AutoWeek Daily Drive — Thursday, October 21, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Thursday, October 21, 2010                  The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile: One tasty-looking ride.... 2004 Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, an AW Drivers Dog WITH VIDEO -- SENIOR WEST COAST EDITOR MARK VAUGHN: A word of warning up front: The Wiener theme will now be stuck in your head for the next two weeks. It's been one week since I saw the big beige and orangish-colored wiener wagon and the theme has haunted me since, wafting in and out of my medulla oblongata like a nitrate-laden poltergeist. You know the jingle. "Oh, I wish I...   2010 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR, an AW Drivers Log EXECUTIVE EDITOR--AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: A solid contender in the midsize market, the Altima continues to improve with age. The interior, once the car's Achilles' heel, is now well-appointed and awash in soft-touch materials, satin finishes and plush pieces. It is well-furnished....   NASCAR: Petty dumps Kahne, brings in Almirola In a call you could almost see coming since last weekend, Richard Petty Motorsports has fired Kasey Kahne from its No. 9 Budweiser Ford. The announcement came on Wednesday night, four nights after Kahne refused to return to the car after wrecking in the Bank of American 500 at Charlotte Motor...   Formula One: All systems go for Korean GP Against the odds and expectations of many Formula One insiders, the Korean Grand Prix will go ahead as scheduled this weekend. Although the real test will come Friday when the cars take to the track, thus far most people's initial impressions of the venue have been favorable. After all the...   Volvo will market entry-level car to rival VW Golf Volvo plans to offer a Volkswagen Golf competitor as part of a plan to expand the automaker's product line. Speaking in London last week, new Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby said the next generation of the entry-level Volvo “will be a derivation of the C30, a Golf competitor,” according to...   Toyota, Lexus cars recalled to fix brake leak Toyota is recalling more than 1.5 million cars around the globe for brake and fuel-pump problems. This now brings Toyota's recall tally to more than 14 million vehicles around the world in the last year, many for unintended-acceleration issues. So what does this mean for you? In the... You May Have Missed...   Mazda's rotary engine stalled, not forgotten Development of the next-generation rotary engine from Mazda Motor Corp., first unveiled three years ago, is making slow progress despite missing emissions targets.A top Mazda powertrain executive said today that the 1.6-liter rotary engine, called the 16X, is about 30 percent more fuel-efficient...   NASCAR's Daytona 500 Experience fan attraction closing due to financial woes Bad news for race fans: The Daytona 500 Experience and its 250-seat IMAX theater on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway will close early next month. The move is part of a company-wide belt tightening that already has cost several dozen people their jobs at International Speedway Corp. and ...   NASCAR: Red Bull hires Almirola as other drivers prepare for double-duty weekend With Reed Sorenson committed to Gateway International Raceway for a NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday afternoon in Madison, Ill., Team Red Bull has recruited Aric Almirola to drive its No. 83 Toyota in Sunday afternoon's Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Almirola...   SEMA: Chevrolet teases show cars with video WITH VIDEO -- The SEMA show is less than two weeks away, and automakers are ratcheting up the hype for their displays.The folks at Chevrolet have posted a sneak-peek video of some the cars it will be taking to Las Vegas. We see Camaros, Corvettes and the Silverado pickup.Have a look for yourself:... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.