automobile

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Hybrids' New Rival: Ye Olde Gas Engine

Conventional cars are giving hybrids a run for their money

(Newser) - Hybrids are gas-sipping wonders, and electric cars may be the green wave of the future, but oil-addicted America's best hope may be ... the conventional gasoline engine, reports the Washington Post . GM, Ford, and Hyundai are now selling cars with conventional engines that get 40mpg or better on the highway, and...

10 Most Dangerous Cars Ever
 10 Most Dangerous Cars Ever 
Dec 5, 2010 8:02 PM CST

10 Most Dangerous Cars Ever

Smart car? Maybe not so smart

(Newser) - Some of us lovingly referred to our first car variously as "the jalopy," "the tin can on wheels," or "the death trap." And some of us were right. Here, as per Autoshippers, are the most dangerous cars of all time:
  • 1967-1971 Ford Pinto: Had
...

Toyota Teams Up With Tesla on Electric Car

$50M buy-in on 'affordable' Tesla model due in 2012

(Newser) - Toyota is teaming up with Tesla Motors to develop and build electric cars at a recently shuttered auto plant in the San Francisco Bay area. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said yesterday the world's largest automaker will invest $50 million in Tesla when the company goes public, and Tesla CEO Elon...

Toyota Stalled US Recall
 Toyota Stalled US Recall 
Apr 12, 2010 4:57 AM CDT

Toyota Stalled US Recall

Treated safety flaws differently in Europe, Canada

(Newser) - Toyota stalled on US recall pledges and treated the same safety problem differently in the US than in Europe and Canada, new documents released by the automaker show. “The time to hide on this one is over. We need to come clean,” an American Toyota executive urged the...

Feds: NY Prius Crash Driver Never Stepped on Brake

Local officials say data are inconclusive

(Newser) - Computer data from a Toyota Prius that crashed in New York shows that at the time of the accident the driver was not applying the brakes, safety officials say. But local police say the evidence is inconclusive and driver error has not been established. "For any agency to release...

Fired Worker Hacks System, Disables 100 Cars Remotely

Ex-employee allegedly abused no-start system

(Newser) - More than 100 Texas drivers got an unexpected surprise late last month when their cars started honking inexplicably or simply stopped working. The hacker charged with causing the problems was arrested yesterday, Wired reports. Omar Ramos-Lopez used to work at the auto center that sold the cars—which were armed...

Here's Hoping Apple Tablet Is Like a Car
Here's Hoping Apple Tablet
Is Like a Car
opinion
Jan 26, 2010 2:42 PM CST

Here's Hoping Apple Tablet Is Like a Car

Computers should be as easy to use as vehicles, appliances

(Newser) - Computers can do amazing things, but as anyone with a technophobic parent knows, they’re still way too complicated. That’s why Farhad Manjoo is hoping Apple’s new tablet will be “the first fully powered PC that is as simple to use as a kitchen appliance.” Sure,...

This Is a $1M Car&mdash;in a Lagoon
 This Is a $1M Car—in a Lagoon  
for the birds
Nov 13, 2009 3:45 PM CST

This Is a $1M Car—in a Lagoon

Cellphone and pelican conspire against Texas driver

(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...

950 Tries Later, Woman Passes Driving Test

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

(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...

Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game
 Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game 
Oct 30, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game

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

(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...

Brazilian Teen's Ride: Pink, Sporty, Bulletproof

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

(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 wealth,...

After Clunker Frenzy, Dealers Expect a Slump

(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...

GM Will Advance Cash to Clunkered Dealers

(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 rebate...

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'
OPINION
Aug 18, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Pry My Clunker From 'My Cold, Dead Fingertips'

(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...

Senate Extends 'Clunkers'
 Senate Extends 'Clunkers' 
Aug 6, 2009 7:31 PM CDT

Senate Extends 'Clunkers'

(Newser) - 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...

House Votes to Add $2B to Clunkers Program

(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 says....

Hybrid Owners Have More Accidents, Get More Tickets

Environmentally-conscious motorists also drive more, study says

(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....

Judge Greenlights GM Asset Sale

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

(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...

Levy on Driving Gains Speed as Gas-Tax Replacement

(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...

Demand for 'Must Have' Camaro Dwarfs Supply

(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...

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