is recalling 554,000 crossovers to repair the low-beam headlights. The models affected are the 2002-2004 Honda (pictured above) and 2003 . A possible fault with in the headlight switch wiring could cause the low beams not to work.
We don’t need to tell you why that’s hazardous.
Honda will notify owners beginning in late April, at which time they can take their vehicles to dealers for repairs free of charge. The company has where owners can check if their vehicle is part of the recall, and customers can reach out to Honda directly by calling 1-800-999-1009 (select option 4), as well. for a press release with more details.
The strength of the Yen is forcing many Japanese automakers to consider building cars for export markets outside their home country. is no different, and has confirmed that it will build the hatchback at its starting in the spring of 2014.
The plant in Mexico is not the only location where Honda will build the Fit, but it will be used to supply the small hatchback to the large United States, Mexican and Canadian markets. Honda expects to build up to 200,000 subcompact vehicles per year at its plant near Celaya, Guanajuato.
Honda already builds a huge number of vehicles in North America. In fact, as pointed out in the press release , more than 85 percent of the Honda and models sold in America were built in the United States, Canada or Mexico. What’s more, the addition of the Fit to the , , and means that all four of Honda’s global nameplates will be produced in North America.
Do you consider yourself a driving enthusiast? If so, does the thought of handing control of your car over to a series of computers scare you to death? We understand. But perhaps it’s time to remember that those of us who love to drive aren’t the only ones who want to use the road.
As you’ll see in the video after the break, hold out hope for some men and women who are simply unable to drive themselves. Take, for instance, Steve Mahan, who lost 95 percent of his vision over the course of several years, leaving him clinically blind. Obviously, Mahan isn’t able to drive.
What Mahan can do, however, is sit behind the wheel of an autonomous car, in this case, a converted to operate sans driver by . And when he does, he directs the car to take him to Taco Bell before picking up his dry cleaning.
Questionable food choice aside, we hope that one day in the not-too-distant future people like Steve Mahan will be able to regain the kind of mobility made possible by the automobile that most of us take for granted. Just so long as we can share the road in our old-fashioned drive-it-yourself cars, too. See the video .
Chrysler today is launching a continuation of its for the , , and .
The new ads do not feature Clint Eastwood, as the February Super Bowl ad did.
The Ram ad, titled “Tommy and The Ram,” is a vignette that depicts a wife’s admiration for her husband’s hard work and determination to provide for his family in any economic environment. There is a great line in this ad as he drives his Ram to a job site: “Where there’s a truck, there’s a job.” The idea here is that as long as he has a reliable truck, he always has a chance to earn.
The ad for the Chrysler 300 is told through a father talking about his pride in his son making his own way in life, while the Wrangler spot is told through the story of a young daughter adapting to a new life and new city with her family.
The ads will be breaking during the NCAA Men’s basketball semi-finals, NHL games, NASCAR, Mad Men and the American Country Music Awards.
We will now know the “” – the small four-door “coupe” built on the MFA platform supporting the (pictured above) and – as the CLA. It will debut at April’s , and it’s just one of the five variants that has planned for its MFA underpinnings.
When it hits the streets in 2013, advance reports indicate that both front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be available. Power will come from a range of gas and diesel engines with anywhere from 110 to 150 horsepower (there’s even a potential AMG model with more than 300 hp on the way), mated to seven-speed dual-clutch and six-speed manual transmissions.
Of note, though, over its long gestation, the CLA has been referred to as the CLC, but the CLA and CLC are different cars. The CLC is the Concept Style Coupe, said to be , which was a two-door hatchback, yet also of the , which was a sedan. The CLA will make its debut in China, but the CLC will be at an Mercedes-sponsored art festival called “Transmission LA: AV Club.” The Beijing show and the art festival overlap, so we’ll find out which car is which and what they both look like soon enough.
Azure Dynamics, which develops electric-drive powertrains for automakers such as , said this week that it will file for financial protection from its creditors under Canadian law and will cancel its plans to sell shares in what may be a precursor to a bankruptcy filing.
Azure is the company that adds the all-electric powertrain to Ford’s practical little Transit Connect Electric. For now, no new TCEs will be made. Azure’s Mike Elwood that production of the Transit Connect Electric has stopped as a result of the restructuring and that, “While we go through our restructuring there will be no TCE activity until we present an approved plan.” We’re told that warranty issues for those who have already purchased a Transit Connect Electric will be a part of this plan.
Ford’s Wes Sherwood told AutoblogGreen that Azure’s filing does not affect Ford’s overall EV and green-vehicle strategy. “Our priority is to ensure that Azure’s Transit Connect Electric customers continue to have support throughout their ownership experience,” he said. “Our Ford electric vehicle product plans remain on track, as part of our commitment to provide customers the power of choice for fuel economy solutions across our lineup – from EcoBoost-powered vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics.”
Azure Dynamics joins a list of companies that were looking to capitalize on an increase in demand for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles but have had problems staying afloat. Extended-range plug-in utility vehicle maker last month amid its claims that the federal government took too long to process the $400 million in loans promised to the company, while , which makes the extended-range plug-in Karma, has faced questions about its own future and most of the federal government loans earmarked for the company .
Instead of letting everyone else and of the , SRT has gone insider trading and released its own teaser shot of the upcoming snake’s interior. What we can see of the overall layout appears familiar from the second-generation car, but the materials look to have been significantly upgraded: ornately bezeled vents, soft-touch trim, cross-stitching and aggressive two-tone accents.
There’s been some bother about the evolutionary exterior design of the 2013 Viper, but for a car that had just two generations in 20 years, it can still stand up to anything from Italy for badass presence. What it really needed was an interior and chassis that could deliver on its looks, and it appears the new 2013 model will be getting just that.
We’ll continue to wait on its official appearance at the next week to judge, but based on this shot, we like the look of where things are headed. Click on the photo above for a and stay tuned for the full debut live from New York next week.
Italy’s Superstars Series may have seemed like an insignificant championship in the past, but drivers and manufacturers alike are beginning to take notice of what is rapidly emerging as Italy’s equivalent of Germany’s DTM, Japan’s Super GT or Australia’s V8 Supercars series. One of those drivers is Tonio Liuzzi, and one of those manufacturers is .
The German automaker had been represented in the series before, but is now launching an officially factory-sanctioned works effort with a specially-prepared touring car fielded by Caal Racing. And it has lined up an experienced driving talent to man the wheel.
A veteran of 80 grands prix, Vitantonio Liuzzi has driven for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT, but unfortunately failed to distinguish himself with a single podium finish, pole position or fastest lap in the span of his six years in Formula One. Prior to ascending to the pinnacle of motorsports, he had won the International Formula 3000 championship, and has also tried his hand at A1GP (representing Italy) as well as the Speedcar Series (a stock car series held briefly in the Middle East).
Will he prove himself a greater talent in touring cars than he did in F1? We’ll have to wait and see, but given the factory support in a privateer-dominated series and the number of championships Caal Racing has won, things are looking up for Liuzzi and Mercedes. for the official announcement (in Italian) and check out the batch of official high-resolution images in the gallery above.
Back in 1967, shocked the world by winning the Monte Carlo Rally. The man behind the wheel was one Rauno Aaltonen, and now Mini is honoring the Finnish driving legend with a special edition bearing his name.
Available (in parts of Europe, anyway) on the classic three-door hatchback with either the Cooper or Cooper S engine spec, the Rauno Aaltonen edition comes painted red, while white features prominently on the roof, stripes up the hood, down the back and across the quarter-panels, side mirrors, hood intake and 17-inch wheels. Inside, Aaltonen’s signature graces the speedo and the leather-wrapped steering wheel is unique as well.
The best part is that buyers of the Cooper S Rauno Aaltonen get a day of instruction at the ice-driving school run by the honoree’s son Tino Aaltonen. Check out the special edition in the high-res image gallery.
In the vs. debate, no one questions Forza’s commitment to genuine engine noise. Normally, the Turn 10 sound engineers use Dyno Authority in a business and residential area of Seattle to record their cars’ sounds, but when it came to the 1991 Mazda 787B that was unleashed in February’s , the Le Mans-winning racer was just too loud.
In fact, the 700-horsepower 2.7-liter Wankel-engined legend with four rotors and its continuously variable intake was the loudest car that Forza engineers have ever caught on mic. to watch a video on how they did it.
If you have a phone, you’ve probably been offered a (last, final, only, etc.) chance to extend your car’s warranty. Hopefully you realized an anonymous caller from an unknown number had no idea what kind of car you drive much less when your warranty expired and promptly ended the call.
Way back in 2008, several state attorneys general , and the next year a federal judge ordered two companies to .
Finally, yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission on LA-based SBN Peripherals (aka Asia Pacific Telecom, Inc.). The FTC’s report says the company made more than 2.6 billion random calls in less than 20 months. Unfortunately, 12.8 million of those calls paid off with some consumer being scammed.
For their many, many, many telephonic transgressions, the company was ordered to pay $5.3 million. The company is conveniently unable to pay that amount, of course, so the FTC is claiming more than $1 million from a Hong Kong bank account, a $357,000 lien on a house, 50% interest in a Saipan office building, interest in seven tracts of land, a 2004 , a 2005 , a 2004 , a recreational vehicle and a partridge in a pear tree. We’re betting the extended warranties on those cars is not transferable. All defendants are also ordered to never, ever again engage in telemarketing. EVER.
But if you’re still in need of an extended warranty for your car, email us with your credit card number and we’ll get right back to you. (We’re joking of course! We prefer cash.)
The Mint 400, held in the Nevada desert outside of Jean, is legendary for more reasons than being a grueling race: Rick Mears, Al Unser, Jr. and Steve McQueen are among the marquee names to have entered it, Wonder Woman Lynda Carter and Vanna White were Mint 400 Girls, and Hunter S. Thompson’s assignment to cover it for Sports Illustrated turned into Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Robby Gordon managed to avoid both of Thompson’s conditions on his way to winning the latest edition of the General Tire Mint 400 held last week.
Estimates have 65,000 total spectators watching 300 teams and 900 drivers in 20 categories going for the top podium spot over three days. The race was four laps of a 92-mile loop through the rock and gravel, with Gordon completing the 368-mile deed in 6:05 in his Class 1500 runner, just three minutes ahead of second-place driver David Maurice in a Class 1400 truck.
for the post-race press release and a video of this year’s action.
One of the postscripts of the travails of Cars North America (SCNA) is this, a couple hundred and sedans left to the unkindness of coastal winds at a New Jersey port facility. According to the poster at , there are 900 cars in this awaiting the resolution of the company’s fate.
Last we heard, SCNA is still fighting the involuntary bankruptcy and is trying to get the case moved to Michigan. Prior to that, SCNA had been trying to avoid the proceeding altogether in case a bidder was able to acquire the entire company.
While we wait to find out about that, you can head over to Found Our Own Road to see the rest of the photos of a Saab future that almost was.
made the difficult (and controversial) decision in 2009 to leading up to the automaker’s abbreviated bankruptcy. The move helped Chrysler eliminate some redundancies and limit in-brand competition, but many of the dealers who lost their franchises with the move.
It didn’t take long for many of those dealers to sue Chrysler for the right to stay in business, and the court cases are still being settled in 2012. The Detroit News is reporting that a federal judge has ruled that Chrysler doesn’t have to immediately reinstate eight dealers suing for the right to reopen their doors.
The eight dealers are among 82 that received arbitration after the forced closings. Fifty of those dealers were offered arbitration by Chrysler and another 32 retail outlets in court. The arbitration didn’t give those dealers the rights to re-open immediately, but it does set up boundaries to discuss agreeable terms for reopening.
While Chrysler can probably count this decision as a victory of sorts, the automaker still has 11 more lawsuits from U.S. dealers. So far, only 43 of the 789 dealers have been fully reinstated, and another 14 are still negotiating.
Just as mysteriously as it , has removed the production hold it had placed on the . For those keeping track, the delay has lasted roughly three weeks, and we still don’t know what the “quality assessment issue” was.
According to Motor Authority, a letter has been sent to those who have placed orders on Chevy’s hottest muscle car, letting them know when they can expect their machines to arrive at the dealership.
Cars that had already been produced and had been held back from the waiting garages of buyers will begin trickling to owners in two to three weeks, while orders placed but not yet built will take a little longer. That said, Camaro ZL1 models built in the foreseeable future will very likely before the Oshawa plant switches production to the 2013 cars. Just how many 2012 ZL1s will be built remains to b seen.
We also can’t help but mention the , which gets some of the track-ready features of the ZL1 with a 426-horsepower V8 in place of the killer 580-horse supercharged engine, along with what’s sure to be a much lighter price tag. With choices like these, we’d say it’s a good time to be shopping for a .
When our friends at told us they’d be sending over a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-70 tires mounted on 17-inch Sport Edition alloy wheels for our , our minds were immediately filled with images of the little blue hatchback bounding along snowy roads with razor-sharp precision and confidence. Instead, editors Neff, Paukert and myself can literally count on one hand the number of times we actually had to drive the on snowy/slushy roads. So much for winter tire/all-wheel-drive snowy playtime.
To say that we’ve had an unusually mild winter here in the Midwest is truly an understatement (note: we are absolutely not complaining). In mid-March, we saw record-high temperatures in the mid-80s. As Neff said in , seriously, what the hell is going on?
So rather than wear down the tread on our Blizzaks even further, we took the over to Motor City Mini once again to have its stock Pirelli Cinturato 18-inch wheels and run-flat (boo!) tires put back on. Perfect timing, too, since the car was just about to roll over the 12,000-mile mark, meaning its first scheduled maintenance was due. The oil was changed, fluids were topped off and all of the other mechanical elements inspected, and thus, our Mini is now prepped and ready for spring and summer in The D. We of the run-flat tires combined with our optional sport suspension already, so we’ll spare you another round of grumbling. If there’s one thing we’ll miss about the winter tires, it’s the smoother – albeit, slightly louder – ride.
Our observed fuel economy numbers are falling short of what the EPA suggests.
With 12,000 miles now under our belts, the Countryman is plenty broken in. But after a quick math session with the car’s logbook, it seems our observed fuel economy numbers are falling short of what the EPA suggests. I’ll personally admit to driving the Mini more aggressively than most consumers likely will (hey, this thing is seriously fun to throw around), but even so, the fact that our observed fuel economy is only 24.9 miles per gallon is indeed questionable. The EPA rates the 2011 Cooper S Countryman All4 at 26/32 mpg city/highway and 28 mpg combined when fitted with the six-speed manual transmission, and our best recorded fuel economy is only a dismal 29.3 mpg. Either I’m not the only one with a heavy right foot or something is off here. We’ll definitely be keeping a close watch over this as time progresses.
In the next month, associate editor Chris Shunk will put the Countryman to use as a family hauler, so we’ll get a better idea of just how kid-and-cargo-friendly the four-passenger interior really is. Stay tuned.
Keep your eyes locked on the official for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (, look for the hashtag).
has given the The Six Million Dollar Man treatment in a new ad. As we all know, the crossover segment is rife with compromise. With half the capability of an SUV and none of the driving dynamics of an equivalent hatchback, most of the vehicles hold all the appeal of venereal disease for most enthusiasts. If Mazda’s marketing is to be believed, the 2013 CX-5 cures those ails, as it were. Along with the best fuel economy of any SUV in North America, the vehicle promises to offer buyers a more spirited driving experience.
Expect to see more of The Six Million Dollar Man associated with the CX-5. Mazda is launching a campaign on April 2 that will include spots on television, in movies, print and various digital spaces. Each spot will come soaked in an appropriate amount of 1970s vintage feel. for a look at the first ad as well as the full press release.
has released the fifth and final teaser of its all-new sedan ahead of the car’s official debut at the 2012 . It’s a good thing this is the last one, because Nissan has seen fit to show off almost the entire car, albeit very quickly and never stationary.
It’s plain to see that this new Altima will be much swoopier than before, with a highly stylized front fascia and a steep D-pillar arc. We also note a rising body line that starts below the side mirrors before heading over the rear haunches to the taillamps. At the rear, there appears to be a bulging rump on the trunk lid that reminds us of the infamous Bangle Butt made popular by past models.
It seems Nissan is most interested in promoting its latest interior technology, pointing out that the 2013 Altima will feature a “new Advanced Drive-Assist Display” in the instrument cluster that “is designed to keep the driver focused on the road.” Available will be lane departure warning, rear moving object detection and blind spot warning. We’re pretty sure we see steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, too.
Feel free to peruse the press release , but not before watching the video. Enjoy, and come back next week for the Altima’s full reveal.
We’ve spilled equal parts ink and drool over the new wheels from HRE. The pieces invoke all sorts of bedroom poster memories from our misspent youth, and seeing them bolted to some of our favorite modern supercars is enough to invoke a guaranteed smile.
The guys at StanceWorks have featured a particularly moving combination. One owner opted for a set of 505s in matte bronze as an homage to the legendary P4/5. The combination red and those fat five spokes is absolutely sublime.
If you’re rolling your eyes at the thought of yet another garage queen getting a new set of shoes, take heart in the knowledge that this particular 458 is owned by a gentleman who isn’t afraid to put miles on the clock. In just three months, the owner has rolled the odometer up to 6,000 miles, which means this car has had the opportunity to stretch its legs on more than one occasion. Perfection.
for a quick video of the car by our friends at , and be sure to crank the volume toward the end.
brought to you by HRE Wheels, Ferrari 458 Italia [w/video]
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have never suffered through cancer likely don’t realize how the disease can turn some of life’s simplest acts into huge hurdles. Just getting to treatment appointments can be daunting with the onset of symptoms and side effects. One cancer survivor in Austin, Texas has set up a network of exotic and classic car owners to make getting to the hospital a little bit easier and more fun at the same time.
Ken Adams noticed a large number of cancer patients who were forced to take public transportation or rely on friends and family to make it to treatments while he was waiting for his own doctor. Adams then hatched the idea for volunteers to help get those patients from home to the hospital, and was born.
Patients get to ride in everything from vehicles like the to the and even the Ferrari Enzo. For patients who may be going through some of the darkest days of their lives, the chance to ride in some of the world’s greatest pieces of engineering is also a chance at a valuable smile.
We’ve been plenty guilty of balking at supercars in the past, and while they remain firmly out of grasp for the vast majority of the human race, they also represent just what mankind is capable of with the right motivation. We’re just glad to see some of their owners have a similarly impressive capacity for compassion.
If you don’t own a supercar but still want to help, Your Ride Is Here relies entirely on donations, which can be . They’ve also made an excellent video that best explains their purposes, which can be viewed .
If you have a phone, you’ve probably been offered a (last, final, only, etc.) chance to extend your car’s warranty. Hopefully you realized an anonymous caller from an unknown number had no idea what kind of car you drive much less when your warranty expired and promptly ended the call.
