City

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1985 Volvo 480ES – ‘Project Galaxy’ Showcar Turns 30 + Lessons In Retrospect

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Trust and affection go hand in hand. When you love a brand, you are willing to follow it to the ends of the Earth if need be. The BMW X5 proved this conclusively — with initial haters eventually loving the SUV’s Bimmer-ness, and its sales success worldwide still quite striking. Volvo proved its brand flexibility in a similar way with the XC90 — a game-changer of an SUV that saved the marque from a possible SAAB-like fate during the industry shakeout of ~2009. In fact, Volvo has long been remarkably flexible in moving beyond its core family sedan and wagon …

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Concept Debrief – 2011 Volkswagen NILS – Govt-Funded EV Commuter Now Seems Like Unfathomably Bad Joke

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It is very, very challenging to read (and write) about VW’s eco mobility ideas in light of the company’s current emissions scandals. The “diesel issue” — as it is known in German — really puts all the last ten years of innovative, visionary concept cars in the shameful, punishment corner of the automotive universe. What about the “C02 issue”?  Oh, that has resolved itself.  Not a pattern of lies and systemic fraud.  Hooray! Super, super trustworthy company, obviously. Beyond that obligatory caveat… This NILS concept shows how seriously the VAG once took its mission to mass-produce zero-emissions automobiles. VW was actually …

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Shell Oil and Gordon Murray Partnering on Project M for Reborn T.25 City Car

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A car funded and developed by an oil company feels more than a little dishonest right from the start. After all, there is no bigger conflict of interest: oil companies would naturally want all cars to use as much fuel as possible. It is in their core interests to increase gasoline consumption on a grand scale. Even so, deep-pocketed oil companies are also interested in two things: branding and green-washing. By branding the Shell lubricants business as an innovator and supporter of advanced technology, Shell and Gordon Murray’s Project M can be a grand public-relations coup among some. Oil companies …

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2015 Subaru Outback Limited 4

Road Test Review – 2015 Subaru Outback Limited By Ken Glassman

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  2015 Subaru Outback Limited By Ken Glassman Since nearly 25% of Subaru’s total vehicle sales, or around 120,000 copies, comes from the Outback model, Subaru understood that radical changes would be a risky proposition. Outback buyers are a fiercely loyal group, and that’s because they have been happy with the package that Subaru has been offering for many years. So while the 2015 model is based off the new Legacy sedan, the Outback changes have been evolutionary, not revolutionary. The result is a better vehicle, with mild styling changes, and improvements. PERFORMANCE Two engine options are available, and while …

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2015 Ram ProMaster City SLT Cargo 46

Road Test Review – 2015 Ram ProMaster City SLT Cargo

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2015 Ram ProMaster City ReviewTools are the main thing that sets man apart from animals. Many beasts rival and even exceed man’s ability in instinctive intelligence or physical strength. But no animal has mastered using tools to accomplish tasks their paws, flippers or arms cannot complete. On that note, the right tool for the job can be the difference between hours of back-breaking labor vs minutes of snap-complete solutions. In a similar way, using a full-size truck all the time can feel a bit like using a sledge-hammer to fix a pair of eyeglasses. To do the job right, you …

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