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2013 Dodge Dart Video – First Look: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
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The compact car category continues to grow and is increasingly becoming the most important and highest volume segment in America. For years Chrysler hasn’t had a competitive offering, something it is looking to change with the all-new Dodge Dart. Sharing its underpinnings with an Alfa Romeo it’s the direct result of the tie-up between Chrysler…
2012 Nissan Cube Gets Mild Price Hike
The 2012 Nissan Cube is getting a little more expensive, though not by a significant margin. The company chose to raise the base price $260 to $15,760, which includes a $780 destination charge. The real news is that the decision to cut back from four to three versions of the box on wheels has been confirmed….
Chevy Volt’s First Year of Sales Trump Those of Original Prius
The Chevrolet Volt ended the last month of 2011 with its best month of sales to date. Having sold 1,529 Volts in December, GM ended its full year of Volt sales at a total of 7,671 units for 2011. While this figure is significantly lower than its 10,000 sales goal, Fox News noted that the…
Suzuki XAα Concept Unveiled at New Delhi Auto Expo
Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest auto company, is set to unveil the new XAα concept car at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo. While earlier reports suggested that the new concept will eventually replace Maruti Suzuki’s highly successful Jimny SUV, Maruti Suzuki managing director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi explained that, “the Concept XAα is designed for…
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Gets Top Safety Ratings
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is besting the competition for safety ratings, for now. The little sub-compact Sonic scored a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to beat out the Ford Fiesta, which only scored four out of five. Safety isn’t the only thing we’re pleased to say makes the Sonic great, it’s a…
Ford EcoSport Debuts at New Delhi Auto Expo as a Tiny Crossover
Looking a lot like a Fiesta on stilts, the latest EcoSport will be produced locally in India at the Chennai integrated manufacturing complex for both domestic consumption and also export, with production in other countries, likely Brazil slated to commence down the road.
Hyundai Hunts Big Three in Global Sales Race
2011 marked another year of success for South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia. Having capitalized on its Japanese rivals’ year of challenges, sales for Hyundai and Kia have climbed like a rocket. Final global sales numbers for 2011 are 4.05 million and 2.54 million for Hyundai and Kia respectively. Boasting an increase…
Honda Civic Named Best Selling Car in Canada, 14 Years Running
The Honda Civic continues to dominate the Canadian market as year after year it is the best selling passenger car in the country. For 14 years now Canadians have sworn by the Civic and rewarded Honda with the number one spot. In 2011 Honda sold 55,090 Civics across the country. This number is especially impressive when…
2014 Volkswagen Passat Will Lose Some Weight, Plug-In Hybrid Possible
Volkswagen‘s popular Passat out in Europe is overdue for a refresh and it appears that one will be coming in 2014. Rumor has it that the 2014 Passat model will be built on the new MQB platform which can also be seen on Audi‘s A3 and Volkswagen’s Golf. The change to the MQB platform will…
Chrysler is America’s Fastest Growing Full Line Automaker
Since Fiat restored Chrysler after its humbling bankruptcy, the third American automaker has been reinvigorated, and boasts industry leading statistics in growth. Chrysler Group ended 2011 with U.S. sales in December amounting to 138,019 units, an increase of 37 percent over the same period last year. What’s more, December also marks Chrysler’s 21st consecutive month…
Honda Fit Retains Consumer Reports “Best Small Car Value” Title
During its evaluation of finding the year’s best value vehicles, Consumer Reports, tested cars, SUVs and trucks from a total of 11 different categories. Scores were determined based on a five-year ownership cost of each vehicle, including depreciation, insurance premiums, fuel costs, interest on financing, repairs and maintenance and sales taxes.
Honda Scraps 1,055 Vehicles Damaged in Thai Floods
Japanese automakers have ended 2011 worse for wear as the March 11 Japan earthquake as well as the rising yen exchange rate significantly damaged business. Unfortunately, Honda starts 2012 with new challenges. October floods in Thailand have caused major losses to Honda’s plant in the central province of Ayutthaya. To reassure customers that no vehicles…
Mint 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle Could be Yours [Retro Resale]
We won’t mind if you want to take a second to rub your eyes to make sure you’re not seeing things. This 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle is quite possibly the cleanest classic Beetle in the world and with 445-miles on the odometer since it was fully rebuilt, it’s more than worth the $21,900 price tag….
Chevrolet Sonic Recalled Over Missing Brake Pads
Chevy is recalling certain 2012 Sonics, manufactured between June 2, 2011,through November 21, 2011 because of brake system issues. The recall was issued because the front inner or outer brake pad might be missing from the Sonic, which can cause a loss in brake system power and result in a collision. There is an estimated total…
Yo-Auto To Manufacture Russia’s First Hybrid In 2012 [Video]
Russian automaker Yo-Auto is promising to deliver the country’s first hybrid car in 2012. The company, founded by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, hopes to sell “peoples’ cars” for under $10,000 each for their first models. Now those vehicles for under $10,000 won’t be hybrids naturally given the price tag, but the pre-orders are allowing customers to…
Chevrolet Volt, Fiat 500 Named Top Flops of 2011
Efficiency is the new black for automakers and consumers alike. Even Porsche customers can get their gas guzzling Cayenne fix in a more efficient hybrid now or diesel soon, which is why it might come as a surprise that two new fuel-efficient guppies in the veritable ocean that is the U.S. car market seem to be floundering….
Green Factories In VW’s Future Plans
While most car companies are just trying hard to produce low-emissions vehicles, Volkswagen is looking to make even their factories green. Or is that blue! VW calls all their efficient models BlueMotion, and is taking the same approach to their factories. Their “Think Blue Factory” is an initiative they have launched to make all their…
Mitsubishi to Launch Eight Electric Vehicles by 2016, Including a Light Truck
Mitsubishi has achieved decent amounts of success with the i-MiEV electric car in its home land, and also in Europe, where this model is also sold badged as a Peugeot iOn. Next month, the i-MiEV will be going on sale in America (called simply the “i” in our market), which will no doubt increase sales…
Hyundai Takes New Social Media Campaign To Times Square
Hyundai has launched an inventive social marketing program called the “HYUNDAI RACE” at Times Square, one of the busiest city cross streets in the world. By downloading a controller app from the iTunes app store, participants can enjoy the HYUNDAI RACE featuring the all-new Hyundai Veloster on a prominent billboard via Hyundai WiFi. Steve Shannon, Hyundai Motor…
Hyundai Veloster Wins 2011 GOOD DESIGN Awards’ Transportation Category
South Korean automakers have been on a roll for the past two years and there are no signs of letting off. A radical departure from Hyundais of the past, the new Hyundai Veloster earned GOOD DESIGN award in the transportation category. Held at the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, GOOD DESIGN awards are handed…
Nissan Assures the Integrity of its Battery Cell In the Nissan Leaf
After the Chevrolet Volt’s battery fire hazard debacle, electric vehicles have received intense scrutiny over the integrity of battery cells. To answer these concerns, Nissan has stepped forward to address the strength of its Leaf electric vehicle without the direct mentioning of controversies. Nissan reported that while approximately 20 Nissan Leafs were damaged during the…
Woman Survives 10 Days in Her Toyota Corolla
What started out as a nice recreational drive “with no particular destination” turned into a fight for survival as Arizona State University Senior Lauren Elizabeth Weinberg was found stranded with her Toyota Corolla in a heavy snowstorm in northeastern Arizona for 10 days. Weinberg told Arizona police that she left her mother’s home in Phoenix…
Dodge Caliber Production Ends With Dart on the Horizon
No real surprises here, but Chrysler has finally pulled the plug on the Dodge Caliber’s production in anticipation to the unveiling of the all-new Dodge Dart next month at the Detroit Auto Show. We’re frankly surprised the Caliber even lasted this long, having debuted in 2006 as a replacement to Dodge’s Neon to much negative press….
2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Will Start At $26,610
Hyundai is slightly increasing the price for their 2012 Sonata Hybrid, bumping the MSRP by $55 to $26,610 compared to the 2011 model. Also new for the 2012 model will be a Leather Package, priced at $1,500, offering leather seats, steering wheel and shift knob. The Leather Package will also come with front and rear…
