Car Talk: What's the Ugliest Car?

Just as a person's beauty is only skin deep, a car's is in the eye of the pink-slip holder. Still, there's just no denying that some have a face only an owner could love. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the hosts of NPR's "Car Talk" radio show, solicited input online to determine the ugliest automobile currently in production.

Based on the nominations received, the field was narrowed to 10: Chevrolet Spark, Fiat Multipla, Infiniti QX56, Kia Soul, Lincoln MKT, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan Cube, Nissan Juke (photo above), Toyota Prius v and the Smart ForTwo. At last check, the Multipla was trouncing the uncomely competition with nearly 39% of the vote. Its nearest opponent is the Juke with nearly 26%; the balance of the nominees' vote tallies were in the single digits.

Is the Multipla being unfairly maligned in the face of an uglier opponent? Or perhaps you wish to contribute to the pile-on? Click here to cast your vote.

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Top 10 Ugly Cars

December's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

Automakers won't report December sales results until later today, but we have data on the month's fastest and slowest sellers. The redesigned Toyota Avalon hit dealerships in the first week of December, and it stormed the fastest-selling list, with regular and hybrid versions averaging just eight days apiece on dealer lots. Shoppers moved toward the Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup truck, too. That’s likely a result of an improved construction market; November housing starts hit their second highest rate since mid-2008.

The redesigned Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, which hit dealerships in September, spent its third month among the fastest sellers; the new-for-2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek also marked its third month on the list. Of the 18 fastest-selling cars, 10 were repeat performers, with such regulars as the redesigned Subaru Impreza and new Scion FR-S. The Kia Soul's severe mileage downgrade doesn't seem to have sapped demand, and neither has the popular hatchback's age. It debuted way back in early 2009, but in December it placed among the fastest sellers for the third month in a row.

Regular Cars that Take Premium Gasoline

It's common to see "requires 91 octane gasoline for best performance" on the fuel door of sports or luxury cars. So, we scratch our heads when we see the same premium recommendation on a family car, hybrid or non-performance car. According to AAA's FuelGauge Report, the price difference between regular and premium gas is 32 cents nationally. Spending an additional $4.80 on a 15-gallon refuel isn't an insignificant amount of money, and you could save it if you buy a similarly efficient car at a similar price that runs on regular gasoline. 
 
Below is a list of cars that you may not guess recommend or require premium fuel. The manufacturer's fuel recommendation from the owner's manual or consumer website is listed alongside each vehicle. 

Is the U.S. Ready for Minicars?

Tiny cars are big in popularity throughout the world, but the U.S. has been slow to adopt the trend. The Smart first blazed the minicar trail in the States with the 2008 ForTwo, to mediocre success. Will new entries from Fiat, Chevrolet and Scion give the class a popularity boost? If September's sales figures are any indication, yes.

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark, which first went on sale this summer, started off strong with 1,460 sold in July and 2,630 sold in August. September sales have cooled slightly with 2,223 sold. The Spark was initially launched in South Korea in 2009 and went global shortly afterward. According to GM, more than 600,000 have been sold since its debut and it's the best-selling Chevy in India.

Smart ForTwo Electric Is the Most Affordable EV at $25,000

The third-generation Smart ForTwo Electric was unveiled and priced this week, as it officially debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. The coupe starts at $25,000, the convertible at $28,000. (It’s unclear whether the pricing includes destination.) That makes the ForTwo Electric the most affordable EV on the market today; the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV costs $29,975, the 2012 Nissan Leaf $36,050 and the 2013 Ford Focus Electric $39,995.

Pricing is substantially better than the second-generation ForTwo electric, which started at $44,837, even though the model was only available through a $599-a-month lease program.

Euro Flair in Full Force at 2012 Paris Motor Show

The Los Angeles Auto Show may mark the official start of the American auto show season, but the 2012 Paris Motor Show is the beginning of the international season.

This year, the 2012 Paris Motor Show offered some exciting unveilings, including the Jaguar F-Type, Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, Lexus LF-CC and Maserati Levante. Other notables include the Audi RS5 Cabriolet, Volkswagen GTI and Volvo V40 Cross Country, which are rolling down the Parisian catwalk as we speak.

Check out the photos of some of the best releases at the show thus far.  

2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive: First Look

• Competes with: Mitsubishi i, Ford Focus Electric
• Looks like: The ForTwo goes green, literally
• Drivetrain: a 16.7-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack and a 55-kilowatt motor
• Hits dealerships: This fall

Fuel economy has never been a strong suit of the tiny ForTwo, but Smart’s adding a gas-free version for 2013. The ForTwo Electric Drive will be available in coupe and cabriolet versions. They go on sale this fall.

The electric subcompact uses a 16.7-kwh lithium-ion battery pack and a 55-kilowatt motor co-developed with Bosch; it makes 95 pound-feet of torque. According to Smart, it will have a 90-mile range and a top speed of 77 mph. It sounds like it’ll be almost as pokey as its gasoline-powered sibling: Smart quotes a zero to 62 mph time of 11.5 seconds for the Electric Drive.

The automaker says it can be fully charged on a “household socket” in six to seven hours. However, it can be charged in less than an hour using a quick-charging unit. As with other electric cars on the market, a smartphone application can be used to find charging stations, coordinate charge times and pre-heat or pre-cool the interior while it's connected to the grid.

Daily News Briefs: June 19, 2012

AAA predicts holiday travel will increase 4.9% over the Fourth of July weekend, with 42.3 million Americans hitting the road — or airport, train station and the like — between Tuesday, July 3, and Sunday, July 8. That's up 42% over Independence Day travel in recession-strapped 2009. Lower gas prices play into the increase. A gallon of regular averages $3.50 nationally, down 19 cents from a month ago, leading 35.5 million of those travelers to plan on piling into their car for the long weekend. Even those who fly may drive more: Rental-car rates for the holiday weekend are down 9% from a year ago, AAA says. If you're planning to pile the family in for that trip to Walley World, Volvo's tips for safe road trips is a good primer.

In other news:

Daily News Briefs: June 13, 2012

Bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab has found a new suitor; a Chinese-Japanese investment group wants to buy the brand and turn it into a builder of electric vehicles, according to sources who spoke with Reuters and Bloomberg News. The group formed a new company in Sweden, National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, and has agreed to buy Saab's assets, according to reports. The companies that have invested to buy Saab's assets include Japanese-based Sun Investment and Hong Kong-based renewable-energy power plant builder National Modern Energy Holdings Ltd., according to Automotive News. The first vehicle the new company plans to build will be an electric version of the Saab 9-3, which it expects to start selling in early 2014.

In other news:

Daily News Briefs: April 27, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today:

• Ford's profits for the first three months of 2012 have fallen compared to last year, the automaker reports. The Blue Oval reported a $2.3 billion pre-tax operating profit on $32.4 billion in revenue; that's a $544 million decrease in operating profit and a $700 million decrease in revenue as compared to the first quarter of 2011, according to Ford. The automaker blames the weak European economy and the slower-than-planned launch of the new global Ford Ranger, which was delayed by flooding in Thailand. Conversely, North American profits were the highest Ford has seen since the year 2000. 
• Daimler AG — parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart — posted better profits than Ford; the company had a pre-tax operating profit of $2.81 billion, according to the automaker. Daimler's revenue totaled $35.6 billion, which was up 9% from last year. Daimler attributes record sales at Mercedes-Benz for the increased profits; the carmaker sold 338,300 Mercedes-branded cars in the first three months of 2012, which is a 9% increase over last year. 
• In more fiscal news, Honda says it more than doubled its consolidated operating profit for the first fiscal quarter of 2012 to $1.4 billion. The result marks the first increase in Honda's profits in five fiscal quarters, according to Reuters. Honda has suffered more than its rivals Nissan and Toyota from the natural disasters in Japan and Thailand and Japan's strong yen, the newswire reports. Honda is aiming to recover U.S. market share, targeting 10% for 2012. Currently, Honda has a 9.2% U.S. market share, which is down from a 10.7% share in 2011, according to the Wall Street Journal. 
• Kia also reported strong profits today for the beginning of 2012. The Korean carmaker is reporting a $1.1 billion net profit, which is up 26% from last year, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The carmaker attributes its strong gains to robust sales in the U.S. (up 32%), Europe (25%) and China (15%). 
• CNN Money reports that gasoline prices probably won't hit all-time highs this summer as was previously forecasted by industry experts. Prices at the pump have slowly declined from a national average of $3.95 a gallon for regular gas at the beginning of the month to $3.83 a gallon currently, according to AAA. Further signs that prices will continue to decrease can be gleaned from trading in New York on gasoline futures, according to CNN Money. It reports a 30-cent drop in the price of a gasoline future — from $3.40 a gallon to $3.10 a gallon — from April 1 through April 25. Prices could increase sharply, says CNN Money, on account of potential refinery issues on the East Coast.