auto

NEW YORK--Today at the 2012 New York auto show, Hyundai debuted not one, but two new versions of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe for two different kinds of crossover buyers.

The first debut was the Santa Fe Sport, a small crossover that seats five. Under its hood, drivers have a choice between either a 190 horsepower direct-injected 2.4-liter engine that should net an estimated 33 highway mpg or the turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter engine that outputs 264 horsepower at the expense of a pair of highway mpg. If these engines sound familiar, it's because they're the … Read more

NEW YORK--The 2014 Impala debuts with a new, muscular design that calls on equal parts Malibu and Camaro to create a look that Chevrolet says "looks much more expensive than it is." Classic Impala design cues, such as the leaping Impala emblem on the C pillar and the raised Impala lettering on a rear chrome bar, blend with the more modern Chevrolet design language to create a large sedan that, while a bit visually busy from certain angles, is athletic and muscular.

Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system will grace the Impala's dashboard with its large 8-inch color … Read more

The 2012 New York auto show starts early tonight with the official announcement and unveiling of the Fisker Atlantic. The Atlantic is the second new vehicle to be debuted by the vehicle (or the third if you choose to count the Fisker Surf design concept) and is Fisker Automotive's shot at building an extended-range electric vehicle that people can actually afford.

The Atlantic doesn't divert terribly from the formula set by the Karma. The sedans feature similar mustachioed front ends, the smaller Atlantic largely maintaining a scaled-down version of the Fisker design language with a few tweaks here … Read more

We already know quite a bit about Fisker's follow-up to the Karma electric sports sedan. We know that it's called the Atlantic, that it's smaller than the Karma, and that it should be significantly less expensive--rumors put the MSRP at about $40,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. Heck, we even know what it looks like thanks to a batch of leaked photos.

However, there's a great deal that we don't know. There have been no power, range, or economy ratings leaked to go along with the photos. We don't have dimensions, … Read more

While most auto manufacturers are focusing their attention on the news and new models being revealed at the New York International Auto Show this week, BMW is setting its sights on the Beijing motor show, where it will debut the latest addition to the i family of vehicles.

The BMW i8 Concept Spyder is a topless two-seater version of the i8 coupe, and will make its first appearance at the Beijing motor show later this month. Slightly shorter than its 2+2 sibling, the Concept Spyder makes generous use of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic used in the LifeDrive architecture, … Read more

The New York auto show follows Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Geneva, making it the last of the big international shows of the season. This is the show for automakers that have been pulling their punches, waiting to make a splash against fewer new model launches. And this year sees some tantalizing details of new models from Nissan, BMW, and Subaru, and mystery cars from Acura and Toyota. … Read more

If you're looking for a good price on a new car, you'll want to start your search on eBay this week. AutoNation will be selling 29 vehicles for half their retail price on the auction Web site.

AutoNation Direct is the online sales arm of the AutoNation national auto dealership group. Until Friday, the company will post four vehicles on eBay each day on sale for half the MSRP. The vehicles range from budget-friendly commuter cars, such as a 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid for only $16,385 to halo vehicles, including a the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro … Read more

Last month, the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency published a dense document with guidelines for automakers on how to minimize the distractions caused by in-vehicle electronics. Buried among equations for determining optimal display viewing angles and testing procedures is the recommendation that navigation devices should only show static or near-static images, which would essentially eliminate their usefulness.

Section V.5.b of the document titled Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines for In-Vehicle Electronic Devices says that "Dynamic, continuously moving maps are not recommended."

The section, which deals with photographs or videos, says that static or near-static maps for … Read more

Sometimes it takes a little effort to figure out even the simplest tools, at least when you go by the documentation. So it was with AutoRunnerX, a free tool that launches portable applications, folders, and other stuff stored on a USB drive or portable hard drive when you insert the drive in your system. That's simple enough and useful, too; but it took some mental translations calling upon high school German classes to figure it all out.

Installing AutoRunnerX requires a reboot. The program runs in the background, though it has a compact user interface for adding and removing … Read more