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MaximTrak Releases Global F&I Platform  Feb 23rd, 2016 
MaximTrak Technologies is rolling out a new F&I platform touting new enhancements geared toward international markets. The new platform is designed to address the challenges presented by the push to modernize F&I. 
 
 
Current Rolls-Royce Phantom Is Wafting into the Sunset—Coupe and Convertible Won’t Be Replaced  Feb 23rd, 2016 
In the ultra-luxury sphere, life spans are longer than they are among the serf class. And so it is that the current Rolls-Royce Phantom is 13 years old, an eternity in car-years. But even a Rolls can’t roll on forever, and the company has announced that this-generation Phantom (the seventh, according to its maker) will […] 
 
 
Ford to Debut Traffic Jam Assist, Fully Autonomous Car in Four Years  Feb 23rd, 2016 
  More automated driving features will come to new Ford and Lincoln models as the automaker triples its investment in developing new driver assist features, CEO Mark Fields said Monday. Without delving into any specifics, Fields said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the company was finalizing a traffic jam assist and a […] 
 
 
2017 Bentley Mulsanne: Now Even More Mega – Official Photos and Info  Feb 23rd, 2016 
 
 
 
Bentley Mulsanne Gets Even More Mega for 2017 with New LWB Model  Feb 23rd, 2016 
Bentley’s Mulsanne flagship, the first model designed wholly in-house in eight decades, replaced the ancient Arnage in 2010. Now the Mulsanne is receiving a comprehensive fluff and buff for 2017. The model range also is growing from two to three versions: complementing the Mulsanne Signature and the more potent Mulsanne Speed (which bowed two years […] 
 
 
Start with Hell, Add More Hell: Hennessey Announces 1032-hp HPE1000 Hellcat Twins  Feb 22nd, 2016 
Years and years ago, we knew this local jazz fusion drummer. He played with a group that did a 15-minute rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Buff the mind’s eyeball with that and tell us that they weren’t right in calling such an abomination “Whole Lotta Hell.” Thankfully, John Hennessey’s idea of what a […] 
 
 
I Wanna Be Your Sledgehammer: Callaway Announces 610-hp Camaro  Feb 22nd, 2016 
When Callaway was working on its C7 program, ultimately resulting in a 627-hp Corvette Stingray and a 757-horse Z06, the venerable tuning company had an eye on Chevy’s next car powered by the LT-series small block: the Camaro. And now they’ve loosed the bindings on their version of the sixth-generation of GM’s long-running coupe. The […] 
 
 
I Wanna Be Your Sledgehammer: Callaway Announces 610-hp Camaro  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
Jump Up, Jump Up, and Get Down: VW Debuts Second-Gen Up! Minicar  Feb 22nd, 2016 
What’s up!? We’ll tell you. Up!—VW insists we include the exclamation point, but we’re going to go against their convention and capitalize the “U”—is a city car launched by Volkswagen in 2013 that isn’t sold in the United States. VW’s current thinking is that anything smaller than the Golf would be of little interest to […] 
 
 
Start with Hell, Add More Hell: Hennessey Announces 1032-hp HPE1000 Hellcat Twins  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
Jump Up, Jump Up, and Get Down: VW Debuts Second-Gen Up! Minicar  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
Takata May Quadruple Airbag Recall, Financial Outlook In Danger  Feb 22nd, 2016 
It’s fast becoming DEFCON 1 at Takata, which may have to quadruple its recalls of shrapnel-shooting airbag inflators. Anonymous former Takata employees told Reuters that as many as 285 million Takata inflators with ammonium nitrate—the cheaper propellant Takata switched to in 1999 and kept using, despite repeated safety concerns by its own engineers—could be affected. […] 
 
 
Volvo Adds Native Spotify Support to Its Product Line Globally  Feb 22nd, 2016 
Attention Spotifans! Volvo has announced that it will be the first manufacturer to globally integrate the Spotify music-streaming app in its products, starting this spring with the XC90, S90, and V90. The app will be accessible via the cars’ Sensus touchscreen interface, the portrait orientation of which should look and feel familiar to Spotify users. The […] 
 
 
Do Your Wurst: Meet the Armored Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard  Feb 22nd, 2016 
Mercedes has announced its latest vehicle intended to keep heads of state, royals, and oligarchs free from gunshot wounds and other nasty weapons-related injuries: the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard. Based on the mega-opulent Maybach S600, the vehicle meets VR10 protection standards according to Directive BRV 2009 Version 2, which is an incredibly long way to say that this incredibly […] 
 
 
Samsung Dongle Brings Car Monitoring and Wi-Fi to Older Cars  Feb 22nd, 2016 
Blame Progressive Insurance. Its Snapshot was the insurance industry’s first attempt at 24/7 vehicular watchdogging in the connected era. Samsung now has ConnectAuto. It’s similar to the underwriter’s dongle in that it taps the OBD II CANbus, which has been mandated on all U.S. cars since 1996, to monitor car and driver performance. Not all […] 
 
 
Do Your Wurst: Meet the Armored Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
No Jeep, No Justice: Renegade “Dawn of Justice” Edition  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
Volvo XC90 T8 e-Twinster Prototype: Call It the e-Drifter  Feb 22nd, 2016 
Driving on a frozen ice lake is a strange experience at any time, but never more so than when the towering Volvo XC90 T8 that we’re piloting on the treacherous surface of a frozen lake starts to do a convincing impression of a Focus RS. Look closely and you’ll see that, despite obviously being an […] 
 
 
Volvo XC90 T8 e-Twinster Prototype: Call It the e-Drifter  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
No Jeep, No Justice: Renegade “Dawn of Justice” Edition  Feb 22nd, 2016 
We know that compact crossovers are getting more and more popular, but would you trade in the Batmobile for one? Evidently in the new superhero movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Bruce Wayne (played by Ben Affleck) tools around in a Jeep Renegade. And Batman fans—of legal driving age—can be just like Wayne with […] 
 
 
EPA to VW: Build EVs in U.S. as Penance for Diesel Cheating  Feb 22nd, 2016 
It looks like cash payments aren’t the only way Volkswagen will try to make up for installing emissions-cheating software on its diesel vehicles. The German automaker may also end up building electric cars in the U.S., at the behest of the federal government. Based on an article in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Automotive News reports that the U.S. Environmental […] 
 
 
2016 Honda Civic Coupe – First Drive Review  Feb 22nd, 2016 
 
 
 
2016 Honda Civic Coupe: Style Amplified by Substance  Feb 22nd, 2016 
According to Honda research, buyers who prefer coupes to sedans are primarily seduced by styling and image, feeling that the absence of that second set of doors suggests that both car and driver possess a sporty persona. That’s not always the case, but the dynamic character of the new Civic coupe vindicates the sporty part […] 
 
 
Here It Is: Maserati Releases Official Photos of Levante SUV  Feb 19th, 2016 
Maserati has released the first official pictures of its upcoming new SUV, the Levante, ahead of the vehicle’s public debut at the Geneva auto show next month. The brand’s first sport-utility is claimed to be based on the same platform that underpins the Ghibli and Quattroporte sports sedans—and not derived from the Jeep Grand Cherokee […] 
 
 
Alfa Romeo Giulia Production to Begin Next Month, Says Sergio  Feb 19th, 2016 
It’s been a rough road for the tantalizing but chronically challenged Alfa Romeo Giulia sport sedan. With production delayed for several months back in November and reports of failed crash tests, we we’ve been wondering when we’d ever see this thing on the streets. But according to Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, production will begin in Italy […] 
 
 
New Audi TDI Diesels Include V-8 and Electrically Supercharged V-6  Feb 19th, 2016 
A decade ago, V-8 diesels were all the rage in Europe. You could get them in large SUVs and luxury sedans, including the Audi A8, the BMW 7-series, the Mercedes-Benz S-class, and the Volkswagen Phaeton. At Mercedes-Benz, the 4.2-liter V-8 diesel even trickled down to the E-class. Their smoothness and sheer muscle surpassed the ubiquitous V-6 […] 
 
 
Year of the Goose, Part 5: Track Education at Yamaha Champions Riding School  Feb 19th, 2016 
The Yamaha YZF-R6 is an impossible thing. That’s a lie, of course. The tuning-fork company’s been selling the same basic bike since 2008. And each of the big-four Japanese bike companies builds what’s known in the industry as a “supersport”—a machine with a fairing that sticks your ass up in the air like a presenting baboon […] 
 
 
2016 Mercedes-AMG G63 – Instrumented Test  Feb 19th, 2016 
 
 
 
2016 Mercedes-AMG G63 Test: Mid-Level Crazy  Feb 19th, 2016 
Mercedes-Benz knows its customers perhaps better than any other manufacturer, a point best observed from the old-school helm of its burly Geländewagen SUV. When a cadre of highly affluent buyers—about 3600 in the U.S. last year—clamor for a mildly modernized 1970s-era military rig with which to pound the suburban pavement, the German luxury brand obliges. […] 
 
 
2018 Lexus LC500h: Hybridized with Two Transmissions for Your Pleasure  Feb 19th, 2016 
Like it or not, the long-term future of cars almost definitely doesn’t involve the internal combustion of fossil fuels. Toyota is keenly aware of this truth, and that’s why the brand is readying a fuel-cell car for its premium Lexus brand by 2020. But that model won’t represent Toyota’s first major foray into hydrogen-fuel-cell powered […] 
 
 
French Drop Resistance to U.S. Return – DS Brand to Come Here  Feb 19th, 2016 
No sooner have we told you about Renault’s thinly disguised ambitions to—eventually—bring the new Alpine sportscar to the U.S. than we can report another French automaker is seriously considering a return to les États Unis, in this case DS. You might be muttering Quelle? at this point, in which case a small reminder. DS used […] 
 
 
2018 Lexus LC500h: Hybridized with Two Transmissions for Your Pleasure – Official Photos and Info  Feb 19th, 2016 
 
 
 
The Ultimate Antivenom: The Viper’s Dying, and I Won’t Miss It  Feb 19th, 2016 
As I write this, only 2687 current-gen Dodge Vipers have been produced since the car’s last refurbishment in 2012. Maybe we should think of calling Sir Elton John. He could belt out another rendition of “Candle in the Wind,” perhaps holding a deceased snake. READ MORE ›› 
 
 
There’s an App For That: Volvo to Begin Selling Cars Without Physical Keys in 2017  Feb 19th, 2016 
In the past 25 or so years, the automotive key has undergone big changes, from security updates such as transponders to convenience updates like proximity keys that needn’t exit your pocket in order to unlock or start a car. The next Big Thing in keys is to do away with them entirely, a process that’s […] 
 
 
2016 Audi RS7 Performance First Drive: The 605-hp Extra-Awesome Version  Feb 18th, 2016 
We really, really like the Audi RS7—like, if we went to grade school with it, we’d pass it love notes until we ran out of paper. The RS7 is the ne plus ultra member of a lineup that also includes the A7 and S7 that earned spots on our 10Best Cars lists in 2012, 2013, […] 
 
 
2016 Audi RS7 Performance – First Drive Review  Feb 18th, 2016 
 
 
 
McLaren’s Geneva Teasers: Bare Carbon P1, Special 675LT Spider  Feb 18th, 2016 
Next month, at the Geneva auto show, McLaren will trot out unique versions of two sold-out supercars and parade them in front of some of the wealthiest people in all of Europe. One is the P1, which ended its 375-car run two months ago, and the other a 675LT Spider, which sold out all 500 […] 
 
 
McLaren’s Geneva Teasers: Bare Carbon P1, Special 675LT Spider  Feb 18th, 2016 
 
 
 
Why Your City’s Traffic Doctor Probably Can’t Cure What Ails It  Feb 18th, 2016 
Steve Finton worked in storm-water treatment, then became the traffic-engineering manager for Torrance, California, one of the larger independently incorporated cities within greater Los Angeles. In general terms, Finton’s job is the same as before: Maximize flow through the pipes. If you live someplace of any significant size, there’s a Steve Finton on your payroll, […] 
 
 
Top F&I Trainers Headed to F&I Think Tank  Feb 18th, 2016 
Celebrated F&I trainers Luis Garcia, Gerry Gould and Rick McCormick will join forces at F&I Think Tank to lead Shark Tank, a 20 Group-like session that will allow attendees to get answers to troublesome customer objections, deal situations and departmental issues. 
 
 
Pothole-Related Damage Costs U.S. Drivers $3 Billion Annually, AAA Finds  Feb 18th, 2016 
Potholes on U.S. roadway have become a $3 billion annual problem for vehicle owners, according to a new study from AAA. The findings make for great evidence manual material for F&I offices selling tire-and-wheel protection. 
 
 
Serra Chevrolet Bartlett Becomes a MOTOR TREND Certified Dealer  Feb 18th, 2016 
The dealership becomes the exclusive MOTOR TREND Certified Dealer in Memphis, Tenn. The operation was selected because of its history of excellent customer reviews and outstanding service, official said. 
 
 
Used-Vehicle Sales Drop 4% in January, NADA Used Car Guide Reports  Feb 18th, 2016 
The NADA Used Car Guide's used-vehicle price index slipped 0.3% in January, with sales volume coming in 4% lower than the same period last year. 
 
 
Toyota Recalling 1.1 Million RAV4 Models for Seatbelts  Feb 18th, 2016 
Toyota is recalling more than 1.1 million RAV4 models in the U.S. for seatbelts that can snap in a crash, the company said. On all 2006–2012 RAV4 and 2012–2014 RAV4 EV models, the rear-seat lap belts at both outboard positions may rub against part of the metal seat-cushion frame during a crash and rip, thus […] 
 
 
Kia Optima Sportswagon Is the Best Optima—And We Have a Plan to Bring It Stateside  Feb 18th, 2016 
Internet trolling is the faceless act of badgering one’s fellow human beings over the internet. We see plenty of trolling in the comments section on our website, sometimes even directed at us, although for what reasons we can never understand. (We’re perfect!) Civilized society should shun this sort of behavior, abhorrent and cat-GIF-filled as it often is, […] 
 
 
RAV4in’ Is Racin': Rhys Millen to Race RAV4 Crossover in NASA Rally Sport  Feb 18th, 2016 
If you were to take a stock, 2WD vehicle on a rallying campaign, you’d likely fantasize about a modern take on an early Group B machine. Say, perhaps a Ferrari 488 prepped akin to the old 308 Michelottos. Or maybe a 991 Carrera GTS featuring shades of the old 911 SCRS. Whatever your fancy, your […] 
 
 
RAV4in’ Is Racin': Rhys Millen to Race RAV4 Crossover in NASA Rally Sport  Feb 18th, 2016 
 
 
 
Audi RS3 Sedan Image Leaked—Yes, It’s the RS3 and Yes, It’s Coming  Feb 18th, 2016 
Last year, we reported that the sweet Audi RS3 is more or less guaranteed for the U.S., likely in sedan form, as Audi’s U.S. CEO Scott Keogh considers it a “great halo car” for the line. And now, this picture, leaked via Instagram and posted on Quattroworld.com, depicts the RS3 sedan model during a video shown […] 
 
 
2017 Volvo V90 Officially Debuts, Is Arguably the World’s Most Elegant Wagon  Feb 18th, 2016 
First came the 2016 XC90 crossover, then the 2017 S90 sedan, and now the 2017 V90 wagon—Volvo’s top shelf is officially full. Perhaps the best looking of the 90-series lot, all of which are built on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), the V90 could be considered the world’s most elegant station wagon, and one that […] 
 
 
2017 Volvo V90: Arguably the World’s Most Elegant Wagon – Official Photos and Info  Feb 18th, 2016 
 
 
 
Are These Patent Images the $2.5-Million Lamborghini Centenario?  Feb 18th, 2016 
We’ve heard talk about Lamborghini’s Centenario hypercar for a few months now. It’ll cost approximately $2.5 million and have a limited run of exactly 20 coupes and 20 roadsters (which allegedly are already sold out). It could even have something like 759 horsepower. Nobody knows what it looks like yet, however. However, AutoGuide recently dug up a patent that […] 
 
 
Mercedes-Benz Debuts New Four-Cylinder Diesel  Feb 18th, 2016 
In Woody Allen’s 1973 sci-fi send-up Sleeper, his character finds a 200-year-old Volkswagen Beetle in a cave and starts the engine, which turns over without the slightest hesitation. Allen could have substituted a W115 Mercedes 200D in the same ridiculous but truth-based scene. Mercedes diesels, like air-cooled VW flat-fours, are pretty much indestructible. Now, Mercedes […] 
 
 
Stelv on the Shelf: Alfa Romeo SUV To Be Called the Stelvio  Feb 18th, 2016 
The last time we took to the Stelvio Pass, perhaps the squiggliest paved road known to man, it was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Nitro tractor. In the future, taking the Stelvio will also mean a going anywhere behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. That’s the name of Alfa’s forthcoming SUV as confirmed by Auto Express, who […] 
 
 
When the Road’s Gone to Pot, Ford’s Fusion Sport Will Mitigate Pothole Shocks [Video]  Feb 18th, 2016 
For those who live in the Sun Belt—like this author—potholes are an irksome anomaly, rather than the wheel-destroying, everyday hellbeasts they are in parts of the Midwest and Northeast. In fact, C/D’s own relatively affluent college-town hometown, Ann Arbor, boasts what has to be some of the most dismal pavement in the first world. So while […] 
 
 
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 Tested: Finally Out of the Box  Feb 18th, 2016 
With crossover SUVs now outselling sedans, the latest Mercedes-Benz entry into the fast-growing compact segment seems destined to become the marque’s bestseller in short order. It’s been on sale since December, so you’ve probably already noticed these leather-lined shopping carts crowding your local Neiman-Marcus and Whole Foods parking lots. READ MORE ›› 
 
 
Takata Tampered with Airbag-Failure Evidence in 2000, Lawsuit Alleges  Feb 17th, 2016 
Takata executives allegedly withheld test results from its defective airbag inflators and destroyed evidence as early as 2000, at least 13 years before the defects surfaced across multiple automakers, according to a new filings from a personal-injury lawsuit. In a deposition as part of an ongoing suit in Florida and as cited by the New York […] 
 
 
Skoda VisionS Concept Provides Glimpse of VW’s Three-Row SUV  Feb 17th, 2016 
 
 
 
Ford Changes 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350’s Standard, Optional Equipment  Feb 17th, 2016 
Is there a such thing as a boring running change to an exciting car? The Mustang fanatics over at the Mustang6G forums might have stumbled across just such a phenomenon, having uncovered internal Ford documents that suggest the 2017 Mustang Shelby GT350 will—gasp—have different standard and optional features than did the 2016 model. Should Ford’s […] 
 
 
2016 Ford Focus RS to Offer Factory Winter Tire Option, Canadians Get It Standard  Feb 17th, 2016 
 
 
 
Kia U.S. Exec: Rear-Drive Sports Sedan and Telluride SUV Look Increasingly Likely  Feb 17th, 2016 
At the Chicago auto show, Kia was one of the few brands making big news, showing its 2016 Optima hybrid and plug-in hybrid, as well as its all-new Prius-fighter, the Niro hybrid. We sat down with Kia Motors America COO, Michael Sprague, to see what else Kia may be cookin’ up for next year and […] 
 
 
Review: Updated 2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S  Feb 17th, 2016 
Overview: Since it launched 13 years ago, Bentley’s Continental GT has seen a host of incremental improvements. Originally available solely powered by Volkswagen’s complex, compact W-12, the baby Bentley saw perhaps its biggest change when a V-8 engine option became available for 2013. Wearing the flying B accented with red, rather than the traditional black […] 
 
 
2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S – Quick-Take Review  Feb 17th, 2016 
 
 
 
Quattro Ultra: Audi’s New, More Efficient AWD System  Feb 17th, 2016 
Audi is rolling out a new version of its Quattro all-wheel-drive system that promises an efficiency improvement of at least 5 percent—more on the highway. Available exclusively on the VW Group’s modular-longitudinal platform, the new system, which Audi calls Quattro Ultra, decouples the rear axle when it’s not needed. Fewer moving parts equals less friction. […] 
 
 
Skoda VisionS Concept Provides Glimpse of VW’s Three-Row SUV  Feb 17th, 2016 
Details about Volkswagen’s upcoming, Tennessee-built mid-size crossover are scarce, but for a view through a Czech lens at what it could look like, peep Skoda’s VisionS concept. Just like VW’s upcoming crossover, it’s based on the MQB modular-transversal architecture, it’s quite large (185.0 inches long, 75.2 inches wide, 66.1 inches tall), and it is fitted with a psychologically […] 
 
 
2016 Ford Focus RS to Offer Factory Winter Tire Option, Canadians Get It Standard  Feb 17th, 2016 
We’re willing to give Ford a pass for the somewhat vague—and dubious—claim that the factory winter-tire option it’s rolling out on the 2016 Focus RS is a North American “first,” because offering winter tires directly to customers seems to us a great way to get more folks to buy into winter tires. We’ve long spouted off about […] 
 
 
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 / GLC300 4MATIC – Instrumented Test  Feb 17th, 2016 
 
 
 
CreditMiner Parters With Ad Agency to Market Virtual Credit Consultant  Feb 17th, 2016 
CreditMiner has partnered with Moore & Scarry Advertising to market its consumer-facing application, which provides real-time prequalification with full permissible data. 
 
 
Former Santander Execs Join Exeter Finance Corp.  Feb 17th, 2016 
On the same day Santander announced the departures of President Jason Grubb and COO of Originations Brand Martin, Exeter Finance Corp. announced the appointment of the two auto finance veterans to CEO and COO, respectively. 
 
 
TransUnion: 60-Day Delinquencies Reach Highest Level Since Q4 2010  Feb 17th, 2016 
The 7.8% increase in the number of consumers with an auto loan in the fourth quarter was the largest increase observed by TransUnion. The firm also reported that 60-day delinquencies are on the rise, particularly in states with large exposure to the energy industry. 
 
 
190-mph Four-Door: Bentley Flying Spur V-8 S Joins the Party  Feb 17th, 2016 
When you have parts lying around, it makes sense to use them, no? We don’t know if Bentley has a cache of spare parts burning a hole in its storage facilities, but we do know it has the ability to juice the twin-turbo V-8 in the Continental V8 to produce more power, plus a bevy […] 
 
 
190-mph Four-Door: Bentley Flying Spur V-8 S Joins the Party  Feb 17th, 2016 
 
 
 
The Lamborghini Centenario Will be Carbon-Fiber Madness  Feb 17th, 2016 
Ferruccio Lamborghini would probably be flattered to see the company that bears his name celebrate his 100th birthday. But this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the March 1966 debut of the Lamborghini Miura at the Geneva auto show. The mid-engined Miura, of course, is often considered the first supercar. It made the subsequent Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona look dated, and it fundamentally […] 
 
 
2017 Jaguar F-type SVR: The 200-mph F-type Is Here!  Feb 17th, 2016 
The Jaguar F-type R already is a pretty menacing machine, and come this summer, anyone with a driver’s license will be able to blast out of the showroom in an even faster, 200-mph version. Our only advice to the fortunate, crazy folks who find their names on the title to a new 2017 F-type SVR: […] 
 
 
The Eleventy-Billionth Variation on a Theme: New Lotus Elise Cup 250  Feb 16th, 2016 
We’re considering calling a moratorium on our coverage of Lotus’s myriad special editions, which seem to be launched at a rate of about one a month. All are fine cars, as is practically anything to have worn a Lotus badge during the last 15 years. But they’re also very samey, to the extent that, having […] 
 
 
2017 GMC Acadia Priced, Shaves Nearly $2K Off 2016 Model  Feb 16th, 2016 
When the 2017 GMC Acadia goes on sale this spring, the base SL trim will be wearing a slightly smaller MSRP to match its slightly smaller dimensions. Measuring in a full 7.2 inches shorter in overall length and 3.5 inches narrower, the slenderized 2017 GMC Acadia tips the scales a reported 700 pounds lighter than […] 
 
 
Latest Tesla Model Is the Smallest and Least Expensive By Far  Feb 16th, 2016 
Tesla watchers have been awaiting the debut of the Model 3, the so-called “entry-level” model that is expected to be priced in the $35,000 range. The Model 3 still isn’t out, but there is now an even more entry-level model that is aimed at the very youngest buyers and first-time drivers—and it’s available for pre-orders […] 
 
 
The Eleventy-Billionth Variation on a Theme: New Lotus Elise Cup 250  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
Alpine Vision Concept: The Foxy French 4C Rival Is Go, Could Be Sold Here!  Feb 16th, 2016 
France has given the world many things, with the list of achievements including cheeses that smell like crime scenes, revolutionary politics, and—perhaps most important—jokes about the French. Here’s something else that might be worthy of the list of significant Gallic accomplishments: a thinly disguised look at the new Alpine sports car, set to be launched […] 
 
 
Alpine Vision Concept: Foxy French Alfa 4C Rival Is Go! – Auto Shows  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2017 GMC Acadia Priced, Shaves Nearly $2K Off 2016 Model  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2017 Jaguar F-type SVR: The Fastest Jag Since the XJ220 – Official Photos and Info  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2017 Ford Escape Sport Appearance Package: Emphasis on the Word “Appearance”  Feb 16th, 2016 
Like pretty much everyone in automotive marketing, Ford’s product planners know that a little individuality goes a long way in moving vehicles out of showrooms and into owners’ garages. And here’s more proof, with sporty cosmetic trim packages for its SUV bestseller one-two punch: Explorer and Escape. (For more on the Explorer version, head here.) The Escape […] 
 
 
2016 BMW M2 First Drive: A Shrunken M4  Feb 16th, 2016 
Back in 2011, BMW teased us by bringing 740 1-series M coupes to the U.S. market. Ever since that taste of sport-coupe greatness, we’ve been waiting for the company’s follow-up act. It’s finally here in the form of the M2. READ MORE ›› 
 
 
Ferrari Details Front-, Mid-Engine–Capable Plug-In Hybrid System in Patent Filing  Feb 16th, 2016 
Ferrari’s plan to turbocharge or hybridize—or possibly both—every new model going forward is proceeding apace, if a patent filing uncovered by Autocar is anything to go by. The patent covers Ferrari’s idea of a hybrid system for either a front- or mid-engine sports car and, along with an earlier filing for a novel battery integration idea, gives […] 
 
 
2016 BMW M2 – First Drive Review  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2017 Ford Escape Sport Appearance Package: Emphasis on the Word “Appearance”  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2016 Mini Cooper / Cooper S Convertible – First Drive Review  Feb 16th, 2016 
 
 
 
2016 Mini Cooper Convertible Driven: It’s Not So Serious  Feb 16th, 2016 
The Mini Cooper is not a serious car. In fact, it’s rather determinedly lighthearted, what with its puppy-dog styling, candy-dish colors, and cheeky marketing. And since convertibles in general are inherently unserious, given their priorities of wind in the hair and suntanning, the intersection of Mini and convertible is guaranteed to be rather silly. READ […] 
 
 
CNA National's Participation Programs Return $40 Million to Dealers in 2015  Feb 16th, 2016 
CNA National Warranty Corp. (CNAN) announced this week it returned more than $40 million to dealers through its various participation plans in 2015, bringing the total amount of money the firm has returned to dealers since its founding to more than $370 million 
 
 
Merchants Named a 2016 Dealer of the Year by DealerRater  Feb 16th, 2016 
Dealer review site DealerRater named Merchants Auto a 2016 Dealer of the Year, a title given to less than 0.1% of the more than 41,000 dealers in the DealerRater network. 
 
 
F&I Express Adds AssurancePlus to F&I Product Provider Network  Feb 16th, 2016 
F&I Express has added AssurancePlus to its network of aftermarket F&I providers. The addition will allow dealers to erate, econtract and eregister all of AssurancePlus’ F&I products. 
 
 
VW Credit Teams With SafeGuard on New Line of F&I Products  Feb 16th, 2016 
VW Credit Inc. has partnered with Safe-Guard Products International to develop,, market an distribute a new line of Volkswagen-, Audi-, and Ducati-branded F&I products. The new line will be introduced to dealers on Jan. 1, 2017. 
 
 
Charlie Robinson to Keynote F&I Think Tank at Dealer Summit  Feb 16th, 2016 
Organizers of Dealer Summit announced that Charlie Robinson, president and COO of the Resource Automotive division at The Warranty Group, will deliver the keynote address for F&I Think Tank. 
 
 
Group 1's U.S. F&I Operations Stays Above $1,500 Per Copy in Q4  Feb 16th, 2016 
Group 1 Automotive's U.S. F&I operations realized a 4% increase in F&I profit per retail unit, with the group's per-copy average settling in at $1,525 in 2015's end-of-year quarter. 
 
 
BMW Announces “iPerformance” Moniker for Plug-In Hybrids  Feb 16th, 2016 
BMW is in the thick of turning out plug-in hybrid variants of every major model it sells, an effort that as of the 2016 Geneva auto show will have its own name: iPerformance. That’s the moniker BMW plans to apply to every single plug-in hybrid it sells, save for perhaps the i8 and i3 (which […] 
 
 
Yep, the New Lexus Coupe Will Get a Hybrid Model: the LC500h  Feb 16th, 2016 
Whenever there’s a new Lexus model on the way, odds are pretty good that there will be a hybrid version. In the case of the LC500, the new flagship coupe unveiled last month, that’s true once again, as Lexus has just announced the LC500h. Lexus already offers hybrid versions of six other models: the NX, […] 
 
 
2016 Kia Optima 2.4L Tested: Even With Its Least-Interesting Engine, the Optima Still Impresses  Feb 15th, 2016 
It’s indicative of how established Kia’s Optima has become that we’ve been reduced to picking nits among its three available gasoline engines. (An Optima hybrid also is offered.) After all, having raised interior quality to acceptable levels with its 2006.5 Optima, style and handling with the 2011 Optima, and firmly entrenching the sedan as a […] 
 
 
2016 Kia Optima 2.4L – Instrumented Test  Feb 15th, 2016 
 
 
 
BMW i8 Protonic Red Edition: A Red-and-Gray Hybrid for England  Feb 15th, 2016 
For as hot as it looks, BMW’s i8 hybrid sports car doesn’t offer a single “hot” color—in fact, there’s not even a warm hue or two on its palette. Icy grays, blues, and combinations thereof dominate the futuristic-looking i8’s option sheet, which is what makes the Protonic Red Edition BMW is offering to U.K. customers […] 
 
 
1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider Headed to Gooding’s Amelia Island Auction  Feb 15th, 2016 
Gazing upon the stunning Ferrari 250GT SWB California pictured here, one might be tempted to think, “Oh, boy, another ludicrously expensive Ferrari headed to auction.” You’d be right to do so, but at this point, is an eye roll even necessary? Pre-auction estimates place the sale of this three-owner 1961 250GT at up to $17 […] 
 
 
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