Economy

Every month, Ward's Auto posts its Fuel Economy Index (FEI) numbers. Last time around, we noted that Ward's witnessed a decrease in buyer interest in fuel-efficient vehicles. While the numbers did indicate that overall fuel efficiency was still on the rise, it was also evident that buyers were opting for larger, less efficient vehicles. The FEI numbers posted for

Mitsuoka Viewt -- Click above for high-res image gallery

2009 Ford F-150 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Trying to give buyers more chances to get into a Smart, the company produced a four-seat hatch called the ForFour in 2004. It sold so poorly that the car was axed after just two years. In spite of that, Autocar says that parent Mercedes-Benz has filed patent papers for an embiggened Smart.

With the official kick-off date for the Cash For Clunkers program CARS just over a week away, people are already saying it's really too little, too short. Last week, Auto Alliance president Dave McCurdy said that Congress could expand the program, and now some economists interviewed by Reuters are predicting that the overall effect on the economy (and, therefore, on

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Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce – Click above for high-res image gallery

Despite an uncertain future, Ward's Auto is reporting that Opel is looking at the possibility of starting a new low-cost line under the revived moniker "Wartburg." Made by East German company VEB AEW until 1991, in their most recent guise, Wartburgs were cheap transportation for the Communist set, vying for breadline parking spaces with Trabants and the li

Click above for what could be renderings of the 2011 Renault Clio

Geely IG Fantastic Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Ford's design language can be largely distilled to three words: "let it ride." 2005's Iosis Concept created the template for kinetic design, and ever since then Ford has cashed in a number of winning bets on that language. Next up is the 2010 Ford Focus, based on the Jonathon Ramsey

2010 Honda Insight - click above for a high-res gallery

Last October we advised you not to hold your breath for Daimler's Car2Go program to come to America. You can breathe again. If you live in Austin, Texas you'll be able to rent a mild hybrid Smart ForTwo by the minute this fall. Austin was chosen because of its university population and its concern for the environment.

Two weeks ago, Auto Express reported that MINI would be creating a John Cooper Works edition diesel with more than 160 horsepower and improved torque. Now, fellow UK publication Autocar looks to have the details, which includes speculation that the extra oomph will come from BMW engines now used in the 1 Series cars – and they might not just be for JCW models.

UPDATE: This is not a prototype for the Mazda1, it is a Chinese-market Haima subcompact based on the Mazda2. Thanks to everyone who sent in the correction

French youth like to burn cars on New Year's - and they don't mind lighting a few the rest of the year, either. German youths apparently really get their "arson on" when the economy takes a dip, as it happens to be doing right now. According to Bloomberg, at least 29 luxury vehicles have gone up in flames in Berlin so far this year, instigated by "'youths across Europe who 'perceive their future as

Fioravanti has made a habit of showing interesting things at the Geneva Motor Show. This year it will reportedly be the LF1, a car built to demonstrate the application of Formula 1 design and build techniques to a production vehicle. Done up like the Caparo T1's open-air cousin, the LF1 doesn't look exactly like a production ca,r but we don't know anything further abou