William Maley

General Motors has issued a recall for 64,000 Chevrolet Volts from the 2011-13 model years to prevent carbon monoxide buildup in a enclosed space when a driver forgets to shut off the vehicle. Automotive News reports that if a driver leaves their Volt running in the electric mode, the vehicle will drain the battery and cause the gas engine to kick on. "If the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as a garage, carbon monoxide could build up," GM said in a statement. GM says they are aware of two people who had carbon monoxide exposure from the Volt. At the moment, the Volt has a chime that come on if a driver exits the vehicle and leaves it running. GM will issue a software update that will limit the Volt's idling time when left in the 'On' position. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

Volkswagen is turning towards plug-in hybrid technology for the majority of its models till longer range batteries become a reality. This was announced at Volkswagen's annual media conference yesterday by Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn. Why plug-in hybrid tech? Winterkorn explained that plug-in hybrids are the best stop-gap technology with reducing emissions without sacrificing range. Now that doesn't mean Volkswagen isn't stopping work on electric vehicles. The automaker is currently working on electric systems that will have a range of more than 300 miles. One other note; the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid will be coming to the U.S. next year. This news was relayed to Automotive News by Volkswagen r&d boss Hans-Jakob Neusser. The GTE packs a turbocharged 1.4L and a electric motor to produce a combined 201 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

The Honda CR-Z hasn't set the sales chart on fire and it has been canned Europe and Australia. The reason is likely the disappointing hybrid powertrain which offers ho-hum performance and economy. But Honda is planning to change that with the next-generation CR-Z. Car and Driver reports that the next-generation CR-Z - due out in 2017 - will trade in the Honda Fit platform for the Civic. Honda will slice four inches off the Civic platform for its duties in the CR-Z. Power will come from a detuned version from turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder found in the Civic Type-R. The new CR-Z expected to go on sale in 2018. Source: Car and Driver View full article

#4 was driving me crazy and then I remember what I was missing: The car is the Budd XR-400 and was created by the Budd Company. This vehicle was shown to AMC and was considered for production. However it was scrapped due to flux going on at the company. The connection to Ford? The Budd Company showed a proposal to Ford of a smaller 2-seat convertible using a sliced up Thunderbird body on the Falcon platform. This was two years before the Mustang was introduced.

Last month, speculation was going around after an trademark application was filed by GM for 'Badlands' to be used on a future model. The speculation was this was going to be used on the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra as competitors to the Ford Raptor. But according to Edmunds, GM has no plans for a direct Raptor competitor. "We have a lot of priorities. Capital is not endless. That is not one of our highest priorities in terms of spending capital right now," said Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of global product development. However, Reuss isn't fully against a performance off-road monster. He points toward the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 concept shown at LA Auto Show which boasts a number of changes such as off-road shocks, front-and-rear locking differentials, and 35-inch off-road tires "We showed the ZR2 and said we would like to do that," said Reuss. Source: Edmunds View full article

If you were to ask me what midsize I would recommend for most people, I would say the Honda Accord. It may not be the most exciting or best looking midsize sedan on sale, but it gets the basics right. From a comfortable and spacious interior, to a powertrain delivers excellent power and fuel economy, the Accord got the basics right. I wasn’t sure if anyone could challenge the Accord. But on a cold December afternoon, a 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium drove up for a week-long review. Could this be the sedan to challenge the Accord’s status as being one best midsize sedans? The new Legacy follows the same idea as Accord on the exterior, minor changes to make it look somewhat new. In the case of Legacy, Subaru’s designers smoothed out and added a bit of roundness to the vehicle. Up front is a large, hexagonal grille with a set of larger headlights. Around back is a little lip spoiler on the trunk. The overall look isn’t something to boast about, but at least you don’t want to hide it in the garage when people come to visit. On the interior front, the Legacy is Subaru’s best effort yet. The design is simple and clean with a good mix of soft touch plastics and faux brushed aluminum trim. Seats were wrapped in a beige cloth and provided plenty of comfort and support. A nice touch was the seats offering three-level heat, perfect for the cold weather I was driving around in at the time. Back seats offer the same amount of support and good legroom. However headroom is slightly tight for taller passengers due to a sloping roofline. The center stack boasts either a 6.2-inch touchscreen - on base models - or an upgraded 7-inch touchscreen on higher trims. The 7-inch screen boasts capacitive touch buttons, multi-touch gesture control, and an app suite. Thankfully Subaru kept knobs for the volume and tune. The interface is easy to use and reminds me a lot of Toyota’s interface with similar fonts and design. However, the system showed signs of slowness when I would scroll through station presets or go into different sections of the system. Also, I found that using the capacitive touch buttons was a bit of hit and miss. Sometimes it would recognize that I hit the button, while other times I would have to hit it a few times for it to realize that I hit it. It's a good start, but I think Subaru needs to do a bit more work to make the system work a bit faster and recognize inputs. See the next page for thoughts on powertain, handling, and the verdict. For most Legacy models, they’ll come equipped with the engine found under the hood of my tester; a 2.5L boxer-four with 175 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. This is paired to Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT and Symmetrical AWD system. For most buyers, the 2.5 is adequate. It's a bit slow off the line, but the engine gradually builds power and keeps up with the flow of traffic. However the 2.5 isn’t the most refined engine as it seems the engine produces the same amount of noise as it does in power. Not helping matters is the CVT which only exacerbates the engine refinement problems. Also, it seems Subaru’s CVT programming has a bug or two. While driving on the freeway, I found that at times that the 2.5 would be spinning around 2,000 rpms, while at other times at 1,750 rpms. I figured out that if I sped up and then slow down, the rpm would decrease. On the plus side, Subaru made the CVT mimic a regular automatic transmission with noticeable ‘shift’ points. Fuel economy is a bright spot for the Legacy 2.5i with the EPA rating it at 26 City/36 Highway/30 Combined. My week saw an average of 29 MPG. Ride comfort is one of the Legacy’s strong points as the suspension is able to isolate bumps and road imperfections without transmitting any of it to the passengers. Noise isolation is a bit mixed with wind being kept down, although road noise is somewhat apparent. As for driving excitement, the Legacy is ok. Thanks to the all-wheel drive system and a new platform that is stiffer, the Legacy corners surprisingly well. The only items letting down are the tires and a somewhat light-weight steering. But there is one key area that Legacy is doing much better than its rivals; active safety. Subaru’s EyeSight system handles a number of the safety systems in the Legacy, including lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. The system uses two stereo cameras mounted at the top of the windshield to scan the road ahead and provide data for the various safety systems. This setup provided one of best adaptive cruise control systems I have used as the cameras were able to keep the distance and speed I had set, along with smoothly slowing down the Legacy if someone comes into your lane. As for the lane departure warning system, it was able to detect whenever the vehicle was leaving the lane quickly. Now EyeSight is standard on higher trim Legacy models, while the Premium gets it as a $1,195 option. I would say its very much worth it. So is the 2015 Subaru Legacy the big challenger to the Honda Accord? Not quite. In some areas such as the handling, fuel economy, and active safety system, the Legacy either matches or exceeds the Accord. However Subaru still has a lot a of work to do with Legacy’s four-cylinder to match the Accord’s refinement in the powertrain and it isn’t quite as spacious as the Accord. Still if all-wheel drive is a requirement on your shopping list, Subaru has a quite the alternative with the Legacy. Disclaimer: Subaru Provided the Legacy 2.5i, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2015 Make: Subaru Model: Legacy Trim: 2.5i Premium Engine: 2.5L Boxer Four-Cylinder Driveline: CVT, All-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 175 @ 5,800 Torque @ RPM: 174 @ 4,000 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 26/36/30 Curb Weight: 3,455 lbs Location of Manufacture: Lafayette, Indiana Base Price: $23,495 As Tested Price: $25,785 (Includes $795.00 Destination Charge) Options: EyeSight + Blind Spot Detection & Rear Cross Traffic Alert - $1,195 Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle - $300.00 View full article

Hmm.. Maybe its an option, not as standard equipment like the SC. #5: Gas cap on the wrong side

I know that part. It was the 2010 SC 430. #4: I know this was a proposal that was shown to AMC. The person had a connection with AMC I think with a part. Trying to remember the name of the car and person.