Car News Articles

Lotus is a name you associate with sports cars from Norfolk. And in our eco-conscious times the light weight of the Elise et al makes Hethel’s cars an increasingly environmentally friendly proposition for the sporting driver. But what about the rest of us who need to transport a family of four, or can’t afford a lithe little Elise?

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Porsche’s Panamera might just be the most scooped car ever. It’s been 18 months seen we first snapped the super-saloon from Stuttgart testing at the Nurburgring. With each round of spy shots more of the disguise is peeled away at we get a better look at this enormous Porsche. These photos, snapped in Scandinavia, show us the rear of the Panamera in the best detail yet. And also show the car’s size. Length-wise the Panamera sits between the regular and long-wheelbase Mercedes S-class.

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Defending Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen recovered from a forgettable Aussie Grand Prix to win convincing at Malaysia on Sunday. The Finn took the lead from teammate and pole sitter Felipe Massa after the first pitstop and cruised to the victory from there. Robert Kubica finished second for BMW Sauber and Heikki Kovalainem filled out the podium for McLaren. Points leader and Aussie winner Lewis Hamilton finished fifth. Read more here. For full results, go here. The series shifts to Bahrain on April 4-6.

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While hanging out in the Mama Said Café at the Chicago Auto Show, I was approached by two women who work for Mitsubishi. Not abnormal in itself; I was at an auto show, after all. What caught my attention, though, was what they said next: “We work in the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill.”

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If you hadn’t heard already, former D1 driver Michihiro Takatori will be competing stateside this year in Formula D. Takatori is no stranger to drifting and has been competing in D1 both in Japan and in the US behind the wheel of his A31 Nissan Cefiro and ER34 Skyline coupe. Just like in the past, the FD team is being supported by the Kyoto Fushimi branch of Super Autobacs.

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MSNBC reports that GM’s placing its entire inventory of certified pre-owned (CPO) cars (from 3,900 dealers) on eBay. GM says its still working with eBay on developing the site. But don’t expect any sort of direct, online transaction. If the eBay sub-site works along the same lines as Autotrader.com and Cars.com’s versions, you’ll have to contact the dealer through the website (which earns a referral fee). Will eBay offer any additional guarantees along the lines of the protections offered buyers of privately owned vehicles (e.g. free insurance and seller ratings)? Don’t hold your breath…

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First of all, I apologize again for the broken comments function. As a survivor of the early PC, I know the agony of dysfunctional if not downright evil computing. As a smart ass kid in a school where corporal punishment wasn’t the name of a porn star, I know the frustration of not being able to speak the truth. Thanks for all the emails giving us a heads-up, and your patience awaiting the site’s restoration. Second, a big thank you to Justin for his sterling work at the New York Auto Show. I still think I should have “accidentally” fallen and grabbed the sheet covering the Hyundai Genesis concept while Justin just “happened” to be taking some photos of the liggers. But otherwise, Justin’s editorial judgment is pure TTAC, AND the guy’s a hard worker who knows his onions. Well done that man. And kudos to Frank Williams for holding down the fort. We literally couldn’t have done it without him. I’m proud that Frank considers TTAC a worthy place to hang his hat. And, of course, thank you for your e-patronage, our raison d’etre. 

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Judy Smongesky has been driving around San Diego for nearly four decades in her Silver-Blue 1965 Mustang. It has over 300k miles on the clock and she’s rebuilt the engine twice. Only problem is, it’s not her car. Turns out back in 1970 Eugene Brakke reported his ‘Stang as stolen. Last week, when Smongesky was preparing to sell the car, the police notified her that it was hot. She sure was surprised, as her father had bought her the car when she was a teenager (some things never change). Even though MSNBC reports that Smongesky’s had the car 9.5 times longer than Mr. Brakke, she’s giving it back to him. And he has the nerve to be angry about the paint job (the car was originally gold). The whole ordeal proves conclusively that even though possession is 9/10s the law, it’s not.

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China is GM’s Golden Child. The General currently holds 34 percent of a ménage à trois with SIAC Motor Corp and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile. Reuters reports that according to the Shanghai Securities News, GM is in talks with SAIC (which holds 50.1 percent of their joint venture) about increasing their stake. The paper didn’t say how much more GM wanted; GM’s chief in China, Kevin Wale said they were “weighing their options.” This deal would certainly bolster GM’s bottom line and help cover their North American losses. However, SAIC builds cars under their own name. They are also GM’s direct competitors in China, and they’ve publicly stated they want to expand their lineup. So how receptive they’ll be to The General’s entreaties is yet to be determined.

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The Financial Post reports that car prices in Canada have plummeted 6.8 percent last month, the biggest drop since 1956. The number comes from Statistics Canada’s February inflation report, which reportedly shocked even the economists who collect the data. Vic Singh, chief economist at the Canadian Auto Dealers Association explains the phenomenon as an “accumulation of several months of falling prices, as the soaring Canadian dollar forces auto dealers to cut sticker prices in an effort to keep consumers from heading south of the border to get a better deal.” A strong Canadian dollar, aggressive manufacturer incentives and increased demand for compact cars are also cited as reasons for the sharp downturn in prices. Of course, good old Econ 101 analysis indicates that this is what the textbooks call market self-correction, as Canucks have been paying high premiums on their vehicles for years compared to their American neighbors despite the strong loonie. Check out a slideshow comparing prices in  Canada vs. US in November, 2007 here to see what we’re talking about.

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