If you drive a 1995 Honda Civic, you better employ better anti-theft solutions because this popular model is America’s most stolen car for 2007, according to ‘Hot Wheels’, a report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau based on information from the National Crime Information Center. The ’95 Civic is followed by another Honda model, the 1991 Honda Accord in the list.

The 1989 Toyota Camry was the third most stolen vehicle while the 1997 Ford F-150 was the highest-listed pickup truck as well as the most stolen domestic-branded vehicle. Other domestic models were the 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 and the 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup, all trucks. Rounding out the top ten perennial favorites of car thieves were the Acura Integra, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Pickup and the Toyota Corolla.

According to the NICB, the types of vehicles being stolen remain consistent year to year. Thieves continue to prey on these older vehicles because they provide the best market for stolen vehicle parts.

To protect your cars from thieves, NICB recommends a ‘layered approach’ by using simple, low-cost solutions to make vehicles less vulnerable to carjackers. These four layers are: common sense, a warning device, an immobilizing device and a tracking device. Common sense means locking the car and taking the keys with you.

Using a warning device or alarm is also an effective deterrent. The third layer encourages the use of an immobilizing device that will prevent the vehicle from being driven such as a smart key or fuel cut off. The fourth layer is the use of a tracking device that law enforcement officers can use to track and recover a stolen vehicle.

According to the car maker, the Nissan X-Trail has been given a diesel engine because it has been found out that the recent developments with diesel engines have made vehicles bearing such to be more efficient with fuel. Also, they would have less CO2 emissions compared to those which run on gasoline. Nissan also did disclose that they have used new technologies with the diesel engine so that the exhaust gases would be cleaned and would be less harmful when emitted. The technologies does include the use of catalysts.

There have been no announcements though as per the price of the diesel-powered Nissan X-Trail.

With the opening of the doors of the New York International Auto Show, car followers were able to meet a new kind of concept vehicle from Nissan. This vehicle is the Nissan Denki Cube Concept vehicle and it is, as its name suggests, square.

This concept vehicle is not just square - it also is an electric concept, thus the name Denki, which is the Japanese translation for ‘electric’. The company did disclose that the Nissan Denki Cube Concept runs on a lithium-ion battery and this vehicle is also part of their move to inform the industry about what they are doing to help the environment.

The concept is also a preview of what Nissan has in store for their future vehicles which they are planning to send to the North American auto market. In fact, Nissan said that one of the plans that they have for the Denki Cube Concept is that they make it into a production vehicle and start selling units in the United States by 2009.

Nissan’s biggest plan in Spain has been successful in reducing its CO2 emissions by 12% which is equivalent to 9,400 tonnes. The company had a goal of reducing emissions by 7% by 2010 and with the 12% reduction, the plant had certainly exceeded the target. It has started to lessen its emissions back in 2005. This Nissan facility is the Zona Franca plant which is located in Barcelona, Spain.

To be able to achieve this goal, the Nissan plant in Barcelona had renovations done. Its climate systems, light controls, and air conditioning facilities were also checked. Such moves could now be used by other companies’ facilities as standards and samples of how to reduce CO2 emissions.

Since the company’s Zona Franca plant has been able to achieve its goals and even exceed its targets, Nissan gave the plant a new target - to lessen emissions by 20% come 2010.

There is a new player in the hybrid gasoline/electric vehicle segment – The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid. The new hybrid vehicle will debut at the 2007 Model Orange County Auto Show in Anaheim, California last October 4 – 8, 2006. It is in fact Nissan’s first entry into the growing segment, a realization of Nissan’s commitment of Passionate Driving and Passion for the Environment.

The new version of the Altima offers the same blend of performance, style and convenience people have come to expect from the Altima, one of the best selling sedans in North America today. Now, with the hybrid version, the Altima offers the benefits of better fuel economy and lower emissions.

The new Nissan Altima hybrid will be available in early 2007. It will feature a 2.5-liter 4-cyklinder engine combined mated to an electronic Continuously Variable Transmission with an electric motor and generator. The hybrid system has a net power of 198 horsepower. This system increases the Altima Hybrid’s fuel economy to about 41 mpg on city driving and 36 mpg on highways.

Nissan Motor Co. is planning to build a hybrid vehicle to be released by 2010 said a news report by Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun. Nissan has lagged behind other Japanese automakers when it comes to hybrid technology partly because Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn remains unenthusiastic about hybrids. He argues that hybrids make little business sense because they have low profit margins despite having higher retail prices.

Meanwhile, Nissan has signed a deal with Toyota back in 2002 under which the latter will sell its hybrid system to Nissan. A product of this licensing tie is the hybrid Nissan Altima sedan due to be released in the US by next year. Ghosn has said that the hybrid Altima was merely a necessity to clear California’s average fuel economy regulations.

The perennial best-seller, Ford F-Series pickup, along with the other best-selling pickups like the Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Ram staved off the very stiff competition from smaller cars with way better gas mileage, to remain at the top of Forbes’ list of the top selling cars for 2006.

The F-Series still lords it over all the other vehicles sold in the US this year although sales have fallen 13% down from 625,047 units by August of last year to 545,963 by the end of August this year. Meanwhile, sales of the other pickups in the top ten also tumbled; the top three pickups sold a combined 1.2 million units in the first eight months of 2006, down 8% or over 110,000 units from the 1.3 million US sales registered in the first eight months of 2004.

A telling sign is the conspicuous absence of any SUV or van in the list. Ford’s Explorer SUV, once ranked sixth in 2004 is now dropped from the list, having experienced a 31% decline in sales this year despite significant upgrades in luxury and refinement.

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Just in time for the opening of classes throughout the country, CNN Money recently released its selection of the seven best college cars. Choosing the best from today’s crop of new, low-priced car models is not an easy task. The team at CNN Money found that there is a surprising number of options available for the college student or the recent college grad even though they restricted their choices to cars with a starting base sticker price of below $16,000. CNN Money’s criteria for choosing the best college cars include great fuel economy, functionality and safety and size. Based on these, here are the seven best college cars according to CNN Money, ranked from the lowest to highest base price:

Nissan Versa - $12, 450

Scion xA - $12, 780

Dodge Caliber - $13,425

Ford Focus - $13,450

Mazda3 -$13, 710

Honda Fit - $13,850

Kia Sportage - $15,900

Source

Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan will recall more than half a million vehicles due to various defects. Toyota will recall SUVs due to a piece from the console that can obstruct the gas pedal while Nissan will recall sedans to fix faulty sensors. The Toyota recall encompasses 2004-2005 Highlanders and Lexus RX 330’s as well as early 2006 models of the Highlander and RX400 hybrids. Seven complaints and two accident reports prompted the company to order the recall. Meanwhile, the Nissan recall involves vehicles with 2.5 liters. Defects in these cars sensors can cause the engine to stall at low speeds or at stop-and-go traffic.

The information gathered from more than 60 million visitors of Kelley Blue Books’ kbb.com, the most visited third-party auto web site in the net, comprised of the raw data of the latest most researched vehicles for the first six months of 2006. Included in the Top 20 list of America’s most trusted source of new and used automotive information are the following.

Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Rav4
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander
Chevrolet Tahoe
Honda CR-V
Ford Mustang
Nissan Altima
BMW 325
Acura TL
Toyota Sienna
Toyota 4runner
Ford Escape
Infiniti G35
Toyota Avalon
Mazda 3

On top of the list are Asian models, Honda and Toyota. Seven slots are occupied by Toyota and five by Honda, which are all included in the Top Ten. In place of the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has fallen off from the current list, are Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Tahoe. Together with the Tahoe is the Ford Mustang, the sole domestic models that made it to the most researched line-up.

Two utilitarian minivans came in at the 6th and 7th spots, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna respectively. Three entry level luxury vehicles also made it in the list - the BMW 325, Acura TL and Infiniti G35 (pictured above) – which according to Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com have definitely become the brands and vehicles that the public aspires to drive and own.