News Service

Nissan signs on as cycling title sponsor for 2012

Automobile manufacturers involved in cycling are nothing new. But Nissan will be first and currenly only carmaker title sponsor among the top-level World Tour team in 2012 with the announcement Monday that the Japanese carmaker will be part of the newly named RadioShack-Nissan-Trek Professional Cycling Team. The squad represents the merger of the current Leopard-Trek squad and the Team RadioShack squad. The latter is partially owned by Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who competed for the squad in 2010 and for one race this season before retiring in January at the Tour Down Under in Australia. The team will hold a license in Luxembourg, with marketing operated out of Austin, Texas, by CSE Pro Cycling LLC. All

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Honda recalls 962,000 Fit, CR-V models globally

Honda is recalling more than 950,000 vehicles worldwide including the Fit, Fit Aria, CR-V and CR-V hybrids because of faulty power windows and computer systems that could melt and and prompt fires. Honda will recall 936,000 units combined of the Fit subcompact, CR-V crossover and Fit Aria in North America, Asia, Europe and Africa totaling 936,000 units. The recall of the CR-Z totals 26,000 vehicles or an overall total of 962,000. The recall covers Fit vehicles produced in Japan from October 2005 to October 2009. The cars were shipped to China and other Asian countries. The CR-Vs affected are from the 2006 model year. In August, Honda recalled 2.3 million cars to fix malfunctioning transmissions. Honda says the current recall

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Acura TSX Sport Wagon, 2011 car review

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is new to the luxury segment of Honda. The manufacturer has added versatility to its lineup, with a sleek new design, and more interior space — cargo areas to storage bins. The manufacturer hopes to offer an alternative to the more expensive wagon options from Audi and BMW. The Sport Wagon is equipped with the TSX 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. And it’s a limited supply offering for a debut vehicle; Acura will produce only 4,000 units in North America. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a new design, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon drew immediate attention. The guys who checked me out of the car agency at the

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Cadillac: Once most prestigious, now most stolen

Four Cadillac Escalade models combined share the dubious honor with numerous pick-ups trucks as the vehicles in the United States with the most and most expensive theft claims during the past three years, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). The group’s latest study shows Escalades combine to have the most theft claims and the highest average amount ($114) per theft. That’s 10 times more than the average amount lost per car. According to HLDI, the theft data in compiled from insurance companies representing about 80 percent of all privately owned vehicles. Pickup trucks, including the Escalade EXT, had higher dollar amounts of theft loss ($24), compared with SUVs ($12) and cars ($9). The HLDI suggests it’s because fewer

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Audi, Kia most cost efficient brands says Kelley Blue Book

It’s not often Audi and Kia are mentioned in the same discussion. But the high-end Toyota division and the Korean economy manufacturer both offer the best value for owners during a five-year time frame At least that’s the determination of Kelley Blue Book, the vehicle assessment company. Based on such factors as depreciation, expected fuel costs, insurance, maintenance and repair costs and state fees, Audi is the most cost efficient luxury brand, while Kia is the most cost efficient economy manufacturer. Among the top-three luxury brands, Audi is the least expensive with a total five-year cost of ownership of $68,866. The Audi A3 2.0T and A4 2.0T sedan models, with low depreciation and great fuel economy, helped position the manufacturer

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Cadillac unveils Ciel concept luxury convertible

Cadillac has debuted its Ciel concept car, a convertible luxury and king-sized sedan reminiscent of the manufacturer’s previous iconic convertibles, the Eldorado and DeVille. General Motors said the Ciel will provide direct competitor to the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes Benz S Class and Audi A8 — the three German stalwarts. The new Cadillac will have a 3.6-liter turbo-charged V6 engine, but it’s also a hybrid that partially runs via rear-mounted  lithium ion-powered battery in the rear. 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, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury

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President Obama campaigning on a 'magic' $1.1 million bus

The monolithic bus that transported President Barack Obama through Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois for three days as one of two purchased for the Secret Service, cost an estimated $1.1 million and was built by Prevost based in Quebec, Canada. The New York Post provided the details. The top-of-the-line bus is the VIP H3-45, the same model used by many rock bands and country music acts and owned by Kid Rock, David Lee Roth and Kenny Rogers. Like the presidential limousine, made by General Motors and nicknamed “The Beast,” the bus carrying the President has armored doors. Inside is a large, flat-screen TV, chairs, sofas and electronic equipment that allows the President to teleconference around the globe. The bus is also

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2012 Fiat 500 and 500 convertible Gucci editions to be available by December 2011

Fiat announced it will be launching 2012 Gucci editions of the Fiat 500 and the 500 convertible toward the end of this year. The Gucci editions have colorful interiors and the will come with Gucci collections featuring track suits, sunglasses, a watch and other travel accessories. The cars will be officially launched at the New York Fashion week on September 8th. The new Fiat cars will be made available in North America by December 2011. The 2012 Fiat 500 will feature a 101-horsepower, 1.4-liter FIAT MultiAir engine with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmissions. The car will have 16-inch alloy wheels with sports tuned suspension. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has

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Honda Fit, 2012: More standard features, sportier styling

The 2012 Honda Fit will include new standard features as well as “sportier” styling with a more aggressive front grille and bumper, blacked out headlights and dark alloy wheels. The 2012 Fit Sport will also feature an updated interior with new ambient lighting and new center console-mounted cup holders. The Fit Sport’s interior will be further enhanced with a sporty-looking dark metallic dashboard as well as chrome-ringed gauges. While the standard Fit will remain largely unchanged with the exception of new body-colored side view mirrors, the new Fit Sport will also feature standard steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and Bluetooth. The Fit’s 1.5-liter 117-horsepower four-cylinder engine remains unchanged for 2012. The read more about the Honda Fit, read: The Weekly Driver:

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Top Gear, the BBC car show, revisited by 60 Minutes

It isn’t the only television car show, but Top Gear is the program many others have copied. The BBC show is watched weekly by an estimated 350 million viewers in 170 countries. It’s so popular even 60 Minutes, the CBS news program monolith, took notice last fall and put one of its anchor, Steve Kroft, on the story. He rode “shotgun” with one of the race-car drivers from the show, the masked Stig. As CBS first reported, the program, still unheralded in the United States, ” . . is not really about cars. It’s about the adventures of its three clever hosts who travel the world conducting elaborate automotive experiments and competitions that push the boundaries of television. It’s part

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Monterey Auto Week: Concours d'Lemons to d'Elegance

Monterey Auto Week is its unofficial name and it’s also inaccurate. But since there’s no official name it’s the best name for all of the automotive shows, auctions, memorabilia displays — all encompassing vintage cars — about to unfold on the Monterey Peninsula. The events are actually scheduled over nearly two weeks. But there’s no central organizing group for the varied activities that range from the infamous Concours d’Lemons to the famous Concours d’Elegance. One highlight of this year will be the return of the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel. It was suspended after three years in for 2010 despite last-ditch effort by Carmel city officials to raise $200,000 from local businesses. According to the Monterey County Herald, featured

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Hyundai Accent, Suzuki SX4 return to school with honors

Kelley Blue Book has announced its recommendations for the best cars for students going back to school, with the 2012 Hyundai Accent and 2007 Suzuki SX4 respectively receiving best new and used cars. The vehicles chosen were based on: safety, affordability, versatility, reliability, cost of ownership, fuel economy, aesthetics and driving fun factor. All cars had to be available for less than $18,000 using KBB’s pricing guide. The Best New Back To School car is the 2012 Hyundai Accent. According to KBB, “Like its bigger brothers the Sonata and Elantra, the 2012 Hyundai Accent appeals to a finely-tuned sense of value, putting a lot of equipment into a stylish, roomy package that competes more than favorably with competitors like the

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Toyota Yaris, 2012: New look, price for subcompact, siblings

The 2012 Toyota Yaris sub-compact, redesigned for 2012, will have a base price of $14,115 for the L grade three-door liftback with a five-speed manual transmission and increase to $17,200 for the SE grade five-door liftback with a four-speed automatic transmission. Prices for the 2012 Yaris will begin with the start of production on August 31 and new prices for 2012 Tundra full-size pickup truck, Sequoia large sport utility vehicle (SUV) and Sienna van will begin in the same time frame. The 2012 Sequoia adds an extra measure of towing safety with the addition of a Trailer Sway Control system as standard equipment.  In addition, a new Blind Spot  Monitor is standard on the Sequoia Platinum grade. The interior of

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Ford invests $900 million, seeks to challenge Maruti Suzuki

Ford has taken direct financial aim at the quickly expanding Indian auto market dominated Maruti Suzuki by announcing plans to build a $900 million production plant in Sanand, the same city in which the Tata Nano is built. Maruti Suzuki currently leads India car sales with about 45 percent followed by Hyundai (18 percent), Tata (13 percent) and Mahindra & Mahindra (6 percent). Ford‘s planned factory in Sanand, in the business-friendly western state of Gujarat, will be operational by 2014 and employ 5,000 people, according to Ford. With initial annual capacity of 240,000 vehicles, the plant will bring Ford‘s total capacity in India to 600,000. It will reduce the cost of getting vehicles to domestic market and give the company

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Yugo endures as endearing, worst car ever made

The legend of the Yugo, the Yugoslavian-built mini sedan often cited as the worst car in history, lives on. Jonathan Welsh, writing in revolving automotive blog Driver’s Seat in The Wall Street Journal, contributed a recent piece about the Yugo. The author noticed 1987 Yugo on the street and it triggered thoughts of a college friend who owned one of the early versions of the cheap car. Welsh’s bog is critical of the car, yes. But it’s also endearing, an homage to the dubious history of the now infamous car. In one paragraph, Welsh writes: “Its tan interior was sleek and uncluttered, a bit like a minimalist art exhibit. The car gained minor fame for its amazingly low sticker price

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Ford, Volkswagen cooperating with feds on safety concerns

Ford and Volkswagen are cooperating with safety regulators conducting preliminary investigations into issues with two of the manufacturers’ most popular vehicles, the Mustang and Jetta. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is examining the Ford Mustang for possible manual transmissions for possible shifting problems and diesel Volkswagen Jetta sedans for possible fuel leaks. Spokesmen for both automakers said they were not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issues. A preliminary investigation is the first step in a process that could lead to a recall if regulators determine a manufacturer needs to address a safety issue. The NHTSA reported it opened a preliminary investigation into an estimated 26,000 Ford Mustangs from model years 2011-2012 over potential problems with

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