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We bet you saw one of these still cruising the highway recently.
Read more: http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/cars_that_wont_die/1.html#ixzz1fN74qWIe
10 Cars that Refuse to Die
We bet you saw one of these still cruising the highway recently.
Read more: http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/cars_that_wont_die/1.html#ixzz1fN74qWIe
New Camry, Spruced Up but Still Free of Flash
Toyota unveiled a revamped, lower-priced Camry on Tuesday that it hopes will retain its nearly decade-long dominance as the best-selling car in the United States and help the company regain some of the respect and momentum that has evaporated in recent years.
So important is the new Camry to Toyota’s recovery that the company’s president, Akio Toyoda, traveled to Kentucky so he could drive the first completed car off the assembly line and proclaim “100 percent confidence” in the work of his designers and engineers.
“You might say that this is an opportunity to show the world again what Toyota is all about,” Mr. Toyoda said. He called the Camry, which accounted for 22 percent of Toyota’s sales in the United States last year, “a symbol of Toyota’s success.” It has been the best-selling car in the United States for nine consecutive years.
The 2012 Camry, scheduled to reach dealerships in early October, cannot arrive soon enough for Toyota, which was the world’s largest automaker from 2008 through 2010 but is on pace to rank third this year, behind General Motors and Volkswagen. The company suffered serious damage to a once-impermeable reputation after recalling millions of vehicles to address concerns that some were accelerating out of control. More recently, it has struggled to overcome production disruptions caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March.
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So important is the new Camry to Toyota’s recovery that the company’s president, Akio Toyoda, traveled to Kentucky so he could drive the first completed car off the assembly line and proclaim “100 percent confidence” in the work of his designers and engineers.
“You might say that this is an opportunity to show the world again what Toyota is all about,” Mr. Toyoda said. He called the Camry, which accounted for 22 percent of Toyota’s sales in the United States last year, “a symbol of Toyota’s success.” It has been the best-selling car in the United States for nine consecutive years.
The 2012 Camry, scheduled to reach dealerships in early October, cannot arrive soon enough for Toyota, which was the world’s largest automaker from 2008 through 2010 but is on pace to rank third this year, behind General Motors and Volkswagen. The company suffered serious damage to a once-impermeable reputation after recalling millions of vehicles to address concerns that some were accelerating out of control. More recently, it has struggled to overcome production disruptions caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March.
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J.D. Power study finds autos are more reliable
J.D. Power and Associates' annual dependability study finds fewer reported problems with vehicles. On average, there were 151 problems per 100 3-year-old cars. But automakers are seeing an increased rate of problems with cars' electronic features.
The study, released Thursday, found there were an average of 151 problems per 100 of the 3-year-old vehicles during the time period surveyed. That was the lowest problem rate since the inception of the study in 1990 and an improvement from the 155 problems per 100 vehicles that owners of 2007 models reported in last year's study, J.D. Power said.
Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand had the best score — 101 problems per 100 vehicles. Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Corp., was second with 109.
Jaguar was third at 112, Porsche fourth at 114, and the Toyota brand, notwithstanding millions of recalls in the last 18 months, still ranked fifth with 122.
Mini, a division of BMW, fared the worst, scoring 221. Jeep, 214; Land Rover, 212; Dodge, 206; and Chrysler, 202, rounded out the bottom five.
Auto companies, however, are seeing increased rates of problems with electronic features in vehicles, including audio, entertainment and navigation systems and new safety features, such as tire-pressure monitoring systems, he said.
Toyota had the top vehicles in seven segment awards, the most of any automaker.
The Lexus RX 350 was the top luxury crossover. Other top-ranked Toyota-built vehicles included the Scion xB compact utility vehicle, Toyota 4Runner midsize SUV, Toyota Prius sedan, Toyota Sienna minivan, Toyota Tacoma midsize pickup truck and Toyota Tundra large pickup.
"More than ever, consumers are considering durability as a key component in their vehicle purchase decision, and these awards are one more key indicator that Toyota continues to take the lead," said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.
Ford had four top models, including the Ford Fusion midsize sedan, the Ford Mustang, the Lincoln MKZ sedan and the Lincoln Navigator SUV.
General Motors placed three vehicles among the top models, including the Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS and Chevrolet Tahoe.
Honda Motor Co. also had three: the Acura RL, Honda CR-V and Honda Fit. Other top-ranked models included the BMW X3, Mazda MX-5 Miata and Mercedes-Benz CLK.
Electric Vehicles: Myths vs. Reality
Myth 1: Switching to an electric vehicle will just mean that the same amount of pollution comes from the electricity generation rather than from the tailpipe — I'll just be switching from oil to coal
Reality: According to a range of studies, an electric car leads to 35 to 60% less carbon dioxide pollution from electricity than the CO2 pollution from the oil of a conventional car with an internal combustion engine.
Myth 2: Plug-in cars will lead to the production of more coal and nuclear plants.
Reality: Even if the majority of drivers switched to electric, the existing electrical grid's off-peak/nighttime capacity for power generation is sufficient without building a single new power plant.
Myth 3: Electric car batteries pose a recycling problem.
Reality: Internal combustion engine vehicles use lead-acid batteries, and their recycle rate is about 98% in the US.
Myth 4: My electricity bill will go way up.
Reality: While you'll spend more on electricity, the savings on gas will more than cover it. If you drive a pure battery electric vehicle 12,000 miles a year at current electricity rates (assuming $.12 per kilowatt hour though rates vary throughout the country), you'll pay about $389 per year for the electricity to charge your battery, but you'll save about $1200 in gas (assuming $3 per gallon, a 30 miles per gallon vehicle, and 12,000 miles driven).
Myth 5: Electric vehicles will just fail again like they did before.
Reality: Manufacturers are serious this time -rolling out more than a dozen new plug-in models in the next couple of years, starting now.
Myth 6: My battery will run out of juice.
Reality: The majority of drivers in the US drive less than 35 miles each day, sufficient for a fully charged pure electric vehicle (most can go 80 to 140 miles on one charge), and an extended range electric vehicle (that drives about 35 miles on electric and then the gasoline power kicks in). Using a 220-volt outlet and charging station, a plug-in hybrid recharges in about 100 minutes, an extended range plug-in electric in about four hours, and a pure electric in six to eight hours.
Myth 7: Electric vehicles are much more expensive than traditional vehicles.
Reality: While the initial sticker price of EVs is higher than traditional vehicles, you need to do the math to account for a variety of factors.
Myth 8: Electric vehicles are only available in California.
Reality: While EVs are not yet available for purchase in every state, they are quickly becoming available in many. The fully electric Nissan Leaf is being sold to customers in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Tennessee.
Myth 9: Charging an EV on solar power is a futuristic dream.
Reality: The technology to power your EV with solar power is already available. The investment in solar panels pays off faster when the solar power is not only replacing grid electricity, but replacing much more expensive gasoline.
CAR REVIEWS: BEST OF 2011
Awards season is at hand, so it's only fitting to salute top performers in one of L.A.'s favorite categories: autos. Our work as Times car reviewers put us behind the wheels of dozens of vehicles last year. Breakout stars included two new electric vehicles: the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Luxury models by Jaguar and Porsche also impressed us with their style and power. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee, an American classic, got a big thumbs up. Fans in the cheap seats will find there's something for them too: One of our winning cars has a sticker of only $19,690. We also drove some vehicles that didn't measure up. So let's roll out the red carpet and acknowledge some of the standouts and also-rans of the 2011 model year.
66 vehicles get insurance institute's highest safety rating
Automobiles — whether economy cars or the top luxury models — are rapidly becoming safer to drive, an insurance industry trade group said.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its Top Safety Pick ratings for the 2011 model year Tuesday, saying 66 vehicles, including 40 cars and 25 sport utility vehicles, earned the group's highest safety ranking.
That's more than double the 27 vehicles that achieved the group's top safety grade at the start of this year. Big improvements to roofs to protect passengers in rollover accidents contributed to a greater number of vehicles' achieving better rankings.
"That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms," said Adrian Lund, the institute's president. "In fact, every major automaker has at least one winning model this year."
More autos are achieving the highest rating because better safety equipment is increasingly standard, Lund said. The insurance industry-funded trade group said 92% of 2011 model year cars, 94% of SUVs and 56% of pickup trucks now have standard head and torso side airbags. Electronic stability control is standard on 92% of 2011 cars, all SUVs and 72% of pickups.
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Jay Leno's Garage: Richard Petty Signature Series Challenger
If you love the stock Dodge Challenger, get ready to drop your jaw and drool. Richard Petty stops by the garage with the first of his signature series Challengers. That's right, what was 425 hp is now a supercharged 610, and that's just for starters. Yow!
The Garage
The Garage
EV1: GM and Chevron killed the Electric car
Here is a video on the GM EV-1 which they killed.
see video
see video
The 11 biggest electric car myths
As major automakers are planning to bring out an electric car in the near future. While the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt will be the first to enter the market, Mitsubishi and SMART's EVs will join the fray soon. So, here are few myths about electric car before they hit the roads.
Myth 1: Electric cars won't be able to go far enough on a single charge.
Fact: The new Chevy Volt which will be available in 2010 will be able to go 35-40 miles before fuel is used for the electrical charge. However, many estimate that the range will be improved to 80 miles before any gasoline will be burned. The cars can be plugged in and recharged during the day for a gasoline-free commute home in the evening.
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Myth 1: Electric cars won't be able to go far enough on a single charge.
Fact: The new Chevy Volt which will be available in 2010 will be able to go 35-40 miles before fuel is used for the electrical charge. However, many estimate that the range will be improved to 80 miles before any gasoline will be burned. The cars can be plugged in and recharged during the day for a gasoline-free commute home in the evening.
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Getting Charged Up for New Chevy Volt
Get ready to plug in your car. The electric powered Chevrolet Volt is just a few weeks away from hitting the streets and the Nissan Leaf is also making the rounds. The idea of electric cars is pretty cool. But when it comes time to plunk down thousands of dollars to buy one, that's when we start having second thoughts.
Clearly the hybrids have done well in San Diego and that's one reason the electric cars are coming here first. But there's another reason -- the weather. “How are they going to hold up under severe cold, how are those batteries going to do? By starting in Southern California, and San Diego in particular, they have a very mild weather and it shouldn't play that big of role in decreasing the amount of range you can get on that electric engine,” said Patrick Olsen from www.cars.com.
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Clearly the hybrids have done well in San Diego and that's one reason the electric cars are coming here first. But there's another reason -- the weather. “How are they going to hold up under severe cold, how are those batteries going to do? By starting in Southern California, and San Diego in particular, they have a very mild weather and it shouldn't play that big of role in decreasing the amount of range you can get on that electric engine,” said Patrick Olsen from www.cars.com.
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U.S. sets stricter car-mileage standards
The Obama administration handed down a tough new set of mileage standards for cars and light trucks Thursday, as part of its drive to cut harmful emissions and ease the nation's dependence on foreign oil. The rules, based on a joint proposal by officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department, aim to raise the average mileage of new cars on U.S. roads to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. That's a 34% increase from the current 26.4 mpg level and accelerates emissions targets set by Congress in 2008.
The rules come at a cost, though. Government officials estimate they will add, on average, about $1,000 to the price of a new car. Making cars meet those targets, which take effect from 2012, will likely to cost the automotive industry about $52 billion, they said.
At the same time, the government estimates a savings of about 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of those cars built under the new rules. That translates to fuel savings of about $3,000 per car. The new rules should also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by about 30% from 2012 to 2016.
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The rules come at a cost, though. Government officials estimate they will add, on average, about $1,000 to the price of a new car. Making cars meet those targets, which take effect from 2012, will likely to cost the automotive industry about $52 billion, they said.
At the same time, the government estimates a savings of about 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of those cars built under the new rules. That translates to fuel savings of about $3,000 per car. The new rules should also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by about 30% from 2012 to 2016.
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The word automobile comes, via the French automobile, from the Ancient Greek word αὐτός (autós, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); meaning a vehicle that moves itself, rather than being pulled or pushed by a separate animal or another vehicle. The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre ("cart") (from Old North French), or karros (a Gallic wagon).
Although Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769 by adapting an existing horse-drawn vehicle, this claim is disputed by some, who doubt Cugnot's three-wheeler ever ran or was stable. Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China, built the first steam-powered vehicle around 1672 which was of small scale and designed as a toy for the Chinese Emperor that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger, but quite possibly, was the first working steam-powered vehicle ('auto-mobile'). What is not in doubt is that Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive in 1801, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle although it was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, and would have been of little practical use.
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