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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: automobile

automobile stories: 38 news summaries

1 - 20 of 38 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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for the birds

 This Is a $1M Car—in a Lagoon  

Cellphone and pelican conspire against Texas driver

Nov 13, 09 3:45 PM CST
(Newser) - A Texas driver distracted by a low-flying pelican took an unexpected detour—into 3 feet of water. Andy House, 34, drove a Bugatti Veyron EB, worth about $1 million, into a saltwater lagoon near Galveston. "He was calm,” the driver of the wrecker that took away the waterlogged... More »

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sports cars • Texas • Galveston • Bugatti • cars • automobile • Andy House

 950 Tries Later, Woman 
 Passes Driving Test 

Now all South Korean has to do is pass the physical test

Nov 6, 09 8:40 AM CST
(Newser) - A 68-year-old South Korean woman has finally been granted the chance to take her actual, physical driving test after completing the written exam—on her 950th try. Cha Sa-soon took the test and failed almost daily since April 2005 before recently squeaking through with the minimum score of 60%. At... More »

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elderly • South Korea • driving • drivers licenses • automobile • test • written test

 Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game 

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

Oct 30, 09 5:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of... More »

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Japan • Toyota • Nissan • Mazda • Toyota Prius • Prius • auto industry • hybrid car • vehicle • automobile • auto imports • Leaf • Nissan Leaf • Daihatsu

 Brazilian Teen's Ride: 
 Pink, Sporty, Bulletproof 

In Sao Paulo, armoring a car is as much about status as protection

Sep 10, 09 1:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sao Paulo, Brazil, is known as the armored car capital of the world, and for good reason, the Wall Street Journal reports. Brazil's murder rate is 5 times the rate in the US, and the wealthy are historically at risk for kidnapping. Add to that a recent influx of... More »

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Brazil • kidnapping • Sao Paulo • Volkswagen • automobile • wealthy • armored car • status

(Newser) - Just as the "cash for clunkers" program sparked a boom in auto sales, its cancellation will likely depress the industry, CNNMoney reports. As of today, the last day of the government-funded incentive, rebate applications for 625,000 trade-ins totaling $2.58 billion had been submitted. “We're definitely going... More »

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recession • auto industry • car dealers • automobile • Cash for Clunkers • federal funding • Car Allowance Rebate System • customer

(Newser) - General Motors will start making temporary loans to dealers who have yet to be reimbursed by the federal government under the Cash for Clunkers plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Dealers, some now irate, essentially did the same thing for customers participating in the trade-in plan—covering the government... More »

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General Motors • auto industry • loan • car dealers • Federal government • automobile • reimbursement • Cash for Clunkers • Car Allowance Rebate System • cash advance

OPINION

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'


Aug 18, 09 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Some cars’ gas mileage is good enough to make them ineligible for the cash-for-clunkers program—but that’s not the only reason David Holahan doesn’t want to turn in his old rides. “I’m all for stimulating the economy, cleaning air, and improving fuel economy,” he writes... More »

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environment • used cars • gas mileage • automobile • Cash for Clunkers • federal programs • Car Allowance Rebate System • junk yard

 Senate Extends 'Clunkers' 


Aug 6, 09 7:31 PM CDT
(AP) - Cash for Clunkers lives. As expected, Congress tonight sent President Obama legislation with an additional $2 billion to extend the program. The Senate approved the money on a 60-37 vote after administration officials said the initial $1 billion had run out in only 10 days. The House voted last week... More »

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Senate • auto industry • auto sales • automobile • Cash for Clunkers

(Newser) - The House voted today to beef up the "cash for clunkers" program to the tune of $2 billion, but that doesn’t mean shoppers and dealers are any clearer on the federal program, the Detroit Free Press reports. “It is an absolute total mess,” one dealer... More »

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Congress • House of Representatives • auto industry • automobile • President Obama • Cash for Clunkers • federal funding • Car Allowance Rebate System

Hybrid Owners Have More Accidents, Get More Tickets

Environmentally-conscious motorists also drive more, study says

Jul 17, 09 6:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Owners of hybrid vehicles tend to drive more, have higher repair bills, and get more tickets than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the Car Connection reports. A study of the behavior of 360,000 motorists found insurers pay 17% more for comprehensive coverage of hybrid owners compared to owners of conventional models.... More »

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insurance • Toyota Prius • accident • driving • Prius • hybrid car • vehicle • cars • gas mileage • automobile • traffic violation • gasoline

 Judge Greenlights 
 GM Asset Sale 

Firm will transform into leaner car maker owned by US, Canada, UAW

Jul 6, 09 1:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - GM has won approval for a restructuring plan in which the car maker will sell its most valuable assets to a new firm—also called GM—owned by the US and Canadian governments and a UAW health care trust, the New York Times reports. Judge Robert Gerber agreed with GM... More »

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bankruptcy • General Motors • automaker • restructuring • auto industry • car dealers • automobile

(Newser) - As the US moves away from a gasoline-only auto culture, researchers and the government are investigating alternative taxes to fund road-building and maintenance, the Kansas City Star reports. The leading idea to supplant the gas tax is a by-the-mile approach endorsed by a federal commission. “If you’re committed... More »

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driving • GPS • electric cars • gas tax • hybrid car • automobile • gasoline • mileage

(Newser) - Recession be damned, desire for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro far outstrips supply—and some dealers are even charging a premium for the sporty new ride, USA Today reports. “Our current production schedule can’t meet the demand,” a General Motors spokesman said. But “that supply-demand tension is... More »

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General Motors • recession • model • Chevrolet • auto industry • supply and demand • cars • automobile • Camaro • Ford Mustang

 10 Cars That Changed Our Lives

Forbes compiles autos that changed the world

Jun 28, 09 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cars can create or symbolize profound change—in lifestyle, financial status, and even forms of government. Forbes looks at 10 that changed the world:
  1. Toyota Prius. The flagship model for all hybrids, the Prius opened people's minds to the ugly environmental impact of driving. It remains the world's best-selling
... More »

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Toyota • Ford • SUV • Prius • Jeep Grand Cherokee • automobile

glossies

 Electric Bikes 
 Take Off 
 in China 


Jun 14, 09 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chinese drivers are seeing a new vehicle zip by on the nation's congested, smog-choked freeways: electric bicycles, Austin Ramzy writes in Time. Promoted by the government as affordable solutions to cars, so-called e-bikes are growing in popularity, offering a green solution to the country's automobile boom. About 21 million e-bikes... More »

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China • environment • smog • green • automobile • electric bicycle

OPINION

 We Fell Out of Love With Cars 


May 30, 09 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Plenty of economists are trying to define what killed Detroit, but they’re looking in all the wrong places. “Fire the MBAs and hire a poet,” writes PJ O’Rourke in the Wall Street Journal. This isn’t a story of unions or financial crisis. “It’... More »

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auto industry • P.J. O'Rourke • cars • automobile

 Pedestrians Drive 
 Cars From 
 Times Square 

New York begins experiment with car-free intersection

May 25, 09 6:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Times Square was transformed yesterday from a crush of traffic into a pedestrian mall, as New York began a months-long experiment at the city's busiest intersection. Cars have been banned along Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets, as well as in Herald Square to the south. Tourists and locals were... More »

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New York City • New York • traffic • Broadway • Times Square • automobile • intersection

 Korea Roadway Recharges Cars 


May 18, 09 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - South Korean scientists are working on road technology that allows electric vehicles to continually recharge while driving, Reuters reports. Inductive charging, used with watertight electric toothbrushes, requires no contact between power source and appliance. For vehicles, electric strips would be embedded in the road at intervals, and a magnetic field... More »

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South Korea • roadways • battery • electricity • electric cars • automobile • inductive recharging • toothbrush

 Foreign Bidders 
 See Opportunity 
 in Detroit Mess 

As GM, Chrysler spin off units in their wake, the global auto landscape shifts

May 7, 09 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - With Chrysler in bankruptcy and General Motors at the precipice, foreign companies are preparing bids for parts of the US auto industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. The result will be a broad global reshuffling as companies like Italy’s Fiat, France’s Renault, and even China’s Geely buy... More »

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Chrysler • General Motors • auto industry • Fiat • automobile • Nissan-Renault • Saab • Opel • Geely Automobile Holdings

ANALYSIS

Are Americans Falling Out of Love With Cars?

Drop in driving could be delayed reaction to gas prices—or not: Silver

May 6, 09 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - Is the fact that Americans are driving less even after the cost of gas has come down a sign that US attitudes are changing, Nate Silver asks in Esquire—or is it just another example of how slowly they respond to changes in fuel prices? “The real test,”... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Detroit • automaker • driving • Seattle • statistics • Big Three • US automakers • automobile • car culture

1 - 20 of 38 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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