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OP_ED: Meet the $25B Microbus – 2016 Volkswagen Budd-E – EV Van Concept Begs Sympathy for Poor, Mistreated VW

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Here is the seventh Volkswagen concept trying to re-invent the microbus. The difference?  This microvan may actually be produced for limited sale in EV-heavy markets like the US west coast, Atlanta and Washington DC. Really? Not for profits, but as a knee-jerk reaction to being caught lying/cheating.  So yes, the Budd-E might make it to US showrooms in some decontented form. Perhaps as soon as 2019 for the 2020 model year.  But don’t bet on it. Typically, Volkswagen has claimed a reborn van was a non-starter because it was impossible to make its bluff original face with a front-engine layout.  (They …

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2016 Honda CIVIC Coupe Reveal – Big Style, Power from First-Ever Turbo Engine Option

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First look today at the 2016 Honda Civic Coupe! Very impressive and sexy new form language, design elements and a gorgeous, coupe-exclusive tail make this the hottest 10th-gen Civic shown so far. Power is up across both LX and EX trims, with a fairly potent new 1.5-liter turbo four making 174 horsepower, an improvement of 31 ponies versus the equivalent engine last year. Joining the Civic sedan, the Coupe is the second reveal in a broad Civic assault over the next year. The first-ever US-market Civic 5-door is coming along soon, followed by Si versions of at least the Coupe …

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Update1 – VW CO2 Fraud May Split or Sink Firm + Why Latest 2016 Cheaters List Is Devastating

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  Updated 11.14.15 Any press release with bad news is best to send out on a Friday evening. This is generally a way to slide by the major news cycles — hoping to sidestep making the front page of business newspapers. Volkswagen will not be so lucky this time with their deceitfulness: the latest revelation is perhaps the most damning yet. Since the initial TDI NOx emissions scandal was announced by the EPA on September 18th, the Volkswagen Group has been in a panicked paralysis.  The actions of the firm have led to widespread credit rating downgrades, a 5.3-percent drop …

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VW Diesels Face Massive EPA Fraud Allegation – TDI Stop Sale Notice Is Days Away

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Very unsettling news today that casts a dark shadow on Volkswagen TDI “Clean Diesel” engines sold in the United States since 2008. The EPA’s legal “notice of violation” to Volkswagen of America is deathly serious. And, as we predict below, will lead to TDI models being pulled from US showrooms almost immediately — as soon as this coming week. Unlike recall notices to fix even serious safety issues, a willful violation of the Clean Air Act would incur significantly higher monetary damages than a typical recall. Even the Takata airbag scandal is not this alarming. Max fines per vehicle sold …

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2016 Mitsubishi i-MiEV Updated With Nav Touchscreen From Just $18k Net Price

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  The Chevy Bolt concept from Detroit last month made a bit of a splash for promising to be a full-EV five-seater with great utility and a 200-mile battery range for a pre-tax-credit price of around $38,000. Mooted as a Tesla-fighter, the Bolt’s competitive benchmark should actually the innovative Mitsubishi i-MiEV. This funky city car redefines easy, smooth and pure-electric driving for the masses — with an out-the-door price of just $16,000 after considering the US EPA’s federal tax credit of $7500. That is seriously affordable, and makes the i-MiEV a realistic second-car for city-dwellers. Unlike the $35,000 Nissan Leaf …

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Hypercar Halloween! 202MPH 2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Pack in 110 Scary-Sexy Wallpapers

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Trick or treat! Criteria for being a Halloween Hypercar? Amazing performance, stunning design, delicious details and exclusivity for the ages. What meets these criteria in spades? The 2012 Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package — an orange stunner with V10 legs for miles and a bite to sate even the sweetest tooth. Enjoy these photos – we have never seen many of them published in their full glory, and they are worth considering in detail. Interspersed are the LFA’s official specs from Lexus.com. Overall, the Nurburgring pack brought a fixed rear wing, an extra 10-horsepower, firmer and remapped suspension and transmission, and …

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Zero to Hero in the 2015 Chevrolet Impala CNG SuperCruise

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The Chevrolet Impala is a critical test-bed for two future GM technologies in 2015: a bi-fuel CNG option and the forthcoming SuperCruise automated highway driving system. We caught up with a 2015 Impala LTZ featuring the shield grille that comes on LTZ cars with the Safety tech option package – and this is still the best-looking full-size sedan from Chevy in decades. The current setup does not yet incorporate lane-keeping and automatic steering, but that is certainly in the pipeline. The Cadillac CT6 is tipped to debut a true SuperCruise functionality next year — with on-ramp to off-ramp highway driving …

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2015 Honda CR-V Revealed With More Torque, More Tech and New Touring Trim!

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    The new CR-V is here and looks darn sexy, perhaps for the first time ever! The enhanced styling is really quite premium and desirable for an SUV with a base price in the $23,000 range. A new nose brings a slimmer grille and more premium headlights. Those LED accents are standard on EX trim and above, while the EX-L and new Touring trim actually pack projector-beam lamps inside for the low-beams for the first time. All good news, especially as the CR-V’s RAV4 arch-rival and Ford Escape chase car are looking mighty dull and cheap these days. It …

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Updated With 44 Real-Life Photos – 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe Includes Overboost and 5.6s 0-60 Sprint.. As a 2.0T!

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Updated With 44 Real-Life Photos Talk about a huge letdown. The ATS Coupe packs an unbelievable amount of dullness into a two-door shape. What a snooze this car is. The latest media drive photos only confirm our earlier assertion: http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/07/03/op_ed-2015-cadillac-ats-coupe-is-boring/ Cadillac really dropped the ball on every single CTS and ATS trim and style decision. This car looks about as cool as a rented Impala Classic. 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe One of the most promising elements of the Cadillac ATS Coupe is that it adds platform rigidity and performance focus to this new contender in the hotshot exec coupe segment. …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Honda Civic EX-L Coupe Is Sharp-Looking Two-Door With Great Tech and Handling!

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  Racy coupe bodies are about as hot as it gets up and down the automotive spectrum. A two-door tells the world you are unattached – and unburdened by kids or carpools. You are single and ready to mingle! The Honda Civic Coupe is one of the most adored nameplates in the youth car culture scene. Last year’s 2013 Civic Coupe has lost is austere nose from 2013 and come back stronger, better, faster and cooler for 2014. This brings an all-new nose design with some aggressive profiling and chrome-accented foglamps, a dark grille slash in semi-gloss black widening the …

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2015 Honda Fit Buyers Guide and Pricing: Cute and Edgy New Style, Latest HondaLink Touchscreen and 41MPG

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The 2015 Honda Fit is updated with a subtle but attractive redesign, vastly more comfortable cabin, and tech like the latest (and very good) HondaLink touchscreen controls. Paired with the Fit’s exceptional usefulness as a city car with the trunk size of a SUV — and the economy of a supermini — the 2015 Fit from about $16,000 is an exceptional little machine. Most shoppers will go for the EX-L or the EX-L with Navigation thanks to the top trims standard automatic transmission. The auto is a CVT unit, however, so sporty people might like the light and slick six-speed …

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2015 Hyundai Elantra Sedan Brings Classy LED and Tech Updates – Features, Photos and Pricing

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Fresh off its JD Power Initial QUality Study victory, the Hyundai Elantra Sedan is updated for 2015 with some refined and classy LED additions front and rear, plus a tech suite upgrade inside. The Elantra’s fluidic sculpture design of the Elantra is still one of the best in the compact segment – along with the Mazda3 and Dodge Dart as perhaps the other two coolest compact sedans available. Making a small sedan sporty, low and wide on the road is not an easy thing. Just take a look at the Ford Focus or Fiesta sedans for evidence of the unpleasant …

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Road Test Review – 2014 Ford Escape SE 1.6 EcoBoost – Scores a C+ Overall – Slow, Pricey and Uncomfortable

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The Ford Escape is still an excellent crossover and a solid choice for a huge group of buyers – from the base $23,000 Escape S to the loaded Titanium AWD 2.0-liter EcoBoost, there is really something for everyone. But has time been kind to the Escape — in a segment filled with new entries like the Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue? Let’s dive in with a structure of Exterior, Interior, Powertrain and Summary. EXTERIOR The style of the Escape still looks great even three years since the car’s first appearance on the market. It is a …

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Road Test Review w/ Pricing and Specs – 2014 Mazda3 Grand Touring

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We were amazed with the all-new 2014 Mazda3 from the moment we laid eyes on it – especially the slinky and low-slung sedan variant that just arrived this Spring to Mazda dealers nationwide. After some joyful driving of the loaded 2014 Mazda3 s Grand Touring model, it is clear that the praise we shared in the “2014’s Smartest Compact” article was not sufficient. This might be the best car on the market in general, with no caveats for size or price. It is that good. I am struggling to convey how outstanding a machine it is in all regards — …

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2015 Hyundai Sonata Goes Huge – Forget Camry and Accord, This Sonata Is Benchmarking Buicks

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Uh Oh. Old habits really do die hard, apparently. This new Sonata shows that some vile old standard-operating-procedures are back in vogue at Hyundai-Kia, in a BIG way: — shoddy design — shoddy performance — shoddy quality We could also add Shoddy Strategy and Shady Promises for handling, efficiency, value…. EXPLAIN: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? The recent model range changes from Hyundai are very, very bizarre in chucking the baby out with the bathwater. Three years of great sales have emboldened the team to go back to its roots in the worst possible ways. The latest ‘Busch-league’ maneuver? Ditching the …

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Empire Records Generation — 2014 Accord Hybrid EX-L on Sexy Sugar High to Battle Mazda6 and Ford Fusion

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Shock me, shock me, shock me… with that deviant behavior. – Empire Records (1995), Warner Bros. 2014 might be the year hybrids really start to blossom as a tech option that does not have to ruin your style like a light-green Prius. Case in point is the deceptively handsome Honda Accord Hybrid EX-L – shown in silver here – and even the Accord Hybrid Touring is a bit less dorky for this year.   [Wearing nothing but a MusicTown apron] Gina: Welcome to MusicTown, may I service you? That is great news for Honda. Have you seen the Ford Fusion …

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2014 Audi Q5 Hybrid Shows Guts of 2.0-liter TFSI: 245HP and 354 Lb-Ft … Without The Electrics!

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The Audi Q5 is really becoming a huge, huge success for Audi in America. Unlike many markets, there really is no volume ceiling in the premium mid-size SUV segment.   Without stats on hand: the Q5 in any flavor and any color is definitely one of the fastest cars out the door of Audi dealers nationwide. The Flavors include the below options, with a Hybrid snuck in at the buzzer. Pricing for the Hybrid Prestige matches the SQ5 with a base price in the $52,000 range. What seems most exciting about the Hybrid is that its wick is cranked far …

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2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe Includes Overboost and 5.6s 0-60 Sprint.. As a 2.0T!

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One of the most promising elements of the Cadillac ATS Coupe is that it adds platform rigidity and performance focus to this new contender in the hotshot exec coupe segment. Two fewer doors does not cut the weight of the 2015 ATS Coupe much in launch 2.0T trims, but the performance focus is very clear from Cadillac. The specs of both ATS Coupes look outstanding, and with as much or more tail-out grins than the 428i and 435i from BMW. Correction coming soon: the red ATS Coupe photos shown here are off-color.  These will be replaced soon. The real-life color …

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Best of Awards – Zero to Hero in the 2014 Chevrolet Impala

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The 2014 Impala looks amazing in the flesh and on the streets. One might even say it is… “really, really, really ridiculously good-looking.” Even its base trims are very cool and dark up front, with a really solid appearance that is unique and very attractive. Yes, on a Chevy Impala!   The 2014 Impala comes in three engine options, from the eAssist 2.4-liter up to the 3.6-liter V6 that should be a must for anyone reading this. The headlights are even quite interesting, which is special at this price point. HID bi-xenons are optional, with LEDs ringing the main beams …

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