top three players — Honda, Toyota and Nissan — all have loyal followers, and each manufacturer works nearly continuously to outdo its competitors.
Read moreChrysler has just announced a new highspeed wireless system call Uconnect. It will allow drivers to access the internet at stoplights while other passengers simultaneously utilize other high-speed internet features. This may sound like innovation and it may catapult the car world into “hot spot” nirvana. But to me it sounds like the automotive apocalypse. Do drivers need any more distractions? A Chrysler spokesman commented “We see great potential for this.” Potential for what? More absent-minded drivers? More head-on collisions? Increased road rage? The dealer-installed system, officially called UConnect Web, will be an add-on to Chrysler’s UConnect information and entertainment
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