Latest Car News
Hurricane Gustav's Impact on Gas Prices Won't Show for Days
Posted: Sep. 02, 2008 10:09:15 a.m.
Gas prices remain steady so far in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. How long that remains true depends on the extent of damage to Gulf of Mexico oil and gas facilities, which isn't yet clear. The hurricane cut through a section of the Gulf coast that, according to Forbes, "is home to nearly half the nation's refining capacity…about 25.0% of domestic oil production and 15.0% of natural gas output."
The AP reports, "Preliminary indications were ...
GM Confirms Chevy Volt Photos Are Real...Somewhat
Posted: Sep. 02, 2008 10:09:08 a.m.
Photos of a car believed to be the production Chevy Volt were leaked to the web late last week from the set of the movie Transformers 2. The General has now confirmed that the photos are in fact shots of a Volt replica, though a spokesperson said the vehicle was still in concept form. As we speculated last week, the vehicle was not running on the Volt's powertrain -- it was instead a fiberglass model of the body that may ...
GM Begins Massive Recall of 2006-2008 SUVs
Posted: Sep. 02, 2008 10:09:43 a.m.
General Motors has issued a recall for more than 850,000 vehicles due to an electrical problem that could lead to a fire. The recalled vehicles are all large or midsize GM SUVs manufactured after 2006, equipped with a heated washer fluid system to keep washer fluid from freezing.
According to a defect notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground ...
New TomTom GPS Lets You Warn Other Drivers of Speed Traps
Posted: Sep. 02, 2008 10:09:52 a.m.
After much speculation and a U.K. electronics store leak, TomTom launched its new HD model, the TomTom Go x40 LIVE, along with two other Go LIVE models, the 740 and 540 at Berlin's IFA consumer electronics conference.
According to Jalopnik, the new x40 "allows users to update maps on the fly with the positions of police speed traps and traffic cameras...alerting other TomTom users in the area of their presence," in addition to storing travel time data ...
GM Says Americans are Buying Trucks and SUVs Again
Posted: Sep. 02, 2008 10:09:04 a.m.
In a year of record gas prices and a slow economy, General Motors says that Americans are increasingly going into car dealerships looking to buy large trucks and SUVs.
Yes, you read that right.
Bloomberg reports, "General Motors Corp.'s U.S. dealers are reporting that a decline in pickup-truck sales may be 'bottoming out' and that some demand is returning for large sport-utility vehicles." While demand for the vehicles is not close to matching demand for fuel-efficient small cars ...
Pictures, Video of Production Chevy Volt Leaked to Web
Posted: Aug. 29, 2008 10:08:59 a.m.
Despite General Motors' attempts to keep the final shape of the production Chevy Volt secret, photos and video of the car leaked onto several websites overnight. The images come from the set of the upcoming film Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. GM has loaned many vehicles for feature roles in the film, including several which are not yet available for sale -- leading automotive writers to pay close attention to the set of the film over the last six months ...
Hurricane Gustav Will Raise Gas Prices for Labor Day Weekend
Posted: Aug. 29, 2008 10:08:19 a.m.
Gas prices have been in a downward slide for more than 40 days, but they are expected to rise through Labor Day weekend as Tropical Storm Gustav approaches the gas-refining region of the Gulf of Mexico. Forbes reports, "Analysts say any damage to oil and gas facilities - especially along the vulnerable Gulf Coast - could send retail gas prices spiking back above $4 a gallon." The national average price of a gallon of regular this morning hovered around $3.66, down ...
Recall Alerts: Hyundai Elantra, Jaguar XF
Posted: Aug. 29, 2008 10:08:36 a.m.
Hyundai is recalling 65,000 2008 Elantra sedans due to a fuel pump defect. The Detroit Free Press reports that the pump "may lose pressure and degrade the engine's performance." The recall affects Elantras with 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines. The problem apparently develops only when gasoline with added Ethanol is used, which "produces a buildup of film on the units' electrical contacts, leading to poor starting or engine hesitation."
According to a defect notice filed with the National Highway ...
Mazda May Be Testing Chevy Volt Competitor
Posted: Aug. 29, 2008 10:08:08 a.m.
The U.K.'s AutoCar reports, "Mazda engineers are hard at work trying to develop a rival to the Chevrolet Volt."
All hybrids currently for sale in the U.S. are parallel hybrids -- their electric motors work to improve the mileage of their gasoline engines, but the gasoline engines do the bulk of the work of moving the car. The Volt is a series hybrid -- its electric motor can power the car alone, with its gasoline engine activating only when ...
Crime Fighting GPS Turtle Nabs Ganja Grower
Posted: Aug. 29, 2008 10:08:12 a.m.
This is not a GPS story for a portable car-centric device. But it's just too good to pass up.
According to numerous reports, a GPS-equipped turtle aided in a recent drug bust, when it meandered across U.S. park land near the Washington D.C-Maryland border to discover marijuana growing
The Washington Post says the turtle is one of 135 Eastern box turtles that calls the park home "and one of three puttering in the woods with tiny radio ...
