2012 Kia Rio brings 'start-stop' technology to masses

Ready for a wave of start-stop engine technology? Kia’s on the ball. “The drumbeat of idling engines at stoplights is starting to be replaced by dead silence. It's the result of more use of "start-stop" engine technology that shuts off the engine when the car is stopped for more than few seconds, then restarts it, in most systems, when the driver releases the brake. Commonly used in hybrids, it's just now coming to conventional vehicles in the U.S. market -- mostly high-end vehicles. Though it requires some tricky electronic controls, in a conventional car, a start-stop system requires only a beefed-up battery and starter and a few other...

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Kia to build the GT sports sedan?

  Thanks to the strong public approval expressed at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week, it looks like Kia may be moving forward with producing their stylish GT concept car. “While not officially confirming it, Kia's European boss Paul Philpott, during an interview with Autocar, said: "Almost everyone has accepted the GT as being the right kind of car for Kia, and that says we're ready to stretch the brand further. If we can get the same reaction globally as we did in Frankfurt then the GT can play a key role in moving the whole brand forward." Autocar also stated that the GT is expected to see the light of day in 2013, after the brand...

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Mazda set to unveil Skyactiv technology

  Greater torque? Increased fuel economy? Yes, please! “Mazda has often thought outside of the box when it comes to power. Consider its adaptation of the Wankel rotary engine. Designed by German engineer Felix Wankel, Mazda began experimenting with Wankel-style rotary engines in 1961, finally offering a rotary equipped vehicle in 1967. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Mazda stuck with the more conventional internal combustion piston engine in the bulk of its vehicles, but it did continue with the rotary in the legendary RX-7 sports car. By 1993, in Canada the rotary-powered RX-7 had been dropped, but the company came back in 2003 with...

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Edmunds.com Names Mazda3, CX-9 Number 1 by Consumers

Edmunds.com names Mazda3, CX-9 number 1 by consumers. A popular online destination for today’s vehicle shoppers, the website develops its annual list of top customer satisfiers by relying on reviews submitted directly by current owners themselves, making Mazda’s performance particularly notable. “A longtime favorite among the Edmunds editors,” the Mazda3 earned its top spot in the “Sedan under $20,000” category for its “combination of sporty handling, great value and extensive list of standard features,” as well as its “stylish interior” and standard manual transmission. Significantly, the latter was called out for “its smooth shifting”...

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Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving?

Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving? That’s the question that  Christopher Neiger from “How Stuff Works” asked. Read more to find out his conclusion.  Texting, or short message service(SMS), is a quick form of communication that allows users to send 160 characters or less to and from their cell phones and smartphones. A study by the Pew Research group in 2009 and 2010 reported that out of the number of Americans who have cell phones, 58 percent of adults and 66 percent of teens use them to text [source:Motavalli]. With these high percentages of Americans using text messaging every year, many are bringing...

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