What do Toyota, Nissan and Honda all have in common? (Besides the fact that they are all Japanese automakers, that is?) They all re-entered the subcompact market in 2006 after abandoning it years ago. What's more, Mazda is planning to bring its subcompact Mazda2 to U.S. shores next year, Suzuki has signaled its intent to enter the B-segment with its popular Swift hatchback, and the domestics are in the game with the Chevrolet Aveo and forthcoming Ford Fiesta.

So, where does that leave Subaru? After all, the company has roots in small cars, starting with its first automobile, the downright minuscule 360, all the way up to the off-the-wall, four-wheel drive, three-cylinder Justy and its unconventional CVT.

Subaru spokesman Michael McHale tells Wards Auto, "The thing with the B-sector is you have to ask how you make money at the lower levels. You look at the pricing on the B segment – it's a tough segment to make money." Indeed it is – with base models of some competitors starting just under $10,000, profits are in very short supply.

For an automaker as small as Subaru, taking a risk on what is likely to be an unprofitable model generally isn't a smart idea. In other words, don't hold your breath for another subcompact Subaru any time soon.

[Source: Wards Auto]

Fuel efficient cars are slow, right? Just ask Jeremy Clarkson, who famously pitted a Toyota Prius against a BMW M3 around a test track to prove that the hybrid isn't very efficient when pushed to its limit. While it's true that hybrids and diesels have a reputation for being more than a bit poky in the name of saving a few gallons of gas, each generation seems to improve in that regard, and GM is hoping that the upcoming Chevy Volt will abolish that preconceived notion altogether.

Witness this video for proof, where, as GM puts it, the Volt 'burns rubber without burning gas.' Here we see the car's chief engineer Andrew Farah wring the electric car around a series of orange cones making up a test track at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. As you're likely aware by now, the Volt isn't a typical hybrid vehicle that requires gasoline to operate. For the first 40 miles or so, the Volt operates solely on electricity, assuming of course that the battery is charged up.

In the video pasted after the break, Farah is piloting the Volt in EV mode, meaning that the range-extending gasoline engine never fires up. We wouldn't expect to get the full 40-mile range when hustling the Volt around a race track, but the fact that it can perform as well as it does without emitting any tailpipe emissions is a laudable feat. So, how will it perform around the Top Gear test track with Stiggy behind the wheel? Click past the break to hear those low-rolling-resistance tires squeal!

[Source: Chevrolet VoltAge]

There's seemingly no end to the lists and awards that can be dolled out to (sometimes questionably) deserving cars and trucks at the end of the year. Take, for instance, the Urban Automobile of the Year Award by On Wheels Media. This is the 14th year in a row the award has been passed out, and this year top billing goes to the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO.

Athletic, upscale, class-leading, confident, engaging and impressive are all words that seem befitting of an award winner, and you'll find all of them in the press release after the break describing the new SHO. But wait – there's more! We have a second Urban AOTY, this one on the green side of the coin. With the latest Toyota Prius and Honda Insight obvious choices for such an award, Ford is surely happy to see that its 2010 Fusion Hybrid – the most fuel efficient midsize sedan in America at 41 city, 36 highway – earned the trophy, giving the Blue Oval a total sweep of the ceremony.

So, what qualifies a vehicle to be an Urban Automobile of the Year, anyway? Glad you asked. According to Randi Payton, president and publisher of On Wheels Media, "The Urban Automobiles of the Year resonate with the majority of new car buyers who live in urban and suburban areas. The vehicles chosen are cost and fuel-efficient and have performance and safety characteristics relevant to consumers in metropolitan areas." So, there you have it.




[Source: Ford]

Read more →

When automotive talk turns cheap, the most common vehicle that comes up is the Tata Nano, which currently holds the title as the Cheapest New Car in the World and is only available in India. So, Americans, how would you like to snag a brand-new electric car for the low, low price of just $865, right here in the United States? If you happen to live in Oklahoma, you can do just that... sort of.

There's plenty of fine print, naturally. For instance, the electric car in question, the Kandi Coco, is really a Low Speed Vehicle (or LSV) capped by law to a top speed of 25 mph and restricted to roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less. And yes, it's made in China and looks something like half a Smart Fortwo. Still, the Coco carries an MSRP of $10,599 and you may be able to score one dirt cheap thanks to a couple of state and federal rebates.

The first deduction comes from the federal government and cuts the price by $4,435. Next, the State of Oklahoma deducts another $5,299 from the starting price for a total rebate of $9,734. Do the math, and that equals one Kandi Coco for $865 – but only if you live in Oklahoma, and only if you make the purchase before the end of the year. Now... go out and get that giant red bow before it's too late.


[Source: Kandi via Automobile Magazine]

Just because Chrysler won't be holding a press conference at next month's Detroit Auto Show doesn't mean that America's third-largest automaker is coming to the party empty-handed. Far from it, in fact, assuming there's truth to the rumors that the Pentastar will be showing off both an electric version of the soon-to-be-US-bound Fiat 500 along with a Chrysler-ized version of the Lancia Delta hatchback.

While the Chrysler-branded concept is said to be nothing more than a standard-fare Delta emblazoned with Chrysler's trademark chrome fascia, the electric Fiat 500 is a bit more interesting. We've heard that the automaker's erstwhile ENVI group was disbanded and assimilated into the rest of the company's product development workforce, so we're curious to see the integration of a battery-powered drivetrain into the little urban runabout. Will it be a fully-functional vehicle or just a mock-up of what could potentially be possible?

Not surprisingly, we'll also be treated to the rest of the Fiat 500 lineup, including the 500C Cabriolet (no word on bikini-clad models) and the sporty 500 Abarth. Finally, tucked into a corner of the Chrysler booth in Detroit will also reportedly be such premium Italian machinery as the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Maserati GranCabrio. Hey... if you've got it, why not flaunt it, right?



[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

The Big Block. Rat Motor. Call it what you will, we can now officially add a final epitaph to the long-running engine's gravestone: R.I.P. The final L18 big block rolled down the assembly line at General Motors' Tonawanda plant in New York last week, and that engine was signed by all the workers at the plant and is on its way to the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

The first big block Chevy engine was introduced way back in 1958 and was used in both passenger cars and trucks. The engine's legacy includes such classic nameplates as Chevrolet Impala, Chevelle, Camaro and Corvette with displacements ranging from the venerable 396, 409, 427 and 454 to, finally, the 496-cubic-inch Vortec 8100 that ended the production run.

Naturally, the death of the big block brings with it other casualties as well, such as the 150 laid off hourly workers that are hoping GM sees fit to bless them with a new powerplant to build along with the RV and marine industries. Thanks for the tip, Corey H!

[Source: The Buffalo News]

First of all, if you weren't aware already, the first-generation Subaru Forester was later sold in India as the Chevrolet Forester (General Motors doesn't have the CUV in its lineup anymore). There weren't any real changes to the vehicle in any way, it was really just a Subaru with a Bowtie emblem. Now that that's out of the way, we have learned that an 80-year-old man in India named Ashok Tolat sued General Motors after his Forester came to a halt and died in one foot of water during the monsoon season in 2005. Angered that his SUV couldn't handle any weather thrown its way, Tolat sued GM.

General Motors denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the Forester wasn't designed as an all-terrain, all-weather vehicle. Tolat countered with the car's sales brochure, which reportedly likened the Forester's capabilities with that of a mountain goat. "A total misrepresentation," says Tolat. As far as we can recall, we're not aware of any 2005-vintage mountain goats that stalled out and died in one foot of water... so, there you go.

The General took the case all the way to India's Supreme Court after losing Tolat's lawsuit in two lower courts, but it ultimately lost there too. It took three years, but Tolat finally got GM to buy back the Forester and pay his legal fees. Score one for determination, even if we're a little leery of the court's ruling without the rest of the facts. In any case, click past the break to watch video of the story as covered on NDTV.

[Source: NDTV via YouTube via TTAC]

Read more →

Under the typically dark veil of show-car secrecy, Cadillac has released a teaser image of a new concept that will be unveiled next month at the Detroit Auto Show. As you'd expect, details are slim, but we've been assured that this is an entirely new concept and something we've not yet seen, which rules out the Voltec-powered Converj as well as the 3 Series-fighting ATS.

Dissecting the teaser a bit, we're pretty sure we see four doors, and we'll take Caddy's word that its "latest concept advances the brand's Art & Science philosophy." Other than that, we're in the dark, but wouldn't be terribly surprised if it were either a hint at something high-performance, environmentally responsibility or both. It could also be a preview of a new range-topping model from GM's luxury division.

In addition to the unknown concept car, Cadillac also plans to introduce Detroit show-goers to the production version of its 2011 CTS-V Coupe. Expect that model to add the normal V-spec performance accouterments to the drop-dead stunning CTS Coupe shape that was just shown off in LA. That means 556 horsepower and 551 lb-feet of torque from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, a choice of automatic and manual six-speed transmissions, a sport suspension with Magnetic Ride Control and standard 19-inch alloy wheels. Production of the superfast two-door is slated for the summer of 2010.

There's not much more to say, but feel free to hit the jump for the official press release and be sure to gander at the concept's teaser image in high-res.

[Source: Cadillac]

Read more →

According to Ford spokesman Mark Truby, "Despite a strengthening in our business, we still have a surplus in employees." Union employees to be specific. As such, Ford has just announced plans to reduce its unionized workforce by offering a buyout package to all 41,000 UAW members currently employed by the automaker.

Reuters reports that Ford workers with at least one year of experience can take a payout of $50,000 plus a new car voucher worth $25,000 or an additional cash payment of $20,000. Retirement-age workers can opt to take their pensions plus the $25,000 new vehicle voucher or the $20,000 payment. Finally, skilled-trade workers that are eligible for retirement can opt for a $40,000 payout plus their pensions.

Ford says these efforts are necessary to remain competitive with foreign rivals and fellow American automakers General Motors and Chrysler, both of which recently went through government-sponsored bankruptcy proceedings and extensive reorganization. Earlier this year, Ford's UAW workers voted down a revised contract that would have essentially granted Ford the same measures that unionized auto workers had earlier extended to Chrysler and General Motors.

Workers who accept the buyout packages would leave sometime during the month of February, 2010. Any new workers hired as replacements will start at $14 per hour under the latest UAW contract, which is half of the current average wage of UAW employees being offered the buyouts.

[Source: Reuters | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Will the real torque figure of the Audi e-tron concept please stand up? While the German automaker continues to claim its all-electric concept sportscar manages a stout, locomotive-like 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque, the sleuthing boys at Automobile Magazine weren't buying it, instead coming up with a much more mundane rating of 252 lb-ft of torque after performing some back-of-a-paper-napkin calculations.

It would seem that the real torque figure lies somewhere in between those two estimates, though significantly closer to the lower, unadvertised number: 501.5 lb-ft. That's the total combined output of the four individual electric motors, says Audi. The astronomical 3,319 is the torque as measured at the wheels after being geared down and multiplied. So, why the disparity between the actual torque of the motors and the figure espoused by Audi to the motoring press?

Well, besides the obvious answer that 3,319 lb-ft at the wheels sounds much more impressive, Audi's engineers apparently thought the larger number was more indicative of the actual feeling of all the push generated by the four electric motors when accelerating from a dead stop, as the maximum torque figure is achieved right from zero RPM.

Regardless, using the still-impressive rating of 501.5 lb-ft is, in our opinion, much more accurate and easier to compare with the rest of the automotive field than the seemingly disingenuous 3,319 figure, and it's the number we plan to use when describing the car from this point forward.



[Source: Green Car Advisor]