Big flagship luxury sedans are relics. Artifacts left over from a time when social standing was reflected in the length of a car’s wheelbase and how upright its grille stood. A time when Mercedes wasn’t reaching down-market and Hyundai wasn’t aiming for the heights. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/automobiles/autoreviews/as-the-tides-shift-a-new-flagship-docks.html?ref=automobiles&_r=0
Autonomous automobiles are looking more like an inevitability, rather than a mere possibility. Benefits of self-driving cars include safe high-speed travel, optimized fuel economy, relaxed commuting, and self-parking features. http://translogic.aolautos.com/2013/06/21/volvo-reveals-self-parking-prototype-that-can-avoid-moving-vehic/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016
PARIS — European car sales tumbled again in May, reaching their lowest level in 20 years, manufacturers’ data showed Tuesday, but analysts and industry officials said the market might have finally begun to bottom out. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/global/european-car-sales-for-may-hit-lowest-level-in-20-years.html?ref=automobiles
The bar has been raised: 40 mpg combined is the new 40 mpg highway. While our 2012 list of fuel misers included every car with a highway (or city) rating of 40 mpg or better, this year we required the tougher rating of 40 mpg combined. http://www.kbb.com/car-reviews-and-news/top-10/40-mpg-cars-2013/?selectedindex=0
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) in Japan has designed cosmetic and performance bits that give the 2014Lexus IS a front-to-back workover. Different from the F-Sport parts we expect from Lexus here, the full body kit runs 437,700 yen ($4,285 US) and starts with air deflectors at the lower edges of the front bumper, through to side skirts, a decklid spoiler and […]