GM teased a first glimpse of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS before it makes its global debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show. (Courtesy of GM)

2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS to debut at New York Auto Show

By Nelson Ireson, Guest blogger / 03.20.13

Model refreshes are a mixed bag--sometimes exciting, sometimes rather disappointing. With the Chevy Camaro, we don't know what to expect--but this is our first hint.

This is the first glimpse of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Camaro before it makes its global debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show.

Shown in SS trim, the bowtie badge, SS badge, and a slice of the hood, grille, and front bumper all look rather a lot like the current car. The most notable difference is the grille, which goes from a simple grid layout to a series of vertical bars with inset twin horizontal elements.

Chevy says the 2014 model will be the most significant change in the fifth-generation car's run, which makes sense--it's the first full refresh since the car's debut in 2009.

The full details, including photos and specifications, will be revealed at the Javits Center in New York City next Wednesday, at 12:45 p.m. EDT. 

The Jaguar logo is pictured at a Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Mumbai. Full details about the 2014 Jaguar XJR will come early next week at the New York Auto Show. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters/File)

2014 Jaguar XJR to debut at New York Auto Show

By Nelson Ireson, Guest blogger / 03.20.13

Though little is known about the 2014 Jaguar XJR sedan that will be making its global debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show, much is expected.

The XJR should have all of the XJ's luxury and charm, plus a healthy dose of aggressive style inside and out courtesy of the R badge.

Of course, the 550-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine under the hood won't hurt anything.

Almost certainly the same engine in essentially the same tune as found in the XFR-S, the 5.0-liter force-fed V-8 should get the big XJR to 60 mph in well under 5 seconds--perhaps even closer to the mid-4s. Top speed will likely be limited to 186 mph or so.

An eight-speed paddle-shifted ZF automatic transmission is almost a given, as is rear-wheel drive, naturally.

Expect a retuned suspension, wider wheels and tires, and more powerful brakes, too.

The full details will come early next week at the New York Auto Show. 

Car exhaust wafts around commuter traffic in Omaha, Neb. A new study from Insure.com found that the US annual average car insurance rate was $1,510. (Nati Harnik/AP)

Which state has the most expensive car insurance?

By Richard Read, Guest blogger / 03.19.13

There are plenty of reasons to like Louisiana, but auto insurance isn't one of them. According to a new study from Insure.com, Louisianans pay nearly three times as much for car insurance as drivers in some states. 

To compile its rankings, Insure.com got insurance quotes on over 750 different vehicle modelsfrom 10 ZIP codes in each state, plus the District of Columbia. And it went through that process with six major insurers: Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm. All told, that's roughly 2.3 million individual quotes.

The website then averaged each state's 45,000-plus quotes to determine the statewide rate and, thus, national rankings.

Just to ensure (no pun intended) fair comparisons, rates were calculated for "a single, 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The hypothetical driver has a clean record and good credit. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage."  ( Continue… )

A Nissan Leaf tops off it's battery in Central Point, Ore., at one of the charging stations along Interstate 5. The Leaf is one of several electric cars that qualify for a sizable federal tax credit. (Jeff Bernard/AP/File)

Tax Day 2013: Does your plugin qualify for a tax credit?

By John Voelcker, Guest blogger / 03.17.13

One month from today is Tax Day, April 15.

Let us repeat that: Your Federal income taxes (and your state and local taxes too, if you live in places with their own income taxes) must be filed 31 days from today.

So consider this our friendly reminder to start getting your paperwork in order if you plan to take advantage of any of the Federal tax incentives for buying plug-in electric cars (or other alternative-fuel vehicles), or installing charging stations, during 2012.

The most widely-used such benefit is likely the Federal income-tax credit for purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle during 2012 (Form 8936).

About 53,000 plug-in electric cars were sold last year, each qualifying for at least some credit.

The credit ranges from $2,500 to $7,500, depending on the size of the car's battery pack. Below is a list of many cars that qualified for 2012 credits:

• Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid: $2,500
• Ford C-Max Energi: $3,750
• Chevrolet Volt: $7,500
• Fisker Karma: $7,500
• Ford Focus Electric: $7,500
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV: $7,500
• Nissan Leaf: $7,500
• Tesla Model S or Roadster: $7,500
• Toyota RAV4 EV: $7,500

Note these credits can only be claimed by the car's first owner. If you leased your electric car, in general you cannot claim the credit, because the leasing company claims it and uses the money to lower the lease payment.

(There are a handful of exceptions to that rule, but only for certain compliance cars in California. As always, read the fine print on your lease and check with your tax advisor.)

There are also credits for purchase of larger, commercial plug-in trucks that range higher than $7,500.

Other Federal incentives include several that were restored or continued for 2012 as part of the last-minute budget deal on New Year's Day to avoid the so-called Fiscal Cliff.

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model

Among them are

• A Federal tax credit of 10 percent of the purchase price, up to a maximum of $2,500, for the purchase of a two- or three-wheeled electric vehicle (Form 8834)
• Restoration of a tax credit up to $1,000 for installing an electric-car changing station in a private home (Form 8911)
• Restoration of the 30-percent tax credit, capped at $30,000, for purchase and installation of an electric-car charging station by businesses

(The Federal tax form numbers given include not only the forms themselves to fill out, but also instructions on how to complete them.)

In addition to Federal tax benefits, there are also numerous state, regional, local, and corporate incentives as well--far too many to cover here.

We recommend that you check with the list of incentives maintained by advocacy group Plug-In America, which is available online.

Remember, always check with a tax advisor if you're not 100 percent clear that you qualify for one or more of these credits.

Happy tax-day countdown, everyone.

The 2013 Buick Enclave SUV sits on display at the Washington Auto Show last month. Buick's new leasing program is driving up lease rates and lowering the average age of the brand's customers. (Gary Cameron/Reuters/FIle)

Can Buick's new leasing program lure young buyers?

By Kurt Ernst, Guest blogger / 03.16.13

Buick is fighting hard to overcome its image problem. Once considered a domestic luxury brand for those not quite affluent enough to purchase a Cadillac, in recent decades the Buick name has become synonymous with a mainstream product line and an aging demographic.

 Five years ago, the average age of its customers was 64, and few were looking to lease cars. Thanks to an innovative program called “Experience Buick,” the automaker’s lease rates are up from 14-percent in early 2012 to 36-percent at the end of last month, while the average age of its customers has fallen to 57 years old.

 As The Detroit News explains, Experience Buick has many features designed to lure in buyers from other brands. At just 24 months, the lease doesn’t require a long-term commitment to the brand, encouraging shoppers to sample Buick’s wares on a shortened time frame. ( Continue… )

Visitors look around Toyota's FJ cruiser at its showroom in Tokyo in 2011. Toyota Motor Corp. announced it was recalling 310,000 FJ Cruisers worldwide because of weak seat-belt anchoring. The Toyota recall involves models from 2007 to 2013 (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters/File)

Toyota recalls 310,000 FJ Cruisers over seat-belt flaw

By Reuters / 03.15.13

Toyota Motor Corp is recalling 310,000 of its FJ Cruiser sports utility vehicles worldwide because the seatbelt anchor could become detached through wear, the company said on Friday.

Two-thirds of the vehicles to be recalled are in the United States. The affected FJ Cruisers are from model years 2007 to 2013, Toyota said.

No accidents or injuries have been reported due to the problem, Toyota said.

"The seatbelt retractors for the driver and front passenger seat belts are mounted on the rear doors of the vehicles," Toyota said in a press statement. "Due to insufficient strength of the rear door panel, cracks may develop over an extended period of time if the rear door is repeatedly and forcefully closed." ( Continue… )

Are Paulsrud disconnects his electric car from a free recharging station in Oslo. Norway's various subsidies for electric vehicles amount to as much as $8,200 per car every single year, Ingram writes. (Alister Doyle/Reuters/File)

How much is Norway paying to promote electric cars?

By Antony Ingram, Guest blogger / 03.15.13

With electric cars taking up 3 percent of the market for new car sales in a country of only five million people, Norway is one of the most electric car-friendly countries on the planet.

Geographically small enough to minimize range concerns and with huge financial incentives for going electric, that perhaps isn't surprising.

But how much is Norway's pro-electric car stance actually costing the country--and can any of the country's techniques really be used elsewhere?

Probably not, concludes Reuters. That's not to say that the market for electric cars won't grow elsewhere, but it might have to do so more organically than the heavily incentivized methods used by Norway.  ( Continue… )

The logo of a Honda car is seen outside Honda Motor Co Ltd's headquarters and showroom in Tokyo. (Stringer/Reuters/File)

Honda recall affects 250,000 vehicles worldwide for braking problem

By Associated Press / 03.14.13

Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles worldwide for brakes that can suddenly kick in even when the driver isn't braking.

No crashes have been reported related to the defect.

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it was recalling more than 183,000 vehicles in the U.S., including the Acura RL, Acura MDX and Pilot models.

More than 56,000 vehicles were recalled in Japan, affecting the Odyssey, Legend, StepWgn and Elysion models.

Also being recalled are nearly 8,000 vehicles in Canada, nearly 1,000 in Australia, about 300 in Mexico and 70 in Germany. The vehicles were produced from March 2004 through May 2006.

Some drivers complained about the problem, including 17 in Japan and one in the U.S.

The problem is caused by improper electronics and wiring in the vehicle-stability-assist system.

The falcon wing rear doors of the Tesla Motors Model X electric vehicle are seen at its 2012 unveiling at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, Calif. (David McNew/Reuters/File)

Tesla Motors delays release of Model X electric crossover

By John Voelcker, Guest blogger / 03.13.13

Now that Tesla appears to be delivering hundreds of its Model S electric sport sedan each week, public attention inevitably turns to its future.

Specifically, the next vehicle it plans to launch, the Model X all-electric crossover utility vehicle--which will offer optional all-wheel drive.

But inside the Form 10-K 2012 Annual Report issued last week by Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] was a note that may disappoint some affluent Tesla-loving families.

They may want a fully electric crossover in which to carry little Jennifer to soccer practice and little Jason to music lessons, but they're going to have to wait a little longer.  ( Continue… )