Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Hyundai

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata has only been on sale for a few months, but it’s already winning over many American mid-size sedan buyers, and we’ve been every impressed by what we’ve found in our first drive and review. However, the rakish new Sonata could face a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into about 16,300 Sonatas due to potential steering issues.

NHTSA has received reports that cite problems with either a separation of the upper universal joint in the intermediate steering shaft assembly. The result is a complete loss of steering capability, though the universal joint was not completely separated.

Hyundai says that it is unaware of any accidents or injuries connected to this issue and that it is fully cooperating with NHTSA on the investigation. The automaker also says that it had received reports of two vehicles with a steering problem linked to the upper universal joint, but that both were repaired without issue. Expect the results of NHTSA’s investigation to be released in the coming weeks.

Photos Copyright (C)2010 Steven J. Ewing / AOL
[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: NHTSA investigating steering issues on 2011 Hyundai Sonata originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Toyota

Small MPVs might not be the hottest commodities here in the United States, but these little functional wonders sell like hotcakes in other markets, especially Europe. To keep up with the growing segment, Toyota has given its Verso hatch a rather substantial makeover, and we’ll see the all-new Verso-S debut at the Paris Motor Show in just a few weeks.

Upon its launch in the UK in early 2011, the Verso-S will be the shortest B-segment MPV in Europe – the car is less than four meters (157 inches) long. It’s a sharp little hatch, too, looking like the lovechild of a Honda Fit and a Toyota iQ, the latter of which supplies many of the visual cues seen here on the new Verso-S.

Toyota is still keeping quiet about the full specifications, but expect the floodgates to open at the end of September closer to the little MPV’s official debut. Read more in Toyota’s press release, after the jump.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Toyota Verso-S gets an iQ-inspired makeover

Paris Preview: Toyota Verso-S gets an iQ-inspired makeover originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Families and relatives of the people who died in the Aug 24 plane crash in Yichun city will receive 960,000 yuan ($141,100) in compensation for each death.

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Mines Minister Obert Mpofu is set to face court action for allowing the sale of diamonds mined at the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields, despite a Supreme Court order barring the stones from being sold.

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Podcasts, Etc., BMW, Chevrolet, GM, Honda, Lexus, Mazda

Chris, Sam, Alex and Dan convene for Episode #193 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the Ford Boss Mustang and Roush supercharger package, the latest Chevrolet Volt fuel economy dust-up, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, Mazda’s apparent new design language and the Lotus Evora S and Evora IPS. We finish it off by talking about snow tires, that most summery of topics. It’s an a quick 51 minutes, See you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #193 – Hot Mustangs, Volt Mileage, 1 Series M, Mazda design and Lotus Evoras

In the Autoblog Garage:

Honda CRZ
Lexus RX450h

News:

• BMW 1 Series M Coupe
• Volt sub-30 mpg claim
  
• Mazda Shinari concept
  
• Roush Mustang supercharger
  
• Lotus Evora S and IPS
  

Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk, Alex Nunez

Runtime: 50:59

---

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #193 – Hot Mustangs, Volt Mileage, 1 Series M, Mazda design and Lotus Evoras originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

The inclusive government and the Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) on Monday unveiled a US$100 million joint loan facility to try to revive the country’s economy.

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Car Buying, LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Chrysler, Fiat

Chrysler is set to debut its American-spec Fiat 500 at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show with the first examples being sold near the end of 2010. During the 2011 calendar year, Chrysler hopes to sell 50,000 of the Mini Cooper fighters, including the 500 Cabrio, which goes on sale sometime in 2011.

Built in Toluca, Mexico, the 500 will be sold through a network of 165 dealers across the United States, mostly in cities that have the largest small car markets. Will Chrysler be able to move 50,000 of the new Fiats? That’s mildly ambitious, since the Mini brand only moves about 50,000 Coopers annually. Still, consider our fingers crossed.

[Source: Associated Press via Google]

Report: Fiat wants to sell 50,000 500s in the U.S. through 165 dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Subaru, Long-Term Garage

In our last long term update, I mentioned that my wife and I took the 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT on a two-week road trip up to New England. Our ultimate destination was Bar Harbor, Maine, though a stop in New Hampshire on the way home became our most memorable vacation moment of all time.

After spending Fourth of July at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, we decided to drive up Mount Washington and visit the Mt. Washington Observatory at its summit on our way out of town. I knew little about Mt. Washington, but my wife had visited this tallest peak in New England as a child and claimed she and her family had hiked up to the summit.

The story goes her father had convinced them all to hoof it up to the top rather than hitch a ride on the mountain’s Cog Railway by offering them each the price of the train ticket as bribe money. Sounding like something my father-in-law would do, I trusted my wife’s memory was accurate and imagined a post card-quality bluff, easily scalable by a trio of children and their persuasive father.

This is the story of how wrong I was, and how the 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT fared as our mule on the harrowing eight-mile ascent up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

Photos copyright (C)2010 John Neff / AOL or their respective owners (see gallery for credits)

Continue reading 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT: Taming the Mt. Washington Auto Road

2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT: Taming the Mt. Washington Auto Road originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: Convertible, Sedan, Maybach, Luxury

We’ve all but assumed Maybach was a goner. With the economic downturn and sales hovering around the 300-unit mark annually, Mercedes-Benz‘ rebadged uber-lux brand makes a hard business case for itself. However, Automobile reports that Maybach may be down, but it’s not out, and a range of new products are on the way.

With the S-Class due to be replaced in 2012, the range-topping Benz will offer up its revised platform for five new Maybach models. The standard 57 and 62 will benefit from upgraded sheet metal, interiors and electronics, while a CLS-like four-door “coupe” will be added to the line-up along with the oft-rumored long-wheelbase convertible – a sort of mash-up between the 62 Laundaulet and Mercedes’ Ocean Drive concept from 2007.

Despite M-B’s ongoing issues with CAFE standards, motivation will continue to be provided by the same 6.0-liter V12 powering current Maybachs, although horsepower is expected to rise, torque output could crest 850 pound-feet and Mercedes’ seven-speed automatic will be part of the package.

More intriguingly, Automobile says that with the new transmission, an electric motor could be fitted, boosting output by 20 hp and allowing the massive sled to drive in full electric mode for up to 10 miles. There’s also talk of a new nine-speed automatic transmission being fitted and fuel economy rising by around 25% – so figure around a 2-3 mpg improvement for both the 545-hp and 630-hp versions.

In order for Maybach to survive, it has to be more than just a reworked S-Class and to that end, an insider told Automobile that future models will be “jewels on wheels and at last worthy of the brand.” We shall see…

[Source: Automobile]

Report: Maybach will soldier on, gain hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]

Filed under: GM, Holden, Australia

We’ll admit it – we miss the Pontiac G8. A lot. General Motors‘ Americanized version of the rear-wheel-drive Holden Commodore met its death with the demise of Pontiac last year, and of all the GM products that we’ve lost in the past twelve months, the G8 is the one we’d immediately rebirth if we could (especially the GXP). Holden, however, is still alive and well in its native Australia, and the automaker has just released its Series II family, which offers up a host of small changes to nearly the full line of products.

There isn’t anything drastically different about the Series II versions of the Commodore, Calais, Caprice, Berlina or Omega – just the typical new model year additions. Most notably, the 3.0-liter V6 and 6.0-liter V8 engines are now capable of running on bio-ethanol fuel, and slight improvements to fuel economy have been made across the range. In addition, small visual tweaks have been made to the fascias of all models and new paint colors have been added.

A similar story can be told about these cars’ interiors – minute tweaks to fit and finish have been made, though the big news is the addition of GM’s new Holden-iQ infotainment system, available on all Series II models. Holden-iQ incorporates audio, Bluetooth and navigation functions into one 6.5-inch touchscreen interface, as well as a back-up camera (not available on the Ute).

For the full list of changes, browse through Holden’s press release, available after the jump, and see the full 2011 Series II range for yourself in the high-res image gallery below. Hat tip to Neil!

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM releases 2011 Holden Series II family for Australia

GM releases 2011 Holden Series II family for Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: unranked [?]