News Service

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Honda Insight 2010 set for earlier distribution, lower price than Toyota Prius

The 2010 Honda Insight will be available sooner than previously announced, according to the New York Times. The gas-electric hybrid will be available beginning March 24 at a starting price for the base LM model of $19,800. According to the newspaper, the total price (with destination charge) will be $20,470 or about $2,250 less than Toyota Prius, the best-selling hybrid in the United States. A new Prius is also scheduled to soon debut, but its price has not been announced. In the Times article, Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda, said: “Insight is the most affordable new hybrid available in the U.S. In addition to making good environmental sense, hybrid technology is now entering a new era where

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President Barack Obama's new Cadillac limo: Options include shotguns and extra blood

The accompany image “speaks volumes.” President Obama will be transported in the limousine by a Secret Service driver, another long-standing U.S. tradition. President Obama currently owns a Ford Escape hybrid, and the Ebay auction for his soon-to-be previous car, a 2005 Chrysler 300C, is scheduled to end today. 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 and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to

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Nissan To Soon Offer No-Frills Versa For Less Than $10,000

The new Versa model is made in Mexico and will be available beginning Nov. 18, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The sub-$10,000 price is $3,000 less than the current cheapest Versa available. The cheapest car now sold in the U.S. is the Hyundai Accent at just over $11,000. “A sticker price under $10,000 is certainly appealing to customers in an economy where people don’t have money anymore,” Robyn Eckard of Kelley Blue Book told the newspaper. The new Versa will have a 1.6-liter engine, rather than the 1.8 liter offered on the current Versa. It will get 34 mpg on the highway, compared with 33 mpg currently. General Motors was the last automaker to offer a

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Cars of Presidents & Candidates: Roosevelt to Clinton, Obama to McCain

The top-10 most interesting cars list coincides with what’s among the most historic presidential elections. Hagerty Insurance researched the personal vehicles of America’s past presidents and current candidates and selected one car for each individual most attention-grabbing for his time. The result is a fun and informative look at what drives American presidents or what American presidents (and candidates) drive. 1. William Taft (1909-1913): Baker Electric — Taft was the first president to own and drive cars during his presidency. One of the most interesting cars he owned was, ironically enough, “green” — a Baker Electric. This electric vehicle was especially popular with women in the era, as it did not require any cranking and was virtually maintenance-free. 2. Franklin

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Car & Driver Magazine's Top-10 Cars For 2008

The magazine has just released its 2008 results,  and the list emphasizes an influx of sedans and sports cars in several price categories. As the magazine detailed, it judges cars as follows: “We judge each car in three general areas, the first being how well the vehicle performs its intended functions. We expect sports cars to be fast and exhilarating, whereas we presume a family sedan will be frugal and practical.” “Second, we show all preference for the more engaging cars in each category, be it athletic driving manners, a seductive look, or a powerful engine sure to induce a grin every time we climb behind the wheel. Finally, we are suckers for a good deal, so an inexpensive car

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CarMax, Young Drivers Non-Profit Pick Safest Cars For Teenagers

Each vehicle on this list is rated on affordability, style, and has at least a four-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in each of the past three years. The list, in alphabetical order by manufacturer, includes: Chevrolet Malibu (2008 only), Dodge Caliber (models with optional side airbags and ABS), Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta. Not a bad list, not at all. 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 and

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Legendary Paul Newman, Passionate Race Driver, Dies At Age 83

Newman’s first professional event was in 1972, in Thompson, Conn., and he was a common competitor in Sports Car Club of America events for the rest of the decade, eventually winning several championships. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, Newman drove in Dick Barbour’s Porsche 935 and finished the race in second. Newman rejoined Barbour in 2000 to compete in the Petit Le Mans. From the mid-’70s to the early ’90s, Newman drove for the Bob Sharp Racing team, racing mainly Datsuns (later rebranded as Nissans) in the Trans-Am Series. He became heavily associated with the brand during the ’80s, even appearing in commercials for them. At age of 70, Newman he became the oldest driver to

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BMW Recalls 200,000 Cars With Potential Air Bag Problems

The German automaker BMW AG, concerned front passenger seat airbags may not deploy, has recalled an estimated 200,000 X3 sport compacts in the United States made between 2004-2006. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported on its  web site that small cracks could develop in a seat detection mat and deactivate the front passenger air bags. NHTSA said the air bag warning lamp and the passenger air bag “on-off” light would remain on. The head protection system, however, would not be affected, the government said. According to BMW spokesman Tom Plucinsky no injuries or accidents from the reported issue have occurred. If the seat detection mat fails to sense a person is sitting in the passenger seat, it deactivates

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Mario Andretti: Still A Driving Force In Motorsports

Nearly 15 years after his retirement from full-time racing, Mario Andretti, at age 68, remains a dominant force. One of only two drivers to win race in the four major motor racing categories — Formula One, IndyCar (USAC), World Sportscar Championships and NASCAR — Andretti was the honored guest last week at the 35th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races and Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca. Andretti, the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and Formula One World Championship (1978), participated in a variety of events during the three-day gathering held in conjunction with Monterey Auto Week. He drove a few demonstration laps in the Lotus 79 in which he won the Formula One Championship, he held

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Nissan Rogue, 2008: Nice Wheels, Bad Name

A few friends and I drove around the recent Monterey Auto Week in a 2008 Nissan Rogue. It’s a new sport utility vehicle that offers a lot for a good price point — around $23,000. What the Rogue doesn’t have is a good name. My friends and I had a pretty easy and fun time calling ourselves rogues. And there we were finding our way around Pebble Beach and Laguna Seca and parking next to wondrous machines with well-heeled nameplates like Bentley, Maserati and Ferrari. So why would Nissan call its new SUV Rogue? As a noun, rogue is defined: * An unprincipled, deceitful and unreliable person; a scoundrel or rascal. * One who is playfully mischievous; a scamp. *

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Toyota Prius, VW Jetta Top Only 15 Cars In U.S. Averaging At Least 30 mpg

Chevrolet (Cobalt, Aero) and Honda (Civic hybrid and Fit) each have two vehicles on the list. Six of the vehicles are hybrids and the total of 15 are the only new offerings in the United States averaging more than 30 mpg in combined driving averages. Here’s the list in deceasing order, with city, highway and combined gas mileage averages listed: Toyota Prius (hybrid, 2008, (combined 46 miles per gallon); Honda Civic (hybrid), 40/46, 42 mpg combined; Smart Fortwo, 2008, 33/41, 36 mpg combined; Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2009, 30/41, 34 mpg combined; Nissan Altima (hybrid), 35/33, 34 mpg combined; Toyota Camry (hybrid), 33/34, 34 mpg combined; Mini Cooper, 2008, 28/37 32 mpg combined; Toyota Yaris, 2008 29/36, 32 mpg combined; Ford

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Dubious honors for old Honda Civics, Accords: Thieves' favorite cars

Beauty is in the eyes of thieves. That’s the ruth in terms of stolen cars since the most No. 1 hot-wired car in the United States is a 1995 Honda Civic. According to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB, the Civic is followed by its older sibling, the 1991 Honda Accord in terms of susceptibility to thieves. According to the report, published in Forbes Magazine, “junkers” like older Honda Civics and Accord are more valuable to thieves because they can easily strip the cars and sell the parts on the street. According to the  NICB, a car is stolen in the United States every 2.5 seconds. Here’s the list of the top 10 most stolen cars

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Cool Toyota Prius Even Cooler In 2010 With Solar-Powered Air Conditioning?

Toyota plans to purchase the panels from Japanese electronics maker Kyocera. The panels would produce approximately the same kilowatts as a rooftop solar array on a typical house. Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco declined comment. The Prius is currently the most successful hybrid vehicle. In the United States, Toyota sold more than three times as many Prius models in 2007 than any other manufacturer. The Prius is also the commanding hybrid sales leader through the first six months of 2008. Toyota’s success with its hybrid has prompted the manufacturer’s promise to offer hybrids in every model in its line-up soon after 2020. Toyota has sold more than a million Prius models during the past decade and is planning to sell a

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Ford F-150 Again Tops Cars.com "Most-American" Index

For the fifth consecutive in succession, Ford‘s F-150 has claimed the top spot on the Cars.com American-Made Index. The index is a semiannual ranking of vehicles deemed most American based on American production, percentage of domestic parts and American sales volume. Domestic-parts content is based on data that appears alongside the window sticker of new cars as a result of the American Automobile Labeling Act, enacted in 1994. The AALA mandates that virtually every new car display the percentage, by cost, of its parts that originated in the U.S. and Canada. Only those vehicles with a domestic-parts content rating of 75 percent or higher are eligible for the American-Made Index. In addition to holding the top spot on Cars.com’s American-Made

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Automotive Apocalypse? Chrysler Soon To Debut In-Car Wifi System, UConnect

Chrysler has just announced a new highspeed wireless system call Uconnect. It will allow drivers to access the internet at stoplights while other passengers simultaneously utilize other high-speed internet features. This may sound like innovation and it may catapult the car world into “hot spot” nirvana. But to me it sounds like the automotive apocalypse. Do drivers need any more distractions? A Chrysler spokesman commented “We see great potential for this.” Potential for what? More absent-minded drivers? More head-on collisions? Increased road rage? The dealer-installed system, officially called UConnect Web, will be an add-on to Chrysler‘s UConnect information and entertainment systems. The wireless router and cellular-based Web connection will serve Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, iPhone and other smartphones, entertainment systems and other

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Want To Get Lucky? Don't Buy These Cars, Pontiac Aztek to Toyota Prius

This top-10 list is a dubious, but practical list of “Top 10 cars, guaranteed to ensure your family line ends with you.” The writer, Vol85, begins with the premise: “I was recently in Knoxville (recently being about six hours ago), and I saw a bunch of Pontiac Azteks at used car lots there. I was thinking, ‘No wonder. Who would want to ruin their life by being seen in one?’ So, the idea for this list was born.” “ . . . These are the cars that say, ‘Nobody in the history of mankind, has had a bulge big enough to compensate for this loser-mobile.” (Comments in quotes are the original author’s remarks.) 10. Mazda 5 —  “it’s like a

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