Archive for March, 2010
Recall Alert: 2010 Hyundai Tucson
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by admin.
Hyundai has issued a recall for 515 of the newly redesigned Tucson crossover from the 2010 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall is due to a glitch in the airbag system for the front passenger seat. Occupants weighing more than 240 pounds may cause the passive occupant detection system (PODS) to illuminate the airbag warning light. This could cause the airbag to deploy during an accident even if it has been deactivated for a child seat or diminutive passenger, risking injury to the passenger.
Dealers will reprogram the PODS module for free. Owners may contact Hyundai at 800-633-5151 or the NHTSA vehicle safety hot line at 888-327-4236.
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Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Toyota 4Runner
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by admin.
The truck-based SUV has quickly become a shrinking species in our increasingly mileage-conscious world, which makes Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder think of the 2010 Toyota 4Runner as something of a ready-made throwback. Crossovers are king now, and that makes the 4Runner a tougher sell to all but the faithful. Check out Wiesenfelder’s full review to see how the 4Runner manages in this new kind of car market.
2010 Toyota 4Runner Review
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Review: Volvo XC60 Take Two
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by admin.
Over the bridge and through the woods till mödrars hus vi gor. When Volvo first started their love affair with jacked up wagons equipped with AWD and some extra ride rel, they had two groups in mind: The Swedes that live in rural Sweden with miles of unpaved dirt roads in the forest which turn [...]
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Battery Company Warns of Tepid Demand for Electric Vehicles
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by admin.
Suppliers of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles face a problem of building more batteries than the market of the next few years will demand, according to Mary Ann Wright, a former Ford executive and now the manager of advanced auto batteries for Johnson Controls.
Testifying before the Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, Wright warned that by 2015 the world will be able to make 400,000 electric-vehicle batteries, but demand will not justify this number. U.S. demand will lag behind capacity by 62%, Wright said.
According to Wright and others in her industry, the solution is the electrification of vehicle fleets, especially by federal and state governments. Government agencies operate millions of vehicles. Postal vans, for instance, get 10 mpg, travel at low speeds and make frequent stops. U.S. Postal Service officials estimate that an electric van could save $1,500 a year over its gas competitor, and the agency has a pilot program to bring an electric version to its D.C. fleet.
Such a program would contribute “toward rapidly achieving scale,” thus making all-electric vehicles more affordable, Wright said.
Electric Vehicle Component Supply May Outstrip Demand (DriveOn)
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Spied! Next-Generation Chevrolet Colorado
Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by admin.
Photo: Brian Williams for Brenda Priddy & Company
A few weeks ago, our spies caught a next-generation Chevrolet Colorado engineering mule out for some cold weather testing wearing the sheetmetal of the last-gen Thai-built Colorado. Now, they've caught a camouflaged prototype of the future Colorado that's expected to go on sale in markets outside of the U.S. by late 2011.
Last week, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon faced an uncertain future — at least in the United States. While GM hasn't officially said U.S. Colorado and Canyon production will end, last year, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said it was GM's plan to end production at the Shreveport plant where they're built by 2012.
Ford has said production of its Ranger compact pickup will end by 2011, and Chrysler has said the Dodge Dakota will end production next year, though the Dakota may be replaced by a small unibody pickup.
Overseas, it's a different story. GM doesn’t plan to shutter its Chevy Colorado production facility in Thailand. The company recently received $445 million in loans to expand the plant for the next-gen Colorado and to produce four-cylinder diesel engines.
The right-hand drive truck shown here is an extended cab model. It appears to be a bit larger than the current Thai Colorado, which shared its GMT355 platform with the Isuzu D-Max. The nose appears to have some front-end styling cues shared with the Chevy Equinox crossover.
Photo: Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company
GM and Isuzu are not expected to share pickups after the new truck arrives. The two companies cut most ties — except the jointly operated DMAX engine plant where the Duramax diesel V-8 engine is built — after GM sold its ownership stake in Isuzu in 2006.
The toughest clean diesel regulations in the world and a 25 percent import tariff on most foreign-built pickups are two expensive strikes against this Colorado showing up here.
The new Colorado will compete against the upcoming “T6″ Ford Ranger, new Volkswagen Amarok pickup and existing models from Mitsubishi, Toyota and Nissan.
