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Volkswage Routan Recalled Over Fire Risk
Volkswagen is recalling its Routan minivan, but not to worry, they barely sold any of them in the first place. The recall affects 15,902 vans from 2008-09 and follows a recall by Chrysler of the mechanically similar Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. Like the Chrysler vans on which the Routan is based, the…
575,000 Chrysler, Jeep And Dodge Products Recalled
Chrysler is recalling 575,000 Jeep SUVs and Chrysler and Dodge minivans due to a malfunction in both the brake lines and electrical wiring. 288,968 Jeep Wranglers from the 2001 through 2010 model years after a defect was noticed, where the front fender liners can come into contact with the brake lines, causing a fluid leak….
Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town and Country Recalled Over Fire Concern
Chrysler is recalling all Dodge Caravan and Town and Country minivans from 2008-09 due to a concern that an improperly installed wiring harness could cause a fire. According to a release issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall affects 284,831 vehicles in total. NHTSA says that the vehicles in question may…
Buick Business Concept Headed to Production as GL8 Replacement in China
In China Buick sells several models we don’t get here, including the GL8 van. Recently, a replacement for the current GL8 was spotted camoed-up and testing in China, looking a lot like the Buick Business Concept first shown at the Shanghai Auto Show last year. The current GL8 is based off the tremendously old Pontiac…
Toyota Sienna, Avalon and Lexus RX Awarded Top Safety Pick From IIHS
Finally, some good news for Toyota – three new Toyota vehicles have been given Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Getting the award are the 2011 Toyota Avalon and Sienna for achieving the institute’s highest ratings in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests. Also picking up an award…
Pointless Tuner Car Of The Day: Dodge Journey By Irmscher
Whatever you think of the Dodge Journey’s subjective attributes, nobody can deny that it’s a family hauler that is the further thing from a performance vehicle. But somehow, German tuner Irmscher found it pertinent to modify a Dodge Journey with some kind of aggressive body kit, racing stripes, a chrome tailpipe, a “sports steering wheel”…
The Bigger They Get, the Cheaper They Are To Insure
It may cost more money to purchase and fill up, but SUVs , trucks and mini-vans are cheaper to insure. This information is coming from a recent government report that based its findings on the fact that some vehicles cost less to fix, and therefore reflects how much it will cost to insure. Based on…
Dodge Caravan Commercials Make Us Say “WTF?”
Minivan ads are usually focused on touting features that appeal to the families that buy them. Airbags to keep you safe, entertainment to keep the kids happy, powerful engines to cut down on “Are we there yet?” In a rare moment of humor in the segment, Dodge has commissioned a couple ads that are totally out of…
Toyota Sienna ‘Swagger Wagon’ Commercial is Hard-Core and Humorous
The marketing folks for Toyota are taking a unique approach to the new Sienna minivan, opting to raise interest (and eyebrows) with a new “Swagger Wagon” commercial that has a regular family gangsta-rapping about their new wheels. The whole thing is actually very well executed – like the new Sienna. And with the top trim…
Boston is First to Adopt Ford Transit Connect for Taxi Duty
With it’s small size, tight turning radius, interior capacity relating to its size and decent fuel economy, the Transit Connect is seen as a logical alternative to the Vic taxi by some.
Chevrolet Orlando To Be Sold In Europe, Asia, Canada Only
The Chevrolet Orlando crossover will not be sold in the United States after all. In an interview with Bloomberg, Margaret Brooks, GM’s product marketing director for small cars and crossovers said that “The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we’ve already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and,…
Citroen Nemo Latest Rollover Casualty Of The Elk Test [Video]
The elk test is one of the most infamous procedures used to evaluate new cars. A double lane change at 50 mph, the elk test was designed to help Scandinavian auto journalists evaluate the highway speed stability of a car, when the threat of a large animal in the road is a very real safety…
Recall Notice: Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans in Northern States
It’s the fifth major recall for Toyota in the past few months and Toyota’s stellar reputation for quality is taking a beating. Toyota Motor Corp has just announced a recall of 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans dating from 1998-2010. The issue with the vans is with the spare tire cable which may rust so severely that…
New York 2010: Face-Lifted 2011 Mercedes R-Class Arives in New York With U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team
Considering the abysmal sales of the R-Class, the Mercedes might have preferred to just let the model slowly slip-off into obscurity, but instead the designers and engineers did their best to try and revive the luxury minivan. Debuting at the New York Auto Show today, the new 2011 R-Class gets a front-end makeover with a…
2011 Mercedes R-Class Leaked Ahead of New York Auto Show Debut, But Does Anyone Care?
It’s been a terrible sales flop and even senior staff will tell you what a failure its been, but that isn’t going to stop Mercedes from rolling out a face-lifted version of the R-Class at the New York Auto Show later this week. Debuting as a 2011 model, the overall shape is still very much…
Spied: 2011 Honda Odyssey Caught Testing in California
Unveiled in concept form at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, a forum member at Temple of Vtec became an amateur spy photographer when he snapped several photos of what appears to be the production version of the 2011 (or possibly 2012) Honda Odyssey. The pictures were taken on the 1010 Freeway in Woodland…
Geneva 2010: 2011 Mazda5 Unveiled in Geneva
Mazda unveiled the second generation Mazda5 at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The Mazda5 gets a slight facelift with elements Mazda’s “Nagare Flow” design. The new Mazda5 might even look especially happier and smilier than usual. Under the hood is a 2.0L direct injection gasoline engine with Mazda’s i-Stop system. According to Mazda, the new…
Chicago 2010: Honda Odyssey Concept Foreshadows 2011 Production Model
When Honda announced it would show a next-generation Odyssey minivan concept at the Chicago Auto Show, we assumed it would be one of the wild and wacky concepts that automaker debuted at the Tokyo Auto show last year. We were wrong. Instead, Honda has unveiled a concept that it says very closely resembles the 2011…
Tokyo Auto Salon 2010: Nissan Displays Funky MPVs from Autech Factory Custom
As if the Nissan booth at the Tokyo Auto Salon wasn’t action packed enough with its NISMO offerings, Autech Factory Custom was present with its “Rider” series of vehicle enhancements. Offsetting the high-horsepower and high-dollar NISMO offers, the Autech cars are more about personalization than power and are aimed at entry-level buyers. On display in…
Detroit Preview: 300-Plus Horsepower Buick Regal, Orlando-Based GMC Granite Set to Debut
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Along with a long list of Chevy products set to debut at the Detroit Auto Show, GM will deliver unconventional new vehicles for both Buick and GMC. First up is a high-performance Buick Regal, thought to be called the GS. Based on the European Opel Insignia…
LA 2009: 2011 Toyota Sienna Premieres With New, Efficient 4-Cylinder Engine
With the minivan segment continuing to diminish in the marketplace, Toyota has unveiled its all-new 2011 Sienna as more of a significantly refreshed version. It’s not a huge departure from the previous generation model, but it does get a long list of upgrades including a new interior and exterior as well as a new standard…
LA Preview: 2011 Toyota Sienna Set to Debut
***UPDATE*** 2011 Toyota Sienna Info and Pictures Available Here ***UPDATE*** Has the crossover killed the minivan? Toyota doesn’t think so.. not yet, at least. Japan’s largest automaker has announced that it will debut the all-new 2011 Sienna minivan at the Los Angeles Auto Show in early December. There are no details about the future of…
Report: Volkswagen Hoping Routan Give Away on Oprah Will Boost Sales for Slumping Minivan
Back in 2004 Oprah Winfrey gave away 276 Pontiac G6s to her audience members. And like all things Oprah touches, it turned to gold – gold for Pontiac and General Motors anyway. Popularity of the car shot up overnight and now Volkswagen is hoping for a repeat performance as Oprah will reportedly give away two…
Nissan Moves Production of Titan, Quest and Infiniti QX56 Outside U.S.
According to a report by Edmunds InsideLine, Nissan will move production of the 2010 Quest and Titan, as well as the Infiniti QX56, outside the United States – a move that is sparking rumors that several Nissan models might be on the chopping block. The Quest minivan and QX56 luxury SUV will be moved to…
