Lenny Ignelzi / AP
Investigators study the scene of a three vehicle crash on a rural highway in which four people were killed and three injured on Friday in Poway, Calif. The Chevy Silverado was speeding northbound on State Route 67 between Poway and Ramona in damp, misty conditions when the driver apparently lost control, crossed into oncoming traffic.
Mike Baker / AP
Firefighters discuss how to remove a man from a car after he crashed it into TVW Studios in Olympia, Wash., on Wednesday. The vehicle crashed into the side of the building Wednesday afternoon and was left hanging over an alley. The driver was alert and talking with emergency responders as they worked to figure out a safe way to remove him.
AvtoVAZ via Reuters, file
An undated photo of an AvtoVAZ Lada Klassica (Classic) 2103. "The Classic was an unattainable dream for many men" in Soviet times, says Vyacheslav Lysakov, the head of a motorists' association.
Reuters reports — Russia is ending its long love affair with a car that was once prized by the nation but has come to symbolize the decline of its automobile industry and, for some, the country itself.
Although the outmoded box-like series of family cars is ridiculed abroad, many Russians consider it a last link with an era when they believed the Soviet Union could win the Cold War, and see its demise as a sign of Russia's diminished status. Continue reading.
Jacky Naegelen / Reuters
Police gather at the entrance to the Chaussee d'Antin La Fayette Metro station in Paris after a car accidentally drove into it, April 24, 2012
See more unusual car accidents on PhotoBlog:
Rebecca Cook / Reuters
The Lexus LF-LC sports car concept is driven onto the stage during the first press preview day for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Jan. 9, 2012.
Mike Cassese / Reuters
Upscale sedans, fuel-efficient electric cars – and old-school muscle cars – make their debuts at the 2012 North American International Auto show.
Paul Eisenstein reports on msnbc.com that the huge midsize market segment is now up for grabs, with the two long-standing giants, Toyota and Honda, suddenly facing some serious challenges from an assortment of American, Korean and even German alternatives.
“We think we have a real opportunity to keep growing Fusion sales” by delivering a mix of stand-out styling, good mileage and more features than buyers would normally expect in the segment, said Ford’s global marketing czar Jim Farley.
View our slideshow to see many of the new models.
Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images
The MINI Roadster is introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show on Monday.
Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters
Vehicles are seen after floodwaters receded at the Honda factory in Ayutthaya province on Nov. 26. Thailand's worst floods in 50 years have killed 610 people and devastated industry, but the situation is slowly improving, with water receding in many affected areas.
Apichart Weerawong / AP
Workers walk amidst Honda cars that were damaged by the flood before the destruction demonstration at Honda automobile plant in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand on Dec. 27. The 1,055 unit of Honda cars, mostly Brio eco-cars and City subcompacts, were destroyed in an action to assure to customers that the flood-damaged cars will not be repaired and sold.
In an effort to prove that no flood damaged vehicles will be sold to customers, the Honda factory in Thailand's Ayutthaya province began destroying over 1,000 cars. The factory was one of the hardest hit by the several months of record flooding, which only receded a few weeks ago. The devastating floods were the worst the country experienced in 50 years and left over 700 people dead. According to AFP, the scrapping process is expected to take one month.
Honda's production was disrupted from the floods and only recently returned to normal. According to AP, American Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel says it will not be until March that dealers will be fully restocked.
Aerial images of the submerged cars in the Honda lot provided powerful visuals of the effects of the severe flooding on businesses. (One of the images made it into our selection of the Year in Pictures: 2011.) The area is home to large production centers for global car and computer industries. According to Bloomberg, Toyota had to suspend local production of its Camry and Prius lines, and Apple faced delays in parts used for Mac computers. Western Digital shares hit a year low in October and is now working to regain their losses, according to Reuters.
See more images of the severe flooding in Thailand on PhotoBlog.
Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP - Getty Images
A Honda worker lifts a flood damaged car at the Honda factory in Ayutthaya province on December 27, 2011. Japanese car assembler Honda automobile (Thailand) started to scrap 1,055 cars which were damaged by the recent floods in Thailand, ensuring that damaged parts would not be sold, the company said in statement.
Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP - Getty Images
A flood damaged Honda car is destroyed at the Honda factory in Ayutthaya province on Dec 27. Japanese car assembler Honda automobile (Thailand) started to scrap 1,055 cars which were damaged by the recent floods in Thailand, ensuring that damaged parts would not be sold, the company said in statement.
Ben Earp / The Star via AP
Shelby Police talk to a witness after Police say a juvenile backed a car up a utility pole support wire Tuesday evening in Shelby, N.C., on Dec. 13.
I guess the best thing that can be said about this stunt is that it is a testament to the strength of those wires. I never would have imagined they have the ability to support a car.
Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger
A neighbor takes a peek at a Nissan Pathfinder which crashed and landed in the house belonging to Gloria Sinclair, 74, late on Dec. 8, 2011, near the intersection of West Market Street and Wickliffe Street in Newark. No one was injured, but Ms. Sinclair was home at the time with her daughter and 2 year-old grandson. A few short minutes before the accident, her grandson had left that room, a computer room, which the SUV crashed into.
Well. That's one way to find a parking spot. I hope disgruntled New York City drivers out there - myself included - don't take this as inspiration when circling the block for the hundredth time after a long night of looking for that elusive spot.
According to the Star-Ledger, this scene occurred after a driver lost control of her SUV when driving in Newark, N.J. Fortunately, after landing in the second story of a home, no injuries were reported.
“You thought it was a bomb, maybe it was an explosion downtown,” said Evelyn Sykes, 28, who lives several houses away from the accident scene. “The house shook and the windows were shaking.”
“Of course,” she added after she saw the SUV, “I wasn’t expecting to see that.”
A dark Nissan Pathfinder was deeply embedded inside the room on the second floor of the house, leaving a clean, gaping 10-foot-by-10-foot hole where two windows once were.
Five minutes earlier, Gloria Sinclair’s grandson and daughter had been in the room where the SUV was. Sinclair had been watching television in the next room over when the vehicle struck. Read the full story.
For more images from the scene see the Star-Ledger's photo gallery on the accident.
Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger
A Nissan Pathfinder crashed and landed in the house belonging to Gloria Sinclair, 74, late on Dec. 8, near the intersection of West Market Street and Wickliffe Street in Newark.
The Associated Press reports from TOKYO:
An outing of luxury sportscar enthusiasts in Japan ended in an expensive freeway pileup — smashing a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes likely worth more than $1 million together.
Kyodo News via Reuters
Police officers investigate wrecked luxury cars at the site of a traffic accident in Shimonoseki on Dec. 4, 2011.
Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP - Getty Images
Damaged Ferrari sports cars along a stretch of the Chugoku highway following a 14-vehicle pile-up on Dec. 4, 2011.
Police say they believe the accident Sunday was touched off when the driver of one of the Ferraris tried to change lanes and hit the median barrier. He spun across the freeway, and the other cars collided while trying to avoid hitting his car.
Video of the crash aired by NTV, a major national network, showed several smashed, bright red Ferraris cluttering the freeway.
No one was seriously injured, but police in Yamaguchi prefecture said 10 people were treated for bruises and cuts. Police say 14 cars were involved altogether. Read the full story.
AP
Police officers investigate damaged Ferrari cars at the site of a traffic accident on the Chugoku Expressway in Shimonoseki, Japan, Dec. 4. Thirteen sports cars, including eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes-Benz, were involved in the accident, slightly injuring 10 people.
Kyodo News / AP
Police officers investigate damaged luxury cars at the site of a traffic accident on the Chugoku Expressway in Shimonoseki, Japan, Dec. 4.
Traffic police spokesman Mitsuyoshi Isejima called the event "a gathering of narcissists," according to Bloomberg. He said the drivers were aged between 37 and 60 years old.
A highway in Japan is littered with smashed luxury cars and their parts after eight Ferraris, two Mercedes and a Lamborghini collide en route to a car show. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Related content: Even the crashes are stylish - Million-dollar wreck in Monaco.
Srdjan Suki / EPA
Brazilian Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Scuderia Ferrari in action during the second training session at the Italian Formula One circuit in Monza, Italy, 09 September 2011. The Grand Prix of Italy will take place on 11 September 2011.
Check out this interactive map of the circuit.
Nigel Roddis / Reuters
Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain has a pit stop during the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, central England, July 11.
Clive Mason / Getty Images
Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari drives on his way to winning the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit on July 10, in Northampton, England.
Nigel Roddis / Reuters
Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain celebrates winning the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, central England, July 11.
Paul Gilham / Getty Images
Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari celebrates on the podium after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit on July 11.
It's been a tough season for Ferrari this year, and even though Alonso's been driving well, this was his first win of the season. Read the full story here.
Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP - Getty Images
A man looks at the cretion of Valery Bulgakov, right, a former pilot, during the Autoexotics motor show in Moscow on July 6, 2011. Bulgakov converted a standard, Soviet-made Tavria car into a plane, which could be used to train for takeoff and landing, as it reaches a maximum speed of 95 kms (60 miles) per hour it can fly up to three meters (9 feet) from the ground.
I wonder if he was inspired by the book, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?'
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