Latest Car News
Michigan, Other States Ponder Lower Speed Limits
Posted: Jul. 03, 2008 10:07:35 a.m.
High gas prices may force drivers to slow down -- right in the back yard of the big three domestic automakers.
The Detroit Free Press reports that some Michigan officials "have floated an idea tossed out a few years ago like bad 1970s bell-bottoms: reducing speed limits to conserve fuel." Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) hasn't embraced or rejected the notion, and Michigan lawmakers have not moved to adjust their state's highway speed limits -- but Democrats in the state ...
Ford Introduces 62 mpg Small Car...For Euro Market Only
Posted: Jul. 03, 2008 10:07:06 a.m.
Ford's upcoming 2010 Fiesta is an important part of the automaker's recovery plan. Praised by the automotive press when it was revealed over the summer, the little car is seen as a serious competitor for the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris and other subcompact imports that Americans are turning to as gas prices rise. Now, the automaker has unveiled an ultra-efficient version of the car, said to achieve better mileage than a Toyota Prius. Sound like the answer ...
Controversial GM Bankruptcy Rumors Gain Steam
Posted: Jul. 03, 2008 10:07:27 a.m.
In the wake of poor June sales figures, rumors of impending bankruptcy for General Motors are gaining traction. The rumors began with speculation by television investment guru Jim Cramer, then grew as a Merrill Lynch analyst called them realistic. Skeptics remain, however, and GM's future is far from clear.
Reuters reports, "General Motors Corp will need to raise as much as $15 billion in cash to shore up liquidity and bankruptcy is 'not impossible' if the U.S. auto ...
Gas Prices Crimp 4th of July Travel Plans
Posted: Jul. 03, 2008 10:07:54 a.m.
Going anywhere for the holiday weekend? If you're like most Americans, you're probably staying close to home. According to USA Today, "AAA predicts that skyrocketing gas prices will keep people closer to home. Gas prices hit another record Wednesday when the average cost for a gallon of regular peaked at $4.09, AAA spokesman Troy Green says. 'A year ago, we were looking at $2.95,' he says."
CBS News adds, "For the first time in a decade ...
Can Mercedes Go Gasoline-Free by 2015?
Posted: Jul. 03, 2008 10:07:15 a.m.
A report in the U.K.' Sun this week makes the claim "Mercedes are aiming to end the need for filling your fuel tank with petrol or diesel within just seven years." The paper goes on to assert that Mercedes-Benz engineers believe that their lineup can be gasoline-free by 2015, and plan to "drip-feed different forms of more eco-friendly vehicles into showrooms."
It's a breathtaking claim. Kicking Tires calls it "a bit misleading." What M-B engineer Herbert Hohler actually ...
June Auto Sales Even Worse Than Expected
Posted: Jul. 02, 2008 10:07:28 a.m.
The headlines are grim. "U.S. Auto Sales in the Ditch in June," says the Los Angeles Times. USA Today blares, "Auto Sales Plunge in June." The AP goes with, "June Car Sales Plummet, More Declines Expected." Reuters calls June's figures a 15-year low. The Chicago Tribune one-ups them with "Auto Sales Hit 17-Year Low."
We'll start with the Chicago Tribune, then: "June didn't bust out all over for the auto industry. It just went bust. Though ...
Toyota Corolla Now America's Best-Selling Vehicle*
Posted: Jul. 02, 2008 10:07:15 a.m.
There's a new best-selling vehicle in America, again. It's a small, Japanese-designed sedan with a four-cylinder engine, again. It's not, however, the same one that won the title when May sales figures were released.
In May, the Honda Civic knocked the Ford F-150 off the perch it had held, almost uninterrupted, for 17 years. In June, the Toyota Corolla outsold the Civic.
That conclusion is mildly controversial. As Kicking Tires points out, "Toyota includes Matrix sales along ...
VW May Produce 282 MPG Two-Seat Car
Posted: Jul. 02, 2008 10:07:16 a.m.
Volkswagen has a new car in pre-production that, the automaker estimates, could get up to 282 mpg.
That's not a misprint.
The catch? If produced, this would unquestionably be the strangest-looking car on the road.
Autoblog explains, "A few years back, Volkswagen introduced a concept vehicle," known as the VW 1L, "which derived its name from its stated goal of using just one liter of fuel per one-hundred kilometers traveled." The concept "actually beat its lofty goal rather handily ...
Safety Advocates Push for Bumper-Height Rules
Posted: Jul. 02, 2008 10:07:16 a.m.
Cars, trucks and SUVs are designed to absorb a hit to their bumpers. But the bumpers of vehicles don't all line up. When the bumper of an SUV, mounted high off the ground, strikes the trunk of a passenger car mounted lower to the ground, it can result in injuries and thousands of dollars worth of damage. If the same two vehicles were to collide bumper-on-bumper, injuries and damage would likely be far less.
That's the argument the ...
Tele Atlas, Google Become Mapmaking Bedfellows
Posted: Jul. 02, 2008 10:07:52 a.m.
Yesterday a press release from Dutch mapmaker TeleAtlas announced a five-year mapshare agreement deal with Google that "spans Google's current and future map-based services and navigation offerings across mobile, online and desktop environments," and includes Google Maps, Google Earth and mobile applications of Google Maps. "The agreement also gives TeleAtlas access to edits for its maps from Google's community of users."
Digital Trends and others have noted, "the agreement will be an unusual two-way exchange." while Washington Post ...