News Service

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AOL has its troubles, but its auto channel is cool

America Online, now officially called AOL, began in 1985. And it has arguably had the most tumultuous tenure of any Internet portal or search engine. The site and e-mail system still has an estimated 10 million subscribers and it likely has an equal number of detractors as it does loyal followers. For me, AOL’s auto section may be its best attribute. It’s comprehensive, offers myriad and often-updated features and the editors’ subject choices are relevant. One regular feature is the site’s top-10 most searched 208 vehicles. I’m not certain how often the list is updated, but here’s the current list, an interesting cross-section of the car-buying public’s interests. 1. Chrysler 300C; 2. Honda Civic; 3. Infiniti G35; 4. Nissan Maxima;

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Tata Nano, '79 MG, '82 Ram Charger, '01 VW Jetta: For $2,500, You Make The Call

But since the Tata Nano won’t be available in the U.S., what will $2,500 get a car buyer in this country? The New York Times included an interesting comparison in one of its several detailed pieces on Tata Motors, the Nano’s manufacturer. In describing the cost of the Nano, The Times’ reporter said its $2,500 price is about the same cost as an optional DVD player in a 2008 Lexus LX470. I’ve also done a little comparison shopping. Although the price of the Nano may go down (depending in the manufacturer’s reaction to a new, lower government excise tax), and it can go up with delivery charges and options, here’s what I found on a five-minute search Craig’sList, San Francisco.

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It's Fast, It's Light, It's A Car & It's Made With Wood

The 4.6 meter-long, two-seater “Splinter” car, is made from maple, plywood and medium density fiberboard (MDF). It has a 4.6-liter V8 petrol engine and a six-speed gearbox. According to designer, Joe Harmon, age 27, his new vehicle weighs 1,134 kilograms — 240 kilograms less than the lightweight Porsche 911 GT3. Despite its power, it will achieve 20 mpg. “Wood is a truly amazing material to work with,” Harmon said. “It has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminum or steel, and it possesses a versatility that makes many different types of construction techniques possible.” The car is due is expected to available to the public later this year. The design company, Joe Harmon Design, has not announced a price for the

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Keep On Truckin': Americans keeping cars (and trucks) longer

In 2007, 41.3 percent of all cars were 11 years or older, compared with 40.9 percent the year before. The median age for trucks and sport utility vehicles rose 4 percent to 7.1 years. Dave Goebel, a consultant for Polk’s aftermarket team, said those numbers are starting to reflect a surge in truck and SUV purchases in the mid-to late 1990s. Purchases of new cars fell 3 percent in the U.S. in 2007 as a combination of factors, including high gas prices and the housing crisis, weighed on consumers and led many to put off buying new cars. The Service Contract Industry Council, a trade group for providers of extended warranties, said it also sees evidence that people are keeping

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Consumer Reports Selects Its Top-10 Cars For 2008

Small sedan: Hyundai Elantra, Cost: $18,000 — “The Elantra is a well-rounded small car that provides good fuel economy, a comfortable ride and an interior that’s quiet, roomy and well-equipped.” (TheWeekly Driver.com comment: I drove a 2007 Elantra about 1,000 miles from San Jose to Los Angeles to Sacramento. It performed surprisingly well, particularly over the ominous Grapevine on Interstate 5.) Midsize SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe, Cost: $22,000-$31,000 — The recently redesigned Santa Fe performed better than the Honda Pilot in Consumer Reports’ testing. “It provides a quiet and roomy interior, excellent fit and finish, a refined powertrain, a relatively good ride and an optional third-row seat.” Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, Cost: $27,000 to $39,000 — The Silverado

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VW Beetle To Ford Model T: The Top-5 Best-Selling Cars In History

Personally, I liked to see more Model-Ts. But according to the automotive news web site, Automoportal.com, the Model T and the Corolla have a lot in common. Both are among the top-five best-selling cars in history. Here’s the list of the top-five best-selling cars in history and a comment on each vehicle: AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars 1. Toyota Corolla. It’s now more than 40 years and it’s been manufactured in nine generations and more than 35 million have sold.  It’s topped the all-time bestseller list since 1997. 2.  Ford F Series Pickup. So far, 25 million have been sold. At a rate of 1 million

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Today's Cars: Bench Seats Benched, Ashtrays Extinquished?

In a recent piece Printz details traditional car features and gadgets no longer offered or rarely offered. It’s the equipment he writes that’s “about to join vinyl LPs, shag carpet and typewriters in the dustbin of history.” Bench seats: “The popularity of minivans and SUVs, many with seven passenger seating, have killed the front bench seat, which allows sedans to carry six passengers.” Ashtrays: “Once commonly found in all cars, the space once reserved for ashtrays is becoming a slot to hold an MP3 player and a power point. Some cars, such as those from Chrysler, offer an optional smokers package. By contrast, most of Nissan’s vehicles no longer have one, even as an option. Crank Windows:  “People talk about

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General Motors' latest shocker: $38 million loss in 2007

How’s it possible to loss $38.7 million in a year? Not even General Motors is like sure exactly how it happened. But the world’s largest automaker has annnounced that’s the amount it lost in 2007. As a result, GM will again offer a new round of buyback offers to 74,000 hourly workers, all of whom are represented by the United Auto Workers. GM said the loss largely was due to a third-quarter charge related to unused tax credits. The 2007 loss topped GM’s previous record in 1992, when the company lost $23.4 billion because of a change in health care accounting, according to Standard & Poor’s Compustat. Excluding the tax charge and other special items, GM lost $23 million, or

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Recall Woes Continue For Sweden's Volvo

A Volvo spokesperson the issue is could occur 82,000 cars worldwide. The modules can be exposed to water (from rain) and sale (from snow) which can cause corrosion. The recall is in “corrosive markets,” where inclement weather is more prevalent, including the United States, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Russia, China and France. Last November, Volvo, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., recalled 56,000 cars due to two separate problems linked to airbags and engines. And in December, Volvo said it had recalled 125,000 trucks in North America due to the danger of short circuits in the lighting system that could cause fires. At the same time, Volvo recalled 49,500 cars worldwide due to a technical problem with diesel filters.

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Ho-Hum, It's Another Hummer (Truck?)

Hummer will enter the competitive pick-up truck market beginning in early February when the manufacturer’s 2009 H3T pick-up truck is unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show. The Hummer H3T is a ‘three-quarter’ truck, slightly bigger than a midsize truck and somewhat smaller than a full-size truck. Martin Walsh, Hummer general manager said: “It offers the combination of truck versatility and Hummers off-road prowess that delivers customers to the trail in style.” Besides the usual Hummer design, the H3T features a five-foot truck bed, seats five and can tow up to 5,900 pounds with either a Vortec 3.7L I-5 (242 horsepower) or 5.3 liter V8 engine (300 horsepower). Production is expected to begin this fall. The new truck’s price has not

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CarMax Makes Fortune Magazine's Top-100 List, But Only Employees Really Know

The recruit, face painted, a full pack strapped to his back and rifle in hand, shouts out, “Good morning, first sergeant.” I’ve never been in the military, but from the stories I’ve heard from friends who served, it’s not quite what the commercial represents. Which brings me to the announcement this week of Fortune Magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies To Work For.” Only the employees of the companies know for sure. But in terms of the automotive industry, the Fortune list may provide an insight into part of the problem for the workforce employed by auto working manufacturers and their affiliated companies. Only one automotive industry company, CarMax, made the list — at No. 46. Based in Richmond,

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Left Side, Right Side? Where’s The Gas Cap?

It’s happened to all of us. You’re driving a rental car or a friend’s car (or your own car) and you stop for gas. As you’re getting close to the pumps you realize you don’t know on which side of the car the gas cap is located. This video, which claims to showcase a sure-fire way to determine the proper side, is a popular video on the site www.Metacafe.com. The video has attracted its share of attention. Plenty of those commenting say it’s an absolute truth; Others say it doesn’t hold its share of . . well, gas. One things for sure: It’s an entrepreneurial, fun video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7upuZSgKpA0   Matthew WildeMatthew Wilde is an automotive journalist with experience contributing to

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The Future Is Near: GM Talks Driverless Cars

Have car, no driver required. General Motors Corp., has announced cars that drive and park themselves could be ready for sale within 10 years. According to an Associated Press article, much of the technology already exists that will allow the vehicles to operate using radar-based cruise control to lane-changing warning devices. Rick Wagoneer, GM’s chief executive, discussed driverless cars as part of his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In a recent interview with AP, Larry Burns, GM’s vice president for research and development, said “This is not science fiction.” The most significant obstacles facing the vehicles could be human rather than technical: government regulation, liability laws, privacy concerns and people’s passion for the automobile and the

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Cars Have Gone To The Dogs — Especially The Honda Element

It’s nice to “reconnect” with someone you used to know 30 years ago. Gina Spadafori and I were on the staff of The Hornet, the student newspaper at California State University, Sacramento. I recently contacted her after discovering her cool web site that combines two great subjects — dogs and cars. I may have seen Gina once since college, but I’ve read her work for a long time. Gina’s had a great career in journalism, specializing in writing about pets. She co-authors the syndicated column, Pet Connection, and she has written several animal-focused books. With several other journalists, Gina  also has one of the most unique automotive-related web sites I’ve seen, DogCars.com. The site has just selected its 2007 DogCar

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Cadillac CTS, 2008: The Weekly Driver (Video)

A mid-size entry level luxury car, the Cadillac CTS was introduced in 2003 as a replacement for the Cimarron. Five years, later it’s become the manufacturer’s first success story in recent market campaign to sell vehicles to younger buyers. The CTS, in fact, is credited with rekindling the popularity of the Cadillac, whose sales dipped heavily in the 1990s in favor or Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. After its debut at the North American International Auto Show, success arrived quickly for the CTS after its public debut last August. Motor Trend magazine selected the CTS as its 2008 Car of the Year. After five years of the first generation CTS, it was redesigned for 2008, and it’s easy to see and

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Total Recall: 2007's Surprising Most Recalled Car List

Last August, for example, Ford Motor Co., announced it was recalling 3.6 million vehicles, mostly trucks from the 1990s, to fix a speed control deactivation switch. And last spring, Volkswagen began recalling 1 million new Beetles from the model years 2001 to 2007 to repair a brake light problem. “Now almost any time you pick up a newspaper, there is a recall,” said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at J.D. Power & Associates in Troy, Mich. According to Libby, overall car quality has improved. However, since automakers are using more shared platforms and parts, the chances the sample bad component resulting in recalls for the same reason in multiple manufacturers has also increased. Conversely, the increase amount of

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