News Service

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Hyundai Elantra, 2013: European functionality, more standard features

Hyundai has introduced the 2013 Elantra GT in a North American debut at the Chicago Auto Show. The Elantra GT, which brings five-door functionality and European driving dynamics to the expanding Elantra lineup, is scheduled for dealerships in the summer of 2012 The lineup now includes Elantra Coupe – also making its world debut – and the Elantra sedan, the 2012 North American Car of the Year. Elantra GT is based on the new-generation i30 model designed for the European market. Hightlights for the 2013 Elantra GT include: Fluidic Sculpture’ design, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with six-speed automatic or manual transmission, 148 horsepower, EPA estimated 28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway, driver knee airbag, hidden rear camera. Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille

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Buick Regal eAssist mild hybrid, standard engine for 2013

The Buick Regal will come with eAssist hybrid technology in 2013 as standard equipment. A system that provides a light, but effective, secondary electric motor that assists to either motivate the car during slow traffic or to provide an additional boost to the engine, eAssist was initially a $2,000 option for Regals equipped with the Ecotec 2.4 liter engine. According to EPA ratings, the eAssist Regal reaches 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. GM will phase out the base 2.4-liter engine which delivers 19 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. No word yet on the 2013 Regal eAssist pricing, but the 2012 model starts at $28,490 excluding an $885 destination charge. If the thought of conservation takes away the

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Toyota reinvents Camry, babies, DMV and pizza curtains in Super Bowl ad

Toyota made one of the best commercials for the 2012 Super Bowl. It's toutig the 2012 Toyota Camry, carmaker decided to do more. In the one-minute commercial, here's what Toyota has done: This is the re-invented couch. It also comes in male. This is a re-invented police officer. He's also a masseuse. This is the re-invented baby. It doesn't poop. It it also a time machine. The re-invented DMV. It's a little nicer. The re-invented blender. It plays Lionel Ritchey. The reinvented plant. It fights crime. The re-invented curtains. They are made of pizza. This is re-invente rain. It makes you skinny. And this is the re-invented Toyota Camry available with everything you could possibly want. James RaiaA sports, travel

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Clint Eastwood gets down and dirty for Chrysler, America in Super Bowl ad

With Clint Eastwood and his still powerful but raspy voice as the audio and images of Detroit and its people draped in shadows and often in darkness, Chrysler for the second straight year presented the only two-minute commercial in Super Bowl XLVI. Like Eminem last year, Eastwood was hired to star in a two-minute movie. Eastwood's role was in “It’s Halftime in America.” Unlike most carmakers, Chrysler didn't release the video or a tease to it prior to the same. Its absence only added to the suspense of its pending broadcast. And when Eastwood emerged from the shadows just before the start of the second half, he was captivating. With some overt and some subtle references to both his movies

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King Elton John gets dethroned in campy Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi

Sir Elton John has seemingly mellowed in recent years. He's a married guy now and his once flamboyant Liberace-Gone-Wild approach has transitioned into a more Wall Street-executive-with-hair-weave style. One exception is his new Super Bowl commercial for Pepsi. The over-the-top Elton is back with his one-minute commercial with X Factor winner Melanie Amaro. They act out a epic, medieval music showdown. Elton has his outrageous Kings clothes, platform heals and some oversized glasses, circa the performer's signature look from 30 years ago. Amaro's blasts out the beginning of "Respect," the epic pop tune made famous by Aretha Franklin. Amaro gets the last laugh, plunging Elton in the dungeon. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years,

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Super Bowl commericals: For creepy Cars.com ad, two heads not better than one

It's sometimes hard to know what the creative minds behind the commercials are thinking, particularly when considering a spot like the Cars.com 30-second ad that will be broadcast in Super Bowl 46. The plot is odd: Inside a dealership showroom, a car shopper is talking to a friendly dealer. But it's no ordinary visit. As the customer and salesman are chatting, the car shopper's inner confidence is unleashed from his neck and shoulder in the form of smooth Disco-singing head. The tune: "Baby, I want that car!" Some internet viewers have commented that the commercial "creeps them out." That's a three-word review hard to disagree with. It's also a commercial that likely fits into the category of being so unique,

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Range Rover, 2012: Luxury, style, attitude, hefty price

The 2012 Range Rover, the legendary British SUV, combines luxury and prestige with goat-like off-road abilities and still can't be topped for snob appeal. The large, beautifully crafted Range Rover is priced at $79,425 to $94,820 and shares its V-8 with Jaguar. One engine is a 5-liter V-8 with 375 horsepower. The other is a supercharged version of that engine with a whopping 510 horsepower. Both engines work with a responsive, smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission, with manual shifting mode. I tested the 2012 Range Rover with the 375-horsepower V-8, rated at 12 miles per gallon in the city and 18 on highways. But the range is decent because a driver should be able to get 20 miles per gallon during

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Super Bowl commercials: Jerry Seinfeld, Darth Vader, singing dogs all selling cars

Bolstered by Volkswagen's clever presence of a young child dressed in a Darth Vader outfit, automakers made a big comeback last year in Super Bowl advertising. And carmakers will combine in this year's extravaganza as the largest-spending industry. Volkswagen will return different Darth Vadar and Star Wars' takes this year. Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Kia, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota, among other auto-related companies, will also advertise and will be among the sold out 70 commercial spots in the Feb. 5 game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Commercial positions for this year's Super Bowl were already taken by late last November, with one slot reportedly selling for $4 million. Ad sales during the Super Bowl, according

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Toyota Corolla: Still top-selling car in history, 37.5 million and counting

It's hard to imagine: Somewhere in the world someone buys a Toyota Corolla about every 40 seconds. As such, since 2007 the entry level compact has been the best-selling car in history. With a base price of slightly more than $16,000, the Corolla has had 10 model generations and has had sales of more than 37.5 million since its debut in 1966. The current model has four-cylinders, 132 horsepower and gets about 35 mpg on the freeway. The combination of reliability, economy and durability add up to make the Corolla the ideal car in its native Japan and in the United States. It tops the list of the top-10 best-selling cars in history. In a detailed piece by Douglas A.

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Honda, Matthew Broderick team for Ferris Bueller homage Super Bowl commercial

About a quarter century after Matthew Broderick debuted in his now cult classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the veteran Broadway actor and Honda have collaborated on a 2 1/2-minute homage to the movie for a Super Bowl commercial touting the 2012 Honda CR-V. In the 1986 film, a high school wise guy (Bueller played by Broderick) is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that. To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back. The carmaker has featured Broderick skipping out on a day of acting work and living it up in his all-new CR-V. As Honda describes: "Think you're a true fan of Ferris

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Super Bowl commercials: Fangs, blood and exploding vampires showcase Audi S7

Few cultural curiosities are bigger than Twilight or the fascination with all things vampire. Even Audi likes the world of fangs and blood and evil, and it's featuring the vampire theme in its Super Bowl commercial for the Audi S7. In the one-minute video, the driver of the Audi arrives at the forest campfire with a supply of blood in the driver's seat. But after he parks the car and his friends begin to greet their friend, daylight — the curse of vampires — appears from the Audi's front lights. One at a time, the vampires "explode." The commercials is likely to appeal to vampires and Twilight fans around the globe. Otherwise, likely, not so much. James RaiaA sports, travel

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President Obama's former Chrysler 300 back on eBay — $1 million

The 2005 Chrysler 300C leased by President Barack Obama in July 2004 with two miles on the odometer, is back for up for auction again on eBay for $1 million. The vehicle, which features a host of options — leather seats to CD player — did not sell for the same $1 million during its recent first eBay auction. In the comments, the seller writes: "We have the original Illinois title showing this vehicle was actually used by Barack. 19,000 miles driven when this vehicle was Obama's – I'm sure many of them were highway miles back & forth from Chicago to Springfield since Barack was an Illinois State Senator during 2004. "He won election to the U.S. Senate in

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Super Bowl commercials: Suzuki, dogs exchange sled for hip ice trip in Kizashi

Suzuki, following Volkswagen and Chevrolet, has premiered its Super Bowl commercial well in advance of the Feb. 5 football game that also serves as television's most expensive day of commericals. The one-minute Suzuki commercial, like Volkswagen's, features dogs, and it's entitled "Sled." The ad, which emphasizes the premium features and unique all-wheel-drive prowess of the 2012 Kizashi sport sedan, marks the second consecutive year Suzuki will advertise during the Super Bowl. In 2011, the brand featured its popular "Wicked Weather" spot during the big game. Volkswagen recently coninuted in Stars Wars theme commericals, this time with dogs barking the famous movie's theme song. Developed by El Segundo, Calif.-based advertising agency Siltanen & Partners Advertising, Suzuki's “Sled” television spot illustrates the

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Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Toyota Prius V, Honda Odyssey, Ford Escape Hybrid

Kiplinger has been published for 90 years and now for the 61st time it's publishing its annual buyer’s guide of best value new cars. Kiplinger’s Best in Class and Best New winners are based on rankings that weigh performance, value and safety. Half the score comes from performance and value and about a third from vehicle safety. The remaining score is based on Kiplinger test drives of the cars, during which we assess design, comfort and dashboard layout. Sedans are ranked within price categories while crossovers, SUVs, minivans and wagons are not broken up by price but scored on a scale that rewards lower prices. The results are presented monetarily in categories and sub-categories, under $20,00 to more than $50,000,

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Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Ford Focus (Under $20,000), Audi A7 (More than $50,000)

Kiplinger has been published for 90 years and now for the 61st time it's publishing its annual buyer’s guide of best value new cars. Kiplinger’s Best in Class and Best New winners are based on rankings that weigh performance, value and safety. Half the score comes from performance and value and about a third from vehicle safety. The remaining score is based on Kiplinger test drives of the cars, during which we assess design, comfort and dashboard layout. Sedans are ranked within price categories while crossovers, SUVs, minivans and wagons are not broken up by price but scored on a scale that rewards lower prices. The results are presented monetarily in categories and sub-categories, under $20,00 to more than $50,000,

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BMW X6, 2012: sturdy crossover has keen craftsmanship, hefty price

Now approaching its fourth birthday, the BMW X6 is touted as a Sports Activity Coupe. It's a mixed, odd offering — a small, luxury sport utility vehicle meshed with a high-performance sports coupe. It's built with the X5, it similar sibling (they share platforms) in Greer, South Carolina. In addition three standard offerings, including a turbocharged V8, a hybrid X6, called the BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid, debuted in 2009. The Weekly Driver Test Drive In its assessment, U.S. News & World Report noted: "If you’re in the market for a practical SUV, the BMW X6 definitely isn’t it." Rarely has so much been said in a car review in so few words. During my week with the base model xDrive35i,

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