Suzuki Pulling Out of the American Car Market, will Focus on Motorcycles and Marine Divisions

We knew that Suzuki's automotive division was having problems in the United States, but we never imagined that the Japanese carmaker would go as far as to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and completely exit the automobile market in the country (this decision does not affect its global automotive operations).

American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), which is the exclusive distributor in the continental United States of Suzuki Motor Corporation automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and marine outboard engines, made the announcement on Monday night, citing several reasons:

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Fisker Wraps Investigation of Karma Fires at New Jersey Port, Blames One Car's Vehicle Control Unit

Last week, Sandy's furious tempest resulted in 16 brand-new Fisker Karma sedans and three Toyota Prius hybrids going up in flames at a shipping facility in New Jersey after being submerged in seawater for many hours.

While we have yet to hear from Toyota, Fisker's engineers finished investigating the incident and have just released their findings through a press statement.

According to the manufacturer, the culprit turned out to be a low voltage Vehicle Control Unit in one Karma, which after being under salt water for several hours, short-circuited and caused a fire that then spread to the other 15 extended-range plug-in hybrid models parked nearby due to the strong winds blowing at the time.

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BMW 116d EfficientDynamics Records 103MPG UK – 2.7lt/100km in RAC Challenge

A latest generation BMW 116d EfficientDynamics hatch driven by the team at Green-Car-Guide at the RAC Future Car Challenge 2012 achieved an average fuel economy of 103 mpg UK (equal to 85.8 mpg US and 2.7lt/100km) over the 64-mile Brighton to London route, recording a 39 per cent improvement over the manufacturer's official 74.3mpg UK combined economy figure. Read more »

Market Researcher Says Bogus Hyundai and Kia MPG Claims will Harm Brands' Value, Shares Tumble

We already know that it's going to cost Hyundai and Kia a lot of money to compensate some 900,000 vehicle owners in the States (as much as $362 million, according to Nam Kyeong Moon, an analyst at KTB Investment & Securities Co.) after the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the two carmakers posted inflated gas-mileage ratings.

However, the penalty in brand value may be even higher for the Korean car brands, according to market researcher Interbrand Corp.

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Toyota Begins Production of All-New 2013 Auris at Burnaston Plant

Toyota hosted a special ceremony today at its Burnaston factory, just south of the city of Derby in Britain, to mark the start of series production of the second generation of the Auris hatchback and welcome future production of the Auris Touring Sports model, which will join its European ranks from next year. Read more »

Renault and Caterham Officially Join Forces to Resurrect Alpine Brand

It's no secret that Renault was looking for a partner to revive its Alpine sports car brand and now the French carmaker says it has found it in the Caterham Group.

The two companies made the wedding official today during a press conference in Paris where they announced the formation of a new 50-50 joint venture to develop both Alpine and Caterham-branded sports cars on common underpinnings and built at Renault's plant in Dieppe in northern France.

The Caterham Group will own a 50% stake in the Automobiles Alpine Renault company, which is currently owned 100 percent by Renault SAS. The Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham (SAAC) venture will be created in January 2013 and will be headed by Bernard Ollivier, who became vice president of Renault in 2011.

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault commented: "This innovative partnership with Caterham embodies a longstanding ambition: the creation of a sports car with the Alpine DNA. It carries both opportunities for the Dieppe plant and the development of its historic expertise."

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Rail Buff Films Train Crashing into a Water Truck in Utah, Amazingly, No One Hurt

Have you heard of the old saying of being "in the right place at the right time"? If anything else, this holds true for a Utah man who was filming trains in the city of Wellington in Carbon County this past Friday with his iPhone.

In the YouTube video's description, James Wood says he was recording video for his 4-year old son at 100 E. Railroad Avenue in Wellington when he captured footage of a train ripping through a water truck that was crossing the tracks at that precise moment.

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Three Toyota Prius Hybrid Models Also Caught Fire at New Jersey Port During Storm

As it turns out, the 16 Fisker Karma extended-range hybrids weren't the only new hybrid cars to catch fire in Port Newark, New Jersey last Monday on October 29, after being submerged in seawater during Hurricane Sandy.

In a completely separate incident during the storm, three Toyota Prius models, including a conventional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, were also damaged by fire at Port Newark, according to a report from the LA Times.

Toyota confirmed the incident. "One Prius out and out burned, the others just kind of smoldered and got really hot," Cindy Knight, a Toyota spokeswoman told the New York Times (NYT), adding that the fire "likely started because saltwater got into the electrical system." The Prius that burned down completely was a plug-in hybrid model.

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Hyundai and Kia to Compensate 900,000 Vehicle Owners Over False Fuel Economy Numbers

Fuel-economy is a hot issue these days. Not only because of environmental issues but also on a more practical level, due to gas being a big, and these days increasing, part of a vehicle’s running costs.

Mileage is thus a big consideration for a large number of new car buyers. Therefore, when you advertise that you are an industry leader in the field with four of your models rated at 40 mpg on the highway, you had better be sure you are right or it will cost you dearly.

The Environmental Protection Agency found discrepancies between its own test results and the mileage posted on the cars’ window stickers at Hyundai and Kia dealerships.

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Sandy Hits East Coast Car Sales, Lowers October’s SAAR By Nearly a Million Units

Not that there’s ever a “good” timing for a natural disaster, but for East Coast new car dealers, especially those in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, traditionally very big markets for light vehicles, hurricane Sandy had a devastating effect as far as sales are concerned.

That’s because, apart from any damages dealers suffered, they also had to shut down their showrooms at the end of October, when their daily sales are at their peak.

Moreover, deliveries scheduled for early November are likely to be affected, though dealers are expected to make at least part of that up by buyers seeking replacements for their totaled cars.

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BMW Group and Toyota to Each Donate $1 Million for Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

With a simple press statement, the North American division of the BMW Group announced that it will donate the amount of $1 million to million to the American Red Cross for disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

"This donation will help the Red Cross give aid to the many who are in need in the affected areas," said Ludwig Willisch, CEO and President, BMW of North America.

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Mine's Bigger Than Yours: Ford Brags About the C-MAX Hybrid Outselling the Toyota Prius v

There's no end in sight to Ford's war of words against Toyota and its Prius family of hybrid models. Adding to a long list of press releases and statements targeting the Japanese brand's hybrid models, Ford came out with a new announcement today saying the 47mpg C-MAX Hybrid outsold the Prius v minivan in its first full sales month. Read more »

12-Year Old Ohio Boy Steals Three Cars in One Day, Leads Cops on a Wild Chase

Some kids like to play cops and robbers with their friends, usually on their computers, but one youngster from Ohio had different plans, as the 12-year old wanted to try a real life version of the game.

The unnamed boy, who according to his father, had been watching online videos of police chases the previous night, woke up the next morning and drove off with his parents' Chevrolet van, but he didn’t stop there.

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New EU Tyre Labeling System Comes into Effect, States Consumption, Wet Grip and Noise

It’s true that the current series of letters and numbers on the side walls of the tyres can be confusing to the average buyer, who relies on his tyre provider or a friend’s recommendation when the time comes to change his or her vehicle’s OEM rubber.

That’s why, effective November 1, a new labeling system has been introduced in the European Union. The goal is to inform consumers of the characteristics of each type of tyre and make driving more cost effective, quieter and safer.

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You Won’t Believe Why Porsche Headlight Thefts Surge in Amsterdam

While pot smokers can puff a sigh of relief after Amsterdam's mayor stated that cannabis cafés will remain open for business with foreign visitors, despite a new Dutch law designed to reduce drug tourism, Porsche car owners in the city won't be sharing the same sentiment.

Only in the past week, some 20 owners of Porsche Panamera sedans and Cayenne SUVs in Amsterdam had their vehicles' headlamps stolen.

If you are wondering why the sudden surge in Porsche headlight thefts, the answer will leave you stunned: Amsterdam Police suspect that the thieves are using the Porsche Xenon headlamps for use as grow lights for marijuana!

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Ford and Its Dealers Offering $500 Cash Savings to New Cars Buyers Affected by Sandy

Only hours after Nissan and Infiniti announced that they are offering employee pricing and discounted financing to consumers impacted by the storm, Ford Motor Company came out with its own contribution. Read more »

Smugglers from Mexico Learn that the Jeep Cherokee is Trail Rated, not Border Fence Rated...

What will they think of next? A group of suspected smugglers attempted to cross the U.S. border on Tuesday using an older Jeep Cherokee and two makeshift ramps on either side of the 14-foot fence at California’s Imperial Sand Dunes.

Their "Trail Rated" plan, however, hit a snag, when the Jeep became stuck on the metal barrier. Border Patrol spokesman Spencer Tippets told KMOV News that the Cherokee was spotted tangling over the fence just after midnight.

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Buyers Disagree with Consumer Reports Recommendations, Civic, Passat Sales Soar

You may recall Honda’s 2012 Civic comprehensively hammered last year by Consumer Reports. The publication's verdict was such a big blow that Honda decided to speed-up its next redesign and its CEO took responsibility for its poor performance.

One would expect its sales to slump; but instead, they have gotten through the roof. Civic deliveries have increased this year by 40 percent through September, to 234,029 units and Honda’s compact car is on course to regain the segment crown in the U.S. after finishing third last year behind the Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze.

This brings up an interesting question: how much does automotive experts’ testing weigh on buyers’ decision when the time comes to buy a new car?

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Nissan and Infiniti Offer Employee Pricing and Financing to Replace Cars Damaged by Sandy

As you have no doubt seen from the news as well as the numerous videos circulating around the web, Hurricane-then-turned-into-mega storm Sandy damaged or completely destroyed a great number of cars in the northeast region of the U.S.

Nissan North America (NNA) is among the automakers eager to give a helping hand to those who suffered the devastating effects of the storm and…make a few sales out it, by offering employee pricing and discounted financing on new Nissan and Infiniti vehicles (and no, you won't get a discount on the GT-R…).

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What Will Happen to All Those Cars Damaged by Hurricane Sandy?

We believe that we can deal with almost everything until nature decides to demonstrate that we are mostly helpless against its forces, no matter how technologically advanced our civilization is.

Hurricane Sandy that crashed onto the East Coast this week has sadly claimed many lives; and that pales in comparison to everything else.

Still, however harsh it may sound, life goes on and the survivors have to deal with the aftermath. Sandy being a hurricane and then a super storm has inflicted big damages. Besides homes, cars are probably the most expensive, as well as exposed, items that were flooded or broken by other means, such as falling trees.

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