#EconomyCar

143,8003 Honda Fit hatchbacks from the model years 2007 and 2008 are being recalled in North America due to a defect that could cause the low beam headlights to stop working.

Mazda‘s diminutive minivan, the Mazda5, is the latest car to fall victim to the recall machine, this time a faulty fuel pump being the culprit.

Water that remains in the fuel pump may corrode the electrical connectors for the electrical harness. Should the part fail, the engine may stall and be unable to restart, which could present an accident risk.

NHTSA says 16,200 cars are affected, and the recall will begin on December 11th. Hit the jump to read NHTSA’s official announcement.

[Source: NHTSA]

For all the hype surrounding Ford‘s Fiesta subcompact, which is capable of hitting 40 mpg, it looks like subcompacts, especially those than can hit the vaunted number, aren’t selling all that well in the USA.

Despite being hailed as the vehicle that would motorize a billion-strong economic powerhouse, the Tata Nano has turned out to be a spectacular flop, with November sales totalling just 509 units, from a peak of 9,000 units in July. For comparison, Mercedes-Benz cars, far beyond the reach of a majority of India’s population, regularly sells over 500 cars a month.

Honda has given its European market Jazz (also known as the Fit to us North Americans) a mild refresh, and confirmed availability of the Jazz Hybrid that debuted at the 2010 Paris Auto Show.

Chevrolet‘s Cruze Eco compact sedan has returned 28 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway, allowing it to capture the top spot in its segment for fuel economy.

After bringing you a preview of the Ford Fiesta SEMA exhibit, we now bring you pictures of Ford’s newest compact in the flesh, looking quite a bit different from the Fiestas you might see at college campuses or 16th birthday celebrations across the country.

For the Fiesta’s SEMA debut, Ford enlisted the services of a variety of tuners, among them H&R Springs, Steeda, 3D Carbon, L&G Enterprises, FSWerks and the hilariously named UTI Inc., which is actually a technical college. We have galleries of each of the Fiestas, and the official details on each car are listed in the press release below.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta Steeda

Gallery: Ford Fiesta 3D Carbon

Gallery: Ford Fiesta Custom Accessories

Gallery: Ford Fiesta FSWerks

Gallery: Ford Fiesta UTI

Gallery: Ford Fiesta L&G Enterprises

Gallery: Ford Fiesta H&R Springs

Hit the jump to check out the official press release

Honda has made some improvements to the stop-start system on their Insight hybrid car, allowing drivers to keep the engine off for up to 3 times as long as previous years.

Chevrolet will debut their first television commercial for their Volt electric car during Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday. The ad will tout the Volt’s ability to go farther than other electric vehicles by using its gasoline-engine range extender.

The range issue is a major concern for many potential EV customers, and Chevrolet is hoping to position the Volt as one that can be more than just urban transportation. Shots of freeways, suburban neighborhoods and rural two-lane roads feature prominently throughout the ad, ostensibly to highlight the Volt’s ability to drive extended distances.

Don’t want to wait for the World Series to start? Check out the commercial after the jump:

[Source: Chevrolet Volt]

Chevrolet‘s next Aveo will see more bodystyles beyond the traditional hatchback, with a crossover and a sedan among them.

The folks over at Left Lane News have spied an undisguised Hyundai Accent after it was caught at a well-known hot weather testing location by the spies at Brenda Priddy & Co.

Mazda proudly announced that their upcoming Japanese market Mazda2, set to bow in the second half of 2011, will get an astonishing 70 mpg without any hybrid technology, making it the most fuel efficient gasoline car on the road.

While only a small percentage of buyers actually opt for a manual transmission, offering one usually indicates that a company seriously cares about how their products perform.

Chrysler‘s much maligned Sebring is getting a new name and a new look for 2011. Re-branded as the 200C, the mid-size car from the Pentastar brand retains the Sebrings sillhouette but the new fascias and lights help make the car look substantially better than the outgoing Sebring.

Power comes from a 2.4L four-cylinder or a 3.6L V6, mated to a six-speed transmission. Chrysler’s new V6 family has gotten some stellar reviews, so hopefully this car will finally become more than just fodder for the Budget Rent-A-Car lot. Even if the old Sebring had nowhere to go but up.

Hit the jump for the official press release

[Source: Chrysler]

Toyota was once famous for its “Kaizen” methods of continuous improvement, whereby incremental changes throughout the product development and production process helped make their cars better. Every business school student has heard stories about Toyota plant employees being given authority to stop the production line so that quality issues can be solved – and we’re about to show you the total opposite of that.

To be fair, the Dacia cars are built to a price, rugged machines intended to bring personal transportation to less fortunate parts of the world. Inevitably, some compromises must be made, and as we can see in this video, quality control is one of them. When the doors don’t quite close properly, the best method is of course, brute force.

Hit the jump to see the video

[Source: RideLust]