Automotive News West Coast Editor Mark Rechtin takes an early look at the Nissan Leaf, the world’s first all-electric mass-volume vehicle.
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Today, Subaru announced pricing for its refreshed 2011 Impreza WRX and WRX STi models. The WRX will start at $25,495 for the sedan and hatchback models. That’s a $500 increase for the sedan and the same price for the hatch,…
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In a not-so-surprising move to take some limelight away from the Chevy Volt, Nissan has released information regarding the target launch of its 2011 all-electric Leaf. The Leaf will launch in December — again, not a surprise since that’s right…
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Unless you live under a rock, you had to have noticed the loud media blitz yesterday from Ford about the new 2011 Explorer. They launched it unconventionally with live online video feeds, social media outlets and in-person reveals across the country, essentially turning yesterday into “Ford Explorer Day.” Traditionally, new cars are revealed at auto shows, where they’re competing with competitors for media coverage, but Ford didn’t feel like sharing. Can you blame them?
Ford listened to the Explorer’s target market and reinvented the quintessential family SUV into something much more modern and progressive. The new Explorer is built on a car-based platform, turning it into more of a crossover than an SUV. However, Ford maintained specific design cues, including body-colored C-pillars, that hark back to the Explorer’s traditional SUV roots.

Don’t think the Explorer has watered down its off-roading capabilities with its new platform. However, it has made them more user-friendly with the incorporation of the Terrain Management System, which allows the driver to select one of four terrain modes – Normal, Snow, Sand or Mud and Ruts – with the turn of a dial. The Explorer also has hill descent control, which “allows the driver to control the speed of hill descent without applying the brakes, even while in Reverse.” The 2011 Explorer can tow up to 5,000 pounds; the 2010 model with a V-8 engine could tow 7,115 pounds.

The other big story in the Explorer is the two inflatable seat belts in the second row’s outbound seating positions. In the event of a crash, the seat belts actually inflate, thereby spreading the force of the impact out over a larger area of a child’s chest. I’d be curious to know how these work with youngsters in high-back booster seats where the seatbelt is threaded through the head restraint’s routing mechanism. As this technology becomes more common, I suspect we’ll see it migrate back to protect third-row passengers, as well.

I’m also looking forward to testing out the automatic folding third row in the new Explorer. Most families I know have to switch rapidly from carrying people to carrying cargo and back again. Ford makes the Explorer flexible enough for many different scenarios. Go, go, gadget seats!

I’m looking forward to test-driving the new Explorer with my most critical backseat test drivers at hand to see if it can live up to all the hype. Stay tuned…
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Toyota is planning a thorough redesign of the Tundra half-ton pickup truck, according to our sources.
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Ten years ago Toyota launched a new kind of car in North America. It was the Prius, an affordable car with a hybrid gas/electric powertrain. In the decade that followed, the Prius made an indelible mark on the automotive industry. The car with the signature wedge shape proved to be an agent of change, and a catalyst for innovative ideas. Over 1.8 million units have been sold in the world to date, with nearly 900,000 in the U.S. alone.

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Washington — Nissan Motor Co. said today it will offer an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on its Nissan Leaf battery pack.
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General Motors Co. likely convinced some shoppers to buy the Chevrolet Volt by unveiling a $41,000 price tag and three-year, $350-a-month lease on Tuesday, analysts said.
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Hyundai Motor Co. will offer two versions of its Equus full-size luxury sedan when it brings it to the United States this year: the Equus Signature and the Equus Ultimate.
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Porsche has confirmed what we have long suspected: engineers at its research center in Stuttgart have been hard at work building several pure-electric prototypes.

Porsche – Porsche Boxster – Boxster – Research – ElectricVehicle
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