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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

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

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

Honda recall: 2.26 million Accords, CR-Vs have shifting woes

Honda has announced the recall of more than 2 million vehicles in the U.S. and China, including popular Accord, CR-V and Element models because of automatic transmission software issue. The recall in the United States affects 1.5 million Accords and from model years 2005 through 2010, the CR-V (2007-2010) the Element (2005-2008). According to the automaker, shifting between the reverse, neutral and drive positions can damage a bearing in the automatic transmission system. The problem could cause the engine to stall or make the parking gear difficult to engage. Honda will also recall 760,515 Accords, Odysseys and Spirior cars in

Honda Civic again gets poor rating from Consumer Reports

The 2012 Honda Civic, redesigned for it ninth edition, has drawn extensive criticism from Consumer Reports, the independent review publication that as recently as 2007 gave the perennially top-ranked small sedan its top score. The publication’s biggest complaint was the Civic LX’s cheap plastic interior, numb steering, weak stopping power, road noise and flighty handling. A lack of Bluetooth and outside temperature display in the $19,405 LX sedan dropped its score from a “very good” 78 to a “mediocre” 61. Consumer Reports also didn’t list the Honda Civic among its recommended vehicles last year, but its score wasn’t as low.

Hyundai Azera 2012: Redesigned sedan set for LA debut

The redesigned 2012 Hyundai Azera, the poorest-selling of the hot-selling manufacturer’s models which will be available early next year, will be unveiled in November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. “We’re in the final stages of ride/handling tuning for the 2012 Azera, and it’s dialing in nicely,” said John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, on the company’s Twitter account. Hyundai Azera Specs Not Available Hyundai has not released details of the new design, but a company spokesperson to the automotive site Inside Line that the Azera will get get the “fluidic design language of the Hyundai Sonata, Elantra

Napa Main Street Reunion will feature 400 vintage cars

The 10th annual Main Street Reunion, which will feature more than 400 pre-1976 cars and newly added collection of motorcycles, will be held Aug. 20 in downtown Napa. The free event is open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The show features car owners from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Napa Valley Cruisers, an antique car club. Cars (and motorcycles) line the streets of downtown for display and judging. Registered vehicles are judged in one of 30 categories, with the Best of Show and The Publishers Award the most coveted awards. The

Honda, Toyota again top U.S. top 10 most stolen car list

News Service

In its yearly report called “Hot Wheels,” the 1994 Honda Accord was the most stolen car in the country in 2010, following by the 1995 Civic and the 1991 Toyota Camry. Hot Wheels is the only report that examines all theft data without regard to a vehicle’s insured status thereby providing a more complete view of the vehicle theft landscape. For example, certain models of older cars and trucks are popular with thieves because of the value of their parts — but many are not insured against theft. Whereas newer, more expensive and insured vehicles are often stolen to be

Honda Odyssey, 2011 car review

Has it really been nearly two decades since the Honda Odyssey debuted? In fact, it was 1994 and the 2011 version is newly designed as the fourth generation of the increasingly popular family van. Unlike some minor changes throughout its tenure, Odyssey’s redesign is drastic. Unveiled as a concept at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, the public debut was later in the year. It showcased a larger, wider body, lower roofline, and a more sleek and modern appearance. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The five-door Touring Elite, one of five available trim levels, has the most “bells and whistles” and,

Ford recall: 1.1 million pickups including best-selling F150

Ford, whose line-up of pickups includes the perennially largest-selling vehicle in the United States, is recalling 1.1 million trucks in 21 states and Washington, D.C. because their gas tanks can fall off and cause fires. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall includes the Ford F-150 (1997-2004), the country’s best-selling vehicle, F-250 (1997-’99) and Lincoln Blackwood (2002-’03). The recall affects trucks sold or now registered in cold-weather states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington,

Mazda 5, 2012 car review

The small-but-versatile Mazda5 minivan is popular in congested European and Japanese cities, which makes one wonder why it’s overlooked in America, which has plenty of congestion. Styling sells, and the revised styling of the Mazda5 — still the only such vehicle in its class — looks sleek. The upgraded interior has a redesigned instrument panel with large climate controls, plenty of cupholders and a decent amount of interior storage areas. However, the glovebox is small and the rear sliding side doors lack storage pockets. Annoying flaw: The driver-door power window controls are too far forward, making it easy to accidentally

Honda offers greenest car in U.S. and it's a (natural) gas

With the ever-increasing debuts of green cars, Honda, not Toyota, Nissan nor Chevy is still at the industry forefront. But Honda’s marketing division just hasn’t done the PR spin as well as the manufacturers touting the Prius, Leaf and Volt. Nonetheless, the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, formerly known as the Civic GX NGV, costs about half the price to operate that gasoline cars. And for eight straight years, the Civic GX NGV has named “Greenest Vehicle” by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). According to a report on Forbes.com via the Mother Nature Network, there are

Hyundai Equus gets 2011 top large premium car honors

Another day, another honor for Hyundai. Competing against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Lexus LS, the perennial leaders, the Hyundai Equus luxury sedan has for the first time earned the top spot on J.D. Power and Associate’s APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) Study for large premium cars. It marks the first time since the survey’s inception in 1996 that a car other than a Mercedes, BMW or Lexus has claimed the large premium category. The base starting price for the Equus is $58,900. Hyundai, which began selling cars in the United States in 1986, had its overall biggest

BMW debuts electronic concept i3 at Frankfurt auto show

BMW has joined the green car market with the i3, an all-electric small city car, and the i8, a powerful hybrid sports car featuring an electric motor with a three-cylinder combustion engine. The BMW i3 Concept, which features rear-wheel drive, is making its debut at the current Frankfurt auto show. Both cars are constructed with light-weight aluminum structures and carbon fiber bodies and will operate on smaller batteries without sacrificing efficiency. The i3 is expected to travel as far as 95 miles on a single charge; the i8 will have 21-mile range on its electric engine. BMW hasn’t announced pricing,

California gets dubious car honor — most stolen vehicles

California has it charms — beaches to quaint cities to redwood tree forests. But it also has the dubious honor — the most car thefts of any state in the country. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its annual list of cities with the most car thefts, and Fresno, Calif., tops the list. In fact, eight cities in the top 10 are in California, with the remaining two in Washington state. Following Fresno on the list are Modesto and Bakersfield with Sacramento Stockton and the area including San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont also on the list. Spokane, Wash., was

Chevrolet Sonic, 2012: Only U.S.-made sub-compact

The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, which replaces the South Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo, will be the only subcompact car built in the United States when it arrives this fall. The Sonic LS, which has a starting price of $14,495, has 10 standard airbags – the most of any subcompact — and has 138-horsepower 1.8-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine matched with five-speed transmission. Fuel economy projections haven’t been released for the base engine. But with the upgraded 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with six-speed automatic transmission, the Sonic is expected to get 40 mpg in highway driving. The 2012 Chevy Sonic will available in sedan and