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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: cars

cars stories: 167 news summaries

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In 200 Yards,
Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already

Developers finally realize personality as important as function

Aug 5, 08 5:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But... More »

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driving • navigation • GPS • cars

Opinion

Washington Wants You to Guzzle Gas

Tax dollars should subsidize mass
transit, not cars

Aug 3, 08 3:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - As gas prices rise, Americans are driving less—and fewer dollars are flowing into the gas-tax-fueled Federal Highway Trust Fund. President Bush’s illogical response? To take money out of public transportation and put it in the highway fund—the latest bizarre example of officials intent on promoting and subsidizing... More »

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transit • gas prices • subsidies • cars • Federal Highway Trust Fund

 US Driving Continues to Brake 

Americans drove 29.8B fewer miles through May '08 than same span in '07

Jul 28, 08 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Driving in the United States continued to drop, the Washington Post reports, with May marking the steepest dip in vehicle-miles traveled for that month in the 66 years statistics have been tallied. Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 than May ’07; in the first five... More »

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driving • public transportation • gas tax • cars • telecommuting

 NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota 

Japanese automaker's success comes as American firms are in slump

Jul 24, 08 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - In an effort to curry favor with millions of American NASCAR fans, Toyota joined the league’s top circuit 2 years ago, but fans aren’t warming to the Japanese automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many fans felt betrayed last year when champion racer Kyle Busch traded in... More »

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Japan • Toyota • NASCAR • Kyle Busch • auto industry • cars

Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

Move to clear noxious air in countdown
to Olympics

Jul 21, 08 1:10 PM CDT
(AP) - Half of Beijing's drivers left their cars at home today and took public transportation on the first workday under new restrictions meant to clear the city's notoriously polluted skies before the Olympics. Under the plan that kicked in yesterday, half of the capital's 3.3 million cars will be removed... More »

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China • Asia • traffic • 2008 Beijing Olympics • air pollution • cars

At $68 Per Day, London Parking Obscures Gas Prices

Sydney ($54.50 a day) and New York ($40) relative bargains by comparison

Jul 16, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Besides skyrocketing gas prices, there's another reason to ditch your car: the steep cost of parking. The Economist breaks down the cities with the most expensive spots:
  1. London—$1,167 a month, $68 a day
  2. Sydney—$774.76 a month, $54.50 a day
  3. Hong Kong—$742.40 a
... More »

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London • New York • Hong Kong • parking space • Sydney • cities • cars

 Toyota Will Make Prius in US 

Swap at SUV plant shows how fast industry is adjusting to fuel costs, demand

Jul 10, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Toyota plans to start producing its super-popular Prius hybrid in the US, Wired reports. With inventories overwhelmed by demand, the firm will move production lines to a Mississippi plant intended to produce SUVs. The factory won’t make its first Prius until 2010, but with no sign of abating gas... More »

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fuel efficiency • Toyota Prius • SUV • factory • Prius • auto industry • Japanese auto industry • cars

Sticker Shock: Calif. Puts Emissions Rating on '09 Cars

Law forcing makers to show vehicles' carbon footprint goes into effect in Jan.

Jul 2, 08 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - A state-mandated sticker showing vehicles' global-warming rating is starting to show up in California showrooms, the San Jose Mercury News reports. "We are forced by the nature of our economy to drive vehicles to work and play. This gives people a tool to lessen their carbon footprint," a... More »

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California • global warming • cars

US Auto Sales Off Big, But GM Holds Top Spot

21.4% drop keeps Toyota from No. 1; Honda manages gain

Jul 1, 08 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sales for General Motors, Ford and Toyota all fell by double-digit percentages in June compared to the same month last year, while Honda managed an 11% gain, the Detroit News reports—with GM holding off Toyota as top US seller. In general, consumers passed over big, fuel-guzzling vehicles and luxury... More »

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Toyota • General Motors • Honda • Ford • cars

glossies

 Audi Aims to
 'Outsnob Mercedes' 

Luxury car maker amps up prestige with R8 supercar

Jun 24, 08 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Prestigious Audi seeks to turn its nose even higher and “outsnob Mercedes” by 2015, Esquire reports—not in sales, but in swanky elements, including:
  1. Over-the-top bells and whistles: A Bang & Olufsen stereo system has tweeters popping out of the dash, which aim to silence the nearest BMW.
... More »

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Audi • luxury car • Mercedes Benz • cars

GM, After 16% Sales Dive, Eases Finance Options

No-interest loans, for up to 6 years, on models including pickups and SUVs

Jun 23, 08 3:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - General Motors is offering no-interest financing for up to 6 years on a selection of its 2008 automobiles in an effort to boost US sales, which plummeted 16% in May, Bloomberg reports. Soaring gas prices have hurt sales across the board, and falling trade-in values and general tightening of purse-strings... More »

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General Motors • Treasury Department • gas prices • Chevrolet • auto industry • trucks • cars

When a Wealthy Jock Needs a Ride...

Macky Dancy has a Rolls or Lamborghini, even for a Mets pitcher

Jun 22, 08 12:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Macky Dancy has a deal for you, if you're a millionaire athlete with $200,000 to drop on an upscale ride, the New York Times reports. The 31-year-old salesman, based on Long Island, has delivered Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis to athletes like Allen Iverson and Zab Judah—yet admits he's... More »

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dealership • cars • professional athletes

Roger Clemens Takes Swing at Used-Car Sales

Beleaguered ex-big leaguer hawks his Bentley to pay bills

Jun 18, 08 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - It’s hard to imagine, but apparently Roger Clemens is a little short this month. The former pitcher has sold his Bentley to Bret Michaels to help pay his legal fees, the New York Post reports. “Clemens is apparently selling his lavish goods,” an insider said. “Bret... More »

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Roger Clemens • legal fees • baseball • cars

ANALYSIS

 High Gas Prices
 Are Good for Detroit 

Demand rising for electric alternatives, so makers, legislators must seize moment

Jun 9, 08 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sky-high gas prices are finally pushing top US auto-makers to turn out fuel-efficient vehicles, and both Detroit and Washington should keep the pedal down to make a permanent change in how, and what, Americans drive, the US top car salesman tells the Wall Street Journal. "You have to tell... More »

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energy • gas • General Motors • Honda • Nissan • auto industry • electric • hybrid car • SUVs • fuel costs • cars • AutoNation

S. Carolina Raises a Fuss With Religious Vanity Plates

Critics say they endorse a religion

Jun 6, 08 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - South Carolinians will soon be able to put Jesus on their bumper. A new law went into effect yesterday requiring the state’s Motor Vehicles Department to produce cross-adorned “I Believe” license plates, the New York Times reports. But the plates aren’t kosher with the American Jewish... More »

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South Carolina • religion • separation of church and state • cars

Under the Hood, Size Does Matter

Even in SUVs, Americans opt for smaller engines to conserve on gas

May 31, 08 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Instead of saving on gas by getting smaller cars, many Americans are buying cars with smaller engines. Four-cylinder autos have been zooming off lots nationwide, leaving six-cylinder rides in the dust: Three quarters of mid-size cars sold in May sported the smaller engine, a swerve away from a trend in... More »

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Toyota • Honda • Ford • gas prices • Chevy Malibu • drivers • cars

Gas Prices Drive Americans
Off the Road

Motoring takes record drop: 11B fewer
miles in March

May 27, 08 3:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - The summer driving season that kicked off over Memorial Day weekend will see significantly fewer Americans hitting the road, reports CNN: Figures from March released yesterday show the biggest decline in driving since the federal government began keeping records in 1942—down 4.3% or 11 billion miles from last... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gas • driving • gas prices • Department of Transportation • drivers • cars

US Can Drive
55—and Should,
Greens Say

Call to lower limit claims better mileage, lower emissions

May 22, 08 9:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Escalating fuel prices and fear of global warming are rekindling debate over the nation's maximum speed limit—and environmentalists are urging Congress to slow the US back down to 55 mph, Wired reports. Advocates say going back to the speed limit set during the oil crunch of the 1970s will... More »

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environment • gas • vehicle emissions • speed limit • cars • gas mileage • Department of Energy

 Mercury Line
 May Hit the
 Scrap Heap 

Sales have slipped from half a million annually to 168K last year

May 10, 08 6:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Once a four-wheeled icon of cool, Ford's Mercury brand is steadily losing traction and may soon be parked for good, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ford has not yet announced a plan to scrap the line, but one key stockholder is urging the company to let it go.  "... More »

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retirement • Ford • auto • auto industry • car dealers • auto sales • Mercury • dealership • cars

 GM's SUVs May Get Smaller 

Firm considers switch to car chassis

May 9, 08 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - General Motors has long used truck chassis as the foundation of its largest SUVs: the Escalades, Tahoes, and Yukons. But with fuel costs going nowhere but up and stricter fuel standards on the horizon, GM is considering switching those models to lighter car-sized underpinnings when they come up for redesign... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Congress • General Motors • fuel efficiency • SUV • SUVs • cars

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