Smart ForTwo

Love or hate ’em, here are 15 cars gone after 2017

One is 25 years old this year; others are still in their infancies. But for one reason or another, 15 cars including the iconic Dodge Viper, will cease production with their 2017 models. The powerhouse Viper, with is boisterous V-10, has always attracted muscle car aficionados. Other cars and their driver tend to get out of its way. The Viper was costly and it didn’t fare well with changes in its corporate ownership. But it did help Chrysler change its boxy, boring image and now it’s gone, a quarter-century old, the oldest vehicle on the soon-to-be deceased list. The Weekly Driver through the years has reviewed several of the doomed vehicles. I’ve linked to my reviews. Here’s the list of

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Cheapest 2015 Car in the United States? Smart ForTwo

The Smart ForTwo is the cheapest new 2015 car sold in the United States, just edging out the Nissan Versa and leading the only four new vehicles in the country this year priced at less than $15,000. The Smart ForTwo has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of of $14,020, about $300 less the Nissan Versa, the cheapest new car available in 2014. The vehicle’s manufacturer says of the Smart ForTwo Pure Coupe: “The pure coupe is everything you need and nothing you don’t — it’s smart in its purest form. You get the best of both worlds: 5-speed smart shift transmission with automatic mode (for fun), hill start assist, and it’s packed with lots of safety features such as eight

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Three Jeep, two Nissan models among 10 cars to avoid at all costs

Forbes.com can’t stay away from car lists. Best compacts to worst gas mileage, the varied online publication is more well known for its business trends than its automotive expertise. But with its automotive coverage, Forbes.com doesn’t shy away from controversy. It praises manufacturers for innovation and craftsmanship and criticizes carmakers for lousy visibility and underpowered engines. In its latest automotive list, Forbes.com selects the 10 new cars to avoid. In its assessment, Forbes.com used the facts and figures of several automotive expert organizations, including Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and Associates, the Highway Loss Data Institute, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Here’s the list of 10 cars Forbes.com suggests consumers avoid as well reasons for each vehicle: Dodge Journey

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Smart car? How about Smart truck? New Daimler concept set for Detroit Auto Show

Pickup trucks are all the rage, with a new offering of alternative fuel selections on the market as well as one of the most unique vehicles, a Smart For-us concept pickup, set to debut at that Detroit Auto Show in January. A Daimler division product, the Smart For-us will be the biggest of the tiny Smart cars, currently represented only the Smart ForTwo The Smart For-us concept is 140 inches long (11 feet, 6 inches), about six feet shorter than a Ford F-150 pickup, the United States' best-selling passenger vehicle "In a tongue-in-cheek manner, the For-us signals that this is the right car for the young-at-heart with active lives who attach importance to low emissions and taking up minimum road

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Smart ForTwo, Porsche Cayman among 2010 sales losers

The automotive industry followed a disastrous year in 2009 with an encouraging sales year in 2010. About 11.5 million cars and light trucks will be sold in the United States this year, an improvement from 10.4 million in 2009. Automotive industry experts forecast sales of 12.8 million in 20111 and 17.1 million by 2015. But while several manufacturers’ brands — Buick, Cadillac, Infiniti, Ford, Hyundai and Jeep — had banner years in 2010, several manufacturers had dismal sales years.   Mostly notably, Mazda and Suzuki had the worst sales years in 2010, combining for half of the top-10 poorest-selling cars by percentage when compared to 2009 sales. According to a tabulations and forecast for final December sales, Forbes.com reports the

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