This week, articles that caught our editors’ attention include those about a day in the life of a pro car buyer, the cars with the longest longevity and your favorite movie cars in action and in miniature. Read these stories and more by clicking on the links below. Continue reading >>>
Family-friendly vehicles now come in all shapes and sizes. But which vehicles offer the best value, safety, and reliability for families without breaking the bank? Here are 5 standouts from the 2015 model year.
Going green in our cars means more than just getting better fuel economy. As early as 1998, Chrysler aimed to use recycled materials for the fabric roof liner of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Fast forward to the 2010s and the list of automakers using recycled materials has grown.
Since 2014, The BMW i3 has used natural fibers along with recycled plastics and aluminum. The 2015 Nissan Leaf incorporated 25 percent recycled materials, including steel for the body.
Ford stands out when it comes to using recycled materials; in addition to using recycled materials in the wire frame and under the hood, Ford incorporates recycled materials in tactile components of a car’s interior, such as seat cushions and fabric. In 2011, Ford began using soy foam for its seat cushions. Shortly after, the automaker incorporated Repreve fabric, made of recycled water bottles, in the 2012 Ford Focus Electric.
Ford isn’t just focusing its recycling efforts on one or two models. Instead, its efforts span multiple models, from trucks to compact vehicles.
It’s turned its attention to another interior component, with some inspiration from bees. Continue reading >>>
Twenty two years ago, General Motors unveiled its all-electric car, the EV1, at the Los Angeles Auto Show on January 4, 1996. What better time to look back at how far the technology has come — and consider whether we are finally on the brink of acceptance on a worldwide scale.
The auto industry is evolving in two ways, both of which spell massive changes for the industry with which we all grew up.
First, the industry has become globalized like never before. American cars are built in Mexico, Japanese cars are made in America, parts are sourced from around the world, and finished cars are exported into global markets.
Second, this global evolution is the continued blurring of the lines between car and tech experience. Rather than cars offering tech products, tech products are becoming cars.
That’s an important distinction from the carmakers of our youth, and one that’s driving a new breed of automaker into the limelight. Chinese automaker Byton is a perfect example. Continue reading >>>
The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards aren’t your typical auto accolades. Rather than being chosen by a specific organization, these awards are given by an independent jury of automotive journalists based throughout the United States and Canada.
The winners are often vehicles that shake up the status quo while delivering an exceptional experience to the driver and passengers. Only cars that are new to the market, or substantially redesigned, are eligible for nomination.
Each member of the 57-person voting committee submits a score for each of the finalists. They are free to judge the cars however they like, but must disperse a pre-determined number of points across each of the three finalists in each category. The vehicle with the most points in each category wins. The winners are announced each January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
This year’s finalists are prime examples of the exciting cars being produced by automakers around the world. Continue reading >>>
Luxury trucks are gaining popularity, and fast. And now that the world of pickup trucks includes options that can cost nearly six figures, automakers are lining up to deliver even more luxurious examples. Continue reading >>>
If you’ve never driven a Toyota Avalon, I’d highly recommend you do so next time you’re in the market for a sedan.
The Avalon isn’t especially fast and it won’t carve the corners like sport sedans do. The Avalon, though, is a comfortable cruiser that feels more planted and solid than a Camry while offering more of an understated style compared to a Lexus. I’ve driven a few and always fall a little bit more in love every time.
Sedans like the Avalon are falling out of favor with American consumers as they turn en masse toward higher-riding crossovers and SUVs. That’s a shame, because the Avalon is a worthy vehicle in an almost forgotten segment.
Buyers will have another chance to rediscover the Avalon because it’s coming back, all new, for 2019.
Like it or not, you are the average American consumer.
So am I.
We all take our paychecks, however large or small, and buy what we want or need. We buy gifts online, we buy food in stores, we order coffee on the way to work. We can do it in person or via our smartphones. But shopping from our cars?
Your car has been the one place that’s been free of e-shopping. But GM has just changed that with an app that looks to add a dose of convenience, and probably caffeine, to your daily drive. Continue reading >>>
Does it get any more American than that? Sure, we could include the cliché baseball and apple pie, but it’s the Corvette that might best define what it means to be an American.
Like many Americans, the Corvette tries really hard to be good looking, could probably stand to lose a few pounds, and can’t quite keep up with its fancy European peers.
The new Corvette ZR1, however, might finally be the car to outshine its European counterparts.
Well, maybe not all of them. Continue reading >>>
