hatchbacks

  • Zika Virus Hits Tata Motors, Causes Company To Rename Newest Car

    The Zika virus is becoming an increasingly big deal, and the World Health Organization has announced that its rapid spread across the Americas qualifies it as a global health emergency. In lieu of this information, India’s Tata Motors—the group that owns Jaguar Land Rover—has decided to rename its upcoming “Zica” hatchback, due to the name’s similarities. When it is officially revealed tomorrow at New Delhi’s Auto Expo 2016, the nameplate on the car will still read Zica.

  • How To Buy A Car On Craigslist, Wisely

    As a long-time auto auctioneer and professional car buyer I have found some surprisingly good deals on Craigslist. Everything from an old 1979 Cadillac DeVille with a wrench sticking out of the carburetor for $500 that now runs fine, to a late-model Jeep Grand Cherokee that I bought for peanuts because the owner didn’t have the title. (For that one I just verified that there was no lien, and applied for a bonded title which took a couple of months.)

  • 12 Most Affordable Luxury Cars

    There are few areas in life where spending $40,000 is considered restrained, but when it comes to buying a luxury car, it’s practically pinching pennies. The average cost of a new luxury vehicle was $55,751 in November, according to Kelley Blue Book, but you don’t have to dig that deep into your pocket to drive off the lot in a luxury marque. Well-heeled bargain hunters can pick from more than a dozen premium vehicles under $40,000.

  • 9 Collectible Cars Good for Investors

    The Historic Automobile Group International (HAGI) tracks vintage collectibles with its HAGI Top Index and subindexes. It’s important to note that “collectible cars are passion investments,” said HAGI founder Hatlapa. With that out of the way, Hagerty noted that the 1990–2001 SL featured the same hewn-from-granite build quality of earlier Mercedes, but with modernized looks and features.

  • Ford’s Big Sale Failed Because People Don’t Have Cash For New Cars

    A month ago, Ford kicked off a huge round of incentives that seemed unusual even by Detroit standards. Four weeks later, Ford’s “Friends and Neighbors” has been kicked to the curb after Ford found out a painful lesson: New-car buyers need to borrow money to actually buy cars. While Ford’s overall sales were up 0.4 percent in November from a year earlier, all of that gain came from its F-Series pickup and van lines.

  • 7 Automotive Turkeys: The Least Satisfying New Cars

    You can learn a lot from other’s regrets.

  • Protect Your Car With Our Christmas Tree Transporting Tips

    Before you can admire your lit Christmas tree and take in its woodsy aroma in your living room, you have to get it home from the lot. With approximately 25 to 30 million Christmas trees purchased every year, there are a lot of opportunities for damage – not only to your car, but to the car driving behind you. Illustrations by Paul Dolan | Cars.com Aside from finding a tree lot that delivers, one of my favorite tips comes from Rick Dungey, spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association. Here are some more tips from the National Christmas Tree Association for getting your tree home without diminishing your holiday cheer.

  • VW emissions issue extends to additional 75,000 vehicles

    WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG has told U.S. regulators that emissions issues in larger luxury cars and SUVs extend to an additional 75,000 vehicles dating back to 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.

  • Charlie Sheen’s Saucy Fiat Video Canned After HIV News

    Despite generating plenty of buzz with an earlier commercial for the Italian brand, Fiat has decided to put in the “drawer” a commercial it was putting together for the new Fiat 124 Spider that featured legendary Hollywood “bad boy” Charlie Sheen. A still-incomplete video featuring Sheen driving wildly in the new roadster was played for several dozen reporters during a sneak preview of the new Fiat 124 Spider at parent Fiat Chrysler’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan on November 3rd.

  • 5 Most Expensive Mustangs Sold at Auction

    The Ford Mustang was introduced as a way to get into high performance and good looks at an attractive price. 1965 Shelby GT350 R RM Sotheby’s Andrews Collection 2015 Final price: $770,000 All of the original GT350 Rs were delivered in white with blue stripes, but this one was repainted with red and green stripes by a privateer from Mexico City.

  • Mazda’s New Rotary To Arrive With Turbocharging, Not Electrification: Report

    At the recent 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda rolled out a stunning sports car concept powered by a rotary engine said to be more fuel efficient than any previous rotary design. Unfortunately, no technical details were revealed for the engine, which has adopted Mazda’s SkyActiv moniker for fuel-efficient, low-emissions technology, which means we’re likely some years away from seeing it in production. Yes, as some readers may recall, Mazda rolled out a sexy sports car concept powered by a rotary engine at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

  • Fast And Frugal: 15 Quickest Sports Cars With The Best Fuel Economy

    To some, the terms “high performance” and “fuel efficient” might seem oxymoronic when applied to sports cars, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sure, some of the quickest cars on the planet get dismal fuel economy, like the 691-horsepower Lamborghini Aventador Roadster that’s rated at just 12 mpg in combined city/highway driving and roars to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. We combed through the Environmental Protection Agency’s posted fuel economy ratings and compared them against the published acceleration times for all makes and models to identify 15 sports cars that can leap from 0-60 mph in less than six seconds, yet maintain a combined city/highway rating of 20 mpg or better.

  • Step Aside Ken Block, Stanford Invents an Autonomous Electric Drift Car

    On the eve of the day when the fictional Marty McFly went back to the future in “Back to the Future II,” Stanford University’s automotive lab unveiled its own MARTY, a heavily modified DeLorean car capable of drifting – maintaining sideways motion while traveling in a circle – without a driver. MARTY, which stands for “Multiple Actuator Research Test bed for Yaw control,” was unveiled at Stanford Tuesday evening, with a panel featuring the project’s collaborators and hosted by Jamie Hyneman of “Mythbusters.” After airing a video (embedded below), MARTY rolled out of its trailer amid lights and fog. Hyneman appeared on stage with Stanford professor Chris Gerdes, students John Goh and Shannon McClintock, and Chris Heiser of Renovo Motors, the company that supplied the electric drive components for the project. Mythbuster Jamie Hyneman appears on stage with the Stanford team responsible for MARTY.

  • New 2016 Mini Cooper Convertible Drops Its Top

    If any car in the world is meant to be convertible, it’s the Mini Cooper. With enough room for four humans and an undeniably extroverted persona, the Cooper’s sunny disposition goes with retractable roofs like coconut and rum.  Here’s the first official look at the 2016 Mini Cooper Convertible.

  • Rare ’71 Ford Torino King Cobra That Never Got Its Shot At NASCAR Up For Sale

    In town to pick up a few Mustangs for the 1971 Trans-Am season, Bud Moore couldn’t help but ask about a couple of pointy-nosed Torinos parked at Ford’s Dearborn headquarters. One was slightly damaged and the other lacked the luster of its exotic roots.  “Take ‘em,” his contact at Ford said.  That’s how Moore paid $600 each for two of the most significant Torinos ever built, one of which will head to auction in January.

  • Ferrari Surged 15% at its Trading Debut

    Ferrari opened at $60 per share at its trading debut on Wednesday, 15% above its initial-public-offering price of $52. Ferrari is listed in the New York Stock Exchange, which on Wednesday morning had several sports cars parked outside its premises. Chairman Sergio Marchionne rang the NYSE’s opening bell on Wednesday.

  • Domino’s Orders The DXP, A Custom Pizza-Delivery Machine

    Meet the Domino’s DXP, the first vehicle ever designed by a pizza maker. “We’re more than a pizza company, we’re a technology company,” said Russell Weiner, president of Domino’s USA, pointing to its apps and innovations in cooking. The DXP, unveiled at its Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters on Tuesday, took more than three years of development. The company first approached startup Local Motors about the idea, which attempted to crowdsource its design, taking suggestions from 35,000 people around the world.

  • The DeLorean Lives On, Back In This Future

    Michael J. Fox crushed the role of “Back To The Future” protagonist Marty McFly, and in the movie-trilogy-process immortalized the DeLorean DMC-12, a stainless steel, gull-winged automotive comet that burned bright and flamed out fast. “There’s no question that the phone’s been ringing a lot more lately due to the anniversary year,” says James Espey, vice president of DeLorean Motor Company, which bought the original company’s name when it acquired the bulk of the factory’s parts and esoterica a few years after John Z. DeLorean’s dream died in 1982. “We get people asking about renting a time machine,” says Espey, referring to DMC’s movie-version of the DeLorean, complete with glowing appendages and Mr. Fusion insta-energy maker strapped to the rear deck. DeLorean Motor Company headquarters Although the dashing exec was later acquitted, the DeLorean automobile was instantly a part of history after a brief one-year production run that saw around 9,000 come to life.

  • Volkswagen Accused of Underreporting Safety Issues

    By Paul A. Eisenstein Even as Volkswagen struggles to deal with its diesel emissions scandal, new data raise questions about whether the automaker has properly reported death and injury claims to U.S. regulators over the past decade. A study by the financial advisory firm Stout Risius Ross Inc, found that Volkswagen of America reported nine times fewer deaths and injuries than the average of the 11 largest automakers operating in the U.S. market. Significantly, VW reported less than half as many incidents as either Fiat Chrysler or Honda, both of which have been fined for underreporting their own death and injury data. The Volkswagen figures stand in sharp contrast to the results of an earlier study of U.S. highway death data for 2010 to 2013 conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

  • Does the Batmobile Copyright Prevent You from Making a Replica?

    Intellectual Property can be a legal minefield, especially to a layperson who doesn’t readily know the difference between patent, copyright and trademark. A recent decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (a Federal court that serves as an interim step between West Coast trial courts and the United States Supreme Court) has brought copyright law into the car-enthusiast realm where previously only trademark and occasionally patent issues were real concerns. Related: What would an H.R. Giger-designed Batmobile have looked like?  Stromberg 97 carburetor showing various patent numbers.