Kick the Tires

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May 2008
- Mercury Line May Hit the Scrap Heap
  
  Los Angeles Times | 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. "Mercury has one more product cycle left in it, and then will almost certainly be retired as a brand," one analyst said. More »
- Buy Our Minivan, Give Your College Fund a Boost: VW
  
  Lef Lane News | May 8, 08 7:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Volkswagen is offering an innovative incentive to parents to buy their Chrysler-built Routan minivan: $1,500 in a college savings plan, Left Lane News reports. The partnership with Upromise might pale to those with more pressing concerns (or who hate planning ahead), though: Chrysler itself is offering a credit card that locks in gas prices for three years. More »
- $1.7M Ride Seeks Loving Owners
  
  Men's Vogue | May 2, 08 4:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - French automaker Bugatti is betting its business on the fact that 300 people in the world will want to pony up $1.7 million each for its new car, the Veyron. The automobile, which boasts a top speed of 253 mph, has cost VW Group more than half a billion euros in development, but has sold only 180 vehicles, Men's Vogue reports. More »
April 2008
- Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007
  
  Associated Press | Apr 22, 08 5:17 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sales of hybrid cars rose 38% in the US last year, with Toyota's Prius grabbing more than half the market. As fuel prices climb, hybrid sales are expected to continue to rise this year. Five states lead the rest in buying hybrids, calculated by percentage of sales: California (26.1%) Florida (5.5%) New York (5.0%) Texas (4.9%) Washington (3.7%) More »
March 2008
- Tata's Luxury Buys Tell World 'We're Here'
  
  BBC | Mar 26, 08 11:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Perhaps you’ve never heard of Tata, the Indian company that's the new owner of Jaguar and Land Rover—but it's already a $70 billion globe-straddling giant, the BBC reports, with major subsidiaries in a host of industries. Not content with dominating its fast-growing home market, Tata Motors sells cars in Africa, South America, and throughout Asia. More »
- GPS Network Aims to Beat Traffic Jams
  
  Washington Post | Mar 25, 08 8:22 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - You may soon be able to evade a traffic jam with a little help from your fellow driver, the Washington Post reports. California start-up Dash Navigation is launching a GPS device that collects speed and location data from vehicles, then uses the information to figure out which roads are congested and warn drivers away. More »
- Alfa Romeo Revs Up to US Market
  
  Los Angeles Times | Mar 15, 08 8:34 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Italian automaker Alfa Romeo is ready for a second run at the US market, hoping to provide a stylish alternative to BMWs and Audis, the Los Angeles Times reports. A cultural icon in Italy, Alfa failed to win over Americans in the past—and is now sparking skepticism from auto experts. “Do we really need another marque?” asked one automotive writer. More »
February 2008
- DWI: Driving While Immersed
  
  Times (UK) | Feb 15, 08 2:13 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The first car capable of diving and maneuvering both underwater and on land is in the works, the London Times reports. Inspired by James Bond’s Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me, the sQuba is an electric-powered open-top two-seater that "moves like a fish in the water" and can dive 33 feet down. More »
- Chrysler to Cut 30% of Models
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 8, 08 3:27 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Chrysler plans to cull its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands by at least a third, and drastically reduce the network of 3,600 dealers selling its vehicles to reduce costs, reports the Wall Street Journal . Chrysler dropped three models last year, leaving it with about 30 product lines. The company expects to cut back to approximately six cars, six trucks and no more than six SUVs over the next few years. More »
January 2008
- 2008 Chicago Auto Show Preview: YES! Roadster 3.2 Turbo
  
  edmunds.com | Jan 29, 08
  
  First seen in prototype form at the 1999 Frankfurt Auto Show, the second-generation YES! Roadster 3.2 is coming to North America, including a potent new turbocharged edition.Hand-built in Germany by Funke & Will, the YES! Roadster 3.2 Turbo is powered by Audi's 3.2-liter V6, boosted to 355 horsepower and 358 pound-feet of torque, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. Built of fiber-reinforced composite on an aluminum space frame and weighing just over 2,000 pounds, the 3.2 Turbo jets from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and hits a top speed of 175 mph. An even more extreme...
- Electric Roadster Ready to Roll
  
  DailyTech | Jan 25, 08 2:00 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The long-awaited, all-electric Tesla Roadster has passed federal safety tests with flying colors and will finally go into production March 17—albeit with temporary transmissions on the first models, reports DailyTech. The interim transmissions mean the $100,000 Roadster will do zero to 60 in 5.7 seconds, instead of the promised 4, until Tesla replaces them. More »
- India's Tata Debuts $2,500 Car
  
  Associated Press | Jan 10, 08 10:34 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - It has no radio, air conditioning, or passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper; but what Tata Motors' newest offering, the Nano, does have is a price tag that could help millions of people become car owners: $2,500. The tiny 4-door sub-compact, the world's cheapest car, was unveiled at India's biggest auto show yesterday, prompting fears that it will worsen pollution and make India’s already crowed roads impassable, reports the AP. More »
December 2007
- Honda Shows Hydrogen Is Here
  
  New York Times | Dec 9, 07 9:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - It may not look high-tech enough for the Jetsons, but Honda’s new FCX Clarity is definitely worth all the buzz, New York Times auto critic Norman Mayersohn gushes. After test-driving the sedan, which runs on hydrogen fuel, Mayersohn said its greatest trick is its simplicity, which helps “convince drivers that the cars of our future aren’t so frightening after all.” More »
- Chrysler CEO Predicts $1.6B Loss This Year
  
  Wall Street Journal | Dec 5, 07 10:01 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Chrysler will be screeching toward a second consecutive year in the red, sources told the Wall Street Journal , as the automaker will lose $1.6 billion. CEO Robert Nardelli told designers and engineers this week that while the beleaguered automaker’s revenue was about $63 billion, costs exceeded $64 billion. The newly private company no longer must report earnings publicly. More »
November 2007
- The Awesome New Stuff List for 2007
  
  Popular Science | Nov 15, 07 4:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Popular Science 's "Best of What's New" awards go to the leading innovations of the year. Check out what the future looks like: Automotive: 2008 Audi R8 Aviation & Space: CNES Corot Satellite Gadgets: Apple iPhone More »
- Hybrids Lag in Resale Value
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 14, 07 5:10 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - No hybrids cracked the top 10 in a new report on the projected resale value of vehicles, the LA Times reports. The Kelley Blue Book predictions have 3 models from Volkswagen and 2 from Honda, but none of the gas-saving newbies. Brand-new hybrids remain strong sellers, one analyst says, but with automakers cranking more of them out, their value is dropping in the used-car market. More »
- Top Rides of 2008
  
  Popular Mechanics | Nov 10, 07 4:34 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Popular Mechanics test drove a fleet of upcoming cars and trucks to conceive this list of 2008's best rides, in ten categories: Design: Nissan GT-R Value: Scion xB Energy efficiency: GMC Yukon Hybrid and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid More »
- Toyota Explores Plug-in Prius
  
  Reuters | Nov 10, 07 11:48 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Toyota is launching a three-year study of US consumer demand for a new version of the popular Prius that could run exclusively on electric power and be recharged in a standard electric socket. Toyota may yet beat rival General Motors to market—GM has set a 2010 target date for its plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, Reuters reports. More »
October 2007
- Puyo: It's Green, Safe and Glows
  
  Reuters | Oct 24, 07 4:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Honda unveiled the unusual Puyo today, an in-development concept car with no sharp edges and a coating of soft silicone to absorb collisions, Reuters reports. Visitors to the Tokyo Motor Show were given a look at the car, which runs on hydrogen fuel cells, is driven with a joystick, and glows different colors when it is running or standing still. More »
- In Europe, Cars Go the Way of Cigarettes
  
  Times (UK) | Oct 20, 07 9:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Carbon health warnings for cars are coming to Europe. Under a European Parliament plan expected to be approved this week, 20% of the space in print car advertising will have to be devoted to cigarette-style warnings about vehicles' carbon emissions and fuel efficiency. The most polluting vehicles will also face penalties of up to $10,000, the Times of London reports. More »