News Service

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Elon Musk channels Chevy Chase in pending Tesla trek

Elon Musk has never been shy about expressing his opinion or touting his iconic vehicle, the Tesla. Now the CEO of the high-performance electric sports car manufacturer will further promote his vehicles with a well-tested approach — leading by example. According to a recent report on CNNMoney.com, Musk has finalized the details of a six-day trip cross country car trip with his five sons at the end of 2013. “Just finalized the LA to NY family road trip route in Model S. 6 day, 3,200-mile journey with only nine hours spent charging,” Musk Tweeted in his trip announcement. Three months ago, Musk announced plans to drive across country to promote the Tesla and his expanding network of superchargers. “I’m planning

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Electric car wars heat up, Chevrolet Volt $5,000 less in 2014

The electric and green car wars between Chevrolet and Nissan continue to heat up in the carmakers’ pursuit of a bigger market share in their competition against the dominating Toyota Prius family. The latest move involves Chevrolet reducing the starting price of the 2014 Volt by around $5,000 for its fourth year on the market. The Volt will now have a starting price of $34,995 (*including $810 for destination), but when the 2014 model will be available is unknown. Nissan previously announced it had lowered the starting price of the Leaf by $6,400. The Chevrolet Volt can now potentially cost as little as $27,495 after $7,500 federal tax credit. Two  new colors of the Volt will be offered in 2014,

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Top-10 cheapest cars in the United States, all less than $16,000

Since the average price of a new car in the United States is just under $30,000, what can a consumer except to purchase with a budget of $15,000 or $20,000? Some might say what’s a good cheap car? Others might look at it as buying a good car at a good price. Turns out, for whatever reason, the options are plentiful. Seven U.S. and international manufacturers combined offer 10 cars all with a base price of less than $16,000. Based on the average transaction price, including the MSPR, taxes, license, factory rebates and dealer discounts, 10 U.S. and international manufacturers combined to offer 10 cars priced at less than $18,000. The cheapest car available nationwide is the Nissan Versa with

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Jerry Seinfeld, Seth Meyers get coffee in the perfect car, really?

Jerry Seinfeld’s latest comedic innovation, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, will conclude its second season with Chris Rock as the guest of eighth episode finale. Like Seinfeld’s television show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is based on the complexities and yet simple ways of natural comedy. It’s about cars and coffee, but not really. The Internet-only series premiered July 19, 2012 on digital network Crackle. In each episode, Seinfeld introduces a classic car. He calls a comedian and drives the car to pick up the guest. The duo then drives to a restaurant and has coffee (and sometimes lunch). There are deviations from the norm (as one would expect) like the poignancy of last season’s episode when comedian Michael Richards

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Consumer beware: Car theft rampant, often from driver error

A motor vehicle theft occurs every 44 seconds in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the largest percentage of cars are stolen for a surprising reason — driver error. Between 40-50 percent of cars are stolen for the following reasons: keys left in the ignition in or on another location of a car; open or unlocked window; parking in a secluded area; valuables left in the car. July and August are the top-two months for vehicle thefts in the United States and only about 52 percent of all stolen cars are recovered. The top-10 cars stolen in the United States: 1. Dodge Charger 2. Pontiac G6 3. Chevrolet Impala 4. Chrysler 300 5. Infiniti

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Automotive Nirvana: Five best-selling cars in history

Combine fuel efficiency, affordability and reliability and the result is the Toyota Corolla. There’s no flash. It’s not particularly fast and nor does it have great maneuverability. But it does everything a car should do pretty well and that adds up to a lofty perch. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in history. Its base price is $16,130. Its gets an EPA estimated 35 mpg. And many Toyota Corolla owners have achieved more than 200,000 miles on the original engine. The exact sales number for the Toyota Corolla isn’t known. The last official count was 37.5 million, but the total is approaching 40 million and the car is now in its 11th generation. According to an article on investopedia.com,

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Automotive catastrophe: Five worst-selling cars in history

The worst-selling car in history was such a catastrophe the brand’s name has become synonymous with failure. By most accounts, the Edsel was ugly, it was more expensive than its top competitors and in three years it was no more after fewer than 3,000 units of the car sold. The 1960 Edsel, as detailed on the website investopedia.com, has earned the specific dubious honor as the worst-selling car in history. Here’s what the website noted about the 1960 Edsel: “Ford created the Edsel brand in the late 1950s to compete with GM’s line of affordable midsized cards. Unfortunately, Edsels never lived up to the hype that Ford created for them.” “Edsel’s signature over-stylized bodies were panned as ugly, their “new”

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2014 Toyota Corolla: New look, better gas mileage

Since it’s the best-selling car in history, look for continued keen marketing when  2014 Toyota Corolla is soon completely unveiled. In the meantime, the carmaker is steadily leaking details of the Corolla. And it takes the entry level vehicle at least as seriously as the debut of any of its cars — the Camry to the Prius to the Tacoma pick-up. The next generation of the Corolla, the 12th since the car’s debut in 1966, has slowly and steadily been leaked onto the Internet in stages. The front end was recently teased with a few images. And now images of the rear end have also surfaced. 2014 Toyota Corolla Has Aggressive Styling According to various media reports, the 2014 Toyota

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Ford F-150, country’s best-seller, facing NHTSA scrutiny for power failure

The Ford F-150 pickup truck, the best-selling vehicle in the United States, is under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scrutiny. The NHTSA has opened preliminary investigation into 400,000 of the perennially popular trunks from 2011-2013 for acceleration problems. The NHTSA has received 95 reports of incidents of reduced engine power during hard accelerations in 2011-2013 Ford F-150 trucks equipped with 3.5-liter gasoline turbocharged direct injection engines. Some complaints allege unexpected sharp reductions in engine power during hard accelerations at highway speeds, such as attempted merging or passing maneuvers. NHTSA said Ford has issued three technical service bulletins related to intermittent stumble/misfire on acceleration from highway cruise in humid or damp conditions in some 2011 and 2012 F-150 vehicles equipped with

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MotoGP: Fast, furious, fantastic at Laguna Seca (video)

MotoGP is motorcycle racing’s most prestigious circuit. It’s still early in the 2013 season, but the series’ annual stop at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca — the halfway point of the season — is just around the next corner. In fact, hospitality and VIP suites tickets are now available for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, featuring the MotoGP World Championship, scheduled July 19-21, at the famed the Monterey Peninsula facility. What’s MotoGP all about? Friend Mike Kahn, owner of the Sacramento internet consulting firm Frog Stone Media, www.frogstonemedia.com, attended the event in 2012 and made the video below. Riders representing Yamaha, Honda and Ducati, among other manufacturers, will be among the international field this year negotiating the undulating, 11-turn, circuit 

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Five top gas mileage, wallet-friendly cars for 2013

Once limited to niche brands, odd designs and ill-conceived marketing, carmakers in recent years have integrated hybrid, alternative fuel vehicles into the automotive mainstream lineup. Now, nearly every major manufacturer offers at least one hybrid and another alternative fuel car in its fleet. Combined with higher mileage gas-engine cars, the auto industry flush with improved fuel efficiency. Hybrid anxiety is passé. Alternative fuel cars formerly designed and operated as if related to moon vehicles or military craft now largely look and drive the same as their gas-only siblings. The “greening” of the automotive industry occurred primarily for three specific reasons: increased influence from the environmental movement, pending federal regulation for improved gas mileage and wishful collective public desire for less

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Toyota announces special editions for 2013 Corolla

The enduring Toyota Corolla, which debuted in 1966 and as it approaches its 50th birthday remains the best-selling car in history, will soon be offered in two 2013 model special editions. Toyota has announced the two 2013 Corolla Special Editions will offer standard features in two grade levels, LE and S. The LE Special Edition will offer 16-inch alloy wheels, Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™ (three-year subscription), Power and heated Beige leather-trimmed seats, Special Edition floor mats and exterior badging, and a unique Black Currant Metallic exterior color. The Corolla S Special Edition will provide new styling along with 17-inch alloy wheels, Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™, Sport fabric seats coordinated with a unique Hot Lava exterior color

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Freddie Mercury’s 1974 Rolls-Royce Sells At Auction For $118,000

More than 20 years after his death, the flamboyant legend of Freddie Mercury, the frontman for the seminal rock band Queen, endures including via his former choice of automobiles — a 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Mercury died in 1991, but his Rolls-Royce, originally purchased by the musician’s production company and hardly driven in the past two decades, sold earlier this year for 7,700 British Sterling or about $118,000. It was purchased via a telephone bid  from a Russian businessman at the Coys auction at Autosport International in the United Kingdom. The classic Rolls-Royce had a list used value of $13,000 to $18,000. But the attachment of Mercury as it former obviously substantially increased the car’s value. Mercury’s Silver Shadow has

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Scion FR-S 2013 quickly gets best sports car for the money honor

It only took a year for the once unheralded but promising Scion FR-S to gain national recognition via its lauded combination of performance and value. Introduced in 2012, the 2013 FR-S has been named Best Sports Car for the Money by U.S. News & World Report. The annual award recognizes value, quality and critical acclaim across 21 vehicle categories. To evaluate the FR-S, U.S. News & World Report judges looked at the sports coupe’s safety record, reliability and opinion from industry experts. Additionally, the expected five-year total cost of ownership and average vehicle price at the time of publication contributed to overall scores. The FR-S costs $25,255 MSRP with a six-speed manual transmission or $26,355 MSRP with a six-speed automatic

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Super Bowl commercials: Kate Upton shunned for Willem Dafoe, Usher in Mercedes Benz devil spot

Kate Upton is all the rage in her controversial Super Bowl commercial when she gives a few young guys a tip or two about washing a new Mercedes Benz. But the German automaker surprisingly leaves Upton with only a bit part in another, longer Super Bowl commercial. The top billing in this spot goes to Willem Dafoe, Usher and a classic Rolling Stones tunes. It’s a clever commercial. More of Kate Upton would have made it better. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose

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How to buy the best used electric vehicle

It’s been about 15 years since hybrid and electric cars first entered mainstream global automotive market. Which means, led by the Toyota Prius, car buyers in the market for second- electric cars now have an expanding versatile selection. Toyota introduced the Prius in 1997 and its global sales have now surpassed four million, far exceeding all hybrid and electric sales combined. As a result, used Prius models, which now also include the Prius Liftback, Prius C, Prius V and Prius Plug-In Electric, are plentiful and logically a best choice among shoppers seeking a used electric car. There are plenty of parts and plenty of mechanics who know Toyota intimately. Of course, there are other choices. In 2011 more than 30

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