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One annoying cost of owning a car is maintaining it.  If the trend toward automakers offering free maintenance programs continues, maybe that cost will disappear.  And, with another car maker announcing a new free maintenance program, it looks like the free maintenance trend is going strong. USA Today writes, "Among luxury car makers, free scheduled maintenance is all the rage. So we guess it's no surprise that Lincoln is jumping …

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Rumors are spreading that the next generation Mazda MX-5 Miata will forgo its newly developed, light-weight Sky-G engine for a rotary-hybrid setup. According to Motor Authority: “Best Car, the Japanese enthusiast magazine, has let it ‘leak’ that Mazda is planning to shovel a 1.2-liter or 1.3-liter rotary engine into the next MX-5, or Roadster as it's known in its home market. The twist? A hybrid drivetrain linked up with it.” Upon first listen, the rumor …

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BMW has halted sales of its 1 Series coupe and convertible ahead of a recall. Consumer Reports says, "BMW has instructed its dealers to hold delivery on 1 Series models produced between January 2010 and May 2010, based on dealer documents Consumer Reports has reviewed, until a recall can be performed." The recall covers all 1 Series models from 2008 to 2011.  Left Lane News explains the recall is due …

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Saab may have been rescued from oblivion, but it still has a long road back to prominence — and it needs new models to get it there. Automobile writes, "It’s no secret that Saab is hard at work on plans to reintroduce its 92, but it’ll need some help before the car can be produced. The automaker is preparing to enter into talks with BMW to do just that." Bloomberg adds, …

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If you've got a hot little hatch, you probably like to take it out and let it run every once in a while. Maybe you even challenge some of the locals down at the track.  But, unless you want to look stupid, you don't challenge one of the world's most iconic sports cars to a race, right?  Maybe not. Motor Authority writes, " In what may be one of the …

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The 2011 model year has barely begun and already two 2011 BMW models are being recalled.   BMW has issued a recall for 2011 X5 and X6 models built between April first and May 10. Kicking Tires says the recalled SUVs "have tire labels that don’t meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, 'Tire Selection and Rims.' While the vehicles are equipped with 20-inch wheels, the labels …

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In a blow to Rand MacNally and a shot across GM's OnStar System's bow, Ford is adding some unique mapping abilities to its cars equipped with the automaker's SYNC system. Autoblog says, "Drivers of late-model Ford vehicles equipped with Sync Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI) will soon be able to plot out their routes using Google Maps on their home computer and then download turn-by-turn directions directly to the car."   …

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Just when it seemed like Ford had a lock on the police market, Volkswagen has stepped up.  Sort of. Autoblog writes, "There's been a long tradition of automakers giving cars to the police departments in whatever municipalities they have facilities in and Volkswagen is no different. Now that Volkswagen of America has moved its headquarters from Michigan to Virginia, the Herndon police department has received a pair of new Passats …

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