compact car
Hyundai Elantra Touring To Abandon Station Wagon Bodystyle
The next Hyundai Elantra Touring will ditch the traditional station wagon bodystyle and adopt a more compact hatchback shape, as consumers warm up to cars like the Ford Fiesta which are heavily promoted in 5-door guise. Hyundai CEO John Krafcik told Autoblog that the current Elantra Touring would complete its lifecycle, and a new model…
Nissan Shows Off Leaf Assembly Process (Video Inside)
While General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt build video has been making the internet rounds recently, Nissan decided to counter the PR onslaught with a similar video, showing the Leaf’s own assembly. Of course, Nissan has one-upped the Volt by producing a longer, more in-depth video, and even us jaded journos have to admit it’s pretty damn…
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Toyota Announces Pricing For 2011 Corolla And Matrix
Toyota announced pricing for their updated 2011 Corolla and Matrix, with a base Corolla starting at $15,600. A base model Matrix will retail for $18,545, with both base trims coming equipped with a 5-speed manual. The Corolla base trim with an automatic will retail for $16,400 while the mid-level LE will cost $17,300 while the…
Tata Nano A Sales Disaster In India
Despite being hailed as the vehicle that would motorize a billion-strong economic powerhouse, the Tata Nano has turned out to be a spectacular flop, with November sales totalling just 509 units, from a peak of 9,000 units in July. For comparison, Mercedes-Benz cars, far beyond the reach of a majority of India’s population, regularly sells…
Honda Brio Subcompact Revealed
The Honda Brio was apparently inspired by the Citroen 2CV, as evidenced by its codename during development. Of course, the Brio is based on a much more conventional layout, but the ultra-compact dimensions, measuring 142 inches in length and 66 inches wide. For comparison, a Smart ForTwo is 106.1 inches long but 61.4 inches wide,…
Mitsubishi Builds 5000th i-MiEV Electric Car
Mitsubishi recently reached a milestone with the completion of their 5000th i-MiEV electric car, which rolled off the line at its Mizushima plant this week. After starting production in June of 2009, the i-MiEV has been a hit in Japan, and will make its debut in America in late 2011 after being unveiled at the…
GM Daewood Planning Two New Subcompacts For Europe, Electric Vehicles For Korea
General Motors is harnessing the small car expertise of their Daewoo division to develop two new small cars, an upscale hatchback to be branded as a Vauxhall or Opel products, and a smaller, less expensive version likely to be sold as a Chevrolet. The new cars are expected to slot in below the diminutive Corsa,…
Fiat Debuts First American TV Ad In 27 Years
This television ad, the first Fiat has produced for North American in almost 30 years, is longer than your average 30 second spot, and makes it clear that the new 500 isn’t just for the teeming masses, but people who like to enjoy life. Filled with images of happy people and young families, the Fiat…
Fiat 500 To Be Sold By Ferrari Distributor In Canada
Fiat released their list of retail outlets in the United States and Canada, and one interesting tidbit jumped out at us. While 99% of Fiat franchises are paired with Chrysler dealers, one company, the Remo Ferri Group of Automobiles, which operates two Ferrari locations in the Toronto area, is listed as a distributor. A more…
LA 2010: Toyota Corolla Debuts With Refreshed Face
Toyota‘s venerable Corolla gets a mild refresh for 2011, and the updated compact will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Toyota claims it enlisted the help of stylists in Turin, Italy, and the result is still somehow Toyota-like in the front, with the back end looking pretty good for a Corolla. Engine choices remain…
Ford Focus EV To Launch In 14 States As Well As Washington D.C.
Ford will sell an all-electric version of its Focus compact in 14 states, including Washington, D.C. when the vehicle goes on sale at the end of 2011. Among the locations where the Focus EV will be offered are Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Phoenix,…
2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco Rated At 42 MPG Highway, Beats Original Target
Chevrolet‘s Cruze Eco compact sedan has returned 28 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway, allowing it to capture the top spot in its segment for fuel economy. Using the new 1.4T engine that displaces 138 horsepower, the Cruze Eco also has a few aerodynamic tricks up its sleeve, including a front…
SEMA 2010: Honda CR-Z Concepts Attempt To Change Public’s Perception
It’s safe to say that the Honda CR-Z has been given a solid reception by everyone outside the “enthusiast” community. Sales have been brisk and reviews are generally positive, but car lovers seem unable to accept the “hybrid” part of the equation. Honda gave a few tuners the chance to trick out a CR-Z, and…
SEMA 2010: Ford Fiesta Brings The Party
After bringing you a preview of the Ford Fiesta SEMA exhibit, we now bring you pictures of Ford’s newest compact in the flesh, looking quite a bit different from the Fiestas you might see at college campuses or 16th birthday celebrations across the country. For the Fiesta’s SEMA debut, Ford enlisted the services of a…
Honda Unveils Mugen CR-Z, Hybrid R Concept
Although we brought you some of the first pics of the Honda CR-Z racer, we had to wait another 12 hours to see Honda‘s other two concepts, also based on the CR-Z. The first, a CR-Z equipped with Mugen accessories, will actually be available as a series of dealer installed parts sold as one kit….
Ford To Sell R2 Rally Kit For Fiesta, Creating A Turnkey Rally Racer
It’s not unheard of for tuner-type wannabes to refer to their modified sport compact as a “race car” – but what if you really could buy a suite of parts that would turn your econobox into a real, full blown rally racer? Ford is doing just that with their new R2 rally kit for their…
Honda Insight Gets Tweaked Stop-Start System, Revised MPG Numbers
Honda has made some improvements to the stop-start system on their Insight hybrid car, allowing drivers to keep the engine off for up to 3 times as long as previous years. Insights before 2011 could keep the engine stopped for up to 30 seconds, but new improvements for this coming model year allow for the…
First Chevrolet Volt TV Ad Hits the Web Before World Series Debut
Chevrolet will debut their first television commercial for their Volt electric car during Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday. The ad will tout the Volt’s ability to go farther than other electric vehicles by using its gasoline-engine range extender. The range issue is a major concern for many potential EV customers, and Chevrolet…
Chevrolet Aveo To Spawn Crossover, Sedan Variants
Chevrolet‘s next Aveo will see more bodystyles beyond the traditional hatchback, with a crossover and a sedan among them. A sedan model will be essential for the U.S. market, where hatchbacks are slowly gaining acceptance, but have been a traditionally tough sell. The Aveo sedan will likely debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January,…
Dodge Caliber To Be Replaced By Alfa Romeo Based Hatchback
Dodge‘s largely unloved Caliber compact hatchback will get the ax in 2012, with Chrysler replacing the car with a model based on Alfa Romeo’s much lauded Giulietta hatchback. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the mid-size Alfa hatch would underpin the new Dodge model while commenting on Fiat’s 3rd quarter earnings. The Giulietta will likely…
2012 Hyundai Accent Spied On U.S. Shores
The folks over at Left Lane News have spied an undisguised Hyundai Accent after it was caught at a well-known hot weather testing location by the spies at Brenda Priddy & Co. The Accent gets some differentiating styling cues from the Korean market Accent (known as the Verna over there) and, with the American car…
2011 Mazda2 Will Get 70 MPG Without Hybrid System
Mazda proudly announced that their upcoming Japanese market Mazda2, set to bow in the second half of 2011, will get an astonishing 70 mpg without any hybrid technology, making it the most fuel efficient gasoline car on the road. Using an all new family of chassis, engines and gearboxes, Mazda’s SKYACTIV system is designed to…
Hyundai Dealer To Donate Car To Pastor Who Canceled Quran Burning
Brad Benson, owner of a Hyundai dealership in South Brunswick, New Jersey, is making good on his promise to donate a car to Terry Jones, a Florida pastor who threatened to burn the Quran, after he reneged on the planned destruction of the Muslim holy book. Benson had offered to give Jones a Hyundai Accent…
Chevrolet Cruze 1.4 Turbo To Get Manual Gearbox
While only a small percentage of buyers actually opt for a manual transmission, offering one usually indicates that a company seriously cares about how their products perform. The Chevrolet Cruze, with it’s 1.4L turbo engine, has all the right stuff to be a fun-to-drive compact, but the sole transmission choice, a 6 speed automatic, wasn’t…
