Industry News

(from Auto123) For whatever reasons, the best-selling models across Canada for the first eight month of the year (according to DesRosiers' calculations) are as follows (with 2004's results in brackets): 1) Ford F-Series 49,113 (49,045, 0.1 percent) 2) Honda Civic Sedan/Coupe 46,131 (43,710, 5.5 percent) 2 Dodge Caravan 46,100 (47,280, -2.5 percent) 4) Mazda3 38,322 (32,426, 18.2 percent) 5) Toyota Corolla 32,188 (31,773, 1.3 percent) 6) GMC Sierra 27,212 (26,485, 2.7 percent) 7) Chevrolet Silverado 26,002 (25,033, 3.9 percent) 8) Dodge Ram Pickup 25,477 (28,135 -9.4 percent) 9) Toyota Echo 22,754 (21,559, 5.5 percent) 10) Ford Focus 19,647 (20,919, -6.1 pe…

autonews "Main point: U.S. automakers must use their engineering and scientific talent to level the playing field with Japanese competitors. Tougher federal regulation could help."

For the first time since 1998, J.D. Power is revamping its influential survey that tracks new car and truck quality, and the changes could increase the number of problems and gripes reported by owners by as much as 40 percent on some models. The third-generation study, which collects nearly 60,000 surveys from new car and truck buyers after 90 days of ownership, contains more detailed questions than previous Initial Quality Studies and allows consumers to reply in essay form. more at link http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../605110403/1148

UAW May Negotiate With Big Three At Once William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 28, 2011 UAW President Bob King said the union may hold contracts talk with Detroit Three at the same time. King was speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Automotive Press Association in Detroit talking about UAW and the future. “We have very advanced and good relationships, and we should be able to work together. I would hope that we don’t have to get to the point of picking a target.” King said to reporters. Usually, the UAW picks one automaker they think can give them the best contract and then uses that with the other automakers. This gives UAW members…

Link to Autoblog article

Bob Lutz to Retire at the End of 2009 GM today announced that Bob Lutz will step down at the end of 2009. Starting April 1st, he will transfer into a new role as Vice Chairman and Senior Adviser. His replacement, at least for the time being, will be Thomas Stephens, who is currently serving as GM’s Executive Vice President, Global Powertrain and Global Quality. We at C&G wish to thank Mr. Lutz for all he as done for GM. Nearly all that is positive about GM these days is somehow his doing. The new Malibu, the LaCrosse, the Kappa cars, the Volt, the Camaro - all his. His quotes kept us energized and entertained. Bob, you will be missed.

REPORT: General Motors in "intense" bankruptcy preparations Unnamed sources are reporting that GM "is in 'intense' and 'earnest' preparations for a possible bankruptcy filing." Follow the jump for more details. http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?showtopic=29912

here "It will be interesting to see whether Toyota can pull off this bit of PR wizardry. For some years the Japanese brand has been given a free pass by the general media when it comes to environmental image. The fact is that Toyota has plenty of fuel guzzling large trucks in its corporate line-up (the Sequoia, for example, gets no better mileage than its Motown rivals and is less fuel efficient than GM's new full-size SUV range). Seemingly unaware of such details, the press at large always picks on GM or Ford when writing about fuel thirsty vehicles. Only last summer's brief but aggressive broadside from the Bluewater Network environmental group broke the spell, by labe…

Pony Car Talk

https://www.transportenvironment.org/press/dieselgate-1st-anniversary-all-diesel-car-brands-europe-are-even-more-polluting-volkswagen Everyone else was far worse in what they put into the air in Europe than VW. Everyone....

How did GM arrive at 230 mpg for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt? Everybody by now knows what the "230" ads were for, but the next question that usually pops into people's head is: "How did GM do that?" Follow the link to find out how. Story Link

3 ports and bright grille = 6 cyl Lucerne http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive...html?page=1&c=y

So What Are The Trade-Ins For The Chevrolet Volt & Nissan Leaf? William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com October 24, 2011 For the first nine months of 2011, more than 10,000 EVs were sold with most of them being the Nissan Leaf. But there arises an interesting question; what are buyers of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt trading in? The LA Times obtained some information from automotive research firm R.L. Polk & Co. The number one trade-in for both vehicles? The Toyota Prius. GM says the Prius is the most frequent car traded in, with 7% of trade-ins. Nissan says the Prius makes up about 18% of trade-ins for a new Leaf. Other facts f…

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com January 13, 2013 We're just a day away from the Detroit Auto Show starting and the leaks have been pouring out. Four automakers: Honda, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen have had their showings prematurely revealed within the past week. We'll start with Honda and their Urban SUV Concept. The concept is based on the Fit and has a sporty and dynamic SUV profile. Next is the Infinti Q50 (Yes, the successor to the G Sedan) which was leaked by Infiniti Canada on their site before being taken down. Luckily someone saved an image of the site and shared it. The Q50 has a similar design to the current M (or should I sa…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25218965#25243533

_ GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe GM has unveiled the first images of the upcoming Cruze hatch ahead of its debut at the Paris Motor Show. Follow the jump for details.

2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM Esperante Extremus: The new GTLM addresses all your Panoz power needs By MARK VAUGHN AutoWeek | Published 01/27/06, 7:25 pm et AT A GLANCE: 2005 PANOZ ESPERANTE GTLM ON SALE: Now BASE PRICE: $89,000 POWERTRAIN: 4.6-liter, 420-hp, 420-lb-ft V8; rwd,six-speed manual CURB WEIGHT: 3461 lbs. 0 to 62 MPH: 4.2 seconds (mfr.) One of the many advantages of buying from a small car manufacturer is that you get to spend quality time with the company principals. Imagine cruising Dearborn in a Model T with Henry Ford. Such was the sensation (on a smaller scale and at a much higher speed) when we spent an afternoon zipping through the Hol…

Automakers Urge U.S. to Emphasize Biofuels, Not CAFE (Update2) By Gopal Ratnam The best way to reduce oil imports and carbon dioxide emissions ``over the next decade is through increased use of bio-fuels,'' said Rick Wagoner, chief executive officer of Detroit-based General Motors Corp. Jim Press, president of Toyota Motor Corp.'s North American unit, broke with his peers on criticizing CAFE. He said Toyota exceeds today's standards and the Japanese automaker favors the program as long as it is ``fair, technologically feasible, cost- effective and does not discourage early compliance.'' ] Wagoner said CAFE has ``failed to meet its intended goal'' of reducing oil de…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - CheersandGears.com Car Wars 2013-2016 CarWars2013-2016.PDF The automotive Product pipeline for the US Market. While this report came out last year, there is some interesting assumptions / analysis made by Bank of America and Merrill Lynch. This report starts off with the basic background and thesis along with industry trends and then dives into company analysis, expected market share shifts, implications for suppliers to dealers and the all mighty conclusion. What was interesting to note is the expected decline in market share by Korean manufactures while Japan stays pretty much the same and US grows. They do see that …

From Croatia, electric super car. 0-100 KPH : 2.6 sec. Claimed to go at least 300 KPH (186MPH). Quite refined for this segment. Interesting body sculpting. We'll see if anything comes of the venture... http://www.designboom.com/technology/rimac-concept_one-geneva-motor-show-2016-02-25-2016/

Henrik Fisker has resurrected his namesake company. Speaking with Bloomberg, Fisker said his new company Fisker Inc. will reveal a "premium, all-electric vehicle in the second half of 2017." Various about this new vehicle and the underlying electric technologies are currently under lock and key. But Bloomberg was able to glean some information about it. The battery technologies developed by Fisker Nanotech - their battery division - promises over 400 miles of range and feature industry-leading battery life that could "match the life of the vehicle." “The technology emanates from several professors from UCLA who have been working on energy storage. We have alread…

Automakers for the most part were hurting in sales during the second quarter. The COVID-19 pandemic and the economy coming to a screeching halt for a brief time caused new car sales to drop by a third according to Automotive News. But there is a slim silver lining to this, full-size pickups have moved into being the best-selling segment of vehicles. According to data from Automotive News, one out of four vehicles sold between April and June was a pickup truck. This helped put them ahead of compact crossovers, which have held the top spot for some time. The reason is that trucks didn't take as big of a hit due to 0 percent financing offers from automakers to help brin…

Very thorough site with breakdown percentages my manufacturer. Link On the very first link on the page, they show you fleet percentages for certain cars. Here are some surprising ones. Chrysler Sebring - 72.4% fleet! Dodge Stratus - 72.2% fleet Chevy Impala - 62% fleet Kia Amanti - 64.7% fleet Pontiac Grand Prix - 52.2% fleet Here's a breakdown by manufacturer of some of the largest fleeted cars. GM was easily the worst...the Impala and Malibu percentages are disappointing. They didn't have any Cobalt figures. Ford had high percentages on the obvious ones like the Crown Vic and Taurus, but they're doing a good job keeping the new cars out of fleets. …

Once Again We’re Driving What’s Not Made Here By LOUIS UCHITELLE | September 30, 2007 | Link to Original Article @ New York Times NOW that the Big Three automakers are shrinking their labor costs — removing what they have so frequently described as the biggest obstacle to selling more cars in this country — they should be able to regain market share. Right? Well, not exactly. The game has changed. The foreign companies against whom the Big Three compete are selling more and more cars that are not made at their factories in the United States, making labor costs here less important. They are importing again — in fact, quietly importing almost as many cars as they did in…

Here's the link to a glowing plug (ahem) for an awesome truck. http://m.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-chevrolet-colorado-diesel-first-drive-review

On Friday, California regulators voted to require that automakers stick with the Obama-era emission regulations for vehicles sold in the state, no matter the efforts of the Trump administration to weaken the standards. This basically means vehicles built for through 2025 model year comply with the state’s standards and can legally be sold there. Beginning with the 2026 model year, vehicles have to meet the stricter standards if automakers want to sell vehicles in the state, along with the 12 other states and Washington D.C. that follow these regulations. This is the latest salvo in the fight between California and Trump administration over emission standards. Back in…

Yesterday I received a letter in the mail saying: Dear EDS stockholder: I am pleased to inform you that a merger of EDS with a subsidiary of HP has been completed in accordance with the agreement and Plan of Merger dated May 13, 2008. The merger was effective as of August 26, 2008. As a result of the merger, EDS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of HP and each holder of shares of common stock of EDS became entitled to receive $25.00 in cash, without interest, for each share of EDS common stock they held as of the merger date. We refer to this amount collectively as the Merger Consideration. Please note EDS stockholders will not become stockholders of HP as a result o…

USA Today article

Hybrids Consume More Energy in Lifetime Than Chevrolet's Tahoe SUV BANDON, Ore., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- As Americans become increasingly interested in fuel economy and global warming, they are beginning to make choices about the vehicles they drive based on fuel economy and to a lesser degree emissions. But many of those choices aren't actually the best in terms of vehicle lifetime energy usage and the cost to society over the full lifetime of a car or truck. CNW Marketing Research Inc. spent two years collecting data on the energy necessary to plan, build, sell, drive and dispose of a vehicle from initial concept to scrappage. This includes such minutia as plant to …

Ford has gained a big advantage in one of the most competitive segments in the auto industry. The company's F-150 SuperCab was the only one of nine pickup trucks tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to earn a "good" rating on an influential new crash test. The vehicle joins its SuperCrew sibling as the only large pickups to earn the organization's "Top Safety Pick" award when equipped with a collision warning system. "Ford is leading the way among large pickup manufacturers when it comes to protecting people in a range of crashes and offering technology to warn drivers of imminent frontal crashes," said Raul Arbelaez, vice president of the IIHS Veh…

G. David Felt - Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.cheersandgears.com Eggshells and Tomato skins, Could this be your next Tire? The Ohio State University took up a big challenge, how to replace a core component in tire manufacturing, Carbon Black! This important component of tire manufacturing was in surplus up till 10 years ago when the Chinese market for auto's took off. A reason tire prices have increased is due to a dwindling supply of carbon black. The Ohio State University took on this challenge to find a replacement that would accomplish 3 things: sustainability, reduced foreign oil and reduction of waste from landfills. Their…

GM's Bob Lutz Reverses Retirement Decision, May Lead Global Marketing Wall Street Journal reports, however, GM PR is mum on this decision. Full Story

original link: http://www.askaprice.com/torque-article.as...ration&item=669 AUTHOR: Haje Jan Kamps PUBLISHED: 16/11/2005 The new Mercedes S class has a sophisticated radar-based braking system - when it works. A TV demonstration ended up in a 3-car pile-up when the S-class' safety radar failed. A German television channel got a bigger scoop than they bargained for when Mercedes showed up with three of their flagship vehicles - only to crash them into each other when a safety demonstration failed. Full article at: http://www.askaprice.com/torque-article.as...ration&item=669

And boy does this thing seem spicy- C&D MT Carfection via Jalopnik I have to say, I never disliked this thing in the first place, but I'm really starting to come around to it. It seems Ford really did make a racecar for the road, and I give them major props for that. In that light, I don't think the fact that it's a turbo V6 rather than a V8, V10, or V12 counts as much as a demerit. If you want a focused track weapon, this thing seems to offer more than even the big names across the pond has available. Bravo, Ford.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_li...foreign_feature

IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2018, Surprise Prius and Ioniq lost out to Kia Niro http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/TSP-List Amazing but for 2018, the Kia Niro bested the Prius and Ioniq as IIHS top Safety pick plus rating. Interesting observation is that this auto beats everyone else out as long as you have all the options checked as the Base Niro is good just not as good as the Niro that was used for testing.

The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) has been giving automakers in Europe various headaches. As we reported last week, Volkswagen has pushed back the U.S. launch of the Arteon to help boost inventory in Europe due to a delay in WLTP testing. Other automakers aren't so lucky. According to Automotive News Europe, a number German automakers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche have halted sales of some plug-in hybrids due to WLTP. In the new procedure, the way that PHEVs are tested reduces the effect of the fully-charged battery. "The vehicles are tested with a full battery, then the test is repeated until the battery is empty, when the…

There seems to be little doubt that Chinese cars will hit the U.S. market some soon – the big question is when. At least one automaker is suggesting that Chinese cars will enter America by way of Mexico, with production starting in 2010 and sales in the United States by 2015 after first making the rounds in Latin America and Canada. That date may have been sooner had we not hit such a nasty global economic crisis. Perhaps the most interesting part of this scenario would be the distribution chain. Instead of using franchised dealerships, Mexican-built Chinese cars could be sold at large retail chains like CostCo and Walmart. GS Motors, the Mexican distributor for China's…

_ Ford Mustang sales top Chevrolet Camaro in May The muscle car wars are heating up. Ford's strong and efficient new engines helped the Mustang take back the sales lead in May, with 10,225 Mustangs being sold compared to 8,931 Camaros. Hit the jump for details. Ford Mustang sales top Chevrolet Camaro in May

Read the last few paragraphs for the vision environmentalist have of the car of the future. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../703140301/1148 Neil Winton: European industry deflecting climate hysteria, for now GENEVA, Switzerland -- Climate change hysteria has erupted across Europe and although experts believe the automotive industry can ride out the storm, structural changes can't be held at bay for long. The industry's hope is that while politicians and environmental lobbyists demand ever tighter fuel economy that could undermine the viability of the German premium car makers, any regulatory regime that finally emerges next year in the European Union migh…

Back in 2008, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) came up with a new standard for light-duty pickup tow ratings. Called J2807, the standard would simplify the testing methods for determining the max tow weight a light-duty pickup could handle. The standard was to be implemented in the 2013 model year, but it wasn't. Ford in 2012 surprised everyone by saying it would not adopt the new standard for the 2013 F-150 and would wait till the 2015 redesign. GM and Ram followed suit there after. The reasoning behind this? J2807 would have likely lowered the tow ratings and that wasn't something you really wanted to market. Toyota was the only manufacturer to do it and saw it…

...because the numbers are simply insane. The only downside, according to C/D, is that the top looks a bit silly with the body kit. Ah, the burdens we must bear. Here's the link: http://m.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-chevrolet-corvette-z06-convertible-manual-test-review

The comedy of errors that is electric car startup Faraday Future continues. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Faraday Future has stopped construction on its $1 billion production facility in North Las Vegas. The company in a statement the decision came down to a changing business strategy. “We have decided to put a hold on our factory at the Apex site in North Las Vegas. We remain committed to the Apex site in Las Vegas for long-term vehicle manufacturing.” Faraday goes on to say they are looking into purchasing an existing building either in California or Nevada. This would allow them to get production of their first vehicle, the FF 91 underway very qui…

We have all been told, large-scale electric vehicle adoption can and will greatly reduce emissions from vehicle tailpipes giving us cleaner air. We have also been told by industry analysts that increased indirect emissions from electricity production and battery production that are not regulated by transport policies will offset the change from ICE to BEV having no affect. With these two statements in mind, a group from Yale SCHOOL OF THE ENVIRONMENT set out to study which statement is true, or truest in regard to the BEVs assembly and use in society. The OEM auto industry is right now in the midst of a major multi-billion-dollar investment of creating and …

First CTS Sport Wagon rolls off the line Production begins at Lansing plant; First-ever wagon joins the CTS line Cadillac's CTS line just got sexier, and the rakish coupe is still months away. The CTS Sport Wagon began production today at GM's Lansing Grand River assembly plant. The brand debuted its first factory-produced wagon, which is arguably the segment's most stylish entry. It's also the first-ever CTS that isn't a sedan. A two-door coupe variant joins the lineup next spring as the brand expands its best-selling range. Discuss the latest CTS variant after the jump.

GM Board Decides to Retain Opel More information to follow, but GM is confirming.

Hyundai and Kia have been hit with the largest penalty in the history of the federal Clean Air Act. The two automakers agreed to a total of $350 million in penalties for overstating the fuel economy ratings for a number of vehicles from the 2011 to 2013 model year. The total was reached through cooperation between the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice, and the California Air Resources Board. Here's how the $350 million breaks down: $100 Million Fine to the Federal Government Surrender fuel economy credits valued at $200 Million Spend $50 Million to upgrade its fuel economy testing procedures “Greenhouse gas emission laws protect the pu…

It's a gauges-only shot, so we don't know exactly where this was happening. But the dials appear to show 0-60 in four flat, which is what Chevy was claiming. Not bad for, what, 38 grand? Link here: http://www.hotrod.com/videos/0-60-mph-in-a-2016-chevy-camaro-ss-25207/25207/

GM to put electric Cadillac Converj into production News about the new Voltec Cadillac has dealers excited and Cadillac mum, but it looks like the Converj is a go! Find out the full details behind the Cadillac Converj in the discussion forum.

General Motors Vice President Ken Cole announces the extension of GM's partnership with the Governors Ethanol Coalition--a bipartisan group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol--to provide several new E85-capable vehicles for use in GEC member states Thursday, March 30, 2006, on the steps of the State Capitol in Austin, Texas. There are 1.5 million GM flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road. GM will add more than 400,000 E85-capable vehicles to the fleet in 2006. Cole also announced E85 ethanol fuel will be offered at approximately 20 Kroger fueling sites in the Houston and Dallas area through collaboration with the retailer and Abengoa Bi…

now we base laws on something not definatively backed by scientific proof? OAKLAND, Calif. -- California is making it mandatory for cars to be labeled with global warming scores, figures that take into account emissions from vehicle use and fuel production. The law requiring the labels goes into effect at the start of next year for all 2009 model cars, though its expected the labels will be popping up on cars in the coming months. The labeling law forces cars for sale to display a global warming score, on a scale of one to 10, which is based on how vehicles in the same model year compare to one another. The higher the score, the cleaner a car is. The score takes i…

The more people say we cannot do something or everything is already good enough why change, society goes through a major revolutionary change. This has never been more true than in the 21st century with those that say why change when ICE or internal combustion engines are perfect do we need to change to a different power train design? The PNW or Pacific Northwest has been a source of disruptive technology for the last 40 years. From Microsoft, Google, Apple to Intel corporation we have seen technology change the way we live. Tesla came on the scene July 1st, 2003 and has been a major disruptor to the auto industry. In mid 2018 Tesla confirmed that they had sustained …

Lutz Voices his Thoughts on the Future of GM's Brands Bob Lutz, never afraid to speak his mind, told the press his thoughts on the future of GM's brands. Most of what he stated we've already known about, however some added detail, and hearing it from Lutz himself, makes this an important read. Follow the jump to see the full article. http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?sh...mp;#entry464865

Child safety advocates lobby for vehicle sensors March 10, 2006 BY JUSTIN HYDE FREE PRESS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Child safety advocates launched a blitz Thursday for bills in Congress that would require automakers to install safety devices aimed at protecting children. The Kansas-based Kids and Cars coalition, along with Consumers Union, say the bills -- one in the House and one in the Senate -- would sharply cut non-crash vehicle accidents that they estimate killed 213 children last year, with at least 1,000 deaths since 1999. Both bills would require automakers to install systems to improve visibility behind vehicles and design power windows that automati…

California and Michigan are currently fighting a chunk of close to $4 billion in federal funding that President Barack Obama proposed last month to develop autonomous vehicles. Both are proposing World War II military sites as the place to test autonomous technologies. But Michigan has an interesting trump card; potholes. Anyone who has driven the roads in Michigan knows they are quite terrible (and that's being somewhat kind). Due to the harsh weather conditions and difficulty in keeping the roads maintained, potholes spring up and can grow into very frightening sizes. “California is not the real world -- they don’t have four seasons. We’ve got real potholes. It’…

A glimspe into the designers behind the Camaro project... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1213115275...=googlenews_wsj Korean Car Designers Make Their Mark On the U.S. Auto Industry Growing Influence in Detroit and Beyond Is Evidenced by Sangyup Lee's Camaro By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU July 22, 2008 These days the Motor City seems to have a Korean accent. In a bid to reconnect with consumers, the Big Three auto makers have been emphasizing bold designs that hark back to Detroit's glory days. But some of the most eye-catching "American" vehicles they've created are actually products of a growing cadre of auto designers born and raised in South Korea that is gaining in…

I don't know if this is legit or not, or if it would stand up to a legal challenge. Retro-active auto equipment laws have a Mt Everest hill to climb to get enacted, and this is one of the most onerous to date.

DETROIT: Record-high prices at US pumps are giving hybrid cars a further image boost as the king of fuel economy, but many automakers are stepping up work on another major alternative to cut fuel consumption: diesel engines. Long seen as a powerful but smog-forming drivetrain reserved for big trucks and buses, diesels are slowly gaining legitimacy in the world’s biggest car market, where many Americans drive large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks for personal use. “Diesel is a no-brainer for pickup trucks — they’re bullet proof, run forever and get great mileage,” said Thad Malesh, principal of California-based research firm Automotive Technologies Research Gr…

Tax Breaks Given on Gas-Guzzling SUVs By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer Sat Feb 18, 2:16 PM ET New tax breaks are available to anyone who wants to help the environment by purchasing fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. But if owners of small businesses really want to save money, they can get even bigger federal tax breaks by buying the largest gas-guzzling SUVs. The disparity is drawing criticism from environmentalists and the Republican chairman of the Senate's tax-writing committee, who is working on a change. Dealers and owners who have benefited from the SUV tax incentive say it helps spur a key part of the economy — auto-making — and allows small business owners…

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com January 16, 2012 A few years ago, a man by the name Scott Devin decided to build an American supercar to compete with the world’s best. So he called on a Swedish designer, Daniel Paulin to design his car. Now, being a new start-up car company, Devon couldn’t develop his own platform or an engine due to not having enough money. So, he went the donor car route for his new car and picked the Dodge Viper. Now, before you start thinking all Devon did for his new car was take a Viper and dress it up, there was more done to it. The Viper V10 was tuned and tweaked to produce 650 HP. The body, designed by Paulin was coachbuil…

May was a horrible month for automakers as many reported sales drops. Part of this can be attributed sales of cars (especially sedans) imploding. According to Automotive News, the 15 largest automakers all posted lower car sales. Overall car sales dropped 16 percent. "We don't get a lot of ups on cars right now, as far as people even wanting a price on them," said Gary Uftring, president of Uftring Auto Group in Peoria, Ill. "Styling has changed, and what people want to be seen in is a crossover or a sport utility." Case in point, light-truck sales rose 2.4 percent in May. Sedans were the hardest hit for May. Here's a rundown of the big losers, Toyota Ca…

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/pdf/r1098.pdf It's one of those "no duh" things, but they finally correlated roof strengths of various SUVs with their corresponding rollover death and injury rates. After both vehicles were subjected to 10,000 lbs of crushing force... the 2000 Xterra's roof was crushed about 2 inches; the 2000 Explorer's was crushed about 10 inches. It certainly brings back memories of the whole Firestone/Explorer fiasco.. Here's a chart of the NHTSA results: The strongest roof tested is the XC90's, while the strongest relative to vehicle weight is the Jetta's.

Jim Henry has written an article, "Which Auto Brands Should Go?," for Business Week. He admits that it's hard to choose. To read the piece, click here. I'm happy that he says, referring to Buick-Pontiac-GMC (B-P-G), that Buick is in the strongest position globally.

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Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone had any info on the new 2011 GMC replacement vehicle for the Pontiac Torrent. I actually work at CAMI Automotive in Ontario, Canada where the current Torrent is being bulit. Everyone is quiet about the new vehicle they just announced for the factory because there may be layoffs even with the new vehicle. If anyone has any info regarding what it could be, that would be great! Thanks in advance, P.

According to China Daily Wuling Motors, a joint venture of GM, Shanghai Automotive and Wuling Motors sold 36,000 mini EVs in January 2021 toppling Tesla's Model 3 as the worlds best-selling electric car and to add insult even if you combine Tesla Model 3 and Y combined they still did not sell as many EVs as Wuling Motors. Wuling Motor's Mini EV, has no connection with BMW Mini and it comes in two configurations, two or four seater, range of 106 miles and top speed of 62 mph and depending on options sells starting at $4,500 and $6,300. Four months before it went on sale, auto reporters were invited to share their views in March 2020. They over a…