Automotive News, Car Reviews, and Podcast
Consumer Reports has released its top-10 cars of the year for 2008 — and not all of the selections are vehicles that readily come to mind. The magazine has selected one vehicle in each of 10 classes. Here’s the list, a magazine comment, additional comments from CNNMoney.com and the approximate price of each vehicle:
Read moreIt’s hard not to see advertisements for the Chevrolet Malibu. With its keen redesign for 2008, Chevrolet has put everything it has into the marketing of the car named after the southern California beach city. The promotion began in earnest during last October’s World Series and it hasn’t waned.
Read moreHow many Ford Model-Ts have you seen on the road, lately? Is it more than the number of Volkswagen Beetles or Toyota Corollas you’ve seen around town or on the freeway?
Read moreLarry Printz doesn’t give his opinion, but my hunch is that the automotive writer for the The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., is a throwback kind of guy — at least with regard to his cars. And in many ways, I’m with him. In a recent piece Printz details traditional car features and gadgets no longer offered or rarely offered. It’s the equipment he writes that’s “about to join vinyl LPs, shag carpet and typewriters in the dustbin of history.” Bench seats: “The popularity of minivans and SUVs, many with seven passenger seating, have killed the front bench seat, which allows
Read moreI’ve never quite understood the fascination with pickup trucks. But there is no denying the style’s popularity, especially among men. Look around, plenty of big and small trucks abound, including the ever-popular Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota.
Read moreA friend took a good, long look at the interior and exterior of the new Ford Edge, chuckled and said, “Well, for a Ford it’s pretty edgy.” True enough. With the 2008 Edge, the often conservative Ford has extended the definition of the term “crossover.”
Read moreHow’s it possible to loss $38.7 million in a year? Not even General Motors is like sure exactly how it happened. But the world’s largest automaker has annnounced that’s the amount it lost in 2007. As a result, GM will again offer a new round of buyback offers to 74,000 hourly workers, all of whom are represented by the United Auto Workers. GM said the loss largely was due to a third-quarter charge related to unused tax credits. The 2007 loss topped GM’s previous record in 1992, when the company lost $23.4 billion because of a change in health care
Read moreCost-cutting measures have been an ongoing process for the Detroit’s big three — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. All three automotive giants reported declining sales in 2007 with Ford taking the biggest hit, 12.1 percent. Not only did Ford’s sales dive sharply in 2007, it was overtaken by Toyota as No. 2 in the American market. And Toyota probably won’t stop there. GM’s days as king of the hill look numbered as well.
Read moreIn the dimly lit parking garage at work, the shadowy figures of two women were standing near my regular space, chatting amicably as they peered at the smallish, red vehicle with the sizable reputation. A couple of quick hellos were offered, then the conversation quickly turned to the car of the week — the 2008 Mazda 3.
Read moreFor the fourth time in four months, Volvo has announced a recall. The current potential problem is potential corrosion in fuel pump electronic modules in S40 and V50 models from 200-2006. A Volvo spokesperson the issue is could occur 82,000 cars worldwide. The modules can be exposed to water (from rain) and sale (from snow) which can cause corrosion. The recall is in “corrosive markets,” where inclement weather is more prevalent, including the United States, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, China and France. Last November, Volvo, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., recalled 56,000 cars due to two separate
Read moreCar lists are subjective. There are best sports cars, best luxury car lists and even an extreme list like the Top-10 Ugly Cars. And since everyone is entitled to an opinion, the “All-Ugly” list is a lot of fun.
Read moreWith Hummer, it’s all or none. You’re a fan or not. There’s no middle ground. I’m in the latter category. I don’t understand the popularity of the extreme vehicles. But the unique vehicles have a loyal following, and that following will soon expand.
Read moreWhat’s a few hundred thousand cars between close friends? According the manufacturers’ respective tallies, General Motors and Toyota ended 2007 nearly tied for honors as the world’s biggest automaker. General Motors announced this week it sold 9,369,524 cars in 2007. Toyota also reported this week that it sold 9.366 million cars last year, about 3,000 fewer vehicles than GM. Toyota has steadily expanded its U.S. demand for small cars, particularly the hybrid market. Its Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the country. Toyota has also done well in the pick-up truck market, where the Tundra was named Truck of the
Read moreThere’s a television commercial from a few years ago, a recruiting spot for the U.S. Army. It features a young soldier in training, jumping into a fox hole with a smile on his face and all the exuberance of the proverbial “kid in a candy store.”
Read moreThe Sacramento Auto Show was largely underwhelming this year. Electrical difficulties prompted the shut down of two display building at Cal Expo. And manufacturers’ presentations were uninspired – like the reps were going through the motions of presenting new vehicles for the umpteenth time — which they were. There were a few exceptions, including the display and energy of the presentation at the California Fuel Cell Partnership booth. The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) is a collaboration of 34 organizations that believe fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen have the potential to change the future of transportation. The CaFCP web
Read moreThe auto industry had a lot changes in 2007. Many great vehicles continued to infiltrate the market. But according to a report on America Online, the total number of recalls nearly equaled the number of vehicles produced, mostly due to massive Ford and Volkswagen recalls. Last August, for example, Ford Motor Co., announced it was recalling 3.6 million vehicles, mostly trucks from the 1990s, to fix a speed control deactivation switch. And last spring, Volkswagen began recalling 1 million new Beetles from the model years 2001 to 2007 to repair a brake light problem. “Now almost any time you pick
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