955 Articles
Survivor secures new sponsor after GM break-up. Is it another automaker?

Nearly as fast as bidders came out of the woodwork for Aston Martin's possible sale, CBS secured new sponsorship for its hit reality-show "Survivor" after General Motors canceled its advertising. States Chris Ender of CBS, "The upcoming edition of `Survivor' has a full roster of advertisers across a wide range of categories and GM's position has been filled."

Matching the right algae to right factory exhaust

AlgaTech Technologies, with partner GreenFuel Technologies Corp., are looking at algae as another producer of biofuel. While the idea is not new, the two companies are also focusing on one of algae's growth factors: carbon dioxide.

Forbes Top Four best vehicles for college students

Talk about tough standards. When Forbes compiled vehicles for its annual "Best Cars for College Students" list, they found only four vehicles qualified to meet its criteria of being affordable, safe, and reliable. Interestingly, the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, which they deemed the "standard" by which similar vehicles are measured, failed to make the list. According to Forbes, both did poorly on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests, with the Accord receiving the lowest

Color-coordinating your REVA electric vehicle

The REVA electric car is a small, 3-door (formerly known as a "hatchback") electric vehicle built in India. A four-seater, the car can hold two adults and two small children. The electric motor can be fully charged in roughly seven hours and the EV has a range of nearly 50 miles. With a quick, 2½ hour charge, the REVA can travel up to 40 miles away.

Honda says no to ethanol, says it's not efficient

While competitors like Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Co. either plan to increase production or develop ethanol-powered vehicles, Honda Motor Co. had declared it has no plans to join the flex fuel bandwagon.

Subaru to pull a Jackson and undergo another nose job

Subaru's "propeller grill" has been received by both the media and the public with, to put it lightly, mixed feelings. Well, the automaker's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, has decided to put the kibosh on it and ordered a redesign.

Deju vu: consumers buying low-priced, quality, Korean cars in Japan

Korean automakers like Hyundai continue to make inroads in Japan against domestic manufactures like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda. Hyundai Motor Japan, which has been doing business in Tokyo since 2001, sells six models with its high-end Grandeur (Azera) costing a little over $29,000. However, states a salesperson, "It (Grandeur) does not pale in comparison with Japanese cars of the same class in terms of quality and equipment. But the price of the car is about 1 million yen ($8,547) less."

Toyota's Crowns take a beating in China

Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., a joint venture between Toyota Motor Co. and the Chinese FAW Group, issued a recall on all Toyota Crown sedans built between February 21st through September 20th last year. The problem is a weak adhesive used to hold the rubber strips that seal the windshield. According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, the strips could break loose and strike other vehicles or pedestrians.

DOE says world to reach peak oil within 20 years

A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports states that the world will most likely reach its peak oil level within 10 to 20 years. "Peak oil" is the point where oil supplies are at their maximum; any further demand will force higher prices as remaining supplies plummet.

Bank says ethanol not replacement for oil

UBS, a Swiss investment bank, released a statement saying that ethanol is an "insufficient" replacement for oil. Based on a study initiated by the bank, ethanol production at its current rate would total around 30 billion gallons of fuel by 2020. Unfortunately, oil consumption for vehicles alone totaled 320 billion gallons just for 2005.

Chevrolet and MTV bringin' ethanol to the 2006 MTV Music Awards

General Motor's Chevy brand has teamed up with MTV to promote a night of bio-fuel awareness at the MTV Music awards on Thursday, August 31st. States general manager Ed Peper of Chevrolet, "Going green never looked so good. The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards is a great opportunity for us to showcase our Flex Fuel, E85 ethanol-compatible vehicles, as well as spread the word about Chevrolet's product portfolio that boasts nine out of 10 cars with over 30 mpg fuel economy."

Warren Buffet auctions Town car for charity

Billionaire Warren Buffet will be auctioning his 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series next month on eBay (a standard Town Car is pictured). The light-gold, full-sized sedan with a light-beige interior also comes with Buffet's custom "THRIFTY" license plate and an etched brass plaque with his signature. No surprise, there are only 14,000 miles on the odometer.

Used SUV sales also slammed by low consumer interest

While sales of fuel-efficient cars and even small SUVs have been up, Americans who previously purchased mid-sized to large SUVs are finding it increasing difficult to sell individually or even trade them at dealerships.

Kia study shows keeping quiet good for travel

Well, here's an issue where people may want to seriously keep their mouth shut. According to a study by Kia Motor UK, 53 percent of drivers think they're the better half-in driving, that is, compared to their significant other (SO). Worse, nearly 20 percent would consider dumping or serving divorce papers if they felt their SO was too critical of their driving skills.

Lexus LS coming to Japan next month with hybrid in 2007

Toyota Motor Corp. continues its plans to introduce its luxury brand in its home country. (Lexus debuted in the U.S. in 1989 but did not arrive in Japan until last year.) According to spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto, the Lexus LS will arrive in dealershipsnext month with the hybrid version to be available sometime in early 2007.

Top ten most fuel-efficient large vehicles

You want a fuel-efficient vehicle, but due to family obligations, job needs or simply outward appearances, you've disregarded a hybrid, compact or mid-sized sedan. So what's left?

Ford, GM clash over best alternative fuel

Ethanol or liquid petroleum gas (LPG)? Battle lines for alternative fuels are being drawn between automakers General Motors and Ford Motor Co. with much of the differences based on nationality.

How to reach $4 a gallon

With gas prices to remain steady around $3 a gallon, the media's been having a field day, predicting that $4 may be reached by year's end.

VW recalls Brazilian cars

Volkswagen AG has issued a second recall in Brazil. According to the German automaker's Brazilian branch, it has discovered cracks in the fuel injector system which would need to be replaced. Affected vehicles include the CrossFox (pictured), Fox, Golf, Kombi, Polo, and SpaceFox. In total, over 40,000 vehicles are involved in the recall.

Segway i2 and x2 Transporters

Earlier this month, Segway Inc., debuted its two Personal Transporters (PT), the versatile i2 (pictured) and the all-terrain x2. Both are equipped with "LeanSteer" which allows the driver to direct the electric vehicle just by simply leaning in the desired direction. Previously, drivers could only control backward and forward movement.

Spying on upcoming VW Tiguan

The Detroit News obtained another shot of the upcoming Volkswagen mid-sized crossover, the Tiguan. Based on the Concept A, the vehicle's unique name is based on the words "tiger" and "leguan", the latter German for iguana. The Tiguan concept will debut at the second Los Angeles autoshow later this year with the production version to be displ

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