Is this a sign that the end is very near? Desperate beads of perspiration must be breaking out on the brow of our nation’s auto industry. Get this, Hyundai Motors is offering an incentive program for U.S. consumers; if you buy a car and lose your job, you can simply return your vehicle—no flippin’ strings attached! I kid you not.

Here’s what they are offering: Any Hyundai customer may return a vehicle within the first year of purchase (12 months) and WALK AWAY from their loan obligation — up to $7,500 in “negative equity” — in the event of a loss of income. Terrific! I’m going to get a job at Burger King with the sole intent of being fired in a couple weeks due to a horrific, life-changing milkshake mishap just so I can temporarily have a set of Hyundai wheels to spin around in. It’s just like renting a car, but without the rental payment part.

continue reading "Lose Your Job—No Problem! Just Give the Hyundai Back!"

The march of the aftermarket carries on, it would seem. What we have pictured here is another offering from the Japanese home market tuning house Ings. Essentially it’s a body kit constructed to N-Spec rules. N-Spec being a Japanese endurance race series titled the Super Taikyu racing series (yeah little overblown, but that’s par for the course for Japanese names, isn’t it?)..

The WRX kit has your usual bits: front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper. The add ons are made from fiberglass, and the only real options, as reflected in the price, is the quality of fiberglass chosen. Price for the kit ranges between $2,080 and $2,410, depending on that aforementioned quality. Which is odd. I guess if you’re buying the kit more for show than go, you’ll go for the lower priced kit, and if your actually going to race the darn thing, you’ll go for the higher priced, assumedly more robust, higher priced kit to suit the rigors of life at the track.

continue reading "WRX STI N-Spec by Ings"