Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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The Internet is awash with electric vehicle demonstration vehicles, but few have as much oddball spark as the new Kangoo be bop ZE. Based around the standard be bop, but with zero emissions (hence...
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Report: GM to move Astra to Buick with Saturn out of picture
Many have wondered what will happen to all the new Opel products being brought to the U.S. now that Saturn is facing sale or termination in the next few months. The answer may lie in a new report that the Astra - built by Opel, sold in the U.S. as a Saturn - may be branded as a Buick in North...
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Download and build your own free Mitsubishi Colt
In an unusually high-tech concept, Mitsubishi is promoting its new Colt with a sort of Internet scavenger hunt. The first user to find and download all the parts of the car, scattered around various BitTorrent sites, will win a free car. There are 30 parts in total, and the process is centered on...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford confirms Michigan plant for new global Focus
As the second model developed under Ford’s new global design strategy (the first being the new Fiesta), the next-generation Ford Focus will be manufactured at Blue Oval plants at all corners of the globe. In addition to its regular haunts in Europe, the Focus will be manufactured in Australia...
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Chrysler-bound Fiat and Alfa vehicles revealed in court papers
With the news that Chrysler and Fiat have finally managed to forge an alliance settling in and Chrysler's bankruptcy proceedings underway, the documents attendant to that process are beginning to reveal key details of the two company's plans. Today the models destined for U.S. sale via the...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford comes out on top of Honda in latest initial quality survey
For the past several years, Ford has been steadily raising its initial quality rankings, saving tons of money in warranty repairs along the way. This time around, the company has finally surpassed perennial top contender Honda in the 2009 Global Quality Research System (GQRS) rankings. Last year...
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Chrysler's vehicles, like all of America's cars, have improved greatly in recent years. But not-too-distant memory reminds us of the Le Baron and even of another ill-fated Italian tie-up and its...
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IIHS awards Lincoln MKZ with Top Safety Pick
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently updated its testing regime to better reflect the outcomes of real-world accidents, namely to simulate the result of an accident between different sized vehicles. This saw ratings for many small cars revised downwards and reinforced the age...
Ralph Hanson -
Bertone could sell up to 10 units of $2M Mantide
With a hexagon-centric theme and styling that looks like it was sent back through a space-time rift from 2020, the Bertone Mantide is a new and polarizing figure in the automotive design world. Recently Jason Castriota, the car's designer, revealed that as many as 10 of the cars could be built if...
Ralph Hanson -
2010 Chevy Equinox to get 32mpg highway rating, beats Honda and Toyota
Chevrolet revealed pricing for its all-new Equinox crossover earlier this month, and now it has released the expected fuel efficiency rating for its four-cylinder model. Set to go on sale across the U.S. this June at prices starting from $23,185 (including a $745 destination charge) for the...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford delays plans for diesel F-150
Back in the days of $4-per-gallon fuel prices, diesel cars became the clamor of carmakers looking for a quick way to boost the fuel economy of their vehicles. Ford was one of the carmakers to jump on the diesel bandwagon, announcing plans to introduce a new 4.4L V8 diesel engine for the F-150...
Ralph Hanson -
NYPD chooses Nissan Altima as first hybrid patrol car
Government fleets have been among the first to go green in a big way, exceeded perhaps only by some private sector firms. The latest government agency to take up the environmental banner is the New York Police Department (NYPD), which today deployed 40 Nissan Altima Hybrids in its fleet. The cars...
Ralph Hanson -
In the performance-per-dollar race, the Chevrolet Corvette is still one of the leaders, despite encroachment by Nissan's GT-R and others. For 2009, Corvette is planning a new 'Competition Sport'...
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White House confirms bankruptcy plans for Chrysler, Nardelli to step down
The White House has announced Chrysler's entry into bankruptcy protection today, with talks between the Treasury Department and the carmaker failing to reach an agreement on the last day before the auto industry task force’s restructuring deadline. No further talks are planned but President...
Ralph Hanson -
Chrysler and UAW reach agreement, bankruptcy still likely
It’s official. Chrysler and the UAW have come to an agreement, with members of the nationwide union group ratifying an earlier proposed agreement by a strong majority. According to UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, the union realizes that the contract concessions that have just been ratified...
Ralph Hanson -
Chrysler and UAW reach agreement
It’s official. Chrysler and the UAW have come to an agreement, with members of the nationwide union group ratifying an earlier proposed agreement by a strong majority. According to UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, the union realizes that the contract concessions that have just been ratified...
Ralph Hanson -
Honda Rethinks No Plug-In Hybrid Stance
Honda has always been at the forefront of the eco-technological wave, being one of the first to the market with a mass-produced hybrid vehicle with the original Insight hatch and then breaking new ground once again with the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity. Despite this penchant for innovation, the...
Ralph Hanson -
Mercedes to pilot ads in Tele Aid telematics system
Microsoft and Ford took a lot of heat when the software giant simply pointed out the capability of the Sync platform to handle targeted in-car advertising - without announcing any plans to actually do so. Mercedes-Benz had better prepare for a storm, as it is soon to roll out a test of a system...
Ralph Hanson -
Fuel crises and economic downturns have seen the emergence of a new kind of driver in recent years - the hypermiler. For those who don’t know, hypermiling refers to a set of techniques used to...
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VW to price upcoming U.S.-market mid-size sedan "around $20,000"
The Passat has been a relative success for Volkswagen in the U.S., but the company is already hard at work on a New Midsize (or mid-market) Sedan, not-so-cleverly codenamed NMS, to replace it. The final design has already been approved - prototypes were shown to dealers in Wolfsburg this week - and...
Ralph Hanson -
Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina Racer Wins At Villa d'Este
Ferrari's 250 GT chassis is a legend in the world of extreme high-end collecting. Racing examples draw most of the attention, and the latest is no exception, with the Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Pininfarina chassis number 0419 GT taking top honors for the Best Restoration at the 2009 Concorso...
Ralph Hanson -
BMW’s next X3 will grow in size but prices will remain the same
BMW's X3 is often derided as a poor man's X5, a comparison that will become much more credible once the next-generation model rolls in early next year. The new model will be almost as big as the original X5 and better equipped, but thanks to increased competition in the small SUV segment pricing...
Ralph Hanson -
Custom gullwing roadster inspired by Mercedes’ 300 SL in the works
Mercedes' own modern re-interpretation of the classic 300SL Gullwing may be lapping the Nurburgring in preparation for its commercial release later this year, but for those of us who would rather something more traditional in terms of styling the folks from Gullwing- America have created their own...
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New York Aston Martin dealer facing corporate espionage charges against rival Ferrari dealer
Espionage isn't just restricted to the James Bond and John Le Carre figures of the world - we already saw industrial espionage taint the image of Formula 1 a couple of years ago with two Ferrari F1 employees being handed jail sentences in the matter. In a strange twist of events, this time Ferrari...
Ralph Hanson