Car Reporters - Car people talking about the car business.

19Apr

By Manny BatemanNo Comments

Brands, News, Toyota

Toyota Celebrity Race Hits Long Beach

Toyota is known in the racing scene. Toyota racing has been around for decades and hosts numerous races throughout the world. The Toyota Celebrity Race is one of those races. Yes, they get celebrities to sign up and drive around the track. This race is a charity race that supports children’s hospitals throughout the United States. So who participated at the 2015 Toyota Celebrity Race? A quite extensive list it turns out. Female contenders in the race include Donna Feldman, who is an international model and television spokeswoman, former Deal or No Deal girl, starred in music videos for Justin Timberlake and Enrique Iglesias, and most recently is a panelist for Fox News. Joining her is Tricia Helfer who is a model turned actress. She starred in Killer Women, The Firm, and Burn Notice, as...

The Future of the Automotive Industry is Data

16Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

News

The Future of the Automotive Industry is Data

Most major retail segments in the United States have gone to using big data as a driving force for their marketing. The car business was one of the first to adopt it decades ago, but this was mostly done at the manufacturer level. Big ad agencies with big budgets used big data to determine how to post which message at what time on which venue. Today, there's a shift that puts the automotive industry back in the forefront of the business intelligence revolution. It isn't just the automakers using big data anymore. It's the dealers as well. This shift has been made possible by the increased availability of localized data about consumers - what they're buying, how they're buying, and why they're buying it. What used to be national or regional can be broken down into meaningful information ...

How Will a Unified Look Fare for Mitsubishi?

16Apr

By Manny BatemanNo Comments

Brands, Mitsubishi, News

How Will a Unified Look Fare for Mitsubishi?

As you have seen, Lexus has put a signature front end on all their vehicles, which give them a unified and unmistakable look. Mitsubishi intends to follow suit with a fresh new lineup starting in 2016 that will feature new grill and fascia elements that will give the entire line a modern and more unified look. This will ensure anyone who sees a Mitsubishi that is a 2016 model or beyond will easily be able to recognize it from the front appearance, and will bring Mitsubishi consumers together with the similar front styling across the brand. This is not the only big news coming from this Japanese automotive giant. After experiencing a profit in the US, Mitsubishi intends to launch some new models to continue to push profits and see what exactly they can do on US soil, while losses are exp...

14Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Brands, Dodge, News

Where is Dodge Headed?

To know the answer to this particular question it might be better if we explore where Dodge has been and then discuss where it is headed. For 100 years Dodge has been a brand of confusion about most things except the ideal they want to push hard to be the leader in whatever they are doing, but that is where the confusion comes in. Dodge has given us strong and powerful muscle cars, has had cars that were designed specifically for women, offered awesome pickup trucks, branded some of the best family haulers around and even remade some Japanese compacts in the name of offering the vehicles that America wants and is trying to have in their driveway. Unfortunately because of this muddled history, Dodge has been more of a chic brand for many years and other than the Ram Trucks (now a separat...

2015 Infiniti Q50: Taking Over the Mid-Sized Luxury Sedan Market

13Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Brands, Infiniti, News

2015 Infiniti Q50: Taking Over the Mid-Sized Luxury Sedan Market

The market of mid-sized luxury sedans is already chock full of great offerings from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, and now the Infiniti Q50 aims to reach higher than all of them and take over. This model offers a comfortable interior, advanced electronics, and a look that is both appealing and somewhat elegant at the same time. The Q50 falls in line between the Q40 and the Q70, giving luxury sedan buyers something in between the two to fully appreciate. Most buyers will also appreciate the below luxury price of the Q50 which makes it just that much more enticing. Any vehicle that aims to take on the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 would have to be nothing short of amazing and Q50 is certainly that. The handling and power are signature features of Infiniti to be enjoyed by ...

How Not to Drive a Prius in Hollywood… or anywhere else

11Apr

By Rocco PennNo Comments

Brands, Toyota

How Not to Drive a Prius in Hollywood… or anywhere else

Whether it was road rage, a simple mistake, or stupidity, this Prius driver in Hollywood backed up into and then over the car behind her. Nobody was hurt but they the driver and passenger in the other car were reportedly shaken up by the ordeal. According to ABC7: (more…)

Four A’s, One B Given to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Car Seat Assembly

9Apr

By Rocco PennNo Comments

Brands, Jeep, News

Four A’s, One B Given to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Car Seat Assembly

SUVs are notorious for having less than stellar ratings for their infant seat compatibility. So much effort is put into designing for comfort that not enough attention is paid to the kids. After all, infants can't buy vehicles and shoppers aren't always sure how to make sure their car seats are secure. The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee scored perfectly on its ratings from Cars.com, other than getting a "B" rating for their booster seat compatibility. This is to be expected; booster seats have always been a challenge for car makers due to the strange way that seat belts must work with them while still being comfortable for adults in the back seat. (more…)

9Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Brands, Jeep

Thanks for the Jeep, Bob

It isn't every day that you get to see a game show winner. Television game shows often have a vehicle as their big prize and if this Jeep Wrangler is to be believed, Bob Barker helped the owner get their ride.

8Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

Brands, Honda, News

The Honda Crosstour is Gone

Even Honda lays an egg every now and then. The Crosstour was one of them. The much-maligned crossover had it bad from the start and never really recovered both in reviews as well as sales. It was uninspiring, a stark contrast to things that the Japanese automaker has done in the last couple of years. We won't really miss it. We're just glad it didn't stick around for long enough to make it awkward when it left. (more…)

External Airbags? Why Didn’t I Think Of That?

8Apr

By Carl DurrekNo Comments

News

External Airbags? Why Didn’t I Think Of That?

The race is on for tech companies like Google, Apple, and others to build their own driverless vehicle. Google has prototypes, and it is rumoured that Apple does as well. Safety has been a big concern when it comes to the self-driving vehicles, with many arguing that it isn’t safe. Google has set out to prove those critics wrong by creating a completely safe vehicle for both passengers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. How you may ask? By adding external airbags to the car. It seems like an ingenious idea. Airbags have been standard of new cars, trucks, and SUV’s for many years now on the interior of the vehicles, why not on the exterior. Think how this could change driving as we know it today. With soft pillowy airbags on the exterior of the cars, it could cushion the accident and leave th...