car Archives | Page 2 of 32

Study: Car customer satisfaction down for first time in two years

Filed under: Etc.

ACSI study finds that car customer satisfaction fell slightly from last year.

Car customer satisfaction fell for the first time in two years, according to the 2013 American Customer Satisfaction Index automobiles and light vehicles report. Over the course of 4,078 random phone and e-mail interviews between April 6 and May 22, the index, based on a scale of 0 to 100, revealed that customer satisfaction with automobiles fell from 84 in 2012 to 83. Domestic autos bring up the rear.

Domestic vehicles, which received an average score of 82, also lost traction in perceived quality, with European automakers ranking 84.7 and Asian brands close behind at 84.1. This is reflected in the scores of the 20 individual automakers counted in the study.

Mercedes-Benz is at the top of the index with a score of 88, up four percent from last year. Lexus relinquished its lead with a score of 87, down two percent from 2012. Third place is a three way tie between Subaru, Toyota and Honda, which all scored 86. Here are the rest of the scores in order: GMC (85), Cadillac (85), Volkswagen (84), Acura (83), Ford (83), Nissan (83), Chrysler (83), Buick (82), BMW (82), Hyundai (82), Kia (82), Mazda (82), All Others (81), Jeep (80), Dodge (79) and Chevrolet (79). It’s worth noting that both GMC and Chrysler gained five points from last year.

While it’s not a good sign that customer satisfaction went down, the authors of the report explained that it could be due to “greater customer expectations that the automakers are then challenged to meet.” But the ACSI says automakers should take the erosion in customer satisfaction as a warning signal: once pent-up demand has subsided, successful brands will keep the customers they have and poach new ones from elsewhere, and customer satisfaction plays a direct role in this relationship.

Car customer satisfaction down for first time in two years originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Study: Car customer satisfaction down for first time in two years”

Official: Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Nissan, Electric

Nissan Leaf Autonomous Drive demonstrator

Nissan will bring the autonomous car to consumers by the end of this decade. The announcement was made by CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company’s US headquarters in Irvine, CA. Nissan has already begun construction of a dedicated proving ground for the self-driving cars in Japan, with completion targeted for the end of 2014.

Teaming with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others, Nissan has already outfitted Leaf EVs with the Autonomous Drive (Nissan’s brand name for the tech), a suite of new technologies developed from the brand’s existing Safety Shield technology. The current iteration of Autonomous Drive uses the Around-View Monitoring system and laser scanners to analyze the environment, while artificial intelligence systems have been installed to help navigate and operate in a changing environment.

While it’s easy to say that Nissan will bring the technology to market within the next six or seven years, it’s more difficult to say at what price Autonomous Drive will be available. Most remarkable about all of this is Nissan’s claim that self-driving cars will be both commercially viable and available at “realistic prices for consumers.” It’s expecting Autonomous Drive to be available across its range within two vehicle generations.

Nissan’s motivation rests largely with the number of accidents that happen on US roads alone each year – six million accidents that cost consumers $160 million and kill more people between the ages of four and 34 than anything else. Considering the overwhelming majority of those accidents are caused by human error, this tech seems like a great idea.

Carlos Ghosn demonstrated Nissan’s resolve towards bringing the tech to market, saying, “In 2007 I pledged that – by 2010 – Nissan would mass market a zero-emission vehicle. Today, the Nissan Leaf is the best-selling electric vehicle in history. Now I am committing to be ready to introduce a new ground-breaking technology, Autonomous Drive, by 2020, and we are on track to realize it.” Those are some bold words, but what Nissan is promising now is far more complex than a new drivetrain. We look forward to seeing what it comes up with.

Continue reading Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020

Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Official: Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020”

ETC: 105-year-old Facebook user gifted new car anonymously

Filed under: Etc., Honda

105-year-old Edythe Kirchmaier is quite a woman. Not only is she California’s oldest driver – she just renewed her license this January after passing the test without incident – she has a perfect 86-year driving record without so much as a parking violation. In fact, she’s been driving for so long that she learned how on a Ford Model T (how many people alive today have even driven one of those, much less learned on one?). On top of all that, Edythe is a philanthropist; she’s been volunteering at Direct Relief, which provides free medications for people in need, for 40 years. You may have even seen her on TV earlier this year spreading the word.

So when Edythe’s 1997 minivan began breaking down, an anonymous fan did what any completely selfless person of means would: they gifted her a brand-new 2013 Honda Civic, ensuring that Edythe can continue working for the cause she loves. Check her out on Facebook – she’s the social media site’s oldest registered user – and scroll down to the press release for more on this heartwarming story.

Continue reading 105-year-old Facebook user gifted new car anonymously

105-year-old Facebook user gifted new car anonymously originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “ETC: 105-year-old Facebook user gifted new car anonymously”

Video: How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Police/Emergency, Luxury

We’re used to seeing fancy cars gifted to or bought by certain international police forces today, but the story of this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE goes well beyond a gift. Because Rome’s anti-organized-crime unit, Squadra Mobile, was doing a terrific job in the early ’60s, the Italian president asked what they wanted as a token of appreciation. The answer, meant as a joke, was “A Ferrari.” The president, in all seriousness, got them two.

One was almost immediately destroyed during testing, the other remains in the care of Alberto Capelli today, whose father began attending military and government auctions just after World War II. Petrolicious visited Capelli to hear the 51-year-old tale of the most precious cop car you’re going to see for a while, and it involves outlaws, a French gangster in a Citroën, a policeman who was offered a spot on the Ferrari factory team by Enzo himself, and more. It’s a fantastic yarn, and you can watch the whole story below.

Continue reading How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car

How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: How this Ferrari 250 GTE became Rome’s most famous police car”

Video: How to make your car’s engine look showroom fresh

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Last time we saw Larry Kosilla of Ammo NYC and the YouTube show Drive Clean, he was initiating the resurrection of a 1966 Porsche 912. Going beyond the body, the automotive world’s Mr. Clean next lays his gloved hands and brushes on the engine bay, demonstrating how to scour the powerplants of a front-engined Corvette Z06, a mid-engined Ferrari 458 Italia and a mid-engined Ford GT. The three cars were chosen to show the challenges of a modern, plastic-covered motor, an exotic motor with lots of hard-to-reach spots and a “muscle” car that leaves everything exposed.

Kosilla breaks it all down quickly, taking about seven minutes to go through eight steps that will get your engine from dirty to disinfected. For another engaging lesson, have a watch of the video below.

Continue reading How to make your car’s engine look showroom fresh

How to make your car’s engine look showroom fresh originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: How to make your car’s engine look showroom fresh”

Official: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche, Racing, Comparisons

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Best Driver's Car video

Motor Trend has named the 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S its best driver’s car for 2013. The annual
competition for the title included some of the best performance cars that have gone on sale in the past year. The new C4S follows the 2012 Best Driver’s Car award winner, a two-wheel-drive Carrera S.

Determining the winner of the coveted title isn’t easy. Each vehicle is pushed through Motor Trend‘s normal battery of instrumented tests. Editors then spend time with each car over a 500-mile tour of mixed conditions before a final batch of testing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with pro racer Randy Pobst at the wheel.

The video below features one of the Carrera’s hot laps with Pobst at the wheel, providing commentary on just what the car is like at its limits. Also, there’s plenty of that sweet, distinctive, Porsche flat-six howl. Take a look below for the full video.

Continue reading Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video]

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Official: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video]”

Video: Armadillo-T electric car folds for easy storage

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Videos, Specialty, Design/Style, Electric, South Korea

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) shows off a prototype Armadillo-T, which is an electric car that folds like an armadillo to save space.

We’ve seen folding cars before, but a group of researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have designed an electric vehicle that curls up like an armadillo. The folding process of the Armadillo-T prototype is particularly clever due to its four in-wheel electric motors and 13.6-kWh battery tucked into the front half of the car, which allow it to pull the rear shell with the rear wheels over the passenger compartment at the press of a button. Casters drop down from the center of the vehicle to facilitate the folding action, which shrinks its 110-inch length down to 65 inches. There’s almost no parking space in which this car can’t fit.

According to Phys.org, the Armadillo-T is very lightweight at 990 pounds, but it also packs in some important features. The driver can activate the folding action with a smartphone, which also can be used to move and rotate the folded car into a parking spot. A ten-minute quick charge gives the EV 62 miles of range, and it has a top speed of 37 miles per hour – not enough for freeway driving, but adequate for urban settings. It also has side-view cameras instead of mirrors to help the driver see around the car.

Check out the Armadillo-T folding itself in the video below.

Continue reading Armadillo-T electric car folds for easy storage

Armadillo-T electric car folds for easy storage originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Aug 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Video: Armadillo-T electric car folds for easy storage”

Official: Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video]

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Ford, Russia

Ford has partnered with St. Petersburg Polytechnic University for three years to research various kinds of connected vehicle communications. The university tie-up is part of its study of space robots, NASA systems created to enable space-to-Earth communication, and the university’s own development of systems that enable communication between the International Space State and Earth.

The objective is for Ford to engineer layers of robust networks and redundancy systems that will allow your car to speak to other cars, to emergency vehicles, to infrastructure like traffic lights and buildings, and to the cloud. Benefits would come in just about every area of transit, from avoiding accidents, to getting medical workers to an accident more quickly, to improving the flow of traffic during rush hour.

Check out the press release below for details on what Ford wants to learn from the JUSTIN Humanoid and NASA Robonaut R2, and a video of technical leader Oleg Gusikhin discussing his interest in the project.

Continue reading Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video]

Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Official: Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video]”

Report: Would-be car thief foiled by drunk driver ignition interlock

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

A drunk driver prevented the theft of a TJ Maxx in Farmington, CT on Wednesday. Okay, not exactly. The drunk driver’s car prevented the theft. According to The Hartford Courant, three men swiped $4,500 worth of ladies handbags from the department store, but didn’t get very far. Store security noticed the heist and alerted authorities, who were waiting for the pilferers outside the store.

One man, Levar Fulgham, saw the police and booked it, hopping in a nearby idling car. The only problem, though, was the ignition interlock that was installed. The interlock, which prevented the car from being shifted into gear without first blowing into a breathalizer, was installed because the car’s owner had a few too many and got busted driving drunk (shame he didn’t have a good friend to try and take his keys).

After revving the engine and realizing he couldn’t get it into drive, Fulgham abandoned the car and continued his flight on foot. Police were forced to tase the thief before they could apprehend him. Fulgham was charged with third-, fourth- and sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit fourth- and sixth-degree larceny, refusal to be fingerprinted and interfering with police.

Would-be car thief foiled by drunk driver ignition interlock originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Aug 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Would-be car thief foiled by drunk driver ignition interlock”

Official: Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video]

Filed under: Videos, Audi, Design/Style, TV/Movies

Audi is no stranger to product placement in movies, but the upcoming sci-fi adventure movie, Ender’s Game, will be the first time the German automaker has ever unveiled a “purely virtual” vehicle design in a movie. As the movie’s star car, the futuristic Audi fleet shuttle quattro was created by Audi Design as a “vision for the future world.”

This new movie car comes almost 10 years after one of our favorite Audi movie cars ever, the Audi RSQ that was prominently used in the 2004 sci-fi action film, I, Robot. Looking back, the RSQ obviously used cues from the Audi R8, but it’s unclear if the fleet shuttle quattro has any design implications for future Audi production models.

The movie, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield, and it premiers in the US on November 1. Audi has provided images of the fleet shuttle quattro, and Summit Entertainment has released its latest trailer for the movie, which is posted below along with an Audi press release.

Continue reading Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video]

Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Official: Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video]”