News Service

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Tata Nano, world's cheapest car, debuting in the United States in 2015?

The Tata Nano changed the automotive industry three years ago when the minimalist machine debuted in India as the world’s cheapest car with a price of about $2,500. Now, the manufacturer’s CEO believes the Nano could be sold in the United States within three years and would be the cheapest cars sold in the country. “The U.S. is a very enticing market,” said Ratan Tata, CEO of India’s Tata Group in an recent interview with Automotive News. “We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal.”The current Nano is a four-seater with a 32 horsepower and 624-cc, 2-cylinder engine mounted in the rear. To compete in the U.S., the Nano would have to be amended meet American standards including adding power

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Hyundai Elantra Coupe, 2013: Strong new contender in crowded segment

As North American Car of the Year in 2012, the Hyundai Elantra one year later remains largely the same vehicle. It’s value priced and while not outstanding in any single category, its very good status is so many categories vaults it to the top of the sedan segment. The Elantra Coupe joined its much older relative (the Elantra is now in its fifth generation) for 2013. It’s largely the same as the Elantra sedan with two exceptions. It has two doors and it has some minor exterior trim tweaks. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Elantra Coupe is comfortable, which can’t be said for many coupes that showcase performance and treat other areas as after thoughts. My two-door test Elantra

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Honda Pilot cited twice in top-10 cheapest 2012 trucks, SUVs to insure

The Honda Pilot is the least expensive 2012 model truck or sport utility vehicle to insure, according to a MotorTrend article based on information compiled by CoverHound, the car insurance rate monitoring website. The 2012 Honda Pilot (Touring) cost on average $108.33 per month. The reasons: The Pilot received “good” safety ratings across the board from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which also named it a Top Safety Pick. Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded it at least four stars out of five for all of its major metrics — front, side, rollover and overall ranking. Plus have you ever heard someone say, “Let’s go out and steal ourselves a Honda Pilot?”, MotorTrend editors write.

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If sex sells, 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe commercial works

The Netherlands, as does much of Europe, has a different outlook on sexuality and sensuality. In this instance, it’s a steaming, campy 45-second television commercial for Hyundai. TheWeeklyDriver.com can’t help it. We like it. But overt sensuality in a commercial called UpSkirt? We’ve got stunning models, long legs, a dripping ice cream cone, beads of sweat and a sultry voice moaning sultry lyrics. It doesn’t quite fit the car. But who cares? The commercial is fun. And if that helps Hyundai promote its cars, why not? And guess what? The commercial isn’t broadcast in the United States. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver

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Counterfeit airbags concern prompts NHTSA consumer alert

Vehicles which have had an air bag replaced within the past three years by a repair shop not part of a new car dealership may be at risk, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The consumer safety agency become aware of the problem after the sale of counterfeit air bags that look nearly identical to certified, original equipment parts—including bearing the insignia and branding of major automakers. Testing by the NHTSA showed consistent malfunctioning ranging from non-deployment of the air bag to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment. NHTSA is not aware of any deaths or injuries connected to counterfeit air bags. While the full scope and

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Toyota reveals massive recall involving 7.4 million cars, trucks dating to 2005

Toyota has added another massive component to its more than three years of quality control issues by recalling 7.4 million cars and trucks globally for potential fires involving faulty power-window switches and including 2.5 million vehicles sold in the United States. The recall affects cars made between July 2005 and May 2010, including Camry and Corolla sedans and RAV4 sport-utility vehicles sold in Japan, North America, Europe, China, the Middle East and Oceania. Japan’s biggest automaker called the  latest recall its largest in history. Toyota globally recalled 7.7 million vehicles in 2009 and 2010 because of faulty floormats, but the automaker categorized that occurrence as a “safety campaign.”Toyota, which said it knows of no accidents or deaths stemming from the

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Honda offering $3,000 in free gas to 2012 Civic natural gas model buyers

Honda is offering its biggest incentive for its least marketed car. Buyers of the 2012 Civic Natural Gas prior to January 2, 2013 will receive a $3,000 fuel card. The prepaid card will be good only at compressed natural gas stations run by Clean Energy Fuels, a nationwide retailer of CNG fuel, and will only given to those who buy the car at participating Honda dealers. Honda has 199 dealers in 36 states accredited to sell and service the CNG-burning Civic Natural Gas model. The new promotion, which launched Oct. 9, is available at 19 dealers in California, Washington, Utah, Missouri, Illinois and Ohio. The base price of the Honda Civic CNG it is priced about $7,000 more than a

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Honda recall now nearly 2 miillion in one week after CR-V window woes

Honda is recalling about 500,000 CR-V sport utility vehicles pushing the Japanese manufacturer’s potentially faulty vehicle total announced in the past week to more than nearly 1.1 million. Honda‘s latest call includes CR-Vs built between 2002 and 2006 and sold on the three continents because of issues with the vehicles’ power window switch. The company discovered rain water may enter the power window switch on the driver’s door, which could eventually cause the switch to overheat and catch fire. The automaker is recalling about 220,000 CR-V sport utility vehicles in Europe, around 268,000 units in the U.S. and less than 100 in Africa, a Honda spokeswoman said — pushing the total more than 490,000 units. There have been reports of

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Hyundai sets price for 2013 Azera, joins siblings with slight increase

The success of Hyundai continues, but in 2013 the Hyundai Azera will join siblings Elantra, Equus, Geneis 5.0 R-Spec, Santa Fe and Tucson with a slight price increase. The 2013 Azera will have a sticker price of $33,125 (including an $825 destination charge), a $250 increase from 2012. The new Azera is a carryover model from 2012, and with the 2013 model it’s priced less than 2013 Nissan Maxima but higher than the 2013 Chrysler 300 and 2013 Ford Taurus.The new prices for the Elantra, Equus, Genesis 5.0 R-Spec, Santa Fe and Tucson have already been announced. As a new model in 2012, the Hyundai Azera featured a Lambda II 3.3-liter GDI engine, six-speed transmission, 293 horsepower, nine standard airbags;

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Honda recall: faulty power steering hose affects 600,000 Accords

Honda is recalling five model years of Accords totaling 600,000 units in the United States and Canada and dating to 2003 because the popular sedan has a faulty power steering hose that can leak fluid and cause a fire. The recall, which extends through the 2007 edition, is the result of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posting on its website that the Accord’s power steering hose can deteriorate with prolonged exposure to engine heat. In addition to a cracked hose and loss of power-assisted steering, the problem could result in an engine fire in Accords V-6 engines. Honda has a report of one fire but no injuries or crashes. For the past several years, the Honda Accord has been

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Pontiac Aztek, Ford Mustang (?) named to new worst all-time car list

When discussing automobiles, it’s hard to imagine a Ford Mustang and a Pontiac Aztek mentioned in the same sentence. It’s even more difficult to imagine the two vehicles on a top-10 list of the worst cars in history. But that’s the fun of car lists. The Pontiac Aztek, specifically the 2001 model, graces many bad car lists. And it’s often cited as the car that led to the manufacturer’s demise. But how did a 1974 Ford Mustang get a recent 10 Worst Cars list compiled by Ted Reed of the business site, www.thestreet.com? Regarding the Aztek, Reed quotes an often-used car industry joke about the Aztek that the styling of the car is its best feature. The Ford Mustang’s, problem,

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Honda announces average $300 price increase on 2013 Accord models

Honda has revealed prices for the entire 2013 Accord lineup with the average MSRP about $300 more than in 2012 and with the manufacturer maintaining its current 3-year, 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper, 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/unlimited mileage corrosion warranty on all models. Prices for the 2013 Honda Accord sedan begin at $21,680 for the Accord LX with a 6-speed manual and extend to $33,430 for Accord Touring V6 with a 6-speed automatic — the top-of-the-line Accord. Prices for the 2013 Honda Accord Coupe start at $23,350 for the Accord LX-S 4-cylinder and top out at $32,350 for the Accord EX-L Navi V6. Standard equipment on all Accords now includes: alloy wheels rearview camera, an expanded view driver’s mirror,  Bluetooth handsfreelink, USB/iPod integration,

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Hennessey unveils 2013 VR1200, most powerful four-seat car in U.S.

Hennessey Performance has debuted what it’s describing as the most powerful four-seat car available — the 2013 Hennessey VR1200 Twin Turbo Coupe. Based on the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, the team at HPE removes the 556 bhp factory supercharged V8 and replaces it with a de-tuned version of their Venom GT supercar engine. The VR1200’s 7.0L twin turbo V8 engine produces 1,224 bhp. The 2013 Hennessey VR1200 Twin Turbo comes is priced at $295,000 plus shipping costs. This includes the cost of the base Cadillac CTS-V. HPE plans to build only 12 vehicles for the 2013 model year. The VR1200 Twin Turbo is available as a 2-door Coupe or 4-door sedan as well as the ultra exclusive Sport Wagon. Three of

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Range Rover, 2013: Lighter, powerful, fast, eco-friendly

Land Rover has introduced the 2013 Range Rover, with the fourth edition as the industry’s first sport utility vehicle with an all-aluminum structure. As the lightest SUV in its class, the new Range Rover is an indication of Jaguar Land Rover’s intentions to strive toward efficiency and sustainability in a carbon-conscious world. The new model features a lightweight all-aluminum body structure resulting in a 20 percent weight saving over outgoing models and delivering improved fuel economy and CO2 emissions. In the United States, engine options are a 5.0-liter V8 with 375 horsepower and supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 510 horsepower. The naturally-aspirated model reaches 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, while the supercharged Range Rover will accelerated 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds.

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Volvo truck debuts with Faith Dickey's daredevil wired walk of faith

Volvo is no different than other carmakers with clever marketing. By the time new Volvo FH truck was launched Sept. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden, it had already received vast considerable attention via a YouTube video called Ballerina Stunt. In the 3 1/2-minute footage high-liner world record holder Faith Dickey walks on a wire strung between two new FH trucks driving at 50 mph as it approaches a tunnel. The stunt was set up to show the precise handling of the new Volvo FH. It was filmed on an unopened highway in Croatia in cooperation with Hollywood stunt director Peter Pedrero (James Bond, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean.) The video, which has 5  1/2-million views, was directed by Academy Award

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California motorists encouraged to re-think oil change practices

Should motorists change their vehicle’s oil every 3,000 miles? Not necessarily, according to the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). With its “Check Your Number” campaign, CalRecyle encourages drivers to rethink their current habits and only change motor oil as needed. “With significant advances in auto technology, it’s important for drivers to understand that changing motor oil every 3,000 miles is an old default that may not be relevant for their vehicle,” said CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen. “Frequent oil changes do not necessarily mean better performance or longer engine life. By following the manufacturer’s recommendations, you will not only do right by your ride, but you’ll also benefit the environment by using fewer resources.” A recent survey by CalRecycle

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