Hyundai, KIA, win five of 11 categories. Koreans Rule at Canadian Car of the Year TestFest By Jim Bray TechnoFile.com If anyone still dismisses Korean carmakers Hyundai and KIA as not worthy of note, the results of the recently-concluded Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) TestFest may help change a few minds. The reason? The two companies drove off with five out of 11 category titles, a tour de force that shows these companies have not only arrived, they can compete with the best from anywhere in the world in their particular market niches. The Canadian Car of the Year TestFest is an annual event held in Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario, a town near Niagara Falls where the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada members gather to wring out the latest and greatest ? as in new or substantially changed from the previous model year ? from the major carmakers. Cars are driven on routes that take them along a freeway and various interesting country roads that give us a nice feel for what they

Crossover competes well in crowded marketplace. KIA Sportage Offers Power, Value By Jim Bray TechnoFile.com KIA's Sportage small SUV/CUV has taken a big leap forward with its current incarnation, going from being kind of the ugly stepsister in its niche to a handsome and competitive choice. I never drove the old model, but after spending a week with the 2011 version, in the top line SX trim, I came away quite liking it quite a bit. I had a couple of minor quibbles, but overall, this is a very nice vehicle and competitive in its class. There's no longer a V6 engine choice for 2011, but that isn't a bad thing: KIA has dropped in a turbocharged four instead, which is the engine that my sample unit had, and it's just fine. Well, mostly fine. It complained nearly as badly as my poor, middle-aged bones do when I get up in the morning ? and under the same circumstances ? when I first fired it up for the day, but once I was off and/or running in it the complaints ended and all was well. Very w

US car sales held up in September despite the weak economy, while the US Big Three producers continued to add market share at the expense of their Japanese rivals, new sales data showed Monday.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co Ltd is recalling almost 347,000 Pilot sport utility vehicles worldwide for a potential problem with the front seat belts.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Ford Motor <F.N> plans to more than double its offers across vehicle segments in China, the world's top market, as it speeds up the launch of new models, a senior executive said on Saturday.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co <GM.N> said on Thursday that its U.S. sales rose 18 percent in August.

Two researchers demonstrated Wednesday how they were able to send commands, via a laptop, to unlock the doors of a Subaru Outback and actually start the car.. Two researchers demonstrated Wednesday how they were able to send commands, via a laptop, to unlock the doors of a Subaru Outback, and then, awing the audience, actually start the car.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler Group LLC, controlled by Fiat SpA <FIA.MI>, reported a second-quarter net loss on Tuesday after the U.S. automaker repaid $7.6 billion in loans to the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Although the Volt and Leaf have stratospheric sticker prices, both have super-low ownership costs.. Although the Volt and Leaf have stratospheric sticker prices, both have super-low ownership costs.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler said on Thursday it would invest more than $2 billion in its car plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to build more M-Class SUVs.

Mercedes-Benz cars have posted a triple sales record of "best June, best quarter, and best first half of a year, the German manufacturer's parent company Daimler announced.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The fast, easy ride is about to end for owners of hybrid cars in California.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The fuel efficiency of European cars advanced last year, with exhaust carbon emissions falling 3.7 percent, provisional European Union data showed on Wednesday.

Volvo, owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, will invest $708 million to build a second plant in China, the world's biggest auto market, the environment ministry in Beijing said.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Trouble with new technologies including a clunky control system for its radios pounded Ford Motor Co's <F.N> ranking in a closely watched quality ranking, just a year after the U.S. brand led its mass-market rivals.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Trouble with new technologies including a clunky control system for its radios pounded Ford Motor Co's <F.N> ranking in a closely watched quality ranking, just a year after the U.S. brand led its mass-market rivals.

DEARBORN, Michigan (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co will expand the use of its on-board smartphone applications for the 2012 model year, the automaker said at a safety and technology show for reporters.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's Kia Motors aims to boost its U.S. production capacity by one fifth next year, to meet soaring demand for new models such as the Optima sedan in the world's second-biggest auto market.

Mumbai-based Tata Motors opened its first Indian factory on Friday for Land Rover, the formerly loss-making British brand aiming to make inroads into the booming South Asian market.

Torquey TDI a fine drive - as is Ford's big SUV. VW Touareg Diesel Rocks (and we take a second look at the new Ford Explorer) By Jim Bray TechnoFile.com High gas prices may make you want to think about a hybrid as a way to save some fuel, but there's another way to do it: Go diesel. Diesels have had a reputation for being stinky and slow, but that was then and this is now. According to Sergio Stiberman, CEO and founder of LeaseTrader.com, "The diesel cars of today are clearly not your father's diesel." Stiberman, whose company matches shoppers with "shoppees" who want to get out of their auto leases, says "More people today are searching for diesels because of the improved mileage they can get." Diesel engine technology has been popular in Europe, and in Canada somewhat as well, for years but it's only recently gaining ground in the U.S. outside of its traditional niche of big trucks, buses, and the like. Modern diesels burn cleanly and ? even if diesel prices are higher than those of