Have you ever had one of those days where you just want pizza to come to you as easily as possible, using as few tools to procure said pizza as possible? Then you might be into a new concept from Visa and Pizza Hut, that wants to get drivers to order and pay for their pizza without ever leaving their cars — or picking up their smartphones, for that matter. [More]
cars
What Happened After TV Show ‘Pimp My Ride’ Pimped People’s Rides?
By 2.27.15
While no one can take away the joy of watching someone’s jalopy get turned into a gleaming pile of doodads and gadgets in bright colors that just so happened to also have wheels, the internet has been abuzz about reports that MTV’s early ‘aughts “reality” TV show Pimp My Ride wasn’t exactly the fairy tale you see on the screen. [More]
The Very Last Bugatti Veyron Has Been Manufactured And Sold
By 2.23.15
If you’ve been dreaming of a fresh-from-the-factory Bugatti Veyron, there’s some bad news: the last of the super-super cars has been assembled and sold, and the money-hemorrhaging production supercar line shut down. Yes, a line of cars that sold for more than $2 million each still lost money, because of the amount it costs to develop such a super supercar. [More]
Rolls-Royce Announces It’s Working On Its First Foray Into The SUV Market
By 2.18.15
Because there just aren’t enough luxury cars out there already that we can’t possibly ever dream of affording, Rolls-Royce has decided to throw its expensive hat in the ring, announcing plans for the automaker’s first sport utility vehicle. Just don’t call it an SUV. [More]
GM Provides More Details On Long-Range Affordable Electric Chevy Bolt
By 2.12.15
A month after General Motors showed off a prototype of the Chevy Bolt — a purely electric vehicle that the carmaker estimates will get around 200 miles per charge and only cost around $30,000 — the company has provided details to show that it intends to move ahead with production on the Bolt. [More]
Report: Automakers Fail To Protect Connected Cars From Security, Privacy Hacks
By 2.9.15
The newest models of connected cars come with everything from built-in navigation and entertainment systems to roadside assistance. While these features might make life behind the wheel a little easier, a new report found that not enough has been done to adequately protect those components from hackers. [More]
West Coast Ports Contract Dispute Means Automakers Must Ship Parts By Plane
By 2.6.15
The ongoing labor dispute between dockworkers and shipping companies at ports on the West Coast of the United States is affecting more than just the availability of French fries in Japan and Venezuela. McDonald’s has resorted to shipping fries by air, and some auto manufacturers are going to start sending those cargo planes back from Japan filled with car parts. [More]
Yes, Those Are Real Cars Poking Out Of This Dumpster
By 1.16.15
Car dealerships are always looking for the next great way to get potential customers to look in their direction and think about maybe buying a shiny new car. They employ balloons, air dancers, signs: anything that might catch the eye of someone driving by. One way to get some attention is to toss some cars in a dumpster. That’s what Pacific Nissan in San Diego did, and the promotion is working out for them. [More]
![Like my new wheels? I got it through an 8-year loan with a 22% APR. What a steal! [Note: Not actually my car] (photo Axion23)](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/mynewcar.png?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Why Are So Many Recent Car Loan Borrowers Missing Payments?
By 1.9.15
In 2014, new car sales increased to 16.5 million, the highest level since 2006, but did too many car buyers take on more than they could afford? [More]
Video Of Confused Lady At Gas Station Leads To Useful Driving Tip
By 12.31.14
It’s not often that a viral video that gives you giggle fits leads to learning an actual useful piece of information, but it does happen sometimes. Today’s important lesson: how to determine which side of an unfamiliar car the gas tank is on before you park on the wrong side of the pump and make an idiot of yourself. [More]
General Motors Recalls 316,000 Vehicles For Potential Headlight Failures
By 12.2.14
Imagine driving down a dark country road where there’s some traffic in the other direction, so you don’t have your high beams on. Suddenly, your headlights cut out. Wait! What? That’s the scenario posed in the latest General Motors recall, which concerns 317,357 vehicles sold in North America with model years between 2006 and 2008. [More]
Car Manufacturers, Industry Groups Work To Prevent Car Cyberattacks
By 11.24.14
In this day and age, just about anything can be hacked, including your car. And with more and more vehicles including Internet capabilities, car manufacturers and industry groups are working against the clock to create cyber defenses for commercially available vehicles. [More]
Dealership Registers Car To Wrong Person, Random Lady Gets 18 Tickets In the Mail
By 10.14.14
An 87-year-old woman in California was confused when she started to receive parking tickets and toll notices in the mail. She had 18 separate tickets, with a total of almost $1500 in fines. Was she racking up tickets and forgetting to pay? No, and she could prove it: she no longer drives at all. The tickets listed her as the owner of a white Acura, and she doesn’t own one. [More]
GM Recalls Yet Another Half-Million Cars Over Increased Crash Risks
By 10.3.14
It’s the track on infinite repeat this year, it seems: General Motors has issued a recall of 524,000 vehicles for safety reasons. The two separate recall actions have nothing to do with ignition switches, at least, but both — on Cadillac and Saab SUVs and Chevy Spark cars — are hazards that increase the risk of a dangerous crash. [More]
Man Doesn’t Notice Coyote Lodged In Front Grill Of Car
By 9.30.14
When a train conductor in Wisconsin pulled in to work last week in his car, he had an unexpected decoration on his grill. A coyote was somehow wedged in, and it was alive but injured. The local animal control officer took Vern, as he was named, to a wildlife rehabilitator, and he is expected to recover. Only how did he get wedged in the front of a car to begin with? [More]
Your Car From 1999 Or After Doesn’t Need A Tune-Up
By 9.30.14
Most people who drive learn the essentials of driving, traffic, car maintenance, and road rage skills from their parents. That’s what parents are for: to pass on their wisdom as well as their bad habits. We also pick up bad or outdated information along the way, like the requirement to change our oil every 3,000 miles. Or the belief that cars need frequent tune-ups. [More]
Customers Claim Lender Shut Cars Down Too Soon After Missed Payment
By 9.17.14
It seems like a very long time ago that we told you about a new practice in the auto lending industry––cars that the lender can shut down remotely if you happen to miss a payment. The cars won’t shut down while you’re cruising down the highway, but will simply refuse to start when the ignition is off. Simple enough, but some customers claim that one company shut their cars down too early, and have filed a class action lawsuit. [More]
Used Car Dealer Accused Of Rolling Back Odometers, Selling Cars And Lies
By 8.22.14
A couple in California who ran a used car dealership embody consumers’ worst fears about buying used cars. They now face almost 80 criminal charges of grand theft by false pretenses, perjury, filing false documents with the DMV, and twenty counts of unlawfully rolling back a car odometer. [More]
