cars

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GM-Chrysler Talks Pick Up Speed as Auto Sales Stall

GM, burning through $1B monthly, seeks a cash infusion, cost savings

(Newser) - Talks of a General Motors-Chrysler merger are on the fast-track, the Wall Street Journal reports, with lenders pushing for a deal to be completed as soon as the end of the month. Amid a historically dismal month for US auto sales, GM is scrambling to shore up a bleeding balance...

Flying Cars? Yep (and Sooner Than You Think)

Will cost under $100,000

(Newser) - Flying cars aren’t the stuff of science fiction anymore. A small California company called Moller is already producing a run of its M200 Neuera, an ethanol-powered two-seater straight out of the Jetsons, LiveScience reports. The car is expected to land next year, and carry a price tag south of...

Face Facts: People Prefer Mean-Looking Cars

Car buyers attach human traits to vehicles, research shows

(Newser) - Friendly is out and angry is in—for cars, at least. When people look at cars, they tend to see human faces and characteristics, LiveScience reports. A new study found that "power" traits such as dominant, masculine, and angry—think BMW's 5 Series—top the list. And the results...

Ford Sales, Off 34%, Key Ugly US Autos Report

Nissan down 37%; Toyota sees 32% drop; GM fares better, but still 16% lower

(Newser) - As expected, early sales reports from automakers paint a dismal picture, MarketWatch reports. Ford reports a 34% drop in US sales in September compared to a year ago; Toyota’s were off 32% and General Motors’ fell 16%, AP adds. Industry-wide, sales are down almost 20% over this time in...

Guess How Many Cars I Own?
 Guess How Many Cars I Own? 
Sep 22, 2008 8:53 AM CDT

Guess How Many Cars I Own?

13 rides pack McCains' garages, including 2 Jeeps, a pickup, Caddie and foreign cars

(Newser) - The McCains own almost twice as many cars as they do houses, and a few members of the fleet are foreign—despite John McCain’s recent assurances to Detroit that "I've bought American literally all my life.” Thirteen cars are registered to John and Cindy McCain, Newsweek discovered...

Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz
 Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz 
Sep 16, 2008 1:58 PM CDT

Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz

Plug-in electric car finally unveiled today; production model too ordinary for some fans

(Newser) - GM offered its first official look today at the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, CNNMoney reports, the electric car slated to go on sale in 2010. Its tame appearance drew the ire of gearheads hoping it would look more like the futuristic concept version. "A lot of people are saying they're...

Mini Debuts an SUV
 Mini Debuts an SUV 
Sep 12, 2008 1:20 PM CDT

Mini Debuts an SUV

BMW to premiere its 4WD model next month

(Newser) - The newest car to roll off BMW's Mini line may have more in common with a Ford Escape than with its cousins Cooper and Clubman, reports Driving.ca. The new model, which may be called the Crossman, premieres next month at the Paris Motor Show, and anticipation is mounting. Not...

Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar
 Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar
OPINION
Sep 8, 2008 12:27 PM CDT

Goodbye, Autos; Hello, Podcar

Driverless taxis could transform public transit

(Newser) - Forget alternative fuels and dump rusting gas guzzlers altogether for the driverless podcar, which offers "the convenience of an auto without the negatives," Catherine G. Burke writes in the Los Angeles Times. The sleek, electric-powered compartments seat four and use monorail-esque "guideways" to reach select destinations. It...

Cars Driven Out of Pop Music
 Cars Driven Out of Pop Music 
Sep 7, 2008 2:18 PM CDT

Cars Driven Out of Pop Music

In the lyrics of popular music, where have all the cars gone?

(Newser) - Songs paying homage to cars exploded onto the scene in the earliest days of rock 'n' roll, but since the the Beach Boys described the workings of their "409" and Bruce Springsteen sang about "Racing in the Street," auto-themed rock seems to have gone the way of...

Small Cars Carry Big Price Tags
 Small Cars Carry Big Price Tags 
Sep 3, 2008 10:57 AM CDT

Small Cars Carry Big Price Tags

As public turns from SUVs, automakers jack up prices on compacts

(Newser) - With sales of SUVs and trucks dwindling, car companies have begun to push smaller, more fuel-efficient models—but not for the same small prices. Without the $10,000 profit that was typical on SUVs, automakers can no longer sell cars like the Ford Focus for an average profit of $100....

US Slow to Hop On Global Biking Boom

Countries that encourage self-propelled commuting see benefits instantly

(Newser) - The US remains uninspired by nations that have prodded people to save money by biking to work, the Washington Post reports. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands installed infrastructure years ago to benefit bikers and discourage cars, but America—along with Canada, Australia, and Britain—have not. "It is very...

Utah Drivers Fill Up With Cheap Natural Gas

State's drivers corner the market in natural gas cars

(Newser) - Utah drivers are lining up to fill their cars and trucks with natural gas, at the equivalent of just 87 cents a gallon, the New York Times reports. State regulations keeping natural gas cheap have fueled a surge of interest in natural gas vehicles among drivers in the state, who...

College Peddles Bike Program to Go Green

Wis. school offers freshmen free cycles for no-car pledge

(Newser) - Incoming freshmen are jumping on a Wisconsin college’s offer of a brand-new bike in return for leaving their cars at home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Ripon College aims to save parking spots, and perhaps the planet, with its Velorution Project. The initiative, one newly minted student cyclist says,...

Britain to Test Car Satellite Toll

Controversial plan will charge up to $2.40 per mile for British autos

(Newser) - Britain plans to test a toll system that tracks drivers by satellite and charges them by the mile, the Daily Telegraph reports. Dubbed "spy in the sky," the controversial plan was floated by the Labour government and was considered dead under PM Gordon Brown. "It seems that...

EPA Refuses to Lower Ethanol Quota

Agency denies request by Texas governor

(Newser) - The EPA refused to cut a minimum ethanol quota today, despite critics’ charges that the biofuel mandate is driving high food prices, the New York Times reports. The agency approved Congress’ quota that requires the US use 9 billion gallons of ethanol in gasoline blends this year, denying Texas Gov....

The 15 Most Fuel Efficient Cars
 The 15 Most Fuel Efficient Cars
Aug 7, 2008 9:43 AM CDT

The 15 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

(Newser) - Toyota’s Prius may hold the crown for fuel-efficiency, but that doesn’t mean it’s lonely at the top. BusinessWeek takes a look at the 15 cars with the best mileage—30 mpg combined city and highway or better.
  • Mercury’s 2009 Mariner Hybrid offers mileage better than the
...

In 200 Yards, Tell Your GPS to Shut Up Already

Developers finally realize personality as important as function

(Newser) - GPS voices, for all their helpfulness to drivers, are still obnoxious and humorless. Now, after years of focusing on packing “navbots” with information, developers are realizing that friendliness counts, too, the Washington Post reports. “Personality, from an engineering perspective, is still an afterthought,” one says. “But...

Washington Wants You to Guzzle Gas
Washington Wants You to Guzzle Gas
Opinion
Aug 3, 2008 3:28 PM CDT

Washington Wants You to Guzzle Gas

Tax dollars should subsidize mass transit, not cars

(Newser) - As gas prices rise, Americans are driving less—and fewer dollars are flowing into the gas-tax-fueled Federal Highway Trust Fund. President Bush’s illogical response? To take money out of public transportation and put it in the highway fund—the latest bizarre example of officials intent on promoting and subsidizing...

US Driving Continues to Brake
 US Driving Continues to Brake 
Jul 28, 2008 2:57 PM CDT

US Driving Continues to Brake

Americans drove 29.8B fewer miles through May '08 than same span in '07

(Newser) - Driving in the United States continued to drop, the Washington Post reports, with May marking the steepest dip in vehicle-miles traveled for that month in the 66 years statistics have been tallied. Americans drove 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 than May ’07; in the first five...

NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota
 NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota 
Jul 24, 2008 9:51 AM CDT

NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota

Japanese automaker's success comes as American firms are in slump

(Newser) - In an effort to curry favor with millions of American NASCAR fans, Toyota joined the league’s top circuit 2 years ago, but fans aren’t warming to the Japanese automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many fans felt betrayed last year when champion racer Kyle Busch traded in his...

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