News Service

Honda Fit Shuttle images leaked for new stretched wagon

Honda is plenty busy at the North American Auto Show in Detroit showcasing new innovation for the U.S. market. But it appears the Japanese carmaker has another surprise for its global markets — the Honda Fit Shuttle. The website CarScoop.com is reporting a leak of brochure images showing a wagon-like version of the Honda Fit called the Fit Shuttle. One image, featuring Japanese characters across the bottom, showcases a vehicle with an extended body, taller roofline and a resigned rear. The Fit is called the Jazz in Europe, Australia, Asia and in other international markets. Other images and brochure information, according to the website, detail the Fit Shuttle will be offered in two versions: a hybrid powered by the same

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Audi achieves historic first: one million sales in 2010

For the first time the since its debut vehicle, the Type A Sport-Phaeton, was produced 1910, Audi has sold more than a million cars per year, according to CEO Rupert Stadler. Audi sold 1.092 million cars worldwide in 2010, Stadler, a keynote speaker, told reporters at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Audi sold 229,100 units in Germany in 2010, its home turf and biggest volume seller by country. But 227,900 Audi vehicles sold in China last year, the second most by country and the projected world leader in Audi sales in 2011. Audi has also unveiled it would begin production by the end of 2012 of two plug-in vehicles that were previously concept cars, the A1 e-tron

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GM will debut compact Buick Verano at Detroit Auto Show

General Motors will introduce its new compact Buick, the Verano, in mid-January at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show and debut the car for sale in the United States toward the end of this year. The Verano will be offered with a 177-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The car is expected to get 31 miles per gallon in highway driving, according to GM. “It is a smart choice that delivers unexpected luxury in a compact sedan — and it will compete head-to-head with competitors from Audi and Lexus.” John Schwegman, vice president of Buick marketing, said in a GM press release. The Verano, designed to compete against the Audi A3 and Lexus IS 250, looks similar to

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OnStar safety program soon ready for non-GM vehicles

The OnStar in-vehicle safety system has been available on select General Motors brands since 1996. But the technology, now in its ninth generation, will soon be available to a wider range of vehicles, GM or not. Within a few months, consumer electronics retailers will begin selling a standalone version of OnStar. It’s replacement rear-view mirror that can be installed in most “top-selling” vehicles from major manufacturers. Best Buy will be OnStar’s the first U.S. retail partner. The retail version on OnStar will offer the core features including the noted “blue button,” turn-by-turn navigation services, stolen vehicle location assistance, automatic crash response and one-touch access to roadside and emergency services. The device will also offer hands-free calling via Bluetooth. The replacement

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Honda, Ford surpass Toyota as most reliable cars in 2010

Massive recalls severely hurt Toyota sales in the past 18 months and  thus relinquished the country’s former most reliable automaker to third place behind Honda and Ford, according to Consumer Reports. Honda rank in first place with 25 percent of car owners participating in the magazine’s survey naming the manufacturer with the best quality. Ford finished second with 23 percent, while Toyota finished third at 19 percent, 11 percent less than last year. Toyota‘s reputation plummeted in 2009 and 2010 and it paid nearly $50 million in fines last year to federal safety regulators for failing to promptly inform regulators of defects in its vehicles and delaying recalls. Chevrolet (19 percent) placed fourth in reliability while Mercedes-Benz (15 percent) was

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Ford F-Series top 2010 seller, extends reign to 34 years

The Ford F-Series pick-up, the country’s best-selling vehicle every year for more than three decades, continued its commanding position in 2010 with an increase of more than 27 percent in sales from 2009. The Ford F-Series trucks, one of two Ford products on the top-10 list for 2010, had sales of 528,349, more than 150,000 more than the second-best seller, the Chevrolet Silverado. It was the country’s top-seller for the 34th straight year. Honda had three cars among the top-10 sellers for 2010, the Accord, Civic and CR-V. Toyota (Camry and Corolla) and Ford (F-Series and Fusion) had two vehicles on the list. Despite the third and fifth positions on the top-10 list, the Camry and Corolla were the only

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Owen Wilson back as Lightning McQueen in Cars 2

Owen Wilson will reprise his voice over role as the character Lightning McQueen whose niche for racing leads him to find himself in adventurous moments the movie Cars 2 scheduled for release June 24, 2011. Jason Isaacs and Emily Mortimer have also joined the cast of the second installment of the animation film that began in 2006 with Cars According to the official press release, “Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. “But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when

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Ferrari, Aston Martin, VW top NY Times' 2010 best cars

Ferrari, Aston Martin and the Volkswagen GTI top the New York Times automotive critics’ 2010 top-10 Cars of the Year list. Lawrence Ulrich, one several journalists who regularly report on the automotive industry for the newspaper, was direct in his top pick for the year, the Ferrari 458 Italia. “The world’s best sports car, a racing video game come to life in three gorgeous, thrilling dimensions. This is the car I would buy tomorrow if I inherited $250,000 today.” Jerry Garrett selected the Aston Martin Rapide: “The exquisitely executed Rapide is, like the sleek Jaguar XJ, a product of Ian Callum, designer extraordinaire. A sedan is a new offering for Aston, a tiny builder of British sports cars, as is

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Honda, Lexus, Chevrolet dominate Kiplinger's/Yahoo Cars of the Decade list

The Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Corvette couldn’t be more different. And likewise, there’s nothing similar between a BMW 3 Series and a Honda Odyssey. Unless, of course, Kiplinger’s magazine and Yahoo.com happen to be compiling a list of the cars of the decade. With a vast number of vehicles from which to choose in the past decade, how could the publications possible select the top-10 cars of the decade. The Prius, for example, was selected with the following description: “When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto industry. But then the Hollywood green crowd adopted the little gas-electric hybrid as a symbol of saving the planet. “Ten years and two redesigns

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Audi, Ford, Lexus on The Weekly Driver's 2010 Best List

Recall was likely the most used word in the automotive industry in 2010. Toyota topped the list of manufacturers’ whose cars were retrieved by the millions with myriad issues. Regardless, of the 20 million recalls. it was another remarkable year for cars. The Hyundai Sonata for the first time in some monthly totals outsold the Honda Accord. The Chevy Camaro returned in 2009 as a 2010 model. Honda introduced the attention-grabbing Crosstour and discontinued the Element. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf made their public debuts amid an enormous public relations joust and with the future of hybrid and electric vehicles still largely unclear. The specialty car market was constantly in the news. Premium prices were dished out at auctions

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Ten great cars not for sale in the United States

Plenty of great choices, sedans to sports cars, hardtop convertibles to pick-up trucks abound for car buyers in the United States. But there’s also a good selection of vehicles, the Chery A5 to the Wiesmann Roadster MF3, available in various part of the world — but not in the U.S. Business Week.com has compiled a diverse list of cars it deems worthy and that may one day be available in the United States. It’s just that you can’t purchase any of cars now in the U.S. Consider the HSU Maloo R8. The Guinness World Records book clocked the Maloo at 169 mph in 2006, making it the world’s fastest pickup truck. Since the early 1990s it has been built by

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Move aside, Hummer; Liebherr makes world's biggest truck

Before its recent demise, the Hummer took its share of criticism as a gas-guzzling, over-the-top vehicle driven by owners often chided as likely candidates for various testosterone issues. But the Hummer had nothing on the Liebherr  T 282B. The German-built monster earth-hauling machine is the world’s largest truck and among the largest machines ever built. Designed in 2004, the top level model is driven by a 10 1/2-ton, 90-liter diesel engine that produces 3,650 horsepower. The Liebherr boasts several other wowing statistics. It weighs 203 tons empty and has a maximum capacity of 592 tons. It’s 47.5-feet long, 24.2 feet tall and has a wheelbase of 21.6 feet. The earth-hauling monolith has a top speed of 40 mph and costs

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Smart ForTwo, Porsche Cayman among 2010 sales losers

The automotive industry followed a disastrous year in 2009 with an encouraging sales year in 2010. About 11.5 million cars and light trucks will be sold in the United States this year, an improvement from 10.4 million in 2009. Automotive industry experts forecast sales of 12.8 million in 20111 and 17.1 million by 2015. But while several manufacturers’ brands — Buick, Cadillac, Infiniti, Ford, Hyundai and Jeep — had banner years in 2010, several manufacturers had dismal sales years.   Mostly notably, Mazda and Suzuki had the worst sales years in 2010, combining for half of the top-10 poorest-selling cars by percentage when compared to 2009 sales. According to a tabulations and forecast for final December sales, Forbes.com reports the

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Nissan Cube, Honda Crosstour get 2010 all-ugly honors

One car owner’s dream car is another auto enthusiast’s nightmare. In 2010, more than one model grabbed its share of attention and catapulted its way to the year’s all-ugly list — the Nissan Cube to two Honda models. Correspondingly, while the Nissan Cube and Honda Accord Crosstour have received all-ugly honors, they’ve also received auto industry innovation design awards. In its 2010 end-of-the-year compilation, Forbes.com chose eight cars for their less-than-attractive appearances. The website also features a clever image of a Nissan Cube mostly covered by a brown paper bag. In its introduction to the article, the Forbes’ writer said: “Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some consumers love the quirky angles of the (Scion) xB, or

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Volkswagen recalls 380,000 Jetta, Golf, Rabbit, Beetle models with fuel leak potential

Volkswagen has announced the recall of nearly 380,000 vehicles, including Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit models from the 2007 to 2009 because potential fuel leaks which could lead to a fire. A total of 266,936 of the above-mentioned models are affected as well as an 110,350 hardtop and convertible New Beetles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) official bulletin read: “The Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. “The New Beetle and the New Beetle Convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in

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Ferrari Challenge announces 2011 return to Laguna Seca

The Ferrari Challenge, a two-day program featuring Ferrari Challenge and the F1 Corse Clienti, will return May 21-22 to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Cars in the series include the new purpose-built Ferrari 458 Challenge. These modern race cars will share the paddock with the speed, elegance and style of the greatest cars from Ferrari’s glorious F1 past like Niki Lauda’s 312T and Michael Schumacher’s F2001. “The Ferrari Challenge will provide motorsports fans with a thrilling season opener at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Fans will surely enjoy the sights and sounds of these modern race cars and shrieking F1 cars as they challenge the Corkscrew.” Since the days of Ferrari founder

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