The House Science Committee approved a bill that bars the EPA from approving E15 gasoline without a further study into its effects. The bill passed 19-7 as members voted along party lines. The bill was sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).

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Former Republican Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. is joining Ford’s Board of Directors. Huntsman previously served as U.S. Ambassador to China and Utah’s Governor.

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Fans of the station wagon rejoice – Chevrolet has a new product for those of you seeking an alternative to the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, in the form of the Chevrolet Cruze station wagon.

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The Malaise Era Celica sold very well in the United States as a fuel-efficient-yet-reasonably-sporty commuter vehicle. They were very reliable (by the not-very-high standards of the time), cheap, and easy to repair. Even so, nearly all of them are gone now, save for a few survivors that hung on long enough to stay out of the junkyards until the second decade of the 21st century. Here’s an ’80 that I found at a Northern California self-serve yard last week. (Read More…)

We walked around the Chicago show at the end of the day to take a few more photos of cars which caught our eye… including the new Civic-by-Acura, the ILX.

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In terms of new product, this year’s Chicago Show hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. Let’s see… facelifted crossover, hatchback version of existing car, convertible version of existing car… It’s the proverbial “slow news day” in million-square-foot format.

Lacking even a new bodystyle or three-year-old Japanese-market van to debut, Chrysler did the smart thing to make sure the journalists were satisfied: they broke out the cupcakes. Now for the trivia question: Can you spot the former Monte Carlo Rally winner in this picture?

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Having won a somewhat controversial victory in New York’s “Taxi Of Tomorrow” competition, the Nissan NV200 has now arrived for civilian use.

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Was it luck? Was it hard work? A mixture of both? After escaping a near collision with fate in Iwaki, and not even getting its feet wet in Thailand, Nissan emerges as the most successful after the trials brought on by the unholy triad of tsunami, flood and yen. We said this a while ago when we compared 2011 production numbers of Japan’s majors.

Today, we go to Yokohama to check the balance sheets. (Read More…)

Toyota  U.S.A., Inc. today announced  pricing for the 2012 Prius c subcompact hybrid. They were not kidding when they had promised that the car would start at below $19,000. (Read More…)

Kia brought all the glitz and glam of an 80′s hair band concert (including an actual 80′s cover band) to the stage to unveil 2 new products today. With 9 new vehicles introduced in the last 3 years, the major releases have already occured. First up was the Optima “SX Limited” that goes on sale in March. Changes include 18″ chrome wheels, red brake calipers, 274 hp engine that achieves leading mileage (22/34) for under $35,000 (destination and fees included).
The big unveil came when they brought out the “Trackster” edition of the Soul.

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