Consumer Reports (CR) is an American magazine published by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. Consumer Reports does not print outside advertising, accept free product samples, or permit the commercial use of its reviews for selling products. Its publisher states that this policy allows the magazine to “maintain their independence and impartiality… so that CR has no agenda other than the interests of consumers.

Every year, CR publishes their top ten automobiles in ten different categories. The choices are based on performance, reliability and safety. Below are Consumers Reports picks for the 2010 year.

    Family Sedan

    Nissan Altima:

    The Nissan Altima has always been a popular choice as a family sedan. It’s roomy interior and comfortable ride makes the car an enjoyable drive. The 2010 version of this car offers improved looks, standard electronic stability control (ESC) and the best fuel economy in its class.

    Small Sedan

    Hyundai Elantra SE:

    Hyundai safety and reliability has come a long way and has made Consumer Reports top picks for the third time. The Elantra SE, offers a comfortable ride, good fuel economy and plenty of features for the price. The SE comes with standard ESC that is often not offered on similar competitors vehicles.

    Sporty Car

    Volkswagen GTI:

    The 2010 Volkswagen GTI is a sporty version of the Golf. It offers excellent handling and acceleration and is a comfortable car to drive. The interior is tastefully finished with plenty of cargo space, especially with the hatchback model. Like all Volkswagen’s, the GTI offers a respectable fuel economy.

    Small SUV

    Subaru Forester:

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    The Subaru Forester has been labeled as the SUV that offers the most car like driving experience. It offers a comfortable ride with plenty of room and excellent visibility. The Forester offers excellent reliability and an impressive gas mileage for an SUV.

    Best Overall Car

    Lexus LS 460L:

    Lexus has always pampered it’s customers with a luxurious driving experience. The LS 460L is no exception with it’s well crafted, roomy and quiet interior. Though the price is a bit higher than some of the vehicles in its class, if you can afford it, it is well worth it.

    Family SUV

    Chevrolet Traverse:

    Overall, the Traverse stands out as a family SUV. It is comfortable and responsive, and allows up to eight adults seated comfortably as well as room for cargo. Visibility is not the best for this SUV, taking into account the size of it, but Chevy offers convex side mirrors and an optional rear view camera to help.

    Sports Sedan

    Infiniti G37:

    The Infiniti G sedans are one of the highest rated sedans tested by Consumer Reports. Excellent handling, acceleration and comfort make this luxurious vehicle a pleasure to drive. Because it is a sports sedan, space and storage are compromised.

    Family Hauler

    Mazda5:

    The Mazda5 offers a lot in a compact and affordable microvan. It offers the convenience of a minivan with the maneuverability and fuel economy of a wagon. The addition of standard ESC for 2010 makes this minivan safer and fun to drive.

    Green Car

    Toyota Prius:

    The Toyota Prius was one to the first green cars manufactured for the public. Its overall mileage has made it the green car pick for the seventh straight year. It is a comfortable car to drive, and its 2010 redesign makes it even more appealing. Toyota has also added a dedicated EV that allows it to run longer on electric power at low speeds.

    Pickup Truck

    Chevrolet Silverado 1500:

    This well rounded pickup offers a roomy cabin, an exellent payload capacity and a decent ride for a pickup. It is an excellent 4WD family vehicle offering a quality interior on higher end models.

Toyota has announced that it will repair almost 380,000 2004-2007 Prius models in the United States for coolant pump problems. There have been no reports of injuries or accidents related to the problem, but complaints of power loss has lead the company to fix the minor repair without issuing a recall. A Toyota spokesperson explained that air bubbles entering the system through the pump reduces the efficiency of the cooling system. When the pump malfunctions, the car’s hybrid system switches off to prevent overheating and the vehicle’s regular gasoline engine takes over. Overheating of the vehicle could activate a warning light on the dashboard, and a significant loss of power will be noticed. Toyota said it would begin notifying owners of the Prius repair campaign in the United States in early December.

2010 LA Auto Show
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The Los Angeles Auto Show is the last major auto show of the year. This year turned out to be one of the biggest and best seen in a while. Over 1,000 cars, trucks and SUVs were displayed, consisting of electric vehicles, hybrids, high performance super cars, and one of a kind concept cars.

The 2010 show was especially successful with a record number of debuts: 20 world and 30 North American debuts. Many of the car manufacturers debuts showed environmentally friendly and fuel efficient electric and hybrid vehicles. The Chevrolet Volt received much attention, winning the 2011 Green Car of the Year award.

The sales of electric cars may not be doing as well as first hoped, but the displays at this years Los Angeles Auto Show hopes to change that. GM’s Chevrolet Volt, the 2011 Green Car of the Year, is one of several displays that hope to spark interest in the sales of green cars. The Volts rival, the Nissan leaf, along with Tesla’s Toyota RAV4 EV, the Fisker Karma, the Mitsubishi I-MiEV, and every other car maker’s electric or hybrid car will be there vying for the green consumers interest.

This year’s show will feature a record of debuts with fifty new vehicles unveiled on press day. This year’s show features more elaborate and interactive exhibits and more manufacturers, making it one of the most dynamic LA Auto Shows in years. The annual event, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be open to the public November 19-28.

With over twenty electric car models arriving at dealerships over the next three years, auto manufacturers feel that the battery powered cars will be the next big seller. The Obama administration is giving more than five billion in tax credits to buyers, and subsidized loans and grants to automakers in an effort to meet the goal of one million hybrids or electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015. But skeptics feel that hybrid and electric vehicles don’t make sense for most drivers, even with tax credits. Electric cars are too expensive, take too long to recharge and don’t provide enough driving range to be practical for most Americans. They feel that only 3% of drivers will actually buy the vehicles, because in order for electric cars to be cost effective for buyers, gas prices will have to rise to almost nine dollars a gallon.

Nonetheless, some of the biggest manufacturers in the auto industry are rushing to produce EVs. Honda recently pledged to put out an EV in 2012. Toyota is creating an electric version of its RAV4 sport-utility vehicle with Tesla Motors and a subcompact electric car based on its tiny IQ. Ford plans an electric version of its Focus compact and an electric van. BMW is building the MegaCity electric vehicle, which will feature carbon-fiber body panels to reduce weight and boost driving range.

Much of this is spearheaded by California’s laws that are requiring that the top six auto makers in California offer a zero-emission model by 2012 or face potentially huge fines. The only other alternative is to build electric models under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s clean-air and fuel-economy standards, which are set to get tighter in 2012, and receive government credits.

Tesla has announced that it will be recalling all Roadster 2.0 vehicles built between July 2009-June 2010 as well as all Roadster 2.5 models built between July 2010-September 2010. This comes after a complaint from a customer who reported a fire behind the right front corner of the vehicle. The problem is being blamed on a low voltage auxiliary cable chafing against a panel causing a short. This issue is limited to the 12V low voltage auxiliary cable and does not involve the main battery pack or main power system.

In the recall, Tesla technicians will check the routing of the cable and install a protective sleeve to prevent further chaffing. Tesla has started notifying customers via email and has initiated a mailing campaign. The repair will be done at the customers’ homes or offices and will take approximately one hour.

Since the end of 2009, China has become one of the largest auto manufacturers and markets in the world. The number of registered vehicles on the road in China reached 62 million in 2009, and is expected to exceed 200 million by 2020. Almost half of the cars manufactured and sold in China are Chinese vehicles, the rest are being produced by joint ventures with foreign car makers such as Volkswagen, General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, Toyota,… etc.

The negative impact of cars in Chinese cities is already obvious. Congested roads, car accidents, fuel shortages, air pollution, parking difficulties,…etc, have already become issues. Government officials warn that overcapacity of the market will lead to negative market competitiveness, a loss in enterprise efficiency, factory stoppages and other problems. Analysts feel that the development of green energy vehicles is the best way for China to reduce the environmental impact the exploding auto industry will have on their country.

The green industry in China may seem like a good market to get into, but the hope that American workers will see their products exported to this rich foreign market are not good. China will only do business with companies who share their intellectual property and who manufacture in their country. A foreign company must enter a joint venture with a Chinese firm, and that the firm has to have substantial ownership of the intellectual property, otherwise, there will be a duty on making the car in China.

The White House has already got a jump start on electric technologies by encouraging construction of plants that make electric cars, batteries and parts that go into them. According to the Obama administration, the United States is on track to produce 40 percent of the world’s battery technology by 2015. The industry expects the American market to gobble up most of that supply. In order to keep jobs here, U.S. demand for EV components must rise, otherwise the risk of exporting yet another industry away from U.S. soil will be the result.

As states across the country brace for the wave of electric plug in vehicles to hit the streets, utility companies warn that there could be glitches. A smarter electrical grid has been developed to accommodate the surge in power usage, and utility companies have been working with the automakers to ensure a smooth transition, but too many drivers trying to charge their vehicles at the same time, could lead to low voltage situations.

Executive vice president and chief operating officer of Novi-based ITC Holdings Corp., said that as plug-in use grows and more public charging stations are installed, substations or lines may need to be upgraded. Experts, however, don’t believe electric vehicles will be widespread until 2020, giving utilities at least a decade to figure out ways to handle new loads and educate consumers about scaling electricity during peak times.

For now, utilities are installing smart meters in homes and businesses to help consumers better manage electricity use. The meters allow utilities to charge rates based on peak and off-peak use and track that data. This will encourage drivers to charge in off peak hours as well as give information on where upgrades need to be made. As technology advances, cars plugged in for recharges could actually help the grid, said Scott Miller, director of Coulomb Technologies’ ChargePoint America. “These can act as remote storage units, transferring some of the energy from the cars back to the electrical grid in times of need.”