Motor Trend names Outback SUV of the year

Merging car qualities helped Subaru win the honor for a second time

DETROIT - Motor Trend magazine has picked the 2010 Subaru Outback as its sport utility vehicle of the year.

The magazine says editors voted 10-1 for the Outback because of its driving refinement, fuel economy and handling on and off the road.

Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie says Subaru is reshaping the SUV by merging a car-based station wagon with an SUV's off-road and hauling capabilities.

It's the second time a Subaru has won the honor. Last year the Forester was the winner.

The Outback won the 2010 honors from a field of 11 contenders. They were judged on criteria that include exterior and interior styling, engineering excellence, functionality, efficiency, safety and value.

The award was announced Thursday, with the magazine available at newsstands on Nov. 3.

credits: msnbc.msn.com

Ford adds 4.5 million vehicles to switch recall

Owners asked to park outside until repaired over the small risk of a fire

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will add 4.5 million older-model vehicles to the long list of those recalled because a defective cruise control switch could cause a fire.

The latest voluntary action pushes Ford's total recall due to faulty switches to 14.3 million registered vehicles over 10 years, capping the company's largest cumulative recall in history involving a single problem.

The recall covers 1.1 million Ford Windstar minivans that had a small risk of fire due to internal leaking from the switches. Ford said in a letter to federal regulators that it found a small number of reported fires linked to the problem during an internal investigation that began last year, but did not specify how many.

credits: msnbc.msn.com

GM reaches deal to sell Hummer brand

Chinese company will acquire rights to build new vehicles

DETROIT - Hummer, the off-road vehicle that once epitomized America’s love for hulking trucks, is now in the hands of a Chinese heavy equipment maker.

General Motors Co. and Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp. finally signed the much-anticipated deal for GM to sell the brand on Friday.

Tengzhong will get an 80 percent stake in the company, while Hong Kong investor Suolang Duoji, who indirectly owns a big stake in Tengzhong through an investment company, will get 20 percent. The investors will also get Hummer’s nationwide dealer network.

credits: msnbc.msn.com

Nissan's zero-emission fashion statement

Meet the Land Glider, Nissan's concept electric car that tilts side-to-side

Nissan's Land Glider electric vehicle is demonstrated for 41st Tokyo Motor Show at a Nissan technical design center in Atsugi, near Tokyo, Japan. The Land Glider tilts from side to side, sashaying into curves by up to a 17-degree angle.

ATSUGI, Japan - Nissan's Land Glider electric vehicle tilts from side to side, sashaying into curves by up to a 17-degree angle, as though showing off in a fashion statement that it's zero-emissions.

The wheel segments of the car can move separately from the cabin, allowing the car, still an experimental concept model, to sway and swerve, almost like a motorcycle.

Nissan Motor Co. project design director Takashi Nakjima says Land Glider is designed to be a "personal city commuter."

credits: msnbc.msn.com

The Stig flies a couple of hybrids

In an amusing little photo gallery over at the Top Gear site, the Stig, the famed tame racing driver, gets the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius off the ground. The feature promises a lot at the beginning (just like we are doing here), but proceeds with a fairly standard test between the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, mostly comparing them on fuel economy and drivability through London and at the Millbrook test track.

But they eventually come to the good stuff, describing what happens when Stiggy starts doing laps in the Prius and the Insight. Top Gear even reaches a verdict about which is the best car, although it's based entirely on fuel economy, unlike our more encompassing Prizefight between these two hybrids. Which explains why we reached a different conclusion.

But enough spoilers, check out Stigs might fly.

credits: reviews.cnet.com

Police Caprice

The Caprice name will return to Chevrolet in 2011 on a rear-drive police car, shown as a concept. It will be manufactured in Australia and is based on the platform used on the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Camaro. The rear-wheel drive Ford Crown Victoria has the bulk of the U.S. police car business, but Ford is dropping the Crown Vic in 2011. A front-wheel drive Taurus police car is under development. General Motors is determining whether all Chevrolet dealers will be eligible to sell and service the car.

credits: autonews.com