This License Plate Brought To You By McDonald's

Times are tough all over, but in Illinois the state is considering selling ad space on license plates. That’s not to say that vegan residents from the Land of Lincoln will soon be forced to drive around with a “Sponsored by Whattaburger” tag. Instead, the state is considering the creation of special license plates for corporate...


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Mini Coupe Prototype Driven: Crazy Looks, Good Fun, and Secretive Suspension Tuning

It?s more fun, but Mini won?t tell us exactly why. ?With a car like this,? Rauno Aaltonen says, ?sportier is a bad word. Because the extreme, if you take it too far, would be wipers on the sidescreens.? Keep Reading: 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe – Prototype Drive

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Test drive: 2012 Volkswagen Passat

2012 Volkswagen Passat

I'll be honest -- I've been dreading this review ever since Volkswagen sent me the invitation to the press preview. The goals VW laid out for the new Passat were similar to those they made for the 2011 Jetta -- a bigger car that would offer the same premium feel as the old model at a lower price. I thought they missed the mark with the Jetta, and I said so in my review. I was worried that the same thing would happen with the Passat and I'd have to say so again, thereby eliminating whatever tattered remnants of good will I had left with the fine folks in VW's public relations department.

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Source: http://cars.about.com/b/2011/06/07/test-drive-2012-volkswagen-passat.htm

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Volvo CEO says both plug-ins and fossil-fuel-powered cars can reduce emissions

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The Sweden House is a smart, clean-looking building in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown district that serves as that country's embassy in the United States. On a hot June morning last week, the House opened its doors to Volvo, Sweden's biggest automaker, for a morning seminar titled Innovation Towards Zero that covered the ways the company is trying to further the cause of sustainable mobility in a global market. The short version is as follows: Volvo plans to use a wide variety of fuel-saving methods in its upcoming vehicles because it thinks the focus should be on the end result (lower CO2 emissions) and not on any particular technology. So, while it's clear that plug-ins will play a role for Volvo - and the C30 Electric and V60 Plug-In Hybrid were certainly the vehicles du jour - there's no way Volvo is putting all of its technological eggs into one specific basket.

Even though there is a big push for electrified vehicles across the industry, Volvo does not have a timeline for when all of its models will be electrified, or when something like that would be an option for each model. Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby told AutoblogGreen:

[The technology used] depends very much on the CO2 standards, that's the guiding line, more or less... We should not forget that the traditional internal combustion engine can significantly be improved and the benefits out of this can be made with less investment and complexity. We are [in] a long transition period from fossil fuels towards alternative powertrains and we need to understand that we have to be careful to not invest into the wrong direction.
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Continue reading Volvo CEO says both plug-ins and fossil-fuel-powered cars can reduce emissions

Volvo CEO says both plug-ins and fossil-fuel-powered cars can reduce emissions originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/06/14/volvo-ceo-says-both-plug-ins-and-fossil-fuel-powered-cars-can-re/

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Photo gallery: 2012 Volkswagen Passat

2012 Volkswagen Passat badgeI'm just back from the press preview of the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat. My review needs a bit more work -- it should be ready to go by tomorrow morning -- but I thought I'd show you the photos now. The Passat is bound to take some flak for it's styling; I'll admit that when I first saw the car in person, my initial thought was "That's it?" But the Passat does have some rather interesting details, and in the right light it's quite a handsome car. Take a closer look at the Passat in my 2012 Volkswagen Passat photo gallery, and share your thoughts about the design in the Comments section. -- Aaron Gold

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Source: http://cars.about.com/b/2011/06/06/photo-gallery-2012-volkswagen-passat.htm

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2010 Suzuki Kizashi Test Drive: Is This Sporty Midsize Sedan the Best Suzuki Ever?

Suzuki clearly has lofty expectations for its new Kizashi sedan, which we recently drove on the roads around the Washington/Oregon border, as well as on Portland's eponymous international raceway.

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2013 Ford Flex Spy Photos: MyFord Touch and a New Grille for the Box

Ford?s funky box hits middle age?which means it?s time for a freshening. Spy photographers have nabbed the 2013 Ford Flex, providing visual evidence of the changes coming as part of the big box?s mid-cycle refresh. Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Flex Spy Photos – Future Cars

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Ford will add 1.0-liter EcoBoost I-3 and new eight-speed automatic

Cranking up its efforts in the increasingly critical mileage-maxing arena, Ford Motor Company has announced several significant additions to its global powertrain lineup that promise to enhance both efficiency and performance of its vehicles.

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2012 Chevrolet Volt Now Available To Order Nationwide, Price Drops to Pre-Credit $39,995

Starting today, customers across America can now place orders for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car, which goes on sale at $39,995, including destination charge. The 2012 Volt costs $1005 less than the 2011 model, which was previously available in seven states and Washington, D.C. Besides a lower MSRP that just limbos under the [...]

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