http://www.thecarconnection.com/reviews Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:48:29 -0500 Car Reviews -- Get the consensus and opinions from TheCarConnection and from around the Web on your favorite car. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/reviews http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038623_videogame-designers-love-the-tesla-roadsters-quiet-ride http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1038623_videogame-designers-love-the-tesla-roadsters-quiet-ride Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:24:00 -0500 Tesla and its Roadster are a product of DIY ingenuity -- a perfect example of what can happen when a bunch of people come together and say, "Hey, no one else is doing this, so why don't we?" In that same the DIY spirit, game designers at Microsoft have cleverly recruited a Tesla roadster for their own purposes: recording road noise for driving ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036256_tesla-makes-house-calls-yes-itll-cost-you http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036256_tesla-makes-house-calls-yes-itll-cost-you Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:11:00 -0400 Buying a vehicle from a smaller manufacturer or from one that uses advanced technology can come with a special set of headaches -- especially on the maintenance front. They're not typically the sort of cars you can schlep down to Pet Boys on your lunch hour; they require the attentions of a specialist. To address such concerns, Tesla has ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035916_prius-owners-beware-ca-carpool-lane-stickers-expire-in-2011 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035916_prius-owners-beware-ca-carpool-lane-stickers-expire-in-2011 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:23:00 -0400 No, it's not just because there are too many hybrids in the carpool lane. New hybrid owners have already been denied those coveted yellow carpool stickers for some time but those with the stickers continue to enjoy driving solo in the carpool lane--for another 15 months, that is. California's program for single-occupant carpool lane use ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035556_fisker-scores-529-million-low-interest-loan-from-doe http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035556_fisker-scores-529-million-low-interest-loan-from-doe Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:30:00 -0400 A couple of weeks ago, Fisker gleefully announced fuel efficiency stats for its upcoming extended-range Karma sedan (67 mpg, though the math is a little fuzzy).  Now the upstart automaker has another reason to celebrate: the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Fisker a $529 million low-interest loan, which will help the company develop the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035223_wtf-marketing-tesla-tea-party-but-wheres-the-mad-hatter http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035223_wtf-marketing-tesla-tea-party-but-wheres-the-mad-hatter Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:02:00 -0400 Some of us miss the days of wacky local advertising. You know, like when your nutty dealer down the street filmed commercials in a garbage can to drive home a theme? (The one we remember best involved a guy in a chicken suit who claimed that his cars were "cheeper". Stupid, we know, but kind of homey and charming, too.) Anyway, in Toronto, the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034531_tesla-revving-up-for-a-30000-vehicle-by-2016 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034531_tesla-revving-up-for-a-30000-vehicle-by-2016 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0400 Given its recent slide into profitability, its snazzy new production facility, and its lawsuit-free status, Tesla Motors has been on a bit of a roll lately. Not surprisingly, the company is hoping to capitalize on this forward momentum and propel itself to "major player" status in the U.S. auto market by 2016. At the moment, the company only ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034027_tesla-turns-a-corner---and-a-profit http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034027_tesla-turns-a-corner---and-a-profit Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:15:00 -0400 Tesla Motors -- the flashy electric automaker capable of evoking schadenfreude in even the most enthusiastic EV fan -- met two major milestones in July: the company sold a record number of Tesla Roadsters, and perhaps more importantly, it netted $1 million on $20 million of gross income. In all, the company sold 109 Tesla Roadsters in July, ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033953_12-born-in-the-u-s-a-fuel-sippers http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033953_12-born-in-the-u-s-a-fuel-sippers Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:45:00 -0400 Want American-made and fuel-efficient? A small car, too? You don't have many choices. Shoppers are valuing fuel efficiency more than before, especially now that they might be able to take advantage of a $4,500 Cash-for-Clunkers incentive. While there are plenty of stars-and-stripes-waving larger vehicles, the list of smaller, frugal ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022041_tesla-roadster-offers-financing-via-bank-of-america http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022041_tesla-roadster-offers-financing-via-bank-of-america Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:50:00 -0400 Say what you will about the shouting going on at Tesla these days, but there's no denying that the company's Tesla Roadster is a beaut. Only problem is, with its $100,000+ price tag, the Roadster costs more than some folks' homes are worth. Luckily, Tesla has just announced that Bank of America will offer financing on the Roadster. Sure, ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021855_he-said-he-said-war-of-words-keeps-tesla-in-the-news http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021855_he-said-he-said-war-of-words-keeps-tesla-in-the-news Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:15:00 -0400 You've got to hand it to Tesla: the company does a great job of staying in the headlines. Sometimes, that's for laudable things--like the opening of the company's first European showroom, or receiving a sizeble loan from the Department of Energy. Then again, sometimes it's because the company's CEO has a penchant for calling journalists ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021829_tesla-goes-tony-with-new-london-showroom http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021829_tesla-goes-tony-with-new-london-showroom Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:15:00 -0400 Tesla has officially set foot on European soil, with the opening of the company's flagship showroom in the Knightsbridge area of London. (That puts it very near Harrods and also close to the Victoria and Albert Museum, so tourists have no excuse for not stopping in.) This is great news for the 1,300 European citizens who have put in orders for ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021755_matchmaker-special-blind-dates-now-come-with-tesla-roadster http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021755_matchmaker-special-blind-dates-now-come-with-tesla-roadster Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:15:00 -0400 Millionaires of America (formerly known as Billionaires of America): are you LONELY tonight? Need a HOT date? Also need a HOT, fully electric roadster? STOP waiting for love and roadsters to find you and call Chris Stelmack, matchmaker to the...well, not stars, but really well-off guys. For a mere $250,000, you'll get face-time with a woman ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021495_teslas-elon-musk-a-man-who-knows-how-to-get-attention http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021495_teslas-elon-musk-a-man-who-knows-how-to-get-attention Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:48:00 -0400 Here's what we know about Tesla's Elon Musk: he's an outside-the-box entrepreneur. He's become ludicrously wealthy thanks to PayPal and other pet projects. And he's a top-notch showman. Seriously: a SWAT team full of supermodels could start playing naked Twister at one of his press conferences, and Musk's banter would still be more ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021472_jaguar-xe-roadster-a-hybrid-in-the-works http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021472_jaguar-xe-roadster-a-hybrid-in-the-works Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:31:00 -0400 It'll be at least two years before the Jaguar XE roadster makes its debut, but here at TCC, many of us are already giddy with anticipation. That's partially because, hey, it's a roadster--and who doesn't like those?--but also because rumors have begun circulating about the possibility of a hybrid option in the works. Of course, the vehicle ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021209_take-car-add-batteries-teslas-latest-sedan-nope-its-the-coda http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021209_take-car-add-batteries-teslas-latest-sedan-nope-its-the-coda Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:02:00 -0400 So here's an idea: Take an existing car, re-engineer it with a large lithium-ion battery pack, rebrand it, and sell it in the US as the first all-electric car of its kind. Aha, you say! The 2009 Tesla Roadster! Errrrr ... well ... no. It's the Coda, a new four-door, five-passenger electric sedan expected to go on sale in autumn 2010, a couple ..]]>