Archive for February, 2010
Some Used Chevy Impalas Have Missing Side Airbags
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
When Enterprise sold thousands of used Chevy Impalas to dealers, the car rental company missed the fact that optional side airbags weren't installed and the vehicles were sold as if they originally had this safety feature.
Window stickers on the side of the Impalas said the side airbags were intact when they were, in fact, removed by Enterprise during fleet purchases. GM allowed rental car companies to delete side airbags at the factory to save $145 per vehicle. More than 100,000 Impalas are now working their way to the used-car market without these airbags. There’s nothing illegal about this, except that customers must be aware of what they’re buying.
If you buy an Impala, you’ll know the airbags are missing if you find the deleted option code “AK5” on the identification plate in the trunk. Also, the door trim will be missing the word “airbag.” This applies only to older vehicles because GM no longer allows airbags to be deleted in fleet purchases.
Enterprise has admitted the error and said it will buy back the vehicles for $750 above the Blue Book value or pay $200 to the customer for the inconvenience.
Cars Found With Missing Safety Features (WIVB.com)
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Toyota Sees Decline in Interest on Cars.com
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
As Toyota’s recall woes continue, they have made a very real impact on how shoppers are acting on Cars.com. Consumer interaction with dealers has declined dramatically for several top-selling Toyota models after two recalls over the past few months.
In the all-important midsize sedan segment, the Camry was neck-and-neck with the Honda Accord in consumer contacts over the past year. But since the first recall (for floormats) in the fall, the Camry has dropped behind Accord, but it still led all other models. After the second recall in January, the Camry fell to fifth in consumer contacts.
Which car has benefited the most? Well, the Accord (also declining before the Toyota recall) shot upward and remains in first place. But the new Hyundai Sonata — which launched in January with an aggressive ad campaign, including several Super Bowl commercials — shot up from eighth place to second, followed by the Nissan Altima and the Ford Fusion.
The compact Corolla has fallen as well. Once in a close battle with the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Jetta for first, the Corolla has now fallen to eighth in consumer contacts.
While the decline is clearly fueled by the current controversy, Toyota is also clearly in danger of losing the interest of today’s car shopper. In addition, the rising quality of Toyota’s competition could keep buyers from coming back the next time they’re in the market.
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Review: Ford Flex Ecoboost Take Two
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
A few years ago Ford decided that its survival depended on making bold moves. They decided to stop simply doing what they’d always done. Well, at least some of the time. One bold move: replace their minivan with the world’s largest Scion xB. Another: instead of offering a V8, twin-turbocharge and direct inject a V6. [...]
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2010 Geneva Motor Show Preview: Volkswagen CrossGolf
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Following on from the reveal of the CrossPolo last week, Volkswagen has now taken the covers off its new CrossGolf, which is also scheduled to make its world debut next week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The latest addition to the Golf family brings the model tally to six, with the range now including the standard Golf, longer wheelbase Golf…
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2010 Geneva Motor Show Preview: BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Concept
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
The all-new 2011 BMW 5-Series Sedan is set to go on sale this June but before that we’ll get a preview of a future gasoline-electric hybrid version destined to go on sale next year. Picking up BMW’s ActiveHybrid nomenclature, the new ActiveHybrid 5 Concept will be unveiled next week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show alongside the regular…
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2011 BMW X5 Gets New M Sports Package
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Just a few weeks after the reveal of the facelifted 2011 BMW X5, a new M Sports Package for the German luxury SUV has been announced. The kit includes both visual upgrades to the interior and body, as well as performance tuning of its chassis. The exterior features new color-coded bumpers with integrated fog lights, extended wheel arches housing…
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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Official Details
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Fans of Italian styling are anxiously awaiting Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s full scale return to the U.S. now that the alliance deal between the Italian auto giant and Chrysler has been well and truly signed off but sadly, the wait may have to last a few more years still. According to Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne, Alfa Romeo is unlikely to return to…
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ASCII Super Duty Artwork Sweeps the Internet
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
0[=]0
What's that? A commenter over at Edmunds created those keystrokes as a way to symbolize the looks of the 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. It's the coolest truck meme of the last eight hours.
Now, it's your turn to create your own ASCII truck artwork because all the cool kids are doing it on the twitterbooks.
Keep it clean.
[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]
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2010 Geneva Motor Show Preview: 2011 Lexus CT 200h
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Lexus has released details for its all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h compact hybrid, which is set to star next week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Serving as a new entry point to the Lexus brand the CT 200h will enter production towards the end of the year for worldwide sale, which presumably means the car will be headed to local showrooms. Lexus is…
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Mugen-Prepped 2011 Honda CR-Z Officially Launched
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin.
Not so long ago the idea of a hybrid powertrain in a sports car was anathema to enthusiasts. But after last year’s Formula 1 season, the debut of cars like the Tesla Roadster and Audi’s series of all-electric e-tron concepts, as well as the wider acceptance of hybrids in general by the buying public, it’s not so unimaginable anymore. Destined to…
