Looking to fill up on auto news? We’ve clocked some miles traversing the Web for all things auto-related. Pull in, grab a coffee and digest some of the week’s most interesting news with us.
“Consumer Reports: Audi, Subaru lead top 30 car brands,” USA Today
Audi, Subaru and Lexus are Consumer Reports’ top auto brands for reliability and driving quality, USA Today highlights. The placements give Europe and Asia the edge over US automakers, says USA Today’s Chris Woodyard, but ratings for individual models show some homegrown top performers.
While Buick was the only Detroit brand in the top ten based on the brands’ overall ratings, where consistency across a range of models is needed, on an individual basis the Chevrolet Impala was the top large car, and the Ford F-150 the best pick-up truck.
Take a look at the top 30 car brands in USA Today.
“Drive like an Oscar nominee,” US News
With the Oscars just around the corner (Tinseltown sparkles again on Sunday), US News takes a look at what vehicles the nominees drive when away from the glare of the red carpet paparazzi. “Who keeps it glamorous – cruising in sports cars with six-figure price tags – and who prefers a less pretentious ride?” asks Sarah Shelton in her article. The little Toyota Yaris and the down-to-earth Toyota Tacoma find favor with a couple of A-listers.
The 88th Academy Awards are televised on ABC from 4pm PT, 7pm ET, on Sunday.
See the pics and read the full article in US News.
“Volvo ditches the car key to make way for the future,” Wired
The irritating question of where on earth the car keys have got to could be a thing of the past if you’re a Volvo driver. The automaker is giving car buyers the option to download an app with which to lock and unlock their vehicle. With so many people inseparable from their smart phones today, it could be a helpful move that conveniently cuts out the key-finding question, when you’re ready to hit the road.
However, there is a more significant implication to the innovation, which Wired discusses. Volvo has “further cleared the path for the future of cars,” in relation to the development of car sharing services, writes Alan Davies. “Replace the key with an app that lets you grant remote access to whomever…and the whole sharing economy gets a bunch more efficient,” he argues. Volvo will be using the keyless system for its Sunfleet sharing service in Sweden this spring.
Read the full article in Wired.
See you next week for more automotive news. Drive safe.
Written by:
With 10 years of experience in auto finance, Rob Looker helps car shoppers find the right vehicles with the right financing so they can enjoy the road ahead. When he’s not creating content, he’s often behind the wheel, exploring new…
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