News Service

,

Most Unsafe Cars in History: Ford Pinto to Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair earned the dubious honor in part when the book “Unsafe At Any Speed” paid homage to its horrible reputation for crashing disasters. The Ford Pinto is on the list because its gas tank was in the optimal place for exploding after even a minor accident. What these cars and eight other infamous vehicles have in common is that they’ve been selected as the Most Dangerous Cars In History. The websites, The Consumerist. and Auto Shippers.com have combined to present a list of common vehicles and some not so common that earn honors they’d prefer not have. The subjective list, according to The Consumerist.com, was compiled when “Auto Shippers combed through the auto industry’s storied history of catastrophic

Read more

Oprah reveals free 2012 Volkswagen Beetle to 275 audience members in 'favorite things' giveaway

Oprah Winfrey and Volkswagen have unveiled marketing genius by not unveiling the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, but making a collective promise to give the soon-to-retire talk show host’s 275 audience members a free new edition of the iconic car. The redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Beetle was selected as part of Winfrey’s wont for giving away some of her favorite things to audience members. Winfrey owns and drives a 2011 Volkswagen Beetle. She asked Volkswagen for the assistance and the carmaker said it would donate the vehicles. “Oprah Winfrey and the Volkswagen Beetle are two American icons, so when the “Oprah” show approached us with this incredible opportunity to share her Beetle experience with deserving viewers, we instantly wanted to be a part

Read more

Honda, Audi models among most expensive cars to insure

Honda and Audi are among the most respected manufacturers in the automotive industry. But the ZDZ from Acura and the TTS and A5 models from Audi are also the most expensive cars to insure. Conversely, the Kia Sedona, Mazda5 and Ford Escape are cheapest vehicles to insure, according to InsWeb, an online insurance comparison provider. According to InsWeb, the insure price formula called “loss behavior” includes repair costs and the chances the vehicle will be involved in an accident. InsWeb says model loss formulations also include the driving history of a car’s previous owners. High performance and high profile cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac Escalade are more prone to accidents than a the mosre subdued, practical cars like

Read more

Nissan recalling more than 600,000 vehicles with potential steering, battery defects

Nissan is recalling more than 600,000 vehicles, mostly in United States and involving Frontier pick-ups and Xterra SUVs, to fix faulty steering columns and battery cables that could result in cracked steering shafts. A lower steering column joint and shaft will be replaced on approximately 303,000 Frontier edition and 283,000 Xterra editions in 2002-2004 model years. Additionally, the positive battery cable terminal will be replaced on approximately 18,500 Sentra sedans made between May 15, 2010 to July 8, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Approximately 515,000 of the vehicles involved are in the U.S. The remaining recalls will occur in Canada and several Latin American and African countries. In the SUVs, the lower steering column joint can, in rare cases, develop corrosion

Read more

New hot rod photography exhibit, book gets Jay Leno video praise

Harholdt’s photographs of builders, known as sculptors with sheet metal, magicians with motors, paragons of paint, reveal their stories and passion for automobiles as works of art. In addition to the photographs, local hot rod enthusiasts have contributed to The Art of the Hot Rod. Ray Bracey of Calvert County has loaned a Richard Petty stand up/ cut out in addition to other memorabilia and parts; Jon Edwards of Town Creek Shop has contributed a 1931 Ford Model A left front fender as well as antique fittings and other hot rod souvenirs.  J.W. Langley has loaned his 1970 Triumph TR-6 and Howard Pouncey has loaned his 1934 restored Ford Pick-up for the exhibition. The Art of the Hot Rod, on

Read more

Silver is more popular than gold or any car color — for 10th straight year

Paint maker PPG Industries, which begin tabulating car color total 20 years ago, reported via a press release: “In North America, the silver, gray and charcoal category saw a dramatic rise in popularity to 31 percent this year. The color accounted for 25 percent in 2009 and 20 percent in 2008.” Ironically, Green, the most popular 16 years ago, was the least popular with four percent. “There’s clearly been a significant strengthening of silver’s popularity in recent years,” Jane Harrington, PPG manager of color styling and automotive coatings,” told USA Today. “And, with more than two-thirds of cars in North America being black, silver or white, one might be inclined to believe that vibrant colors don’t exist in automobiles anymore.

Read more

BMW, Rolls-Royce set to recall nearly 200,000 vehicles with braking issues

Nearly 200,000 luxury sedans from BMW and Rolls Royce and dating to 2002 are being recalled to fix a potential leak in the power-braking system. The cars included BMW 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series as well as the high-priced Phantom.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a power-steering probe of the BMW Z4 in July, following one crash and 107 complaints. The power-braking leaks create a vacuum loss that impairs a feature used when brakes are applied, BMW explained on its website. BMW will notify recalled vehicles owners by mail. Dealers will inspect the cars and replace the parts. Drivers who lose braking power should immediately schedule a service appointment. The recall covers the 745i/Li, 750i/Li and

Read more

Lance Armstrong gets delivery of country's first Nissan Leaf

Armstrong, who has made two commercials for Nissan, a vehicle supplier to the cyclist’s cycling team, RadioShack, announced the delivery to his more than 2.6 million followers on Twitter via the following image. Nissan recently announced it’s no longer taking reservations in the U.S. for 2011 Leaf. The company had planned to keep its $99 reservation program open until December, but reservations for the 20,000 quota of cars was reached three months early. The general public is expected to begin receiving the LEAF in about three months. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004,

Read more

Tim Allen: Santa Claus, car buff and new voice of Chevrolet Cruze

In addition his status a Detroit-area native, Allen is owner of a 1996 LT5 Impala SS among several other cars. “Tim Allen brings the right combination of a recognizable voice with the credibility, likeability and humor that will connect with viewers,” said Joel Ewanick, GM’s CMO. “His passion for all things cars makes him the perfect match for the Chevrolet brand.” Allen’s voice is first heard in the new Chevy Cruze campaign. The carmaker plans to utilize Allen in additional but undetermined advertising campaigns. Chevrolet will have an advertising presence during the Super Bowl television broadcast for the first time in three years in 2011. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written

Read more

Letter grade system proposed for fuel efficiency, emissions for 2012 cars

The new rules, released jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, would be the most substantial changes in 30 years to the familiar price and mileage labels affixed to new cars on sale at dealerships. It’s proposed as part of a broader effort by the government to promote electric cars and other advanced-technology vehicles. Current labels many miles per gallon averages and a vehicle’s estimated annual fuel costs. Under the new proposal, new labels would carry a letter grade assigned by regulators. Electric vehicles and gas-electric hybrids would get the highest grades. More powerful sport utility vehicles and muscle cars would get lower grades because they burn more petroleum and release more carbon dioxide. The proposed changes,

Read more

Driving Miss Rachel (age 92): Jay Leno talks cars with Mercury queen

The original video that detailed the purchase of her car and the-now 600,000 miles she’s driven it, has been viewed more than six million times. One of Veitch’s recent media appearances was as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the late-night talk show host and car-collecting mogul. Veitch, who calls her car “Chariot,” bought the Mercury new on Feb. 17, 1964. She and her husband sought cheaper transportation than their 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Veitch settled on a four-door Caliente model with tan interior, a 164-horsepower/260-cubic-inch V-8, automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering and every other available option except power brakes. The 2,700-pound sedan cost $3,289. The spry, witty Veitch has driven the car about 1,000 miles

Read more

Volkswagen hopes transparency means sales for luxury Phaeton (video)

The Phaeton is hand-assembled in an eco-friendly factory with a glass exterior, the Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany called Gläserne Manufaktur. The same factory assembled Bentley Continental Flying Spur vehicles destined for the European market until October 2006, when all assembly of the Bentley products was transferred to Crewe, England. The Phaeton body is fabricated and painted at the large Volkswagen works at Zwickau, Germany, and the completed bodies are then transported about 60 miles by special road transport vehicles to the Transparent Factory. Most Phaeton engines, the W12 being the notable exception, are built at the VW/Porsche/Audi engine plant in Győr, Hungary. The transparent factory is likely the world’s most pristine car facility. Workers wear white in what has

Read more

Hyundai predicts its new U.S. cars will average 50 mpg in 2025

The improved average would be about a 60 percent increase from Hyundai‘s current average, 30.9 mpg — the nation’s highest. Honda (30.1 mpg) has the second-highest mpg, followed by Toyota (29 mpg). AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Hyundai Motor America’s chief executive, John Krafcik said the goal was a stretch, but said he was “very confident” the company could reach it. “We don’t know precisely how to get there right now,” he said. “We do have a road map.” According to Krafcik, Hyundai expects to mostly use technologies available today with modifications to minimize fuel consumption. He said the company envisioned a 2025 lineup in which

Read more

Geely, Ford announce final numbers in Volvo deal — $1.5 billion

The original price of $1.8 billion was agreed upon in March. The Chinese carmaker confirmed Stefan Jacoby, former head of Volkswagen AG’s U.S. operations, will be Volvo Cars’ chief executive, replacing Stephen Odell, who becomes chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. Li Shufu, founder of Geely and new chairman of the board of Volvo Cars, and Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth signed the agreement in London. Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally expressed confidence in Volvo’s prospects, noting the carmaker had returned to profit after a restructuring. “The sale of Volvo will allow us to sharpen our focus on the Ford brand around the world and continue to deliver on our ‘One Ford’ plan serving our customers with the

Read more

Cars of the Tour de France, Skoda to Citroen to Fiat

The Czechoslovakian automaker provides approximately 250 Superb, Superb Combi, Octavia, Fabia and Roomster vehicles for race officials’ use and to transport teams, VIPs and the media. The cars are kept spotlessly clean and are presented at the start of each stage. Skoda’s vehicles are not available in the United States, but the brand is distributed in about 40 countries — and that’s reason enough to be part of the cycling biggest event. Despite its large presence at the Tour de France, Skoda (it has a contract with the even through 2013) represents a partially representation of vehicles at the Tour de France. Rental car fleets a depleted for by media representatives. All of the teams, sponsors, police and, of course,

Read more

GM recall: 1.5 million vehicles, including Cadillac, Chevrolet, have windshield wiper system fire risk

The recall affects several pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossovers and passenger car models from model years 2006-2009. General Motors had a similar recall in 2008, but new issues arose in fixed vehicles. General Motors said it will disable the heated washer fluid system module that could lead to fires. The Detroit automaker will pay owners and those leasing vehicles $100 each since the feature is being disabled. Five fires, but no injuries or crashes in GM vehicles have been reported. Nearly 1.4 million vehicles are in the U.S. and more than 100,000 vehicles are in Canada, Mexico and other international markets. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used

Read more
Previous Next