L.A. Times - Auto Industry News

When velour was king: 10 American '70s luxury car classics

Fri, 9 May 2008 10:42:40 -0700

Huge gas guzzling luxe-mobiles from the disco era find a fan base with gay collectors.

Just when the straight world thought it knew everything it needed to know about being gay, along comes another bombshell: Gays are crazy about cars. Not just new ones, mind you, but big, chrome covered glitzmobiles with an urgent need for fuel and a hankering for wide open parking spaces. Indeed, gay car clubs, such as Great Autos of Yesteryear and the Lambda Car Club, have thousands of members, many of whom have become the sole guardians of the flamboyant '70s luxury cars ignored by mainstream collectors. There's even a website, Gaywheels.com , specifically dedicated to serving the gay and lesbian automotive community. The website promotes car companies that offer domestic partner benefits, and provides reviews, news and biographies of gay and lesbian members working in the automotive field.

Machine vision's eye on driving's future

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

How cameras can help traffic flow; automated cars show potential.

Wouldn't it be great if traffic signals were half as smart as traffic cops? Some new technology is promising to improve the intelligence of traffic signals at major intersections. It is just one of several major advances in which cameras and computers are transforming law enforcement, highway safety and eventually driving itself.

Aprilia's SL750 Shiver is one cool ride

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Is it cold in here, or is it me? Maybe I'm just feeling the cool from Aprilia's new Shiver, in all its freak-out orange glory.

George Barris' Culver City car show

Thu, 8 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

NICE RIDES

2008 Saturn Astra XR: Call it Euro brash

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The GM import is as entertaining and nimble as its German cousin, the Opel Astra.

I come from a long line of Europeans -- illiterate, mud-eating Europeans from the Outer Hebrides, to be exact, whose idea of a good time was to go down to the firth and watch the plague victims wash out to sea. Even so, I've always had an affinity for the Continent. Between New Orleans and Amsterdam, I prefer Amsterdam. I'll take Rousseau over Jefferson, Beck's over Budweiser, Formula One over NASCAR, and Heidi Klum over my knee.

Toyota raising prices on some models in U.S. this month

Wed, 7 May 2008 06:16:00 -0700

The Japanese company is increasing price tags by $200 to $300 on models like the Yaris and Camry.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-biggest automaker by annual vehicle sales, is raising its prices on some U.S. models later this month amid increased worries about its profit growth in the American market.

Vegetable oil fuels cars -- and tax bills

Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Diesel owners who switch to cooking grease can run afoul of the law. Just ask the governor.

Dave Eck, a Half Moon Bay mechanic, had attracted a media spotlight with his fleet of vehicles fueled by used fryer grease from a local chowder house. So when Sacramento called, he figured officials wanted advice on promoting alternative fuels.

The unstoppable Toyota Corolla

Tue, 6 May 2008 11:22:14 -0700

Toyota has just launched the 2009 Corolla, the 10th generation of what has become the all-time bestselling car in the world. More than 7 million have been sold in the U.S., and total worldwide sales have surpassed 30 million.

The spin on tires and fuel economy

Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Unwittingly choosing the wrong tires can hurt gas mileage. Unfortunately, no rating standard exists.

William Lowry recently spent $500 to replace the tires on his Toyota Camry hybrid. The salesman said the Goodyear Regatta 2 tires were just as good as the Bridgestone Turanzas that came with the car. But it didn't take long for Lowry to notice that his fuel economy had fallen by five miles a gallon.

San Gabriel Valley needs to speed things up

Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The average commuting times there and in the Inland Empire are some of the longest in Southern California, which helps makes sense of the carpool toll plan for the 10 and 210 freeways.

T ake a look at the map on this page and it might help explain why local officials want to convert the carpool lanes on parts of the 10 and 210 freeways in the San Gabriel Valley to toll lanes.