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Vellum Venom: 2012 VW Beetle Turbo
Please believe: car design school is a frickin’ bizarre place. The phrase “I’m surprised you are here and not in medical school” was thrown in my face several times at CCS. And this verbal diarrhea...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: World Round Up June 2012: Hyundai Santa...
Last week we saw how Great Wall reached Bulgaria with promising results, and this week is the moment you’ve all been eagerly waiting for: the famous World car sales Roundup, June edition! You can...
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Review: 2012 Audi A7
After I went to California and induced some dude at Toyota to loan me a Hot Lava Orange Scion FR-S earlier in the month, I figured I’d see if Audi’s PR types had forgotten how I compared the R8 to my...
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The 170 Best Selling Cars Around The Globe Over The First 8 Months of 2012
After trips to Iran, Japan, Russia, wealthy America, Puerto Rico and California, let’s just go crazy and have a look at the entire world. Yawn? That’s fine. You can discover the best-selling models in...
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Real-World Review: Fleeing Hurricane Sandy Across 8 States In a Rented 2012...
So the Halloween Hooptiefest 24 Hours of LeMons at New Hampshire Motors Speedway went well, with the Rust In The Wind Saab-powered Nissan 300ZX taking a very improbable overall win, and we of the...
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Vellum Venom: 2012 Honda Civic (Hybrid)
Sometimes promises are kept in the car design biz: the 2013 Civic sounds like a big step up from this 2012 model. Which was a big step down from the ’70s concept car chic of the 8th generation Civic....
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TTAC Declares (Knock On Wood) Toyota World’s Largest Automaker 2012
We have been saying it since May, but it took Bloomberg (along with the rest of the copypasting media) until a few days ago to realize that GM’s reign as the World’s Largest Automaker is coming to an...
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12 Golden Country Greats: The Murilee Martin Lifestyle Brand™’s Greatest Hits...
I wrote a lot of vaguely-car-related stuff in 2012, and here’s my chance to show off the stuff that made me proudest (or at least took the most work to create). Enjoy. When I Build My Spaceship, It...
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My Greatest Hits (And Biggest Misses) of 2012
When Joni Mitchell finally agreed to release a Hits album, she did so with the stipulation that the label also release a Misses album full of music that she was happy to have made even if the critics...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Indians Bought In 2012
Now that almost all official data for the Full Year 2012 is available (Middle East is still to come in my books), and just as we are starting to get a feel for what 2013 could look like, I thought I...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Israeli Bought In 2012
We continue to travel around the world and explore what the main car markets in the world looked like in 2012. We have gone through the Chinese, European, Russian and Indian markets already, now let’s...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Indonesians Bought In 2012
We continue our round-the-world-travels, exploring what the main car markets in the world looked like in 2012. We have gone through the Chinese, European, Russian, Indian, Israeli and Italian markets...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The French Bought in 2012
After one World Roundup interruption last week, let’s resume our ‘what the XXX bought in 2012′ series. After going to China, Europe, Russia, India, Israel, Italia and Indonesia, this time let’s see...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Canadians Bought In 2012
We continue on our ‘what the XXX bought in 2012′ series. After going to China, Europe, Russia, India, Israel, Italia, Indonesia and France, today we cross the border to Canada. Had enough already?...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Germans Bought in 2012
The next stop on our ‘what the XXX bought in 2012′ is Germany, after going to China, Europe, Russia, India, Israel, Italia, Indonesia, France and Canada. Not what you had in mind? That’s ok, you can...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The Mexicans Bought in 2012
Now that we have visited China, Europe, Russia, India, Israel, Italia, Indonesia, France, Canada and Germany, it’s time to explore what the most popular cars were in Mexico in 2012. Not interested in...
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The 1000 (One. Thousand.) Best Selling Cars Around The Globe in 2012
We have now gone to China, Europe, Russia, India, Israel, Italia, Indonesia, France, Canada and Germany to explore what cars these countries bought in 2012. While we’re at it, why not explore the...
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Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: New Yorkers Love Hondas
After California, let’s go all the way to the East Coast and the Big Apple because I have some exclusive, rare and detailed car sales data for New York! One thing is certain, New York loves Japan and...
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Toyota Recalls 870,000 Units Due To Arachnophobia
One blah Monday morning, you’re commuting to the anonymous office park some 90 minutes away from the bedroom community you call a home in your equally anonymous Toyota Camry Hybrid, listening to yet...
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Rental Car Review: My Wisconsin Week With a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT
In my travels as Chief Justice of the 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court, I spend a lot of time in bottom-end rental cars. Sometimes I get press cars and write about them on these trips, but that’s...
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Georgia Jury Orders Jeep To Pay $150M For Role In 2012 Fatal Accident
After two weeks of deliberation, a jury in Decatur County, Georgia has found Jeep liable for the 2012 death of a 4-year-old involving a 1999 Grand Cherokee. Reuters reports the decision puts the loss...
View ArticleNHTSA Deepening Probe into Ford F-150 Brakes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will look further into claims that 2011-2012 F-150 trucks may have a faulty brake vacuum pump on cold starts that caused seven crashes, including one...
View ArticlePiston Slap: My Pick Up’s Failing Clutch Pick Up?
TTAC Commentator halftruth writes: My 2012 Tacoma has a temperamental clutch. Sometimes it catches high, sometimes low. This is most annoying on a grade when the pedal comes up and very little happens,...
View ArticleReport: Ford, Regulators Aware of Power Steering Issues, Still No Recall
The New York Times reported that federal regulators have received about 150 complaints over four years about power steering failures in the 2012 model year Ford Focus, including 124 crashes with...
View ArticleTTAC News Round-up: Let’s Talk Carbon Emissions, Volkswagen’s Bigger...
FCA has to clean up its act in a hurry, or pay a lot more to sell cars in the future. That, Europe wants Volkswagen to treat its owners the same as American owners, General Motors’ lawyers get down and...
View ArticleReview: Chevrolet Volt vs. Chevrolet Cruze Eco
Ed, Sajeev, and yours truly have all weighed in on the Chevrolet Volt. We all agreed that it drives surprisingly well, but that aspects of the interior need work. I hadn’t been planning to review the...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Hyundai Accent SE
So, what’s your checklist? If you read this site regularly, you have one: the characteristics of your ideal next car. Perhaps more than one, if you have the need or desire for more than one type of...
View ArticleReview: Hyundai Veloster Take Two
The author’s expectations play a large but rarely disclosed role in any auto review. Expect a car to be awful, and it turns out to be adequate? Then the review might even seem positive. On the other...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Nissan Versa
Do you have automotive tastes common among people of a certain age? Not a fan of huge wheels or firm seats? Want something economical? Meet the new 2012 Nissan Versa. Some small cars are comfortable...
View ArticleCapsule Review: 2012 Buick Regal GS
When Buick announced that it would not be rebadging the Opel Insignia OPC as the Buick Regal GS, and that instead of the OPC’s all wheel drive and turbocharged V6 we’d be getting a front-drive turbo...
View ArticleReview: 2011 Porsche Cayenne S
Strongly feel that Porsche should stick to sports cars? Personally, I’m willing to cut Zuffenhausen a little slack. Sports car sales, with their boom-and-bust cycles, don’t provide a sound foundation...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Scion iQ Take Two
Scion is quite sure of one thing: the new iQ is a much better car than the smart fortwo. What they’re much less sure of: how many of the targeted fine young North American urbanites will buy one rather...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Buick Verano
In a luxury market that’s always looking for the next big thing, “Compact Luxury” has become something of a hot trend. And with GM’s Buick brand saved from the bailout-era brand cull, a compact Buick...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Volkswagen Eos
Thirteen years after the Mercedes-Benz SLK reintroduced the hard top convertible, the novelty has once again begun to wear off in the face of concerns about cost, complexity, and curb weight. Even...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Porsche Carrera 4 PDK
I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking it too. Why me? How, with a host of competent hot-shoes, seriously-journalistic scribes and industry insiders here at TTAC, do the keys to a presser Porsche...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Honda CR-V EX-L
“Hey Brendan,” runs the e-mail from our illustrious ed., Ed, “I was wondering if you wanted to take on the most challenging story I’m currently facing: making the new Honda CR-V interesting.” Fat...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392
When you’re a 24 Hours of LeMons judge, it’s expected that you’ll roll up to the track in a righteous Judgemobile. Perhaps it’s a fenderless, three-wheeled Amazon, or maybe it’s a woodie Roadmaster…...
View ArticleCR: VW Press Cars Don’t Match What’s On The Dealership Floor
TTAC has long held that reviews of press cars made available by manufacturers at launches and press fleets must be complimented by reviews of vehicles acquired from dealer lots. It’s been a...
View ArticleAsk The Best And Brightest: What Expiring Model Will You Miss The Most And...
With the 2011 model-year ending, it’s time to eulogize the cars that have reached the end of the road and are being discontinued with the 2012 model-year. Some of them are well past their sell-by date...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
Back in the day, the Jeep Wrangler was only for serious off-roaders. Posers might visit, but assaulted by the SUV’s sluggish acceleration, clumsy handling, rough noisy ride, and spartan hose-out...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ
Avoiding the usual Auto Journo networking opportunities like the plague leaves me with the road test equivalent of everyone’s sloppy seconds. But there’s a good story behind a nearly dead model,...
View ArticleAfter One Year On The Market, Honda “Upgrading” 2013 Civic
It’s been a fascinating year for the compact car, as all six of the segment’s leading competitors brought out new or updated models over the last 18 months. But as our Chart Of The Day shows, the...
View Article2012 Volkswagen Beetle 2.5
I never was a New Beetle kind of guy. But then I am a guy. Unless a cute car handles like a Miata, I’m not interested. For 2012 Volkswagen has redesigned the New Beetle, dropping the “New” and the bud...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Volkswagen Sharan TDI BlueMotion (Euro-Spec)
Editor’s Note: Be aware that photos are larger than the usual format. When I told friends that my European vacation would give me the opportunity to test a few European cars, their reactions fit a...
View ArticleTen Simple Things The Industry Could Do For Me This Christmas
All told, this has been a successful holiday season for your humble editor. I have showered myself with gifts, avoided annoying family entanglements, kept my pimp hand weak strong, and made sure...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Mazda3 Sedan SKYACTIV-G
One of the constant dangers for your humble TTAC correspondent is drifting away from gimlet-eyed and ruthless objectivity towards developing a soft spot for a particular manufacturer. Lord forbid you...
View ArticleReview: 2012 Ford F-150 Platinum 5.0L V8
I live in the country, well outside city limits in the septic tank/well/propane tank kind of area. Like many that live out where the blacktop ends, we have some farm animals, over a mile of fencing and...
View ArticleVellum Venom: 2012 BMW 328i Sedan
You want a challenge? Try sitting in a design studio when tasked with redesigning an automotive icon. I especially enjoyed these tasks, because you could to honor a brand and maybe even go retro on...
View ArticleCommercial Week Day One Review: 2012 Nissan NV Cargo Van
The man-in-the-van makes the world go round but our brothers in white rarely get any love. That’s what this week is all about, it’s TTAC’s first ever commercial vehicle roundup. Plumbers, carpet...
View ArticleGM Reports $1b Q1 Profit, Still Seeking “Competitive Levels Of Profitability”
Once upon a time, GM’s North American operations spewed red ink across the firm’s balance sheet, with the whole mess kept afloat by relatively strong overseas operations. Now GM makes most of its money...
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