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At the tail end of the international auto show season, automakers still have a few tricks up their sleeves, new models and concepts to unveil at the 2011 New York auto show. Many small cars got significant updates during the first day of the show, and more efficient engines entered the mix.

Check out our first day's coverage of the 2011 New York auto show.

2013 Ford Taurus gets two efficient engine options

Ford unwraps the 2013 Taurus SHO

2012 Volkswagen Beetle (photos)

2012 Nissan Versa (photos)

2012 Honda Civic Hybrid gets 44 mpg (photos)

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (photos)… Read more

Despite setbacks from last month's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Nissan says it will be able to deliver its all-electric Leaf cars on time and is ready to take more U.S. orders, the company announced today at the New York Auto Show.

Originally, the Japanese automaker planned for an introductory sale of 20,000 Nissan Leaf cars in the U.S. and 6,000 in Japan for 2011. The Leaf is Nissian's first mass-marketed zero-emission car.

Once Nissan reached its goal of pre-selling 20,000 cars in the U.S. in September 2010, it stopped taking orders. … Read more

Looking to breathe a bit of excitement into its electric vehicle efforts, Nissan will be putting its Leaf of the race track--if but in name alone.

Debuting at the 2011 New York auto show, the 100% electric Nissan Leaf Nismo RC (Racing Competition) prototype shares little more than its lithium-ion battery technology, general styling cues, and its name with the Nissan Leaf we're familiar with. The RC wheelbase is 3.9-inch shorter wheelbase, overall height has been chopped by 13.9 inches, and there are two fewer doors. However, the racer is 0.8 inches longer overall and 6.… Read more

Nissan Motor has received complaints from owners that its Leaf electric car on occasion fails to start, posing a potential setback for the automaker's goal of promoting zero-emission vehicles.

Japan's No.2 automaker said today it is looking into the exact cause, which it traced back to the Leaf's air-conditioning unit. Nissan is investigating whether the glitch was in a certain component or the programing, spokesman Toshitake Inoshita said.

Nissan plans no recall for now since the issue does not affect safety but will decide how to proceed after identifying the source of the problem, he said. … Read more

WASHINGTON--A federal plan to require automakers to standardize keyless ignition systems in the wake of Toyota's unintended acceleration problems is likely to mirror industry guidelines issued in January, an automaker group said.

Large automakers except Toyota said they already comply with the guidelines crafted by SAE International or plan to do so.

These "recommended practices'' seek to counter the variation, driver confusion, and safety problems that have ensued since automakers started installing push-button ignition in luxury models.

The number of models offering keyless ignition has more than quadrupled to 189 in the 2011 model year--including the Hyundai Elantra … Read more

It's not very often that we find ourselves talking about Nissan's entry-point vehicle, the compact Versa, but the current generation, while a bit spartan for a tech car, is well-made and inexpensive. It's also due for replacement.

Late last year, Nissan released a sketch illustrating the design direction for the Versa's next iteration, and now Car and Driver reports on a hunch that the recently revealed Nissan Sunny sedan is our best bet for what to expect from a 2012 Versa, which Car and Driver expects to be announced at this year's New York auto … Read more

GM's Chevrolet Volt and Ford's MyFord Touch and MyKey won the domestic carmakers' gold medals at the Edison Awards gala held in New York last night.

The technology awards show highlights breakthrough products and services and recognizes innovative industry leaders. Basically, it's like the Oscars for technology companies, but with much, much longer speeches and videos.

In the Personal Transportation segment, the Chevy Volt beat out the Copenhagen Wheel by Senseable City Lab and the Nissan Leaf for first place. Senseable City Lab and Nissan earned the silver and bronze medal respectively.

Ford was the big awards … Read more

NASHVILLE -- Nissan North America believes its carefully choreographed launch of the refreshed 2012 GT-R sports car will go as planned despite the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The company expects the 620 U.S. dealers that sell the GT-R to get all of their allocated vehicles during the model year -- and possibly a few more, says Rich Latek, marketing director for the model line.

Latek says 70 percent of the 2012 GT-Rs allocated for U.S. dealers are on the ground in the United States or in transit.

Last week, the company issued a statement saying the disaster … Read more

Welcome to CNET Roadside Assistance, the show were the Car Tech guys take some time to respond to your queries and highlight your comments. This week, Nissan and Mazda's performance cars go head-to-head, a BMW driver wants help steering clear of iDrive, and LOL cars are back.