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Nissan will be recalling 242,720 2005-2009 Xterras, Pathfinders and Frontiers due to a faulty airbag sensor. Nissan is recalling their 2005-2009 trucks and SUVs, which many consider to be the best in the business, due to a faulty crash sensor. In states where cold winters and snow occur, salt is used to clear icy roads and has previously only caused some rusty cars. Nissan is saying that the road salt is causing the crash sensor to corrode which in turn is causing the front-impact airbags to fail. The recall only affects registered 2005-2009 Xterras, Pathfinders and Frontiers in heavy snow regions including Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Nissan won’t leave the rest of its owners out in the cold and will be providing a 10 year warranty for the sensor in other states. Currently...
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GM's reporting 221,983 US sales in December, 2008, down 31% compared with a year ago. GM kept the title of US sales leader, with a market share remaining steady at just above 22%. Here's the press release: GM Reports 221,983 Deliveries in December; 2,980,688 Vehicles Sold in 2008 * December deliveries up 30 percent compared with October and up 43 percent compared with November * Market share in December expected around 24 percent, up about 4 ppts compared with November, reflecting renewed APR rate support through GMAC * Second half 2008 share up nearly 2 ppts compared with first half * 2008 market share position anticipated to hold steady at just above 22 percent DETROIT – General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,983 vehicles in December, down 31 percent compared with a year ago. However, total deliveries were 67,000 vehicles more than November’s result, up more than 43 percent month over month. GM December car sales of 87,506 were off 25 percent and truck sales...
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Every weekday in 2008- except for Christmas Day- we saw another cool street-parked vehicle from the streets of Alameda, California. Now I'm going to share my personal favorite ten DOTS finds of the year. These are the cars and trucks that, for one reason or another, really made my day when I ran across them on the streets of Alameda. Some of them are on this list because they're rare and/or interesting (the "Whoa! What's that? " factor), while others made the cut simply because I yearn to own them. And, yes, the Fire Arrow falls into the latter category, because I'm sick like that. So here we go, my personal Alameda DOTS favorites for Ought-Eight: 1953 Citroën Traction-Avant Once I found the '75 Citroën GS 1220 , I figured there'd be no way in hell I'd ever find a cooler street-parked Citroën on the island. Then… this car! Not only is it a Traction-Avant, it's a really solid street-driven example with a custom vintage hood ornament. 1958 Mercedes...
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Horsepower at the flywheel or wheels? It's an important distinction in powertrain bragging rights. Thanks to dyno wizardry from Hyper Power International, you can now know both. MT 's tried it first with the GT-R . It's always been tough to stack up raw engine power output of the car against at-the-pavement performance. This has been the problem with dynos in the past, you either measure power on an engine dyno and don't know the power to the wheels or measure on a chassis dyno and don't know how much power the engine really makes. Rule of thumb driveline losses are never satisfying in either case and that's where Hyper Power International comes in. Apparently, their dyno looks like any other four-wheel chassis dyno, with four big rollers to strap a car onto and sophisticated measurement equipment to test maximum output. The trick comes in when you've finished a pull and the system asks you to put the car in neutral. As the wheels and the rollers slow down, the...
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The Nissan Cube is hoping to capture the boxy chic market the Scion xB pioneered when it goes on sale in the US market next year. We think the Cube has a lot going for it. When it does arrive the funky little 2009 Nissan Cube will sport the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Nissan Versa, good for 122 HP and 127 lb-ft of torque. These will come mated to either Nissan's CVT transmission or a six-speed manual, for those who like to stand out in a crowd and row their own gears. Further differentiating the unique econobox from the rest of the market will be the "water drop" interior accents in the headliner and controls that give the appearance of rippling water. As with the Fit and Scion, the Cube will come loaded with features such as a sliding "sofa style" bench, remote keyless entry, an iPod-ready sound system and standard ABS. Buyers will also be treated to a host of other dealer-added accessories that could help propel the odd wagon into the hearts...
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What's a dog-and-pony show without some kind of award? At this year's LA Auto Show they'll be awarding Green Car Journal 's fourth Green Car of the Year Award to one of five finalists. The competitors this year are the yet-to-be-unveiled 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, the BMW 335d , Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid , Smart Fortwo and Volkswagen Jetta TDI . The winner will be announced at a November 20th press conference, and we know which one we'll be pulling for - the 2010 Ford Mustang . Complete details, if you're into that kind of thing, below. GREEN CAR JOURNAL'S TOP 5 FOR 2009™ ANNOUNCED – ONE TO BE NAMED 2009 GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR® AT LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Winner to be Unveiled at a Nov. 20 Press Conference LOS ANGELES – Oct. 30, 2008 — Green Car Journal's Top 5 for 2009™ – the year's best-of-the-best 'green' vehicles - have been identified by the magazine's editors. These vehicles are the five finalists competing for the Green Car Journal's 2009...
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Even though the Nissan 370Z hasn't been officially revealed yet, it hasn't stopped it from showing up in a trailer for the upcoming video game Need For Speed: Undercover . The game is due out next month, right about when the car is expected to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show . From all the other photos we've seen, this car definitely looks like the 370Z, though we're not sure just how accurate the in-game car will be, or just how much Nissan has been cooperating with the guys at Need For Speed. galleryPost('NFS370z', 3, 'Nissan 370Z Undercover'); [ 3djuegos via carscoop ]
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While exterior styling grabs all the new and concept car headlines, it’s the interiors that have the most potential to alter the way we experience our automobiles. Far from the squeaky, rattly, ill-fitting monuments to black plastic that are present on nearly every car at nearly every price range, show car interiors explore both new materials and new forms, as well as new ways for drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicles. Here are 14 of the 2008 Paris Motor show’s best dashboards and the ways in which we think they’ll influence those on their road-going counterparts. galleryPost('parisdashboards', 6, 'The Dashboards of Paris'); 1. Saab 9X Air Where every road-going Saab’s dash looks like it was designed in 1994 (which all of them actually were) the 9X Air ditches the claustrophobic clutter for white simplicity and green holographic instruments. Note how even the steering wheel center is simplified into a subtly attractive form free from an excessive smattering...
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While exterior styling grabs all the new and concept car headlines, it’s the interiors that have the most potential to alter the way we experience our automobiles. Far from the squeaky, rattly, ill-fitting monuments to black plastic that are present on nearly every car at nearly every price range, show car interiors explore both new materials and new forms, as well as new ways for drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicles. Here are 14 of the 2008 Paris Motor show’s best dashboards and the ways in which we think they’ll influence those on their road-going counterparts. galleryPost('parisdashboards', 6, 'The Dashboards of Paris'); 1. Saab 9X Air Where every road-going Saab’s dash looks like it was designed in 1994 (which all of them actually were) the 9X Air ditches the claustrophobic clutter for white simplicity and green holographic instruments. Note how even the steering wheel center is simplified into a subtly attractive form free from an excessive smattering...
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Renault just unveiled the bird of prey-like Ondelios concept at the Paris Motor Show . Like seemingly every other concept car ever made, it’s a luxury crossover vehicle that’s also green by way of a mysterious hybrid powertrain. No one cares about any of that though, because they’re just looking at the Renault Ondelios 's huge gullwing doors that provide access to the plush four-seat interior. Hit the jump for the waffley press release. galleryPost('ondeliouslive', 3, 'Renault Ondelious'); ONDELIOS: AN ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY LONG-HAUL JOURNEY The Paris Motor Show sees the wraps come off Renault’s top-of-the-range concept car Ondelios designed for lovers of long-haul travel who set store by comfort and refinement. Ondelios epitomizes Renault’s vision of the high-end crossover, combining a comfortable ride with respect for the environment. Clear illustrations of that vision are the vehicle’s ethereal design, its interior layout, and an original hybrid powertrain. A sleek...
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The long unveil process is finally over, and here’s the four-door Lamborghini Estoque Concept , live and in the flesh. We’d love to tell you more about Lambo’s second ever four-door, and their first ever "four-door sports car" but since they haven’t even made up their minds about which engine it’ll have (anything from a big TDI to the Gallardo LP 560-4 ’s V10), there’s just not much to say. Looks better live than in the press shots though. And just in case you were wondering: we totally would. Lambo's lengthy release with little details on a car they're simply sure to make following the jump. galleryPost('estoquelive', 9, 'Lamborghini Estoque'); Lamborghini Estoque Concept It is a Lamborghini like no other before it: a four-door sports car that sticks resolutely to its creed. The Lamborghini Estoque concept has everything that defines a Lamborghini: extreme, uncompromising and unmistakably Italian, it brings a whole new versatility to the brand's DNA...
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The least exciting new Bimmer in living memory, the BMW X1 , is here. And here it is. Still reading? Nope, didn’t think so. It’s some sort of small cross over vehicle that we bet BMW will assign a whole bunch of acronyms to in a supposed effort to make it drive well, but really it’ll just be boring. Still, we bet every college girl in Jersey just has to have one during the summer of 2010. More details when it official drops at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday and Friday. Let’s hope Ben, who’s flying to Gay Paris as we speak, is able to bring us news of more exciting models post haste. galleryPost('bmwx1press3', 9, 'The Ultimate Driving Machine'); [via XBimmers ]
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We've been showered with photos and details of the new Audi S4 Sedan and Audi S4 Avant ahead of the official Paris unveiling and the numbers do look good. Using supercharging and direct injection, the folks in Ingolstadt have managed to squeeze 333 HP out of the 3.0-liter V6, good for a 5.1 second 0-to-62 run while still returning an average of 24 MPG. S4 buyers will also get a seven-speed S-Tronic gearbox, Quattro all-wheel drive and the standard-issue array of electronic nannies keeping everything in line. Still, if this S4 runs as well as the specs suggest, we can't wait to get some seat time. Full press release after the jump. galleryPost('2009s4paris', 9, '2009 Audi S4'); The new Audi S4/S4 Avant - Three-liter V6 unit generates 245 kW (333 hp) - Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds - Average fuel consumption of just 9.7 liters INGOLSTADT, Germany, Sep 22, 2008 - Audi is introducing its new sporty top models in the midsize class – the S4 and the S4...
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With 427 HP on tap, the 750i ActiveHybrid concept just revealed by BMW ahead of the Paris Motor Show isn't exactly going to appeal to most treehuggers. The concept's more along the lines of the Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID and the Lexus LS600hL — looking green without in any way being green. Of course, while it may share essentially the same mild hybrid system as the Mercedes, the BMW has a throbbing 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 compared to the Benz's sensible V6. That engine combined with a 20 HP electric motor means a total of 442 lb-ft of torque. So what exactly is 'green' about this power-barge? galleryPost('hybrid7', 6, 'BMW 7-Series Hybrid'); Well, the 7-Series hybrid does have start-stop technology to cut off the idling engine in traffic, as well as use of BMW's regenerative braking system to store up power in the lithium-ion battery. However, BMW isn't exactly humble about the car's green credentials, as the battery pack is prominently...
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Along with the 2010 Chevy Cruze we got a look at in the GM Paris Auto Show Preview, we also got a glimpse at a couple of concepts that'll make their way to Paris, such as this Saab 9X Air concept. If you're thinking it looks familiar, you'd be right; the concept builds on the Saab 9X and delivers open-air delights by hacking the top off. The 9X Air sports not just a soft top, but a slick, speedster profile and a high-tech gauge panel. Few details were revealed, and we're sort of wondering if it's only going to be available with two USB ports and a battery you can't change, but we'll find out more soon enough. galleryPost('9xair', 6, 'Saab 9X Air');
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