All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Car loan approval rates are improving
It’s getting easier to get a car loan. “A couple of months ago, it was horrible,” says George Magliano, an automotive research analyst with IHS Global Insight. “The least blemish on your credit report and you got nothing.” The loan approval rate for customers with the highest credit scores was 90 percent in June after [...]
Fabled Lexus GS F to use LFA’s V10
We’ve been hearing rumblings about a Lexus GS F for over two years, with the most recent report indicating that the maxed-out super sedan was put on hold until the economic climate reached a balmy 75-degrees. However, the rumormongers at Japan’s BestCar seem to think that the GS F is back on track, and not [...]
Chevy’s Stingray from all angles
American muscle cars. There simply aren’t enough over on our fair shores, so to make up for this woeful shortfall, we thought we’d treat you to a gallery of Chevrolet’s 50th birthday present to the Corvette Stingray, first unveiled to the public in 1959. And as would be expected, the 2009 version has more in [...]
2011 Lexus LFA Test Drive
Much in the way the aspiring Hollywood star needs to “do Shakespeare,” Toyota felt it needed to “do supercar.” Full model competence these days doesn’t just include the world’s best-selling hybrid, successful luxury and youth brands and a full lineup of trucks and crossovers—it also requires something mad, bad and jet-fighter fast in the showroom. [...]
First Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Golf evolves the German hatchback
Outside of North America, the Golf has been Volkswagen’s bread-and-butter model for more than three decades, making the diminutive hatch one of the best selling global vehicles since its mid-Seventies launch as the Beetle’s successor. But in the States, it’s a totally different story. Except for a few brief periods when fuel prices spiked, the [...]
2010 Suzuki Kizashi drives brand out of basement, into fast lane
Shut your eyes and say the word “Suzuki” out loud. Unless you’re a moto-head or one of those rare Geo Metro fanatics (they exist, trust us), the image that springs to mind isn’t very nice. Odds are that the car your subconscious conjures is tiny, cheap and bizarre. It’s probably named something forgettable like “Aerio” [...]
Battle of the ultrapremium automakers
Bentley’s Mulsanne, the 2011 model is shown here, is the first complete remake of its top-line sedan in a decade. Bentley and Rolls-Royce, once siblings, are now competing in the ultrapremium car market. Think of it as one-time siblings rivalry. For roughly seven decades, Rolls-Royce and Bentley were two faces of the same platinum coin. [...]
Redesigned Jaguar XJ makes Neiman Marcus Christmas wish list
The Halloween candy is still fresh, but the folks at Neiman Marcus are gearing up for Christmas. And one of the stars of this year’s Christmas book from the upscale retailer is the redesigned Jaguar XJ sedan. When wishing for a flat-screen television or Coach purse just isn’t dreaming big enough, there’s the Jag XJL [...]
2010 Lexus ES 350 to start at $35,675
The 2010 Lexus ES 350 will start at $35,675, including destination charges, when the lightly updated sedan arrives on the market later this month. Changes on the outside include side mirrors with integrated turn signals, revised front grille, chrome body side molding, front bumper and rain-sensing wipers. The ES 350 also gets updated headlamps, lower [...]
A Harley Lands in America, by Way of Europe
THE 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200 took me by surprise. Sure, I knew about its unveiling in 2006 at a European motorcycle show. But even that unusual setting for the debut of a prototype by the most American of bike makers did not prepare me for how different this Harley would be. Now a production model as [...]
G.M. Agrees to Sell Opel to Magna, With Strings
BERLIN — General Motors told the German government Thursday that it had decided to sell a majority stake in its unprofitable European operations as agreed last spring — on condition that the government and labor unions pledged to help with the “necessary” restructuring. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who is up for re-election in less [...]
Teen driving: Can computers teach us to drive?
Can technology help us do a better job of training novice drivers? Note the term “novice,” which is coming to replace “teen” as the focus of national concern about inexperienced drivers. This stems in part from graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws that have pushed up the age of new drivers and is partially a reflection [...]
10 great and safe rides for teens
Thinking about what’s the best car for your teen when he or she faces the real word of driving? Here are some suggestions: Dodge Caliber BASE PRICE: $17,090 With five-star front- and side-crash ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a hatchback body, the Caliber is among the safest and most flexible small [...]
2010 BMW X6 M: Fast and fun
Barreling around the racetrack, there’s little lean entering the corners, plenty of thrust on exit and a monster amount of grip everywhere, and if it feels taxed at all, it’s ever so briefly as the nose aims left and up from turn five for the steep climb out of the esses. Road Atlanta is plain [...]
Nissan says Leaf EV beats Chevy Volt with 367 mpg
The green car mileage race is now under way, and Nissan Motor Co. isn’t impressed by the Chevrolet Volt’s 230-mpg claim. The Japanese automaker says its new Leaf electric vehicle gets 367 mpg, or about 60 percent better fuel efficiency. “Nissan Leaf = 367 mpg, no tailpipe, and no gas required,” Nissan wrote on its [...]
Nissan EV moves electric car closer to reality
It’s called the Leaf in Japan, and whether or not Nissan’s production electric car carries that name in the United States, the company insists that the car will be on the road before the end of 2010. Slightly larger than the familiar Versa subcompact, the zero-emissions Leaf was unveiled Aug. 2 at a dedication ceremony [...]
Lotus offers supercharger kits for Elise, Exige
Lotus enthusiasts looking to wring a little more power out of their rides now have a potent option: a supercharger kit for the Elise and Exige models. The kits boost power in the naturally-aspirated versions from about 189 hp to 218 hp and improve torque from 133 lb-ft to 155 lb-ft. Even better–this added power [...]
Ferrari unveils new 458 Italia
Ferrari has unveiled its new 458 Italia, a mid-engined replacement for the F430. Unlike the launch of its California model, Ferrari hasn’t drip-fed us the details, instead dropping them all in one release today (July 28). They take a bit of digesting too, the stunning 458 Italia exceeding even our lofty expectations as to what [...]
2010 Chevrolet Camaro gets Transformers special edition
Sports-car fans who fantasize about being an Autobot can now make their dual fantasy a reality–with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers special edition. Essentially, the car turns the character Bumblebee from the movie into a road-going option package for an extra $995. Just as on the silver screen, the Camaro is yellow with a black [...]
Ford creates one-off, aviation-inspired ‘Dearborn Doll’ Mustang
Some versions of the 2010 Mustang feel fast enough to get airborne. And with that in mind, Ford tricked out one of its pony cars with an over-the-top aviation theme and will auction it for charity July 30. It’s called the AV-X10, or “Dearborn Doll,” and is based on a Mustang GT. There is just [...]
Video: Love want you Nissan and this polar bear, if you drive a leaf
Dario Franchitti scores second IndyCar Series win of the year in Iowa 
Edwards, Busch finish first and second in Nationwide race in Milwaukee
Porsche Cayenne S hybrid: More techs and specs released
Review: 2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV (JDM)