Car News Articles

Anyway, we like it, and we’d like it even more in a more powerful car. Which is where the longitudinal engines come in. Audi has now taken the S-Tronic principle and set about building an all-new tranny to do the same job behind the V-6s and V-8s of the bigger cars.

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American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. advertised for new hires in some newspapers Sunday — raising questions about whether the Detroit auto supplier is seeking replacements for striking members of the United Auto Workers union who walked off the job last month.

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Continental Chief Technical Officer Karl-Thomas Neumann has taken over the company’s loss-making powertrain division from Dieter Rogge, 60, who has retired. Neumann aims to turn around the division, which last year lost €73.5 million.

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Toyota isn’t deserting the family car heartland just yet - these spyshots of the new Avensis  prove that the Japanese are going down the tried-and-tested route with the new saloon.

Our spies caught it testing in Germany, but the Belgian plates betray its origin; Toyota’s HQ and R&D centre are both based around Brussels. It’s being put through its paces ahead of a debut expected at this autumn’s Paris Motor Show when we hear it will stick with the Avensis badge - rather than picking a sexier new name, as happened when Toyota dropped the Corolla in favour of the Auris tag in 2007.

Bodystyling: the Avensis family tree

Toyota is dropping one of the Avensis’s bodystyles this time around - we expect the five-door hatchback to be dropped, leaving just a sporty Tourer estate and the four-door notchback pictured here.

As detailed in our last scoop on the Avensis, there are few surprises under the bonnet with engines spanning from 1.8 to 2.2 in petrol and diesel form - but we hear there will be a mild hybrid version with petrol-electric powertrain to trim CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

The new Avensis will again be built at Burnaston, Derbyshire, alongside the Auris. The plant first opened in 1995 when it built the Avensis’s forebear, the first Carina E for the European market.

Expect UK sales from early 2009 priced from around £16,000.

Interested in the new Avensis? Or does Toyota’s latest have all the excitement of a new washing machine? Click ‘Add comment’ and let us know

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I remember the day I got my driver’s license. I felt so empowered, so strong, so in control of my destiny. At least, I did until that night, when my foot slipped off the clutch and I backed my truck into the car parked behind me. There’s nothing worse than proving to the world you’re not as ready for that symbolic piece of plastic as you’d assumed. Except calling your parents and telling them what you’ve done.

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Recently I have been getting a lot of questions from readers about various things related to this site so I figured I will do a short “FAQ” of sorts to clarify some things. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions people have and correct some misconceptions.

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Man, we are so going to the National Automobile Dealers Association convention next year; you know, if they let us in. Where else would you hear Ford Prez Mark “Tool Time” Fields say “Mercury has a place in our brand portfolio” and then refuse to assure the brand’s dealers that Ford won’t kill it? In fact, the AP [via MLive] reports that “Ford executives” told “a group of dealers that “new Mercury products are coming.” Such as…? A Mariner hybrid? A Mercury version of the Edge? [crickets chirping] Let’s try that again. “When asked what he would tell dealers who fear the brand could be discontinued, Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president for marketing, said they should look at the new products.” Such as…? [cue: tumbleweeds] “They wouldn’t give us any definite answers,” revealed Steve Downing, owner of a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Yuba City, Calif. “Obviously the future’s with Lincoln.” Too true Steve, but don’t worry. As Fields says, it’s all part of a “process.” “”Any good business on a continuous basis looks at their portfolio. Any good business does that, not just automotive, and that’s part of our process.”

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Well, who doesn’t? But Jonny’s willingness to accept a Mercedes-engined Aston Martin highlights an important trend in upmarket automotive marketing: the end of mechanical snobbery. Yes, there are still brand purists who believe that the greasy bits’ provenance is more important than a well-turned fender, a respected badge or comparative performance. That the connection between track and road is a holy one, whose realization establishes the brand’s all-important bloodlines. But these engineering-savvy enthusiasts– who were always a minority of any luxury or high-performance marque’s buyers– are a dying breed. Today’s 30 or 40-something sports car buyer is likely to desire Nissan’s GT-R because of its status as a Playstation plaything, rather than any racing glory. (Ferrari is the exception that proves the rule.) They’re willing to judge expensive automobiles on their own merits, regardless of what lies beneath, who made it or how it got there. This open-mindedness (a.k.a. ignorance) is no bad thing. It gives a deluxe car company greater freedom to be itself, if you know what I mean.

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According to King5, cameras set up to catch “red-light runners” in Puyallup, WA, are working quite well. “Perhaps a little too well,” says city manager Gary McLean. Even though each camera-equipped intersection has warning signs, McLean says the number of drivers caught by the cameras has been a revelation. “I think everyone’s been surprised at the number of people getting the warning notices.” After the cameras went into operation on March 1st, more than 2.5k “red light runners” were caught; an average of more than 100 per day. However, no drivers have received the $124 ticket slated to go along with the offense. City leaders are extending the ticket-free “warning period” through the end of April so drivers “can get used to where the cameras are.” And it’s not about the money: “It’s about correcting behavior and public safety,” says McLean. “It’s not about revenue. Because, trust me, plenty of people are still going to violate the law and those fines will be imposed, but for the public listening to us now, we hope they hear this and correct it.” Meanwhile, the city of Bellevue, WA will soon be adding cameras at six intersections, along with three new speed cameras, The expected annual take? $827k.

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