News Service

Gas mileage by the numbers: 15 most fuel-efficient 2010 cars

But EPA city and hwy mileage average are the most prominent numbers listed on an manufacturer’s monroney sticker. Someone purchasing a Hummer is as interested in the numbers as someone buying a Honda Insight, but odds are they’ll still look at the averages. All things considered, here are top 15 most fuel efficient cars, ranked in increasingly efficient order based on city mpg. 15. The Hyundai Elantra Blue (manual), MPG: 26 city, 35 highway Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $14,145; 14. Mini Cooper (manual) MPG: 28 city, 37 highway; MSRP: $19,500. 13. Toyota Yaris (manual), MPG: 29 city, 36 highway; MSRP: $12,905; 12 (tie): Volkswagen Jetta TDI (manual) MPG: 30 city, 41 highway, MSRP: $22,830; 12. Volkswagen Golf TDI (manual), MPG:

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GM joins recall frenzy: 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac models

The recall affects 2005 to 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts, 2007 to 2010 Pontiac G5s, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac Pursuits sold in Canada and 2005 and 2006 Pontiac G4s sold in Mexico. The automaker said the vehicles are still safe to drive and never lose their steering. The affected cars may be harder to steer them when traveling under 15 mph. Alan Adler, GM spokesman, said the failures are rare and the cars can still be driven until motors can be replaced by dealers. Drivers will see a warning light and hear a chime if the power steering fails, but they could be surprised when the steering becomes more difficult. GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the recall March

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Toyota troubles again: Potential oil leak in more than 900,000 cars, Avalon to Camry

Toyota notified its dealers of the issue March 1, according to Reuters. The potential oil leak problem has not prompted a recall, the issue is not a major safety concern and has been described as a “limited service campaign.” The oil hose service campaign covers 2007-2010 model year Camry, 2005-2009 Avalon, 2006-2009 Rav4, 2007-2008 Lexus ES 350 and 2007-2009 RX 350 vehicles. The leak would likely be noticed by drivers as the condition may cause abnormal engine noise or cause the oil pressure light to illuminate. Toyota owners who need the oil hose replaced can do so without charge at Toyota dealerships until March 31, 2013. The service takes about an hour. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons confirmed the company had

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Toyota incentive plan: lure back customers with five-year, zero percent financing on recalled models

The new incentives will start March 2 and continue through March. Toyota will offer zero-percent financing for 60 months on some 2010 model year vehicles, including its most popular Camry and Corolla sedans and other vehicles involved in the recalls that involved faulty accelerator pedals. Returning Toyota customers will also receive a complimentary two-year “Toyota Auto Care Premium Package” that includes oil changes and other maintenance services, in addition to cash rebates. Akio Toyoda, whose grandfather founded Toyota, spoke before the U.S. Congress last week in Washington. D.C., to address the recall of more than 8.5 million cars, including several of Toyota’s best-selling vehicles, including the Prius, Corolla, Camry and Lexus, among others. A Toyota spokeswoman said the company planned

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Toyota recall: How fair was Congress to Akio Toyoda?

That’s the way it is with many well-published hearings in Washington, D.C. Some observers feel politicians use the public platform to “grandstand.” Some news networks believe politicians are indebted to special interest groups. Newsy.com videos analyze and synthesize news coverage from multiple sources.  Its unique method of showing how different media cover the news helps viewers better understand complex stories. In this instance, according to a Newsy.com representative, “The video shows a clip from his actual speech as well as a few different opinions on the speech, Toyoda, and Congress/reporters’ aggressiveness or appropriateness in interviewing him.” For new car reviews, videos and other automotive content, visit: dev.theweeklydriver.com James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James

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Toyota offering nationwide free rentals for recall clients

The deal was initially scheduled only for New York, but when questioned about the free offer at the congressional hearings in Washington, a Toyota executive said the company was extending the same benefits across the country. New York Attorney General Mario Cuomo said services in his state will include pickup and return of the vehicle, driving the customer to the dealership or their work place, and rental and loaner cars or taxis during the time the customer’s recalled car is being repaired or upgraded. The system will likely work the same way in every state. Toyota has not announced what vehicles it will use as rental cars. For additional information, phone 1-800-331-4331 or visit: www.toyota.com/recall James RaiaA sports, travel and

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Toyota Hearings: Akio Toyoda, 'We will invest heavily in quality' (part 3)

Here is the third of three parts of Toyoda’s prepared text: “Since last June, when I first took office, I have personally placed the highest priority on improving quality over quantity, and I have shared that direction with our stakeholders. As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name.” “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I, more than anyone, wish for Toyota‘s cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they use our vehicles.” “Under my leadership, I would like to reaffirm our values of placing safety and quality the highest on our list of priorities, which

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Toyota Hearings: Akio Toyoda, 'Priorities became confused' (part 2)

Here is the second of three parts of Toyoda’s prepared statement: “At Toyota, we believe the key to making quality products is to develop quality people. Each employee thinks about what he or she should do, continuously making improvements, and by doing so, makes even better cars.” “We have been actively engaged in developing people who share and can execute on this core value. It has been over 50 years since we began selling in this great country, and over 25 years since we started production here.” “And in the process, we have been able to share this core value with the 200,000 people at Toyota operations, dealers, and suppliers in this country. That is what I am most proud

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Toyota Hearings: Akio Toyoda, 'Our customers feel uncertain' (part 1)

“I am Akio Toyoda of Toyota Motor Corporation. I would first like to state that I love cars as much as anyone, and I love Toyota as much as anyone. I take the utmost pleasure in offering vehicles that our customers love, and I know that Toyota‘s 200,000 team members, dealers, and suppliers across America feel the same way.” “However, in the past few months, our customers have started to feel uncertain about the safety of Toyota‘s vehicles, and I take full responsibility for that. Today, I would like to explain to the American people, as well as our customers in the U.S. and around the world, how seriously Toyota takes the quality and safety of its vehicles.” “I would

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Toyota adds Tacoma, Sequoia, Venza to brake override repair list

Models added to the list: the 2005-2010 Tacoma pickup, 2008-2010 Sequoia and 2009-2010 Venza. Toyota says the override feature is not part of previously issued recalls for accelerator pedal repairs. Nonetheless, the models have been added to give Toyota customers an additional measure of confidence in their vehicles. The “smart throttle” will be installed on Venza and Tacoma models when the vehicles are brought in for the pedal recall. Sequoia owners will be notified separately. While investigation continues into possible causes for Toyota unintended acceleration issues, this override should help drivers control the vehicle during acceleration incidents, providing an intuitive throttle override. Toyota previously announced it would install the override feature in other models including the 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Camry,

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Toyota recall hearings: Akio Toyoda testimony key to carmaker's future

According to a report on AOL Autos, what is expected to occur is that Toyoda will be asked four primary questions about the Toyota recall. 1. Why didn’t Toyota‘s quality-control measures prevent the problems that now affect millions of cars?; 2. How quickly will the automaker be able to bring in and fix those cars?; 3. Why was Toyota so slow to make the decisions to recall them?; 4. Did Toyota cover up any early knowledge about the defects, or put its finger on the scales of research meant to find problems with its vehicles? Toyota U.S. Chief Operating Officer Jim Lentz, who will also appear before the House committee, has said the issues that caused many of the recalls

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Abu Dhabi status: Ferrari means nothing unless it has a multi-million dollar license plate

In all, 72 specialized plates were sold in the auction for a total of 50 million dirhams ($13 million). According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most expensive plate with the digit 1 was sold to Emirati businessman Said Khouri in 2008 for 52.2 million dirhams ($14.2 million). The second most expensive plate “5” was also sold in Abu Dhabi for 25.2 million dirhams, ($6.86 million) during a special number-plate auction organized by the Emirates Auction Company in 2007. “I think it’s a matter of recognition,” said Muhammad Kashif, owner of the UAE Number Plates Company. “Just having a Ferrari isn’t much these days. People want a nice number to go with the car. It makes them just that

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BMW named official vehicle for 2012 London Summer Olympics

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) set targets for CO2 emissions – which BMW met with its Olympic fleet of cars, beating the target average CO2 output of 120g/km. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars BMW will showcase electric vehicles with its 2012 fleet, the company already running a number of electric Minis in three countries to collect data on their usage. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles will be provided, as will BMW bicycles in the Olympic Village. BMW will also use its motorcycle range to support certain events. LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe commented: “Operationally, an automotive deal is vital for any organizing committee and

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Mercury rising: Rachel Veitch and her 600,000-mile love affair with a ’64 Comet Caliente

Veitch, who turned 91 in August 2009, is still driving the car she’s owned for more than 45 years and driven nearly 600,000 miles. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Veitch of Orlando, Fla., who has has been married three times, now largely drives her car to volunteer work. A retired nurse, she’s an expert on Robert’s Rules of Order, which she also still teaches. Veitch’s driving is now limited to daylight driving because of her difficulty with night vision. She last took a driver’s license test in 2003. In the three years since she was “discovered,” Veitch’s story has provided keen feature material for automotive journalists

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Bloom box: Fuel-cell technology's Holy Grail or its Holy Hype?

On 60 Minutes tonight a brand new energy company unveiled what was billed as a potentially revolutionary energy technology called Bloom Boxes. Based on fuel-cell technologies, Stahl unveiled the formerly secret company Bloom Energy thusly: “The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.” The Bloom Box is said to be a device that can power approximately 100 houses. According to a press release, the Bloom Box was developed by NASA scientists and can be used in different ranges of temperatures which makes the way it can be used more expansive. Several competitors are also trying to develop similar devices

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Bloom Energy: Could it replace current electric and other alternative fuel cars?

“The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.” Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Bloom Energy has operated for the past eight years. According to the 60 Minutes report, it has raised about $400 million from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and its early clients include Google, eBay and Walmart. Additional investors in Bloom Energy are diverse and its business relationships are posted on the company’s web site. But what was conspicuously absent from the 60 Minutes report was if the fuel cells could have a potential application in auto industry. The Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster are auto

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