| Torque News

Car and Driver Top 10 Cars for 2011: Japanese, Korean and U.S

Car and Driver magazine has released its list of the Top 10 Cars for 2010. Three American, three German, one Korean, and three Japanese brands have won the magazine’s highest honor, which is a diverse group. Is it a perfect list? No, but it does have some awfully strong choices on there.

Judge will not dismiss Toyota unintended acceleration suits

On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Selna ruled that he would not dismiss the lawsuits filed against Toyota for the unintended acceleration recalls over the past year. Even though Toyota vehicles continue to cost people their lives, the Japanese automaker insists that it hasn’t done anything wrong and that these recent suits shouldn’t be permitted since the owners did not suffer any economic loss.

Pontiac G8 Coming Back to Life as a Chevy

MotorTrend.com is reporting that three GM sources have confirmed that the Pontiac G8, a rear-wheel drive sports sedan that packed a V8 engine under its hood, is being resurrected as a Chevrolet in the United States from the Holden Commodore, the Australian GM subsidiary. The new Chevy lacks a name, according to Motor Trend.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf gets EPA rating of 99mpg

The Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out their mileage ratings for the 2011 Nissan Leaf has received an impressive 99 miles per gallon – from a drivetrain that does use “gallons” of anything. This includes 106mpg around town and 92mpg on the highway.

NASCAR crowns 2010 champions

Yesterday brought us the final races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series, with Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski taking the top spots in their respective series. This is Keselowski’s first championship in the Nationwide Series and for Jimmie Johnson, this year’s championship is unprecedented his fifth straight title.

EPA Issues Top 10 List of Least Fuel Efficient Cars

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has issued its Top 10 List of Least Fuel Efficient Cars. Judging by the names on the list, though, fuel economy is the least of your worries when you can afford the least-fuel efficient car sold in the United States: the Murcielago Roadster, which gets a measly combined 13.6 miles per gallon – followed closely by its sibling the Murcielago Reventon Roadster at 13.7 mpg. Both are made by Lamborghini, which is owned by Volkswagen.

Nike to introduce DeLorean shoe on Black Friday

DeLorean owners who have this Friday off of work and planned on sleeping in – it’s time to change those plans as Nike has announced that their new DeLorean-styled Nike Dunk 6.0 kicks will go on sale on Black Friday. There is no clear indication as to the cost or production volume of these awesomely 80’s shoes but rumors suggest that just 1,000 pairs could be made – meaning that they will be both expensive and hard to get when they hit shelves on Black Friday.

Obama and Biden Visiting Kokomo Transmission Plant

According to a tweet from Chrysler, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are visiting its Kokomo, Ind., transmission plant on Tuesday, Nov. 23. The two are in Indiana, according to the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune to see the federal stimulus funds and auto bailout up close and personal. Not surprisingly, Chrysler promises to tweet and provide constant updates about the leader of the free world and his trusty sidekick visiting the plant.

Ford at LA Auto Show 2010 takes Focus on high performance

The 2012 Ford Focus took the center stage during the press preview of the 2010 LA Auto Show but once the new C-segment hatchback was formally unveiled in a myriad of different forms and the stage was whisked away, the main attraction of the Ford display was performance.

Dodge CEO Gilles: the Challenger will never wear crosshairs

During my discussion with Dodge cars CEO Ralph Gilles at the LA Auto Show, he commented on a wide variety of items, including the common design of the new models that all use the newly designed “crosshair” grille style. Dodge is so happy with the new front end design that they have incorporated it into their new brand logo and it is seen on the new Charger, Durango, Journey, Avenger and Grand Caravan but the mighty Dodge Challenger is devoid of the company grille styling.

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