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The Weekly Driver News Service
Subaru, long-known for its industry standard all-wheel-drive system, has received another safety honor. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has honored Subaru as the only car maker to have top picks in all four classes in which it competes. Subaru won five top awards overall for 2010. The other car manufacturers to do well in 2010 include: Ford and its subsidiary, Volvo, Volkswagen and Audi with five top picks, and Chrysler with four cars in the top categories.
Luxury cars don't have to be gas guzzlers. But that's how they're perceived. Mike Hanley, a reviewer for Cars.com, and few of his colleagues, have collaborated to write a concise report that helps debunk the notion. It's a list of 10 cars that may stretch the definition of "luxury car," but nonetheless provide example of efficient luxury cars.
Ferrari may have outdone itself. Not with a new car, but with a spectacular new facility in Abu Dhabi to house all things Ferrari. The Italian automotive manufacturer in collaboration with real estate developer Aldar Properties plan on rivaling Disneyland with their new Ferrari themed amusement park. It will cost an estimated $624 million. 
The Toyota Prius gets lots of praise as the most fuel efficient car in the Unite States. Not so much is said nor do owners seem to care that the Lamborghini get dubious honors. The Italian luxury car has two of the country's three most inefficient 2010 cars. The Lamborghini Murcielago with manual and automatic transmission have the top and third worst gas mileage averages, according to the new cars guide release by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It's no surprise. The Toyota Prius is again the leader in fuel efficiency among 2010 cars, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Nine of the top-10 most fuel efficient vehicles in the U.S. are hybrids.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and
fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top
speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full
production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG
subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won
the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti
firm.
Watch out, Toyota Prius. The 2010 Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion (diesel) is advertised with a highway gas mileage average of 61.9 mpg — more than 10 mpg better that the most fuel-effient car in the United Sates. And therein lies the problem. Debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show with its sibling, the Golf R (the most powerful Golf at 270 horsepower), the second-generation Golf BlueMotion is the most fuel efficient Golf of all time. But it's not likely going to be available in the United States.
Once week after Toyota recalled 3.5 million cars, Ford Motor Co has dubiously and decisively one-upped the Japanese manufacturer by expanding its massive vehicle recall linked to faulty cruise control switches by 4.5 million vehicles.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has alerted owners of more than a half-dozen truck and van models sold in the U.S. of potential fire hazards linked to the flawed part manufactured by Texas Instruments.
Copyright 2009 The Weekly Driver. All rights reserved.
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