Automotive

Auto dealers push law blocking Tesla sales in North Carolina

2013-05-14T22:52:00.003-07:00

Tesla Motors has become the belle of Wall Street over the past week after revealing its first quarterly profit and receiving the top score ever from Consumer Reports for the Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan.

May 14: Mercedes-Benz reinvented the car on this date in 1996

2013-05-14T07:13:00.002-07:00

Chrysler recalls 469,000 SUVs worldwide over gearshift problem

2013-05-12T00:18:00.004-07:00

(Reuters) - Chrysler Group LLC is recalling about 469,000 SUVs worldwide to update software after some vehicles' circuit boards were found to be transmitting signals that trigger inadvertent gear shifts to neutral, the No. 3 U.S. automaker said Saturday.

2013 Shelby Focus ST, the maddest puppy in town: Motoramic Drives

2013-05-09T00:37:00.001-07:00

When the 2013 Shelby Focus ST revealed its menacing face at the Detroit auto show earlier this year, one colossal question remained: “$40k for a Focus?” What made it worse was that, at the time, no engine upgrade was available, making the $14,995 premium on top of the regular Focus ST purely about improved handling and aesthetical madness.

The 11 essential steps to selling your own car

2013-05-05T22:44:00.002-07:00

As a car dealer who has sold well over a thousand cars, I can share with you plenty of horror stories about people who wanted to sell their ride.

VW Group’s Offensive This Year Includes 60 New and Updated Models

2013-04-26T21:40:00.003-07:00

Volkswagen Group wants to offset decreasing demand in Europe by rolling out 60 new and updated models before the end of this year. At the shareholders’ meeting in Hanover, Germany, VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn said the company’s target remains unchanged – to reach the top of the automotive industry.

Tesla Model S Tops GM Volt in North American Plug-In Race

2013-04-26T21:34:00.003-07:00

Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA), the luxury battery-car company run by billionaire Elon Musk, is North America’s rechargeable auto sales leader so far this year as its Model S sedan passed General Motors Co. (GM)’s Chevrolet Volt.

Road-tripping the Mazda MX-5 Miata for the crown of sports car king

2013-04-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

By Alex Lloyd | Motoramic

The words “affordable” and “sports car” seldom go together. Add “new” to the mix and we’re presented quite the anomaly.

5 frustrating car infotainment interfaces

2013-04-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

By Bengt Halvorson | High Gear Media

Driving sure isn't what it used to be. And while that might apply just as well to how that new car accelerates, steers, or rides, here we're talking about what's inside—namely, that big, bright screen in the middle of the dash.

April 19: Chevrolet’s “Black Widow” racer was born on this date in 1957

2013-04-19T22:08:00.001-07:00

By GE Anderson | Motoramic

Image courtesy Eric Brockmeyer Design
Fifty-six years ago today -- April 19, 1957 -- Chevrolet sent out a letter and booklet, which became known as the 1957 Stock Car Competition Guide, to 411 of its dealers.

Lamborghini celebrates 50 years with amped up Aventador Anniversario

2013-04-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

By Alex Lloyd | Motoramic

To celebrate 50 years of madness, Lamborghini are offering a special edition Aventador that's even madder.

Europe Car Sales Plunge 10% as Germany’s Decline Hurts VW

2013-04-17T00:14:00.004-07:00

By Tommaso Ebhardt

European car sales dropped 10 percent in March as declines at PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG),Ford Motor Co. (F) and Volkswagen AG (VOW) and a plunge in Germany put the industry on pace for the fewest annual deliveries in 20 years.

GM, Ford to collaborate on new transmissions

2013-04-15T06:10:00.003-07:00

General Motors, Ford, to work together on new gas-saving automatic

Learning to love the minivan, ditching the stigma

2013-04-14T23:08:00.003-07:00

By Alex Lloyd | Motoramic

What was once a booming market now struggles. Minivan sales have been stagnant for years, as SUVs boast improved fuel efficiency, roomier third row seating, and a more practical use of cargo space. One might think this remains a blessing, allowing us to finally rid the streets of the stereotypical “Mom Van.” I believe, however, it’s a travesty, and that a minivan can actually be fantastic – if you’re able to shed the stigma.

April 13: Ford unveiled the Mustang at the World’s Fair in New York on this date in 1964

2013-04-14T23:06:00.002-07:00

10 cars to watch in the next 24 months

2013-04-12T07:04:00.005-07:00

By Automobile Staff | Automobile Magazine

Automobile Magazine selected the most promising production cars slated for release in the next two years as part of its annual sneak peak issue. (Illustrations by: Larson/Autobild, Radovan Varicak, Scott Olsen)

April 12: founder of classic British sports car company is born in 1888

2013-04-12T06:59:00.004-07:00

Cecil Kimber, founder of classic British sports car company MG, was born on this date back in 1888.

Subaru WRX Concept stuns, but what lies beneath?

2013-04-11T22:56:00.006-07:00

When enthusiasts think Subaru, they think WRX. It’s embodies everything our inner child desires: huge rear wing and giant hood scoop, a noise capable of collapsing buildings, and on-road/off-road capabilities ensuring you feel like rally champ Petter Solberg. The current WRX bears signs of age, and a revamped version is expected soon. Well, today, at the New York auto show, Subaru gave us a glimpse into the future look of the WRX. And it’s absolutely stunning.

Japan carmakers recall 3.4 million vehicles for Takata airbag flaw

2013-04-11T22:53:00.004-07:00

Four Japanese automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co, are recalling 3.4 million vehicles sold around the world because airbags supplied by Takata Corp are at risk of catching fire or injuring passengers.

The move announced on Thursday is the largest recall ever for airbags made by Takata, the world's second-largest supplier of airbags and seatbelts. Shares of Takata tumbled almost 10 percent in Tokyo trading.

The recall, also including vehicles from Honda Motor Co Ltd and Mazda Motor Corp, is the largest since Toyota pulled back more than 7 million vehicles in October. The scale of the recent safety actions underscores the risk of huge global supply chain problems as automakers increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts to cut costs, analysts have said.

Make/Model	Model Year(s)
Honda Civic	2001-2003
Honda CR-V	2002-2003
Honda Odyssey	2002
Lexus SC 430	2001-2003
Mazda6	Between 2000-2004
Mazda RX-8	Between 2000-2004
Nissan Cube	Between 2000-2004
Nissan Maxima	Between 2000-2004
Pontiac Vibe	2003
Toyota Camry	2001-2003
Toyota Corolla	2001-2003
Toyota Matrix	2001-2003
Toyota Sequoia	2001-2003
Toyota Tundra	2001-2003
Toyota Yaris	2001-2003
_{*Not a complete list; more make/models possibly affected}

The recall covers some of the top-selling Japanese cars, including Toyota's Camry andCorolla, and rivals like the Nissan Maximaand Honda Civic. All of the vehicles in question were manufactured in or after 2000.

Takata said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011, and that it has since been investigating. Once the cause was determined, the supplier alerted customers, who decided on the recall.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan said there were no reports of injuries or deaths because of the defective airbags.

Honda said it became aware of the issue after a crash in Puerto Rico in October 2011 in which a passenger front airbag deployed with too much pressure and caused the inflator casing to rupture. A U.S. spokesman for the Japanese automaker was not sure whether that accident was the first case to bring the issue to light.

Takata was alerted about the accident and the car was eventually shipped to the United States for study, the Honda spokesman said.

In July and August 2012 in Japan, at scrapyards where airbags were being recycled, officials noted that airbags in some Honda vehicles deployed "strangely," adding to the probe, the spokesman said.

In an accident, the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator, the companies said. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured.

Tokyo-based Takata said it supplies airbags and seatbelts to major automakers including Daimler AG and Ford Motor Co as well as the Japanese brands.

Some non-Japanese automakers were also supplied with the faulty airbags, Takata spokesman Toyohiro Hishikawa said. He declined to name those automakers.

General Motors Co said Takata is a supplier, but that the problem affected only about 55,000 Pontiac Vibe cars from model year 2003 built for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The cars were assembled at the Fremont, California, plant GM previously ran in a joint venture with Toyota and were included in Toyota's total recall number, a GM spokesman said. GM dealers will service its cars.

BMW has an undetermined number of vehicles affected by the recall, a U.S. spokesman for Takata said.

Officials with Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen , Renault SA and Volkswagen AG said they were not affected because they did not use the airbags covered by the recall. India's Tata Motors Ltd and its Jaguar Land Rover unit said they are not affected.

A Takata spokesman in the United States said no other customers were affected. Italy's Fiat SpA and India's Maruti Suzuki said Takata is not a supplier.

DEFECT FOUND

Between 2008 and 2011, Honda was forced to recall about 2.8 million vehicles after finding a defect with driver-side airbags supplied by Takata.

"When the last recall took place, we inspected everything such as the site of manufacturing, but we were not able to identify this problem," said Hideyuki Matsumoto, another spokesman for Takata.

Toyota said it would recall about 1.73 million vehicles produced between November 2000 and March 2004, including 580,000 vehicles sold in North America and 490,000 vehicles sold in Europe.

Honda said it was recalling around 1.14 million vehicles worldwide, including 561,400 vehicles in the United States and another 107,800 in Canada.

Nissan said it was recalling about 480,000 vehicles globally, and more than 265,000 of those were in the United States. It said the number of vehicles under recall could increase. Mazda said it was recalling 45,500 vehicles worldwide.

The faulty airbags were manufactured between 2000 and 2002 in a Takata factory in Mexico. Takata currently has seven plants in Mexico, including three that make airbags, but it had fewer factories when the airbags in the recall were made.

The Toyota models covered by the recall include the Corolla, Tundra, Yaris and Camry. Nissan models include the Maxima and the Cube.

Toyota said it will exchange the faulty airbag inflators for new ones, a fix that is expected to take about an hour to two-and-a-half hours for most models. Company officials declined to give the costs related to the recall.

"The inflators themselves are not so expensive, but there is the cost to cover for the hours spent to fix the problem," said Kohei Takahashi, an auto industry analyst at J.P. Morgan in Japan.

The recall, announced during Japanese trading hours, hit Takata's shares harder than it did shares in the automakers, which typically carry reserves for recalls and warranty costs.

It is the largest recall for Takata since 1995 when the company was involved in a recall of more than 8 million vehicles because of defective seatbelts.

Shares in Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda, which continue to be supported by a weakening yen, were up between 3.1 and 5.8 percent, outpacing a 2 percent rise in the benchmark Nikkei.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota and Mari Saito; Additional reporting by staff in Europe, Mexico, India and China; editing by Daniel Magnowski and Matthew Lewis)

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BMW X1

2013-04-05T21:28:00.002-07:00

BMW X 1

After the partial success of BMW Z4 roadster, luxury car manufacturer BMW plans to launch its cost efficient and much stylish SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) model BMW X1in the Indian auto market.

BMW Vehicles Go Greener on Fewer Cylinders, Less Gasoline

2013-04-05T21:17:00.002-07:00

By Jason H. Harper

BMW via Bloomberg

A BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe. The three-cylinder engine it will use should produce between five and 15 percent less CO2 emissions than a comparable four-cylinder engine.

BMW (BMW) is working on the little engine that could.

Audi Wants to Change a 45-Year-Old U.S. Headlight Rule

2013-04-05T00:14:00.004-07:00

By Angela Greiling Keane

The headlights on the forthcoming Audi (VOW) A8 sedan can illuminate around corners and throw brighter-than-average beams. They’re also smarter,

April 1: AMC introduces the Gremlin on this date in 1970

2013-04-01T06:32:00.002-07:00

Senior Editor of Motoramic

By Justin Hyde

New Maserati Cars

2013-04-01T06:25:00.002-07:00

Click on any new Maserati model name for more detailed Maserati information, pictures, specs and reviews.

New Mazda Cars

2013-03-20T07:23:00.002-07:00

2014 Mazda Cars

Click on any new Mazda model name for more detailed Mazda information, pictures, specs and reviews.