Trends

Influential magazine Consumer Reports has come out with this year’s ‘Top Picks’ comparo, picking the best cars from ten different categories in a field that included over 260 vehicles. For the first time ever, a South Korean manufacturer has been included as a top pick - Hyundai...

While most car manufacturers are scrambling to get economical hybrids and diesels onto the market, Hyundai has headed in the opposite direction with its new Genesis sedan, a large segment, 4.6L V8 sedan putting out 368hp through the rear wheels. In a market yearning for more fuel efficient...

Although the two car makers share very little in common, either in product line or market position, both GM and BMW have announced cutbacks in their European ranks today. For GM, outsourcing over 5,000 jobs could help the company meet budgetary goals. BMW is likewise seeking to eliminate 5,600 jobs...

We've been hearing about the auto manufacturers toning down the quest for more horsepower, and while a good case can be made that it's time, there will always be those who want more. But now the auto insurance industry is coming out with some statistics that could bring the hammer down even harder...

Matte paintjobs used to be the choice of weekend racers who’d touch up their cars after a bingle with anything they could get their hands on to protect it from rust, but lately the shine-free surface has been making its way onto more tuner cars and now production models as well. One of the...

We all know slowing down for a speed bump and then accelerating back to your original speed saps your fuel, but now a recent study commissioned by the UK’s AA motoring group has found out just how bad it really is. Researchers found that a car capable of achieving 58mgp fuel economy when...

The war for ever-faster, more powerful cars may be drawing to a close. Fuel economy regulations and simple practicality are beginning to make the push for more horsepower unrealistic. Chevrolet's Corvette is a perfect example - the 2009 ZR-1 revealed at the Detroit auto show makes 650hp and tops...

Americans - unlike their cars - are getting wider every year. Unfortunately, carmakers aren’t keeping up with the nation’s spreading waistline, especially when it comes to their seats, and passengers are starting to feel the pinch. That’s why at this year’s Detroit Auto Show...

Last year London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced an increase in London’s daily congestion fee for vehicles entering the UK’s capital city. Along with the fee hike came a new fee of £25 (US$50) per day - this time aimed at high CO2-emitting vehicles including trucks, buses, SUVs, luxury...

Influential auto resource Kelley Blue Book and its marketing research team have compiled a list of the brands with the best interior styling according to the results of its consumer automotive perceptions study. Toyota brands have topped the rankings for four vehicle segments, with two of...

Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and its marketing research team have listed the brands that car buyers find to have the most exceptional ‘exterior styling’ in each vehicle segment. The results come from a study conducted by Brand Watch, KBB’s newest automotive research study. Though...

Inside any major carmaker, there are executives trying to predict what kind of cars we’ll all be driving ten, twenty years into the future. When Ford’s Susan Cischke looks into the future she still sees internal combustion engines powering cars, but they are smaller, weigh less and are...

A recent study has shown the use of aluminum in cars manufactured in Europe is on a steady rise and has also grown substantially over the past two decades. In 1990, cars on average used about 50kg of the lightweight metal. By 2005, this figure had grown to 132kg, and is expected to grow another...

The popularity of hybrid vehicles will depend on whether or not US auto sales increase beyond its current levels, according to a statement from Audi engineer Marius Lehna to Reuters. Despite rising fuel prices, the German car maker will only expand its hybrid range if the market development...

These days, spending more than $50,000 on a luxury vehicle doesn’t even ensure that you’re buying something that’s reliable. In fact you could be buying a car that rates lower in terms of overall quality than a humble Corolla. Unfortunately that’s the case with some cars as...

Do you feel cheated paying top dollar for some parking garages when you know there’s probably a dozen other garages in the area charging less, but you don’t know where? Thanks to the spread of ubiquitous computing and a new web company called SpotScout, you can now find the nearest...

Ah, the single life, you may get lonely but at least you have the freedom to go out and buy whatever car you want without having to consult the significant other. The people over at Forbes.com have put together their annual list of cars that they feel best suits the single life. What kind of cars...

C’mon, admit it, you’ve all done it at least once. Apparently one in five British drivers admit to checking themselves out in shop windows as they drive by, according to a study conducted by Peugeot in Britain. Further, it seems one in four British motorists (26%) dream of being seen in...