Economy Cars
Brandmotion Readies Custom FIAT 500 In Time For SEMA
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The SEMA Show (Specialty Equipment Market Association) provides the unique opportunity to let suppliers and aftermarket tuners showcase their new products and innovations. This year, Brandmotion, an award winning supplier of OEM-grade custom products, earned the opportunity to work with FIAT to customize a 2012 FIAT 500. FIAT launched a competition for aftermarket suppliers to…
2012 Mazda3 SkyActiv Priced from $18,450 with 40-MPG
Mazda has finally released official pricing on the updated 2012 Mazda3 with the optional 40-mpg SkyActiv engine model starting at $18,450. That model, the Mazda3 i Touring, makes 155-hp and 148 lb-ft of torque for a 5 percent improvement in overall power, a 10 percent improvement in peak torque and a 15 percent improvement in…
2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas Starts At $26,155
The only natural gas production car to be manufactured and sold in the United States, the all-new 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas will be available at 200 dealers across 38 states beginning on October 18th. Prices for this one-of-a-kind alternative energy vehicle begins at $26,155. The Civic Natural Gas is powered by a modified version…
MythBusters Proves Cars are Greener than Motorcycles [Video]
There are many great reasons for owning a motorcycle. They cost less, are cheaper to run, easier to repair and easier to park. They even get better mileage and as a majority of commuter driving is alone, a motorcycle is all you need. While a typical motorcycle’s mpg numbers do make it seem like its…
BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid on the Horizon
The walls of BMW headquarters whispered rumors of a BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid model, according to Autobild. If a 3 series hybrid is in the works, expect technologies from the big brother ActiveHybrid 7 series to be mated to BMW’s staple straight six engine. A compact electric motor will provide the hybrid with an additional…
Scion xB, xD Release Series Editions Announced for 2012
Scion has revealed two new Release Series editions for the 2012 model year. The Scion xD R.S. 4 will offer cosmetic upgrades including a unique Blizzard Pearl paint job finished with a sleek set of 16 inch alloy rims in a smoked platinum finish. Interior upgrades will feature colored trim pieces matching the paint scheme…
Toyota Pixis Space Launched as Brand’s First Ever Mini-Car With 60-MPG
Toyota has just revealed its first ever mini-car for sale in Japan, the Paxis Space. Supplied by Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., the car is the result of a partnership the two automakers signed last year. Mini-cars are signified not by size or interior volume but by engine displacement, with the Pixis Space making use of…
2012 Car of the Year Candidates Chosen
It’s that time of the year again as Car of the Year begins the laborious task of whittling down new Car of the Year contenders for 2012. A total of 59 journalists, representing automotive authorities across 23 European countries, have been recruited for the task of choosing top car. The number of journalists to represent…
Kia to Focus on Electric Cars, Hyundai to Develop Hybrids as Part of New Green Car Plan
Only until recently did Kia find its groove and really start to deliver a lineup of attractive cars. However, Hyundai‘s vision for Kia’s future has something different in store. Rumors have suggested that Hyundai-Kia Automotive group may be performing an unprecedented hedge to have Kia carry a solely electric vehicle green model range while Hyundai…
China Tells GM to Hand Over Volt Secrets or Face $19,000 Trade Roadblock
GM has long intended to bring their Chevrolet Volt over to the Chinese market. It’s both the largest and the fastest growing market for automobiles and only within a few short years smog pollution has increased exponentially among China’s booming cities. To alleviate the headache, China will offer automakers planning to sell electric vehicles in…
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Priced from $32,760
Toyota has finally released pricing for the all-new Prius Plug-in Hybrid, setting the retail rate at $32,760 – a roughly $8,000 premium over the conventional model. At $32,760, Prius Plug-in provides more standard features like heated front seats, Entune, LED daytime running lights, an enhance keyless entry system as well as a remote start air…
Volkswagen Up! Concepts Brighten Up the Frankfurt Auto Show
Volkswagen made a cannonball of a splash at the Frankfurt Auto Show with a premiere of six new and exciting variations of the Up! that may join to form a small car family. Make no mistake, not only is the exclamation mark a part of the car’s name, Volkswagen’s new microcar line-up exudes excitement.
Jennifer Lopez Stars in New Fiat Commercial [Video]
The Fiat/Chrysler marketing masterminds are at it again. A follow-up to the wildly popular Chrysler 200 commercial featuring Eminem in Detroit and the signature beat from his “8 Mile” soundtrack, the automaker has now recruited the beautiful Jennifer Lopez to endorse its adorable 2012 Fiat 500C. The combination is so irresistible, in fact, that the…
Chevrolet Makes Way For Three Models In Kazakhstan Assembly Deal
Chevrolet cranks up its production capacity for the fourth quarter as the Azia Avto plant in Kazakhstan agrees to support the production of three new Chevy models. As the largest automaker in Kazakhstan, the Azia Avto plant is responsible for more than 87 percent of all passenger cars in the country. GM considers Kazakhstan and areas…
Volkswagen Up! Heralds the Return of the People’s Car: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show
The highlight of Volkswagen‘s press conference at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the Up! was designed as a spiritual successor to the original Beetle. Priced at 9,850 Euros (roughly $13,500) it is intended to be the new “people’s car”. That is, if the people you’re referring to are numbered four or less. You see, the diminutive…
EV Drivers Lose Range Anxiety After Three Months
The promises of energy independence and benefits to the environment have always contended with the range limitation concerns inherent of all electric vehicles. As automakers produce electric vehicles while city infrastructures have yet to provide proper availability of charging stations, skeptics question its practicality. But how have the believers, those who purchased EVs, felt? According…
2012 Nissan Versa Tops Sub-Compact Sales in its First Month
There hasn’t been a lot of buzz generated around the new 2012 Nissan Versa since its unveiling back in April at the New York Auto Show, so it’s completely understandable if one were led to believe that the Versa will manage limited success. On the other hand, Versa’s biggest competitor Hyundai Accent set off to…
Ford Fiesta ECOnetic: the World’s Most Fuel-Efficient Non-Hybrid at 85.6 MPG
It’s difficult to remember when Ford last had as strong a line-up as it does today, but don’t believe for a second that the Blue Oval team are foolish enough to take a moment to relax. Rather, Ford is set to reveal the most efficient non-hybrid family vehicles, the Focus ECOnetic Technology and the Fiesta…
Volkswagen Brings Cylinder Deactivation Technology to the 4-Cylinder Engine
Cylinder shut off technology has been a staple in fuel-saving technology for many years now but it has yet to make its way into a four cylinder engine. At least not until now. Volkswagen‘s 1.4 liter TSI engine will be the very first four cylinder to feature cylinder deactivation as two of its cylinders will…
Audi A2 Concept Revealed Ahead Of Frankfurt Auto Show
Lately it seems like auto shows have become just another venue for another automaker to unveil another electric vehicle concept. The 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show will be no different, as Audi is set to display its new electric A2 concept alongside the introduction of the new Audi S6, S7, and S8. Now this might come as…
Toyota Blamed By Chinese Government For Several Fatal Accidents
A Chinese inspection agency has alleged that Toyota vehicles are responsible for several fatal accidents. China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine claimed that the Toyota Camry, Prado and Reiz models have faulty brakes and drive shafts. The agency has yet to provide any details pertaining to the accidents , nor casualty information….
2012 Hyundai Veloster Priced from $17,300
The highly-anticipated Hyundai Veloster will start at just $17,300, very close to the targeted $17K mark that the Korean automaker first announced at the car’s world premiere at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The news comes via Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik who made the announcement via his personal Twitter account, with Hyundai…
2012 Honda Fit Gets New Content, Revised Style
There’s a lot more competition in the sub-compact segment than there used to be, and yet the Honda Fit continues on as a stand-out model. Those looking to see what Honda will deliver for the next generation of the car will have to wait a little longer. In the mean time, the Fit has received…
Chevy Cruze Diesel Targeting 50-MPG
GM may be looking to brand its new Chevy Cruze Diesel as a performance option for enthusiasts, but that doesn’t mean it won’t deliver impressive fuel economy. In fact, quite the opposite, with the new oil burner, due out next year, targeted at the lofty 50-mpg mark. Aimed directly at the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the…
