News Service

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Volkswagen assumes title sponsorship of Sea Otter Classic cycling festival

Volkswagen has assumed title sponsorship of the Sea Otter Classic, the largest bicycle festival in North America, and will be the key new component among several changes for the April 19-22 event at Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey. The event's offical name is Volkswagen Sea Otter Classic Powered by SRAM. Also new for 2012 event, which features pro and amateur racing in numerous cycling disciplines, is the introduction of cyclocross racing, an expanded kids' riding area, an invitational downhill skateboarding exhibition and enhanced outreach for female cyclists. “Sea Otter provides us with the perfect partnership to expand on our commitment to environmental sustainability that goes beyond fuel-efficient vehicles,” said Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “We’re

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Hyundai Elantra 2012 gets new honor: best car under $20,000

The Hyundai Elantra, winner of the 2012 North American Car of The Year, has been awarded another honor. It's the top pick for “Best Car Under $20,000” by AOL Autos. The Elantra’s unmatched fuel economy and styling helped it defeated competitors Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze. “Elantra comes with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine producing 148 horsepower and 131 pound-feet of torque. The engine provides the Elantra with more power and better fuel efficiency than competitors like the Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla,” said the AOL Autos staff. “Elantra is the best total package and best sedan pound for pound, dollar for dollar under $20,000.” The AOL Autos staff judged the “Best Car Under $20,000” based

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Sexy model's 'Seduction' still selling FIAT Abarth . . . now eight million times

Since its debut about 3 1/2 months ago, the FIAT 500 Abarth commercial Seduction, which features Romanian model Catrinel Menghia and was showcased in the 2012 Super Bowl, has now been viewed nearly 8 million times on YouTube. In the one-minute spot, a young man fantasizes while seeing a beautiful woman's skirt slightly rise. Menghia is the woman who morphs into the Fiat. She also stars in the Nissan Juke Sports Illustrated commercials. When the woman catches the young man staring at her, she approachs, slaps him, then pulls him closer and whispers into his ear. Via translation, she says: What are you looking at? Uh!? What are you looking at?! (slap) Are you undressing me with your eyes? Poor

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Lexus tops Consumer Reports 2012 best list, Jeep gets top two worst spots

The Lexus 460L luxury sedan has been awarded top honors for best road test, while Jeep has dubious honors with vehicles receiving the worst two scores in Consumer Reports best and worst lists for 2012. Consumer Reports ranked the Lexus LS 460L at the top with a road test score of 99, followed by BMW 135i at 97; Infiniti G37 sedan at 95; Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE; Audi A6 (3.0T); Infiniti M37 and Nissan Altima 3.5 SR at 93. The Audi A8 L, Lexus ES 350 and Nissan Altima 2.5 S all appeared on the list as well with a score of 91 each. The magazine’s list is determined by 50 individualized tests and evaluations. Scores reflect how well a

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Jeep Wrangler, 2012: Rugged off-road master gets road features redesign

Now at the end of its first decade, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is the iconic brand’s most rugged option. It features the standard seven vertical slat grille and round headlamps of all Jeeps, but it’s named after the 22-mile Rubicon Trail in the Sierra Nevada that begins about 80 miles east of Sacramento. The famous trail has road segments, but the rocky sections are where off-road vehicles can quickly shine or fail. if you name one of your vehicles after the trail, it should probably thrive on rutted, rugged terrain, water crossings and the unexpected proverbial fork in the road. Since its debut in 2003, off-road enthusiasts have often commented that for handling trail adversity, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon does

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Matt Kenseth endures for second Daytona 500 win; Danica Patrick finishes 38th

Matt Kenseth claimed his second Daytona 500 title in four years in the most unique NASCAR race in history that was delayed by rain and an unprecedented late race track explosion. The race's 54th edition began under the lights at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, after originally being postponed until noon Monday when rain forced cancellation of the orginal start last Sunday. With 40 laps remaining, the race was stopped for more than two hours after a problem with Juan Pablo Montoya’s car sent it out of control. The car hit a track-drying truck, causing its cargo of jet fuel to ignite in a vast explosion Kenseth held off a last-lap charge by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Greg Biffle

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Bizarre late race explosion adds further weirdness to Daytona 500 (video)

The bizarre ways of the most unusual Daytona 500 in history took an even more bizarre turn late in the race Monday night when the car driven by Juan Pablo Montoya spun on the racetrack track, hit a jet dryer and ignited both vehicles into a fiery explosion entering Turn 3 on Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500 had not been raced on Monday until this year, when rain forced the first postponement of the race in its 54 years. The race was then delayed to a night start when rain delayed its schedule noon start. The race had 43 laps left when the engine on David Stremme’s Toyota blew up and he spun out. The race was under caution

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Motorhome? Camper? Fifth Wheel? Pop Up? New RV video defines terms

Traveling in recreational vehicles is increasingly popular. But just like the diversity of passenger cars, RV types range from inexpensive pop-up trailers that begin at about $5,000 to grand motorhomes that can cost $250,000. In his lastet video, Chuck Woodbury, editor and publisher of RVTravel.com, succinctly highlights the differences between the varied types of RVs — motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers, pop ups and truck campers. If you're considering a motorhome, this three-minute video is ideal. Beyond choosing the proper type of RV, the website RVTravel.com has a wide-ranging supply of information for traveling in an RV — what ever your preferred style. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the

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Academy Awards: Mercedes-Benz joins Hyundai, debuts new hybrid commercial

Mercedes-Benz will join Hyundai during the 82nd annual Academy Awards as carmakers debuting commercials for new 2012 models. In the instance of Mercedes-Benz, the debut will be showcased in a 30-second spot call "Tree of Innovation" and it will be for the S400 HYBRID. The commercial also showcases the company's expanding repertoire of environmentally oriented vehicles. The ad is the first to feature the new "voice" for Mercedes-Benz advertising, Jon Hamm, the Golden Globe winning star of the TV series Mad Men. Hyundai is debuting two 30-second spots for the 2012 Azera. Jeff Bridges, the Academy Award winning actor, is the voice of Hyundai. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the

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Hyundai Azera, 2012: Modern family showcases car's comfort in Academy Awards spot

In the second of the new 2012 Hyundai Azera commercials set for broadcast Feb. 26 during the Academy, the comforts of the car's interior are "examined" — from the owner's driveway. It's called Modern Life, and shows the husband of the family working in a frantic pace in the kitchen while his wife is relaxing in their new Azera in the driveway. The husband doesn't know his wife is the driveway, however. According to the carmaker, " the Hyundai Azera's interior surrounds you with an array of sumptuous amenities such as front and rear heated seats, ventilated power front seats with an adjustable driver seat cushion extension, ambient lighting system, available premium Infinity or Dimension audio systems and HD Radio

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Academy Awards: Hyundai takes starring role again at Oscars (video)

Hyundai, the automotive car sponsor for the Academy Awards for the fourth straight year, will have nine commercials broadcast during the Feb. 26 coverage of the Oscars on ABC. The Hyundai spots will include two pre-show ads and seven commercials during the telecast. Two of the commercials, directed by filmmaker Wes Anderson, will feature the new 2012 Hyundai Azera. The new Azera is expected to arrive at dealerships soon. The spots, “Modern Life” and “Talk to My Car,” focus on the car’s high-end features and connectivity system called Blue Link. Both commercials are reminiscent of Anderson’s movies including “Rushmore” and ”The Royal Tenenbaums.” The rest of Hyundai’s 30-second spots feature its Sonata Hybrid, Elantra, Equus, Genesis Coupe and Genesis R-Spec,

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Danica Patrick crashes, unhurt in Daytona qualifying race (video)

Danica Patrick crashed but escaped injury Feb. 23 on the backstretch on the final lap of the first of two 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway. The crash on the wall of the backstretch careened Patrick's car into the infield. She received medical care on the infield and was released. The front end of Patrick's car was ripped and the new NASCAR driver will be required to drive her backup car, which she believes could be faster. "I'm just very disappointed that the car got crashed with two corners to go," Patrick told the Associated Press. "It's not how we wanted to roll into Sunday. We wanted to just be cool, calm and collected with no damage. But like

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Fisker Karma, 2012: 'The Most Interesting Car in the World?' (video)

Dan Neil, author of the automotive column Rumble Seat in The Wall Street Journal, is now also part of the publication's new video channel on YouTube call "Off Duty." Like the publication's print section of the same name, the new video component features lifestyle videos about music, fashion, and cars. Neil's first contribution is a test drive of the 2012 Fisker Karma — the $100,000, four-seat plug-in hybrid. Built in Finland, the Fisker Karma is partly-funded by U.S. taxpayers. Neil, who won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, describes the vehicle in glowing terms. But he also includes his usual share of criticism. In one passage of his print review, Neil writes: "Meet the world's most interesting car. Every square

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Fisker Karma, 2012: Six-figure, four-seat hybrid sports car turns heads

Your dream car may just have arrived. The stunning new 2012 Fisker Karma low-slung sedan looks like a futuristic experimental car. Moreover, it’s a “green” gas/electric plug-in model with a fairly long driving range. I found the Karma to be a head-turner at a media preview of it on a variety of Los Angeles area roads. No wonder actor Leonardo DiCaprio bought one of the first ones, following the old Hollywood tradition of stars driving the most coveted cars. The approximately $104,000 Karma feels solid as a rock and is beautifully assembled, inside and out, although the low front end can be damaged by moderately high curbs if a driver isn’t careful. And the standard eco-friendly dashboard material looks rather

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NHTSA proposes voluntary ban on drivers' use of 'distracting devices'

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed voluntary guidelines for manufacturers that would automatically disable hand-held and factory installed devices in vehicles that distract from driving. The proposal recommends that devices including GPS systems would not functional unless the vehicle is stopped and the transmission is in park. Carmakers will review the guidelines and will have 60-day period to comment, according to a car industry spokeswoman. GPS and other navigation devices that provide directions would also be permitted while driving, but the safety administration is asking that the systems be designed so that drivers can't manually enter a destination unless the car is in park. Other dashboard technologies recommended for automatic disabling include text-messaging, Internet browsing, social media

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Porsche Macan, not Cajun, confirmed as Porsche’s newest SUV

Porsche has announced its upcoming compact SUV will be called Macan, not Cajun as previously announced. The name Macan originates from the Indonesian word for tige, which describes the core characteristics of Porsche’s new all-terrain vehicle — suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics. “The Macan combines all sports car characteristics with the benefits of an SUV and is a genuine Porsche," said Bernhard Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG. The new car will bebut at the Porsche factory in Leipzig, Saxony, in 2013. The site is currently being expanded into a fully-fledged production plant including body assembly line and paint shop. With 500 million euro of investment, it is one of the biggest building projects in Porsche

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