Eclipse Rocks with StyleWe told you first: the Eclipse has big changes. But before the new 2006 hatch blows its cover, Mitsu sends out the '05 model with a special edition to pop your eardrums and perhaps give some authority to those folk CDs you enjoy. The new GS REMIX version has as its centerpiece a 210-watt Infinity AM/FM/CD changer sound system, leather seats and interior trim, REMIX badges and new SXC 16-inch alloy wheels.
Burning UTE loveHonda CR-V sport-utes owners can't explain what happened to their vehicles after oil changes. Twenty-seven caught fire after oil changes that, the Washington Post report, result from improperly installed oil filters. Many were completely destroyed by the fires, which start when oil leaks from the improperly installed filters and ignites on the exhaust system.
Suzuki settles with CRA bitter, dragged-out legal battle between Suzuki Motor Corp. and the parent company of Consumer Reports magazine is over at long last. The suit, filed in the 1990s, charged that CR's review of the 1988 Samurai SUV was libelous. Consumer Reports charged that the Samurai was unsafe and prone to roll overs. The car company sued, claiming the magazine's test procedures were rigged and that the test didn't reflect real-world driving behavior. With Suzuki's sales on the rise and the car company eager to avoid any reminder of its past difficulties, the company agreed to drop its lawsuit without any money changing hands in compensation for either side. The magazine did, however, issue a statement saying its test did not reflect "real-world" driving conditions. Suzuki had sought $60 million in damages in the lawsuit, which was scheduled to go to court this fall.
Speaking in tonguesIf you're hailing a taxi in New York City, it helps to be aggressive. And speaking a variety of languages doesn't hurt either, because as the Associated Press reports, more than eight out of every 10 cab drivers in the city have recently immigrated from other countries. That's a higher percentage than in the past couple of decades, according to a recent study. Findings show that now 84 percent of all cab and limo drivers-up from 64 percent in 1990 and 38 percent in 1980-are recent immigrants, the AP adds. In the rest of the country only 38 percent of cab drivers are recent immigrants. Most of the new arrivals are from the West Indies (23 percent) and South Asia (Pakistand, India and Bangladesh, at 20 percent).
Saabaru number 2 comingSubaru and Saab have quickly moved from the dating stage into a full-fledged domestic partnership, and now the companies are set to do the nasty and produce a new crossover vehicle. They say they'll hook up again for a larger, $40,000 crossover that the two companies will share. The deal between Saab and Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, means that Subaru will build the new vehicles at its plant in West Lafayette, Ind. Because GM owns Saab, and has a 20-percent share of Fuji Heavy, it is keen to see the companies work together to save money developing vehicles. Six-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive are certain to appear on the large crossover vehicle when it debuts in about two years.
HEMI hits the WebUntil one of you figures out how to wedge a HEMI into a Civic, you'll have to be content with reading all about Chrysler's age-defying engine on the World Wide Web. Click over to www.HEMI.com to check out facts and figures about HEMI's history, read up on the timeline of HEMI's triumphs in NASCAR and NHRA racing, get vintage pics of the HEMI in action, and download wallpaper of the engine.