New Cars: News, Information and Reviews
Chinese automaker to buy Volvo Ford has been right-sizing its corporate portfolio since long before it was fashionable. Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Land Rover have all found new international owners. Now, there are reports that Chinese automaker Geely has signed a deal to purchase Volvo. No formal announcement has been made. [Autocar, The Car Connection] New auto company to use old GM plant Backed by investor T. Boone Pickens, V-Vehicle Co. will assemble cars at a former General Motors plant in Louisiana. The project is expected to create over 1,400 direct jobs at an average annual salary of nearly $40,000, plus benefits. VVC will receive a state incentive package worth approximately $67 million. Pickens has been a vocal advocate of wind...
Whether the goal is returning a favor to dear ol’ Dad for sharing his wisdom and guidance, or giving that new graduate a bit more direction in life, a GPS navigator can be a great gift. There are many models to choose from, with new features cropping up every few months. It can be difficult to choose one, especially when buying a gift for someone else. We have a comprehensive GPS buying guide to help you through the process, along with detailed, sortable ratings to identify the models that best meet your needs and budget. And for the outdoor adventurer types, we have a handheld hiking GPS buyer’s guide and ratings, as well. Shopping tips As you browse, consider the features that will matter most. We recommend focusing on ease of...
I’m on auto manufacturer’s Web sites all the time. I’m checking data, looking up prices, figuring out which safety equipment is available on which trim lines, and configuring cars to buy for our test program. For the life of me, I can’t understand why any Web site has a pop-up when you try to use the configurator, rather than just have it embedded within the page. Don’t most people use browsers that block pop-ups? Do you know anyone who says, “Oh, cool. I was hoping for an unwanted advertisement for the all-in-one doohickey that promises to solve all my problems…I think I’ll buy 10 of them.” Aren’t pop-ups, like, so 1990s? If there’s a pop-up that you actually want to see...
New York City has a number of nicknames such as the Big Apple and Gotham, but now it can add another distinction—America’s Road Rage capital. According to the annual study by the Affinion Group, NYC tops the list as the least courteous U.S. city to drive in, up from its third place finish last year. It rudely took the title away from Miami. The city with the least road rage was Portland, Oregon, up from second place last year. See the list of top five best and worst cities below. Cities with the worst road rage: New York City Dallas/Ft. Worth Detroit Atlanta Minneapolis/St. Paul Cities with the least angry drivers: Portland, OR Cleveland Baltimore Sacramento Pittsburgh The study was conducted via telephone (though not while...
Literally the “king’s garden” (albeit in German), Koenigsegg is a tiny Swedish company that builds a lineup of exotic sports cars it says are capable of going 245 mph. Koenigegg has agreed to buy as agreed to buy Saab, Sweden’s second-largest carmaker. Koenigsegg was founded in 1994 by a 22-year-old Swedish entrepreneur named Christian von Koenigsegg. It sold its first car, called a CC8S, in 2002. Since then, the company has built the CCR, and starting in 2006, the CCX, its first car eligible for sale worldwide. The mid-engined, carbon-fiber coupe uses a twin-supercharged, 4.7-liter V8 producing 806 hp, and it weighs a little over 2,800 pounds. It has become a video game, cultivating a growing legion of young...
In the daily news overload, with 1s and 0s streaming from myriad, disparate sources, two things struck me on the same day this week: Marvel Comics announced that the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, would be resurrected and returned to his namesake comic book. (See video.) Senator John McCain declared that he was buying a Ford Fusion hybrid on Twitter. Clearly, McCain is sending a signal with his latest purchase, taking the prized pole position in his vehicle fleet away from his coveted Cadillac CTS, according to the Associated Press. A patriot, McCain is buying American, though his brand choice is telling. The Senator had voted against providing money to Chrysler and General Motors back in December, according to the Detroit Free...
A good night’s sleep seems to elude many of us. A recent study conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that about half of respondents either had trouble falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or wake up too early. Sleeplessness can affect your daily performance at work, school, and on the road. Drowsy driving crashes can be hard to detect due to difficult and unreliable reporting, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates there are about 100,000 sleep-related crashes per year and 1,550 fatalities. A 2005 survey from the National Sleep Foundation found 60 percent of drivers (168 million people) drove while drowsy in the past year and more than a third have fallen asleep behind...
Despite the media onslaught, the average car buyer is relatively removed from the financial machinations behind the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies, though the process does open up new considerations and risks for shoppers. We have received many reader and media queries on the developing auto crisis, and continue to develop our advice and insights. Bankruptcy hits home with consumers The most immediate impact is that both corporations have announced plans to reduce the number of franchised dealers. With the remaining dealer network, sales will continue as these companies restructure and resurrect themselves as “new” businesses. With the automotive giants, we’re driving into uncharted territory, though recent high-profile...
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced four vehicles that earn its Top Safety Pick award: the 2009 Audi Q5, 2010 Lexus RX, 2009 Toyota Venza, and 2009 Volkswagen CC. To qualify for the Top Safety Pick accolade, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's three main tests: front-, side-, and rear-impacts. In addition it must be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC). All four of these vehicles come equipped with standard ESC and side air bags. We recently tested all four. Our full Ratings are in the model overview pages of each vehicle (available to online subscribers). There are currently 77 2009 models, so far, that earn the Top Pick award, up from 43 for the 2008 model year....
Doh! The latest celebrity voice available for download to a TomTom portable GPS device is that of the patriarch of the long-running The Simpsons television show, Homer. Commemorating the animated program’s 20th anniversary, Homer can bring some levity to navigation, with his signature sayings, wit, and laughter. More than just speaking the directions, Homer will interject his own food-driven commentary. For example, “Take the third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm…ice cream.” Priced at $12.95, Homer is a premium voice. Other voices are available for TomTom Go, One, XL, and Rider devices, ranging from generic character actors to celebrities, like John Cleese. (Read: “GPS navigation celebrity voices:...
Mainstream cars don’t get much nichier than Saab. Now the brand may become even more of a niche player as General Motors has announced it will sell its Swedish subsidiary to Swedish exotic-carmaker Koenigsegg. Koenigsegg, with a staff of 45, builds $1 million super-cars with a claimed top speed of 245 mph. Last year it sold 18 of them. Saab sells upscale sedans and a rebadged GM SUV. Last year it lost more than $380 million selling only 90,000 vehicles worldwide. Tiny Koenigsegg will borrow $600 million from the European Investment Bank to continue Saab operations. It plans to continue rolling out new models that GM has in development, including pending redesigns of the aging 9-3, and outdated 9-5, as well as a new 9-4X small, upscale...
Despite assurances from General Motors President and CEO Fritz Henderson that “We have absolutely no intention at all of not taking care of customers" (from CBS Early Show interview), there is one thing that is clear about vehicle warranties during the GM bankruptcy: There is confusion. In posts on January 6 ("Who will perform warranty service on my GM car?") and another one on June 2 ("My dealer closed! What do I do?"), we reported that GMs instructions for Saturn owners needing warranty service are very clear: "Under the terms of the warranty, the customer should first attempt to bring their vehicle to any Saturn retailer for warranty service. If there is no retailer in their immediate area, or if it is...
School’s almost out and road trip season beckons. And having mapped dozens of trips all around the country, I don’t think there’s anything better to drive than a minivan – especially with kids. These vehicles offer the best combination of seating and cargo-carrying flexibility ever. One of the newest (well, sort of) models is the built-in-Canada Volkswagen Routan. However, despite the German engineering tag line, this is a merely a Chrysler minivan in disguise. (Some have taken to combining its pedigree and moniker, Chrysler and Routan, into a tasty new name: Crouton.) While Volkswagen made some exterior styling changes, according to the company, most of the money was retuning the suspension and steering....
Cars that can drive themselves are a technology of the future, right? After driving the latest Infiniti FX35, I can answer the question with a definitive, sort of. Our FX35 is equipped with forward warning, intelligent cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-departure prevention, and an “around view monitor” to aid parking maneuvers. Unlike similar systems we’ve tried before, the forward-collision warning and lane departure systems can help keep the car on track, push back on the throttle, and even apply the brakes, in addition to sounding alarms inside the cabin. In stop-and-go traffic, the distance-control alert system can even bring the car to a full stop. Using these systems, the FX35 can brake and accelerate on...
In almost every region, fuel prices are up compared against the week before. Gasoline is 10 cents more expensive than diesel fuel per gallon. The national gasoline average is now about a $1.41 below the price this time last year. Despite the increase in price, diesel fuel is still $2.12 below this time last year. National retail fuel price averages Price Change from last week Regular gasoline/gallon $2.67 ↑.05 Diesel fuel/gallon $2.57 ↑.07 Regional regular gasoline prices Price Change from last week East Coast $2.62 ↑ .08 -New England $2.65 ↑ .08 -Central Atlantic $2.65 ↑ .08 -Lower Atlantic $2.59 ↑ .08 Midwest $2.69 ↓ .02 Gulf Coast $2.53 ↑ .06 Rocky Mountain $2.57 ↑ .06 West Coast $2.90 ↑...
Kia has announced pricing for the new Forte small sedan. Available in three trim lines, the Forte will start at $13,695 for the LX trim, $15,795 for the EX, and $17,195 for the top-of-the-line SX. Sized similarly to a Honda Civic, the base model LX does away with typical standard features such as power windows and door locks, cup holders, and air conditioning. They become standard on the EX and SX along with remote keyless entry, and steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls. The SX adds a leather-wrapped telescoping steering wheel. The LX and EX are powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 156 horsepower and returning an EPA-rated 25 city/34 highway mpg with either the five-speed manual or four-speed automatic...