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Honda Civic 2012 gets dubious most disliked car honor

Picking the best cars of the year is rather pedestrian. Plenty of automobiles qualify because competition among manufacturers just keeps getting better. But the worst cars of 2012? That's more difficult. Are there really 10 horrible new cars? CNN.Money.com thinks so. It stops short of calling the selectees to its dubious honors list the worst cars. Rather Alex Taylor III, an at-large senior editor, lumps models from Honda, Nissan, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Jaguar, Infiniti on his 2012 Most Disliked Cars list. For example, here's how the Taylor in part describes the Honda Civic, his pick as the most disliked of the disliked cars on his list: "Seemingly designed for the recession generation, the bland, cheezy, ninth-generation Civic went on sale

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GM makes high-voltage move, calls back all Volts for potential battery fires

Arguably biggest setback for hybrid and electric cars has been announced with General Motors’ revelation that it’s “calling back” all Chevrolet Volts sold in the United States as a precaution against battery pack fires. The call back involves about 8,000 vehicles, with the carmaker detailing it needs to “toughen the protection around the battery pack and make other changes to prevent fires following a crash.” Sales of the Chevy Volt began U.S. markets in mid-December 2010. GM executives said while the changes came following a federal probe into three fires in Volt battery packs after crash tests, they had seen no complaints from customers, no disparaging reports from Volt owners on the road and no sign of fire in its

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Auto Shows, 2012: Sexy women Detroit to Tokyo and new cars, too

Auto shows give the media time to preview manufacturers' new models and they give the public several days to ponders at least two things. They can further study the new car they're about to purchase or have a wont to buy. Or, they can dream about and stare at cars they'll never own. Cars shows in the United Sates as well throughout North America, Europe and Asia are also are also well-known for the tradition of having sexy models, present the cars and represent the brands as ambassadors. There are regional car shows and national events. Carmakers take diverse approaches, some subtle, others with elaborate displays. Automakers also try to outdo each other the debuting car descriptions and there are

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Ford pickups reign again as country's best-selling vehicles in 2011

Pick-up trucks continue to rule the automotive industry with the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado again claiming the top and runner-up places among the top-10 best-selling vehicles of 2011. The Ford F-Series (F-150 and F-250) now in their 12th generation and perennially the country's best-sellers, combined as the only vehicles in the United States with more than 500,000 units sold in 2011. The F-150 F-250 combined had a 10.7 percent sales increase in 2011 from 2010. The Chevy Silverado had a 12.2 percent increase in the past year. The Toyota Camry remained the best-selling car in the country in 2011, the rest of the top four sellers from 2010 — Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, respectively — tumbled

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Toyota, Lexus sales slump in 2011 as Japan disaster recovery lingers

Toyota Motor Sales, which included Toyota, Lexus and Scion, reported annual sales of 1,644,661 vehicles in the United States in 2011, down 7.0 percent from t2010 as inventory continued to recover from shortages due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota Division recorded year-end sales of 1,446,109 vehicles, a decrease of 6.1 percent from 2010. Lexus reported sales of 198,552 units in 2011, down 13.7 percent from the previous 2010. Scion was the surprising segment. reported sales of 49,271 units for the year, up 7.5 percent over 2010. "We are encouraged by the strong close of 2011 as December was our best volume month of the year. We successfully launched several new vehicles, including the all-new Camry, which retained

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Hyundai shines in 2011 with Sonata, Elantra driving 20 percent sales increase

Hyundai Motor America had a record year sales year in 2011. In addition to the Hyundai Elantra selling more than one million units worldwide, the South Korean manufacturer had its largest-selling in the United States with a sales increase of 20 percent over 2010 totals. The Alabama-built Sonata and North American Car of the Year finalist Elantra both set full-year records with sales of 225,961 units (up 15 percent) and 186,361 (up 41 percent), respectively. Seven of the 10 vehicle styles Hyundai sold in the United States in 2011 had increased sales, with the Azera and Santa Fe the only styles that sold few units in 2011 than in 2010. The 2012 Hyundai Veloster joined the Hyundai lineup in 2011.

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Mercedes-Benz set to debut two hybrid sedans at Detroit Auto Show

Mercedes-Benz will debut two hybrid E-Class sedans at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the E 400 Hybrid and the E 300 Bluetec Hybrid, according to several automotive sites, most notably Autoweek.com. The E 400, which is expected to be available in the United States later in 2012 as a 2013 model, will feature a single electric motor between a 302-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and a modified version of the company's standard seven-speed automatic transmission. The company's first diesel-electric vehicle, the E 300 Bluetec Hybrid, was previewed as long ago as the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. It features a 201-hp, 2.1-liter turbodiesel engine that produces 369 pound-feet of torque and is fitted to the same 20-kw electric

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Hyundai joins rare auto club of seven with 1 milion yearly sales in 2011

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra has received its share of accolades. But it likely has just received its most significant honor — the lofty 1 million yearly sales plateau. According to a report on Forbes.com, when the final tallies are totaled the 2011 Hyundai Elantra will be the second-highest seller globally in 2011 with about 1.01 million units sold. The Toyota Corolla, sold under different nameplates throughout the world, remained the top worldwide seller, with about 10,00 more units sold in 2011 than the Hyundai Elantra. While reaching the 1 million in sales yearly total, the Hyundai Elantra joins six other vehicles that have also sold more than 1 million units in one year — Ford Model T, VW Beetle, Chevrolet

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Honda Civic Hybrid owner sues carmaker for low gas mileage

If you don't get the gas mileage the manufacturer of your car has promoted, sue the carmaker. That's the approach Heather Peters, a former attorney, is taking against Honda in a small claims court suit. She claims her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid has achieved about 60 percent of the gas mileage she expected. Peters says her Honda Civic Hybrid never approached its marketed 50 mpg estimates. And as the car's battery deteriorated, Peter said it only achieved 30 mpg. Peters wants Honda to pay $10,000 for her trouble and the extra money she spent on gas. The trial is set for Tuesday afternoon in Torrance, California, where American Honda Motor Co. has its West Coast headquarters. Peters opted out of

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Hyundai, Kia, VW, GM all back in sold out Super Bowl commercial spotlight

The most coveted and most expensive advertising platform, the Super Bowl, is sold out. And for the auto industry that means welcome back Volkswagen, GM, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia — among other auto-related sponsors. According to a report in USA Today, all 30-second slots, which cost a record $3.5 million each, were purchased by the end of last November. Seth Winter, senior vice president of sales and marketing at NBC’s sports group, told the newspaper, “We have shattered any recent revenue stories in regards to the Super Bowl.” Last year, Volkswagen had two of the most popular Super Bowl commercials, including the Darth Vader spot in which a boy in the super villain’s attire believes he can start his parents’

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Hyundai, Toyota shine among TheWeeklyDriver.com's 2011 Top-10 Cars

TheWeeklyDriver.com had its most successful year in 2011. We posted plenty of car news and automotive trends articles, and we incorporated a good supply of independently produced videos to complement the approximately 100 vehicles we reviewed. As editor and publisher of the site, I reviewed 29 cars and trucks in 2011. I drove more than a dozen other vehicles at press launches for several automakers, and I want to thank the nearly dozen manufacturers I worked with in 2011 for their continued support. Thanks also to Michael Dobrin Public Relations, Page One Automotive and STI Fleet, for their continued logistics and manufacturer liaison assistance. In July, I traveled to the Tour de France for the 13th time. There's no better

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What's in a name? Toyota Aqua (Prius C in the U.S.) already a sales hit

The Toyota Prius C, which debuted Dec. 26 in Japan as the Aqua, is already creating a lot of automotive industry interest. And not only is the interest in Toyota's small hybrid expanding, it's about five times greater than what the Japanese automaker expected. While the debut of the car in the United States is several months away, about 60,000 reservations have been placed for the vehicle in Japan. According to a report in the New York Times, the orders for the Aqua were received before the vehicle became available. Toyota had predicted monthly totals of 12,000. More details of the Toyota Prius C (Aqua) have also surfaced: * The EPA has not yet released gas-mileage ratings, but on the

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Smart car? How about Smart truck? New Daimler concept set for Detroit Auto Show

Pickup trucks are all the rage, with a new offering of alternative fuel selections on the market as well as one of the most unique vehicles, a Smart For-us concept pickup, set to debut at that Detroit Auto Show in January. A Daimler division product, the Smart For-us will be the biggest of the tiny Smart cars, currently represented only the Smart ForTwo The Smart For-us concept is 140 inches long (11 feet, 6 inches), about six feet shorter than a Ford F-150 pickup, the United States' best-selling passenger vehicle "In a tongue-in-cheek manner, the For-us signals that this is the right car for the young-at-heart with active lives who attach importance to low emissions and taking up minimum road

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Blake Griffin jumping through NBA hoops again for Kia

Kia Motors found the upstart player Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, and in 2011 and it just seemed like the wrong choice. Now, it seems TheWeeklyDriver.com just didn’t have a clue about marketing power. With Griffin’s rising celebrity as a second-year player and the way he’s already begun the 2011-2012 season, Kia and its series of Griffin doing clever, funny things in Kia commercials is continuing in a big way. It’s a sure-fire public relations, marketing stroke of genius. Griffin is the only current professional basketball player with a global marketing relationship with an automaker. The partnership with Griffin also increases Kia Motors presence in professional basketball following the brand’s extension and expansion of its relationship with the

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Pontiac Aztek (again), Ferrari, Aston Martin Among 100 Worst Cars In History

It's not often a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and Pontiac Aztec get mentioned in the same review. Or, when was the last time you've read a comparison between a Hyundai Excel and a Rolls Royce? How about when all the above are named to the list of 100 worst cars in history? Good or bad, cheap or pricey, fast or slow, underpowered or unsafe, car lists are subjective and fun. Which is why InsideLine.com, the sibling site of Edmunds.com, recently published its choices for the 100 best and worst cars is history. In reverse order on the all-time worst list, the 2006 Pontiac Solstice claimed No. 100 position, the 1955 Dodge La Femme claimed the 50th position and the 2001 Pontiac

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Chevy, Ford, Buick, BMW among automakers with cars driving into the sunset

So long, Ford Ranger, Buick Lucerne, Dodge Dakota and Mazda Rx-8. Farewell, BMW Active Hybrid 6, Cadillac DTS and Chevrolet HHR. Nice to know you, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan Altima Hybrid and Volvo S40 and V50. Take care Ford Crown Victoria, Mazda Tribute, Cadillac STS, Honda Element, Lotus Elise and California-based electric car start-up, Aptera. As for Saab and Maybach, both are joining the manufacturers' graveyard. In automotive year when perennial best sellers like the Ford F150, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic maintained their dominance, the ever-evolving auto industry experienced its share of change in 2011 — and losses of friends. More manufacturers began to offer hybrid and electric vehicles. Even iconic brands like Rolls Royce and Ferarri announced plans to

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