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Cellphone use while driving youthful 'deadly epidemic'

Texting, talking and other cellphone use is particularly common among drivers under age 30 and is now being described as a “deadly epidemic” by U.S. Department of Transportation officials. A new poll conducted by the magazine Consumer Reports details 63 percent of drivers under age 30 used a handheld phone while driving in the past 30 days. Thirty percent of those drivers have also recently texted from behind the wheel, U.S. Transportation officials said. The survey had 1,026 respondents. Ray LaHood, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, called distracted driving “a deadly epidemic.” Consumer Reports is working with the U.S. Transportation Dept.

Jaguar E-Type celebrates 50 years as greatest car ever made

The Jaguar E-Type debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961, and throughout its 50-year tenure often tops industry enthusiasts most beautiful cars ever made lists. Phil Patton, the esteemed freelance contributor to numerous magazines and author of many books about cars and the auto industry, pays homage to the 50th birthday of the Jaguar E-Type in a recent article in the New York Times. Patton details, for example, that “the Museum of Modern Art in New York ratified the E-Type’s significance in 1996, adding a blue roadster to its permanent design collection. It was only the second road car

Toyota shines in Consumer Reports' 2011 Top Picks list

The Ford Mustang (Sporty Cars) and Kia Sorento (Family SUV) are among six new models named to the Consumer Reports annual Top Picks car list for 2011. The diverse selections include eight brands from six manufactures, with Toyota models claiming three categories. The redesigned Hyundai Elantra, which now comes standard with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), also tops the list in the Small Car category. The previous Hyundai Elantra SE was Top Pick for Small Sedan for the past three years. The Honda Fit, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Sienna and Chevrolet Avalanche are new additions to the list. The Infiniti G37, Toyota

Hyundai Sonata hybrid needs to be heard, delivery delayed

The majority of hybrid edition of the new Hyundai Sonata will not be delivered to the United States until late March or early April after the South Korean carmaker decided to postpone the launch to change its virtual engine sound system. Under a U.S. law signed in January, automakers must gradually add devices to their hybrid cars that emit artificial engine sounds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (HHTSA) is currently finalizing specific rules. Hyundai is altering its noise device to boost the volume and remove a switch to turn it off. The decision to modify the Sonata Hybrid’s virtual

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sports defines automotive supply and demand: 30 made, 30 sold

Bugatti enthusiasts apparently can make up their minds quickly to spend substantial amounts of money for their favorite car. The elite Italian carmaker has announced all 30 of the new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport have sold — each starting with a base price of about $2.3 million. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has an eight-liter W16 engine matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch and 1,200 horsepower. It has a top speed of 257 mph. Last June, the Veyron achieved on a test track a new land speed world record for production cars at 268 mph. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Range Rover 2011 car review

There is no topping the Range Rover, which is still lord of the manor. After all, it was the first off-road ready luxurious SUV. It was introduced in 1970, but didn’t reach America until 1987. Still, many Americans had seen it before its U.S. debut in adventure movies set in such locations as Africa, and it had a well-deserved reputation for being tough and adventuresome. Never mind that it had a spotty reliability reputation and a modified 3.5-liter aluminum ex-Buick V-8 from the 1960s. The first Range Rover here came from the Land Rover division of England’s state-owned Rover group,

Maserati debuts GranCabrio Sport at Geneva Motor Show

After debuting the GranCabrio at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Maserati is using the 2011 Geneva Motor Show to introduce the GranCabrio Sport. Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder-edged model to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the GranCabrio Sport uses a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati‘s all-alloy 4.7-litre V8. This configuration of the naturally aspirated engine produces 450 horsepower a GranCabrio Sport is 178 mph and completes standar the 0-60 mph test in 5.2 seconds. The six-speed automatic transmission includes the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and has been developed for

Kia Optima joins elite club with top NHSTA safety rating

The 2011 Kia Optima has just joined an exclusive automotive fraternity. It’s the first Korean car and among only 13 vehicles awarded in 2011 a five-star rating under the recently revamped crash safety testing system conducted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administation (NHSTA). The midsize Optima, redesigned for 2011, achieved an overall five-star rating after attaining five stars in each of the ratings categories. Earlier this year, the Optima was a recipient of a “Top Safety Pick” award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The additional 12 vehicles earning five-star NHTSA ratings for 2011: Acura MDX, BMW 5

Kia Optima 2011 car review

The Kia Optima, now in its second decade in the midsize sedan segment, has a new design for 2011. It’s a streamlined profile the manufacturer says “conveys elegance and athletic confidence from every angle.” Designed in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, Calif., the 2011 Optima is slightly longer, wider and lower than its predecessor. Available in LX, EX and SX trims and as a hybrid, the gas-engine Optima offers a 200-horsepower 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual transmission. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Like other unheralded cars, the Kia Optima is surprisingly impressive when driven, and it’s the recipient of

Tata has clear urban vision with Pixel concept debut

Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar Land Rover and manufactures the Nano (the world’s cheapest car), has rolled out its Pixel Concept urban car at the Geneva Motor Show. The Pixel is geared toward European and Asian markets where fuel is far pricier than in the U.S and urban streets are crowded. Tata says the Pixel is 10 feet long, “comfortably accommodates four adults.” Its doors open up, rather than out, to avoid cyclists, pedestrians or approaching traffic. The Pixel has a “Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT).” It can rotate one rear wheel forward and the other backward.

Rolls-Royce unveils electric, nomadic 102 EX Phantom

Rolls Royce is calling it the first electric luxury car, but so far it’s only a “traveling global experiment.” At least that’s how the carmaker is describing the 102 EX Phantom concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös discusses the 102 EX Phantom at the show in the video below. As Müller-Ötvös describes, the car will be showcased on a year-long world tour to “car owners, prospects, enthusiasts and members of the media.” The goal, said Müller-Ötvös, is to determine if the electric Phantom “provides all the qualities expected of a Rolls-Royce, without compromise.” The new

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, 2011 car review

Approaching its 40th birthday, the Mitsubishi Lancer has been sold around the world with about a dozen different names, Lancer Fiore to Mirage Saloon to Dodge Colt. Now in its ninth generation since its 1973 debut, the Lancer under its various badges has sold more than six million units. For 2011, a more entry level ES trim joined its sedan and hatchback siblings at a base price of about $2,000 less than last year’s model. The reduced price was prompted by the influx of top-notch small cars available from almost every manufacturer. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Lancer Sportback

Rare GM Futurliner bus set for Indiana auction in May

A unrestored Futurliner bus from General Motors “Parade of Progress” of the 1940s and ‘50s is among the early consignments for the expected roster of 1,000 cars and motorcycles available May 12-15 in Auctions America by RM at Auburn Auction Park in Auburn, Indiana. The Futurliner bus, one of 12 built and eight known in existence, has an estimated value of $450,000 to $600,000. In highly original condition, it has recently been equipped with eight new tires, a new plexiglass windshield and all-new rubber and metal siding. These futuristically styled buses, measuring 11 feet high and 33 feet long, were

Google this: Honda gets best website car industry honor

Statistics for online car purchases, or at least the amount of time car buyers spend researching car purchases online, has dramatically increased in recent years. Which is why manufacturers strive for efficient, informative web sites. Honda has the best automaker website, according to J.D. Power & Associates. Honda (www.honda,com) is followed by Mazda, Mini, Porsche and Acura in the 1,000 point ranking system based on speed, appearance, navigation and information/content. According to J.D. Power, Honda.com performed well on information/content, navigation and speed measures (meaning appearance apparently wasn’t Honda.com’s site’s strong point). The Power Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study began in 2000

Maybach boasts luxury, security with new armoured limo

Maybach has debuted its new Maybach Guard, an armoured limousine based on the Maybach 62 and featuring integrated safety systems by the German engineers in Sindelfingen. Responding to the needs of businessmen and Heads of State around the world, Maybach reports: “The protection offered is absolutely peerless and discreet: even to a specialist eye it is almost impossible to distinguish a Maybach Guard from the regular Maybach 62 saloon. “When it comes to the performance, the German engineers have surpassed themselves: a special armour – made of highly specialized steel and high-tech Kevlar – is integrated in the body shell

Women of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

The idea of models representing manufacturers at car show dates more than 80 years. Eight women wearing what were then considered skimpy bathing advertised the 1927 Packard 343 Series. They were called the Damsels of the Dance. Forty years later, the once provocative idea had become commonplace in the auto industry. And in the book Chrome Sirens – The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models, published in 2008, details the history of car show models is documented. Fast-forward to 2011 and the idea of car models is going strong at the Geneva Motor Show. A photo gallery of some of