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Not all hybrid cars are created equal. Some deliver genuine benefits to the environment and consumers, while others are just pricey options that allow automakers to cash in on those five green little letters. This week the Union of Concerned Scientists unveiled its 2011 Hybrid Scorecard to help consumers tell the difference. The Scorecard rates
At some point in nearly every conversation I’ve had about the bailout of the American auto industry, someone brings up the idea that many American cars “are made in Mexico anyway.” While that’s an exaggeration, there’s a perception — well-founded in some cases — that U.S. car companies appeal to the patriotism of Americans to
Howdy, pilgrim, it’s another recall roundup (insert sound of blasting six shooters here). This week, we’ve herded up a whole passel of defective little doggies. Saddle up and find out if your auto is on the list! This month Ford announced it was expanding a recall of its Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT trucks
The U.S. auto market continues to feel the impact of the Japanese earthquake. Toyota announced this week it would be limiting shipments of some replacement auto parts to U.S. dealerships. From the Associated Press: Toyota has told dealers to stop ordering 233 parts for Lexus, Scion and Toyota models unless a customer needs one for
That didn’t take long. The aftershocks of the disaster in Japan are beginning to reverberate in the U.S. auto market. American auto dealers selling Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota are cutting incentives on models affected by factory shutdowns in Japan. From the Associated Press: Buyers will typically have to pay sticker prices, instead of enjoying discounts
Yeehaw! It’s time for another rootin’-tootin’ recall roundup, and it looks like the 2011 models are looking to get a head start on potentially dangerous quality defects: Three auto manufacturers are already announcing recalls on 2011 models, and it’s not even New Year’s. Anyway, there’s a whole herd of recalls to cover here, so let’s
Toyota recently corrected the electronic stability control problem in its Lexus GX 460 SUV that drew a “Do Not Buy” rating from Consumer Reports. The defect had previously made the SUV vulnerable to roll over in Consumer Reports tests. What’s interesting about this fix is that it shows off one of the strengths of the
Last week product research firm J.D. Power released some surprising news: Not only did the initial quality of U.S. cars increase less than the usual 3 percent, but the lackluster performance overall was attributed to Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota. J.D. Power uses a simple formula to measure a car’s initial quality — it divides the
With the approaching debut of its Equus model, Hyundai is headed farther down a path taken by many foreign automakers with varying levels of success: creating a luxury line of cars to compete in the U.S. premium market. The Korean automaker is betting big — it spent $260 million just developing the all-aluminum V-8 that
German researchers recently demonstrated a minivan they’ve modified to allow it to be driven via eye movement. The minivan collects input from the driver via a system of GPS, cameras and laser eye sensors built into a helmet worn by the driver. Apparently Associated Press writer Juergen Baetz also envisioned the chaos and carnage that
