Latest auto news, reviews, editorials, and podcasts

How Safe Is Safe Enough?

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

There are some seriously mixed messages coming out of the NHTSA today, which perfectly illustrate what I like to call the tyranny of safety. On the one hand, the NHTSA announced today that overall traffic fatalities dropped by nearly ten percent in 2008, hitting the lowest levels per vehicle mile traveled since 1961. Estimates for the first quarter of 2009 show the high-single digit downward trend continuing into this year. In 2008, the NHTSA logged 1.27 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Which, based on the number of cars and the shoddy quality of driving one encounters in this country (sorry, it’s true), is a remarkable statistic. But, for safety nuts like SecTrans Ray LaHood, it’s not enough. “While the number of highway deaths in America has decreased, we still have a long way to go,” he tells his press release. And how are we going to go about protecting Americans from the lowest fatality rates since JFK was elected and the Beatles were still playing the Cavern? Gizmos, baby, gizmos.

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Posted in News Blog | Safety | 75 comments

Chris’ Car Crests 100k!

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Posted in News Blog | Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | 27 comments

China World’s Largest Car Market in First Half of 2009

By Bertel Schmitt
July 2nd, 2009

The way it looks, China will severely trounce the USA as the world’s largest auto market in 2009. From January to June, Americans bought 4.8m units, a drop of 35.1 percent. China had sold more a month earlier.

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Posted in China | News Blog | 25 comments

Daily Podcast: Converjence

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

Because it wants to, Buick is headed upmarket. Because it has to, Cadillac is headed downmarket. Who wins? Not GM. An Epsilon II, FWD/AWD Cadillac isn’t going to have the phrase “standard of the world” tripping off anyone’s tongue. And since GM exists at the pleasure of the politicians, it doesn’t seem likely that Cadillac will ever get around to making the huge investments in opulence that it would need to regain its former glory. And besides an aging CTS and a “2005 called and wants its SUV back” Escalade, what is Cadillac again? Some days it’s a good day to die. Some days it’s a good day to record a podcast.

Posted in Daily | Daily Podcast | News Blog | Podcasts | 19 comments

TTAC lives @ http://twitter.com/ttac

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Just a quick reminder that TTAC is on Twitter. I’ve neglected the service for a while, but not anymore. I’m tweeting every new post with a blast of prose poetry and a shortened url, so you can wonder WTF I’m on about and click through. Of course, we’re still available as an RSS feed. Our iTunes feed is back; but you’ll have to subscribe again to get automatic updates. (Apple Music Store > search “truth about cars” > subscribe ) Meanwhile, Ye Olde New Content Notification Alerts—the steam-driven heads-up email system for new reviews and rants—is dead. When our main man Marshall tried to resurrect the plug-in, it unplugged the entire site. The good news: VerticalScope has scheduled TTAC for a site redesign in the dog days of August. Like any good carmaker, we’ll make sure the new site offers The Best and Brightest more and better features without overcomplicating basic functionality. Until then, as always, thanks for putting food on our table.

Posted in Media | News Blog | 7 comments

Toyota Holds On Hard to Its Hybrid Head-Start

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 2nd, 2009

As evolutionary as the changes to Toyota’s third-generation Prius may seem on the surface, beneath the familiar sheetmetal lurks enough new technology to justify over 1,000 new patents. The Wall Street Journal reports that through three generations of the Prius, Toyota has generated over 2,000 patents on hybrid technology, half stemming from the latest generation alone. Toyota’s hybrid patent filing nearly doubles the number filed by Honda, its closest hybrid competitor. And the WSJ casts this “thicket of patents” as Toyota tightening its stranglehold on the hybrid market.

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Posted in Hybrid | Law and Order | News Blog | 6 comments

Ask the Best and Brightest: What 2nd Car for $5K?

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Sent to us by ivyinvestor:

My wife and I currently have a 2006 Acura TSX, auto. We need another car, but our budget is $5000, tops, as we don’t want a payment. We’ve never considered a used car for any purchase, and although I know the various means we could use to go about checking it out, I develop neverending lists of queries about every aspect of the car in question to the point that some sellers stop answering. After all, the depreciation’s been factored in, but what about maintenance, treatment, and care? I know not all the questions can be answered, but we still want something bred from reliable, if not “amazing to drive”, roots. In the Boston area, it seems our best options are 1998-2002 Civics, maybe some older Accords, and a few Mazdas, all with 125,000+ miles. Does this appear to be in the right ballpark? Reliability is important, as is fun, though we realize the latter might need to be sacrificed in this price range. (Recent example: 2000 Civic EX coupe, standard, 155k miles, timing belt at 100k, brakes at 130k, probably needs rear tires, original clutch: $3800, local.)

Posted in Ask the Best and Brightest | News Blog | 70 comments

Cadillac Plug-In Hybrid?

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

Derm 81 sent us this report:

I took this shot from the GM Tech Center the other day. I couldn’t get more than one photo because the engineer got pissed that I was snapping pictures. It is a Cadillac with right hand steering. What was odd was that it had several “ports” which looked like extra gas tank openings, which were in the same location as the plug/outlet on the the Volt. You can see the reflection of my goofy-assed PT on the Caddy.You cant see it in the picture BUT there was this huge “unit” or black box on the back seat. Didn’t look as if there even was a rear seat bench. Battery pack? Standard testing device?

Posted in New Cars | News Blog | 14 comments

Review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE

By Frank Williams
July 2nd, 2009

Once upon a time, way back in 1959, a company called Datsun imported a funny-looking pickup truck with a small bed and tiny engine, giving birth to the compact pickup market in the U.S. After a slow start, the market grew, as did the competition. The 70’s brought onslaughts from Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and even VW. After the dust settled, the small truck market in the U.S. belongs basically to the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy/GMC Colorado/Canyon (for now, anyway) and Nissan Forester---the direct descendant of the Datsun that started it all. Fifty years later, what hath Nissan wrought?

Review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE continued »

rating summary and performance review: 2009 Nissan Frontier 4×2 Crew Cab SE

Posted in Car Reviews | Nissan | 40 comments

Hammer Time: Gunfight at the Cheapskate Corral

By Steven Lang
July 2nd, 2009

A 2008 Suzuki Forenza. After reading the owner reviews, it pained me to even think about buying the car. I found a 2008 S model on eBay for $6700 (incl. bogus fees). Only 7500 miles? What a deal! But for whom? Since this car was sub-par for a multitude of ‘too cheap for their own good’ owners, I deep-sixed it. That left on eBay a Kia Rio LX, a Chevy Aveo LT, a Ford Focus SE (with about 15k more miles), and the ringer: a 2008 Toyota Yaris. Prices/mileage were $7100/16k, $8000/21k, $8500/33k and, ahem, $10,700 with 12k. All automatics. All with power windows/locks. None with sunroofs or any other high end stuff. Just good solid A to B transportation with a lot of good owner feedback. On second thought, screw it. I don’t believe a tightwad would be happy with real world fuel economy in the mid-20s so I’m nixing the Aveo. Begone! As for the other three . . .

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Posted in High Finance | News Blog | 29 comments

Powered by Abwrackprämie: Germany’s June Sales Up 40 Percent

By Bertel Schmitt
July 2nd, 2009

New car registrations in Germany, Europe’s biggest auto market, went stratospheric by 40 percent in June. At record numbers, Germany’s Autofahrer junked their old cars, collected €2500 and bought a new one, says Reuters. This followed a May that also saw a 40 percent rise over the same month last year.

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Posted in Germany | News Blog | 7 comments

Piston Slap: Tom’s Rhinoplasty Edition

By Sajeev Mehta
July 2nd, 2009

TTAC commentator minion444 writes,

At the end of May, I bought my wife a new ’08 Mazda Miata. She was feeling left out, because I have my motorcycle and it was our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We took delivery on Sat. On Sunday, it was very overcast and saw that the nose (bumper) cover was touched up in the center. About a 1 foot square. The dealer called us on Monday morning bright and early to thank us and ask us how the we liked the car.

I told him we noticed the car was damaged and re-painted.  He said he had no knowledge of it and that he would check it out and told us to bring it in. The car was originally delivered in PA and I bought it from a NJ dealer. When we brought it in, he admitted that the car was touched up and told us he would repair it as new. He is in the process of painting the bumper for the second time now. The 1st time, the color was too dark.

Do, I have any legal remedy here? I bought a new car and expected a new car? Was he legally bound to disclose the original damage?

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Posted in News Blog | 24 comments

Automotive Traveler/TTAC Spyshot: New 2011 BMW 5-Series

By Robert Farago
July 2nd, 2009

For more pics of the new 2011 BMW 5-Series caught in the desert, jump on over to automotivetraveler.com.

Posted in New Cars | News Blog | 10 comments

GM’s Toxic Assets

By Bertel Schmitt
July 2nd, 2009

In the market for a parking lot in Flint, Michigan? Or a nine-hole golf course in New Jersey (needs TLC)? How about some scenic acreage way upstate New York that features prominently on New York State Registry of Hazardous Waste Sites and on the federal superfund list of contaminated places? All—and more—available now to the highest bidder. Come on down!

While the supposedly best of GM is sold to the supposedly new GM, the worst will be auctioned off in bankruptcy court. Call it the Adam and Eve of all foreclosure sales.

Open house in Massena, New York. This fine waterfront property, abutting the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation in the east and the St. Lawrence River to the north, was home to a GM foundry. It made aluminum cylinder heads for the Chevrolet Corvair. It also mass-produced PCB sludge.

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Posted in Chapter 11 | Green | News Blog | 15 comments

Baby Miata in the Works?

By Edward Niedermeyer
July 1st, 2009

Autoexpress claims that Mazda is working on a downsized MX-5 Miata roadster, fanning the flames of enthusiast optimism the world over. AE estimates that the mini drop-top could come with engines of 700cc to 1.6 liters, with a 160 hp turbo 1.6 four-pot topping the range. “Insider” sources say a 2012 launch is being discussed, and that a concept should appear on the car show circuit shortly. Though the engine displacements seem to indicate that the baby Miata isn’t likely to come stateside, hope springs eternal when it comes to these things, no?

Posted in Future Vehicles | News Blog | 33 comments