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Tata Motors revamps strategy for struggling cheap car Nano

The Tata Nano, overtly published and praised in 2009 when it debut in limited locations in India as the world’s cheapest car, is now facing a different reputation — and an uncertain future. Lottery luck was originally needed to purchase a Nano, the most well-known original vehicle of Tata Motors. But sales are now slow for the $2,200 car, likely prompted by two reasons. First, several Nano models have caught fire since April 2009 via exhaust or electrical systems issues. Nicknamed “the people’s car,” the Nano has also had increased competition from sightly more expensive cars like the General Motors

Scion tC 2011 car review

The revised youth-oriented 2011 Scion tC has been long overdue and is improved enough to help boost sagging Scion sales. For instance, Scion sales fell sharply from 2008 to 2009 and were disappointing in 2010, too. Major improvements have been made to the oddly named tC. The front-drive, two-door hatchback has more power, better transmissions, a revised interior, improved chassis and larger wheels. Moreover, the 2011 tC provides lots of standard equipment, including a panoramic sunroof, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and door locks with remote keyless entry and an AM/FM/CD sound system. Safety items include stability and traction

Owen Wilson back as Lightning McQueen in Cars 2

Owen Wilson will reprise his voice over role as the character Lightning McQueen whose niche for racing leads him to find himself in adventurous moments the movie Cars 2 scheduled for release June 24, 2011. Jason Isaacs and Emily Mortimer have also joined the cast of the second installment of the animation film that began in 2006 with Cars According to the official press release, “Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the

BMW microcar Isetta still around 55 years after heyday

It’s not the most unique vehicle in the world, but the Isetta micro-car built in several countries and once owned by BMW, still attracts plenty of attention because of its bubble shape and diminutive size. Design by an Italian company, the Isetta was conceived because of a need for cheap, short-distance city driving following World War II. The BMW Isetta became the world’s first mass-production 3-liter car in 1955. Its low-friction, one-cylinder engine and low weight resulted in superior gas mileage — as high as 71 mpg. It is the top-selling one cylinder car in the world, with 161,728 units

Lexus CT 200h 2011 car review

The new, compact CT 200h from Toyota’s upscale Lexus division shares its hybrid gas/electric powertrain with Toyota’s Prius. But the Prius feels like an appliance, while the CT 200h feels and drives like a luxury car. The 2011 front-drive, four-door CT 200h is the first Lexus hatchback and thus is more practical than the Prius. Also, compared to the Prius, the new Lexus has an ultra-rigid chassis, better suspension and a body that, while somewhat chunky, looks rather sporty, partly because of a rakish roofline and short body overhangs. However, a low front end (for aerodynamic efficiency) could be damaged

Ferrari, Aston Martin, VW top NY Times' 2010 best cars

Ferrari, Aston Martin and the Volkswagen GTI top the New York Times automotive critics’ 2010 top-10 Cars of the Year list. Lawrence Ulrich, one several journalists who regularly report on the automotive industry for the newspaper, was direct in his top pick for the year, the Ferrari 458 Italia. “The world’s best sports car, a racing video game come to life in three gorgeous, thrilling dimensions. This is the car I would buy tomorrow if I inherited $250,000 today.” Jerry Garrett selected the Aston Martin Rapide: “The exquisitely executed Rapide is, like the sleek Jaguar XJ, a product of Ian

Toyota Avalon 2011 car review

The 2011 Toyota Avalon could almost wear a Lexus badge. The car’s television commercials truthfully portray it as evoking a time when travel was sophisticated, elegant and comfortable. A long-distance round-trip drive from Chicago to Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay area showed the precisely built, whisper-quiet Avalon to be a soothing, long-distance cruiser. It sped along the Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes and on regular highways and rural secondary roads in Maryland. The base Avalon costs $32,245 and the more upscale Limited version is $35,485. The 3.5-liter 268-horsepower V-6 sedan is easy on fuel for a fairly heavy full-size car. It delivers

Honda, Lexus, Chevrolet dominate Kiplinger's/Yahoo Cars of the Decade list

The Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Corvette couldn’t be more different. And likewise, there’s nothing similar between a BMW 3 Series and a Honda Odyssey. Unless, of course, Kiplinger’s magazine and Yahoo.com happen to be compiling a list of the cars of the decade. With a vast number of vehicles from which to choose in the past decade, how could the publications possible select the top-10 cars of the decade. The Prius, for example, was selected with the following description: “When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto industry. But then the

Audi, Ford, Lexus on The Weekly Driver's 2010 Best List

Recall was likely the most used word in the automotive industry in 2010. Toyota topped the list of manufacturers’ whose cars were retrieved by the millions with myriad issues. Regardless, of the 20 million recalls. it was another remarkable year for cars. The Hyundai Sonata for the first time in some monthly totals outsold the Honda Accord. The Chevy Camaro returned in 2009 as a 2010 model. Honda introduced the attention-grabbing Crosstour and discontinued the Element. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf made their public debuts amid an enormous public relations joust and with the future of hybrid and electric

Hyundai Equus 2011 car review

Hyundai feels it’s ready for the big-time luxury sedan market with its new Equus. It’s designed to compete with the world’s top luxury sedans BMW to Mercedes-Benz to Lexus. Equus prices are $58,000 for the Signature model and $64,500 for the higher line Ultimate model. That puts it considerably below European and Japanese rivals. But resale value is a question mark. In these hard economic times, Hyundai feels that “modern premium” customers are willing to bypass products with established upscale names to get more value, no matter if it involves watches or cars. The Equus comes as a slickly styled,

Ten great cars not for sale in the United States

Plenty of great choices, sedans to sports cars, hardtop convertibles to pick-up trucks abound for car buyers in the United States. But there’s also a good selection of vehicles, the Chery A5 to the Wiesmann Roadster MF3, available in various part of the world — but not in the U.S. Business Week.com has compiled a diverse list of cars it deems worthy and that may one day be available in the United States. It’s just that you can’t purchase any of cars now in the U.S. Consider the HSU Maloo R8. The Guinness World Records book clocked the Maloo at

Ford sets plans for start-stop feature throughout line

If they can put it in a golf cart, you’d think Ford can add it to a car — at least so it seems. But adding the so-called start-stop technology to all cars in Ford‘s line-up won’t be as easy as it sounds because when you turn off a car’s engine you also turn off critical functions like cabin heating and cooling. Ford‘s automatic engine shutoff technology (which turns of the engine at stoplights or and/or when the car is not moving) is already available on the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Escape Hybrid, and some several other Ford models in

Kia Optima (Turbo) 2011 car review

The impressive turbocharged four-cylinder engine offered for the Kia Optima Turbo turns the standard recently introduced all-new 2011 Optima into a genuinely hot model. The two-liter engine is in the $24,495 Optima EX Turbo and the $25,995 SX Turbo versions. The standard front-drive, mid-size Optima sedan has a non-turbo 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 200 horsepower. Non-turbo Optima list prices start at $18,995 with the standard 2.4 engine. While the regular engine provides good performance, the Optima Turbo engine is a pistol. It has very efficient direct fuel injection and other nifty features, such as a turbocharger with a unique twin-scroll design.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2011 car review

Nearing its 60th birthday, the Chevrolet Corvette is arguably the most highly recognized and popular production sports car built in North America. The current-generation Corvette debuted in 2005, with the carmaker amending the vehicle with various trims and tweaks in recent years. For 2011, Chevy introduced a mid-step between the base model Z06 and top-of-the line ZR1. It’s a Z06 featuring for the first time an upgrade offering select ZR1 features like an adaptive suspension, grippier Michelin tires and a carbon fiber package. The result is a trio of impressive statistics: 505 horsepower, a top speed of 198 mph and

Jeep Grand Cherokee 2011 car review

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets the upscale refinement and engineering it has deserved since its arrival in 1992. With design help from past owner Mercedes, the new model finally is a world-class SUV. Call it a Mercedes “on the cheap.” The 2011 Grand Cherokee shares its basic carlike platform with the new Mercedes ML, with such things as an all-new independent suspension, big disc brakes and a plush ride. The new rear suspension lets the spare tire be stored in the vehicle, not underneath it. This rigidly built Jeep looks much like its predecessor, with Jeep’s classic seven-slot grille,

Lexus announces price, gas mileage for new hybrid

Lexus has announced the price, gas mileage and other specs of its new 2011 CT 200h hybrid, available at dealerships in March 2011 as the manufacturer’s fifth hybrid. The CT 200h will have the luxury industry’s best at 42 mpg and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,120. The CT 200h emits approximately 60 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than the average new car, and has EPA-estimated ratings of 43 mpg city and 40 mpg on the highway utilizing regular 87-octane gasoline. Moreover, the CT 200h can be operated in a switchable EV mode which generates zero emissions. In addition