Industry News

At Witz’ End: Can Detroit Survive? We ask the experts – and get some hope. by Gary Witzenburg (2007-07-23) Link to Original Article @ thecarconnection.com A lot of hands have been rightly wrung and ink well consumed lately over "Detroit's" prospects for survival. Given all U.S. companies' huge cost disadvantage vs. competitors based anywhere else, can our final three besieged U.S. automakers overcome that plus their union, an indifferent and often hostile federal government, our import-loving media and an apparent majority of Americans still refusing to believe they are worthy and competitive? We recently asked a trio of trained observers and got some enlight…

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The New York Times dropped a bombshell of a report last week saying that German automakers funded an experiment that had 10 monkeys in airtight chambers, inhaling diesel fumes from a Volkswagen Beetle TDI. The experiment took place back at an Albuquerque, New Mexico laboratory in an effort to prove newer diesel vehicles were cleaner than older models. But researchers were unaware that the Beetle used in the experiment was equipped with a defeat device that allowed it produce fewer emissions in the lab than on the road. This experiment was brought to light via a lawsuit against Volkswagen in the U.S. The European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Tr…

According to an interview done by Steve Fowler at Auto Express UK, Thierry Bollore the new CEO of Jaguar Land Rover is considering taking Jaguar pure EV to be a Tesla / Polestar competitor and would start with the new Baby Jaguar concept they built. This is a Tesla 3 sized luxury 4 door sedan. This comes after so many stories about the Flagship XJ EV being postponed as they focus on ICE auto's. Jaguar has confirmed that due to the success of their i-Pace CUV, they are moving forward with delivery of the XJ EV in 2021. Castle Bromwich will be home to all electric auto's that they make including the Road biased Range Rover EV. This comes after sales of…

New purpose built police vehicle that looks pretty cool, has a diesel engine, and is AMERICAN!!! http://carbonmotors.com/

SAAB TO BE SHUT DOWN INABILITY TO SELL KILLS GM's QUIRKY BRAND 1947-2009 2009-12-18 Detroit. General Motors announced today that the intended sale of Saab Automobile AB would not be concluded. After the withdrawal of Koenigsegg Group AB last month, GM had been in discussions with Spyker Cars about its interest in acquiring Saab. During the due diligence, certain issues arose that both parties believe could not be resolved. As a result, GM will start an orderly wind-down of Saab operations. A media conference call with John Smith GM Vice President, Corporate Planning and Alliances will take place at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Discussion: SAAB Sale Cannot b…

This is GREAT news! ----------------------------------------- Hillary, Granholm join political push to aid auto industry By Daniel Howes / The Detroit News Daniel Howes Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery The political free-for-all to "save" Detroit's automakers is under way. Guess who's the first heavy-hitter to take Motown's case to the White House? Not Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Not Sens. Carl Levin or Debbie Stabenow. Not legendary Rep. John Dingell, Big Auto's fiercest defender on Capitol Hill. It's Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who beat Granholm & Co. to the punch l…

So the latest report came out with software bugs being the biggest complaint now. One interesting note is that Mini is still at the bottom of the quality pile and for those that talk about how Great MB and BMW are, Caddilac again beats them on Quality. So what gives, is this just bashing to bash or is the study that flawed? http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/key-car-quality-study-ranks-software-bugs-most-170243393.html Sound off and tell me what you think!

"It's a shame for the Blue Oval then, that it can't build all the trucks it needs because frame supplier Metalsa isn't delivering enough frames. Neither Ford nor Metalsa has said what the problem is, but Ford employees are at Metalsa's Kentucky plant trying to get it sorted out, Automotive News reports. "Overtime shifts at the Dearborn Truck Plant and the Kansas City Assembly Plant have been canceled due to the shortage that's been a problem for at least two months now. The issue is exacerbated by this being the changeover period in production from the old model to the new, which comes with its own issues. That would help explain why even though Dearborn production finis…

From GM-Volt.com...

NAIAS 2009 Despite the doom and gloom the auto industry is facing, the North American Internatinal Auto Show has seen quite a turnout and even a few surprises. GM came out swinging with the production LaCrosse, Equinox, SRX, and Spark. It also surprised us all with the Converj concept, the drop dead gorgeous Cadillac version of the Volt as well as showing the Orlando concept. NAIAS 2009: Buick LaCrosse NAIAS 2009: Chevy Equiniox NAIAS 2009: Chevy Spark NAIAS 2009: Chevy Orlando Concept NAIAS 2009: Cadillac SRX NAIAS 2009: Cadillac Converj Concept Other debuts worthy of mention are Ford's redesigned Taurus which is shaping up to be a class leader, and Chrysler…

http://www.forbesautos.com/news/headlines/...autoturkey.html Automotive Turkeys 2005 by Dan Lienert Forbes.com NEW YORK — The word "turkey" is like the word "lemon," appealing if you're sitting down to dinner, troubling if you're talking about investments. Bankers and theater producers call failures "turkeys," and each year Forbes.com applies the term to cars as well. We do this, naturally, around Thanksgiving. The 10 vehicles in the slide show that follows are the ones that have seen the biggest declines in sales in the American market in the first 10 months of 2005, compared with the first 10 months of 2004. …

Seems we have about 3 million EV auto batteries coming up to be retired from their 10 year run. Where will they go? What will happen to them, in the ground, laying around like old tires, where? According to Bloomberg, seems countries around the world are holding the auto companies responsible for dealing with the batteries and making sure they do not get put into landfills. According to the story, it seems all auto companies are recapturing money by selling these perfectly good batteries for use as storage system from home to commercial applications around the world. Only then after they truly wear out in 20-30 years will the rare earth elements be recaptured to be …

GM July Sales of 189,443 Marks Month-over-Month Sales Increase July month-over-month retail sales increase led by core brands: Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac which were up 12 percent collectively compared with June. Click here or on Headline for Story Link Other Sales Numbers (click on numbers to go to story) Toyota Motors Corporation - 174,872 Ford Motor Company - 158,838 American Honda - 114,690 Chrysler Group LLC - 88,900 Nissan Motors - 71,847 Mitsubishi Motors - 31,314 BMW North America - 21,253 Mercede Benz - 16,228 American Suzuki - 3,507

US car companies trucking out of trouble 26.11.05 By Alastair Sloane Once upon a time, an American car was just that. American cars stood out. They were mostly as big as Texas and covered in chrome. They had big motors in the front, big boots in the back - and big bench seats in between. Some had fins, swept-back things designed to give the car the same presence on land as a shark has in the water. These made some cars look hideous - even to Americans. The fins later came to symbolise American excess, in car design and in everyday living. Classic Americans included the 1949 Ford pick-up, 1955 Chevrolet, with its small block V8, and 1963 Buick Riviera. The Rivi…

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com January 22, 2013 Last year, we reported on new legislation that wouldn't allow any rental-car company or car dealer to loan/sell any recalled vehicle before the necessary repairs have been made. Currently, only new vehicles cannot be sold unless the necessary repairs have been carried out. At the time, rental-car companies opposed the legislation, but have since agreed with it. Now dealers and smaller rental-car companies are fighting for an exemption from this legislation. Bailey Wood, spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association tells USA Today that dealers have a financial incentive to fix recalled c…

The most famous boulevard in Paris, the Champs-Élysées will not see any vehicles for one Sunday every month. The Agence France-Presse reports that the Paris city government will ban vehicles from the Champs-Élysées the first Sunday of every month. The ban will go into effect on May 8th, not the 1st. The reason it is a week later is May 1st is a national holiday and many workers who will be needed to run the scheme will have the day off. This is part of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's plan to improve the overall environment in the city. Since she was elected back in 2014, Hidalgo has backed plans to create more pedestrian zones in the city and ban diesel cars by 2020. She a…

Chinese automaker Geely has introduced a new global brand, Lynk & Co., and their first model, an SUV developed alongside with Volvo in Berlin tonight. Geely's hopes for this new brand is to "disrupt the automobile industry and redesign the process of buying, owning and using a car". The SUV called the 01 looks like a Porsche Cayenne up front and possibly Volvo along the side. Power will come from a hybrid system comprised of a 1.5L three-cylinder engine and electric motor. Other engines options will be announced at a later time. Transmissions include a manual and dual-clutch automatic. The 01 uses Volvo's CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform - something we…

Today’s full-size, light-duty pickup trucks not only can perform an impressive amount of work, they can do so with surprising ease and comfort. Indeed, these do-it-all workhorses are indispensable to individuals and businesses alike for their myriad abilities on and off the pavement. Yet one rises above the others due to refinement and innovations that push the art of the full-size pickup farther than its competition: the Ford F-150. The F-150 is simply the most fully realized full-size pickup truck on the market, and it’s this broad bandwidth—from base-level work truck to luxury four-by-four to factory-warrantied desert racer—that raises the Ford above its peers and …

GM, Koenigsegg sign deal on Saab sale General Motors Co. reached a deal Tuesday to sell its money-losing Swedish subsidiary Saab to Koenigsegg Group AB. Follow the jump for details. http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?sh...c=39946&hl=

Read about this awhile back, but here and article and some pics of a full working concept..... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465329,00.html

Car dealers have more cars in stock as of December since the spring of 2021. The metric car dealers use to measure their supplies is "days of inventory". This measures how long it would take to sell a new car at today's sales price. The age-old industry guideline is 60 days on a car lot. According to Cox Automotive, the average dealer has a 71-day supply. When you have an oversupply, prices start to lower. KBB states that the average for new car prices dropped from November 2022 to November 2023. It's the third straight month with year-over-year pricing decreasing. Due to anticipation of a union strike, automakers stocked up on cars during the summer. When the …

WASHINGTON (AP) - Taxpayers face losses on a significant portion of the $81 billion in government aid provided to the auto industry, an oversight panel said in a report to be released Wednesday. The Congressional Oversight Panel did not provide an estimate of the projected loss in its latest monthly report on the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. But it said most of the $23 billion initially provided to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC late last year is unlikely to be repaid. "I think they drove a very hard bargain," said Elizabeth Warren, the panel's chairwoman and a law professor at Harvard University, referring to the Obama administration's Treasury …

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 13, 2012 Even after its release, Fisker has been having their share of problems with the new Karma; battery defects, software problems, and Consumer Reports having their Karma die during their testing. A former Fisker employee isn't surprised. The employee told GigaOM that Fisker pushed the Karma before it was production ready to try and meet its milestones from the Department of Energy for its $529 million loan. Unfortunately, the report and the source didn't go into details. When asked for comment, a Fisker spokesperson said, “Quality and customer satisfaction are the top priority for Fisker Automotive. Wit…

Renting a car is getting pricier As Big 3 cut fleet sales, agencies keep cars longer, pass increases on to consumers Sharon Terlep | Link to Original Article @ The Detroit News Rental cars in lots across America are becoming more expensive even as the loaner rides are getting older and harder to come by -- a trend for which perturbed travelers can blame Detroit's automakers. Detroit's automakers are selling fewer cars and trucks to daily rental companies, a strategy designed to help boost resale values and cut back on profit-killing rental fleet sales. The tactic is popular on Wall Street and appears to be producing results for carmakers. But it's causing headaches i…

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Auto CEO Compensation CNBC with Reuters has posted CEO compensation for GM, FCA, and FORD for 2015 and clearly also points out GM CEO Barra's compensation jumps 72% to $28 Million for 2016. 2015 Compensation GM CEO Barra - $7.3 Million on $152.4 Billion in sales, $10.8 EBIT earnings. FCA CEO Marchionne - $73.6 million FORD CEO Field $18.6 million Course stock does make up a large percentage of the pay package, but it is interesting to see what they are paid. CNBC-Reuters story

LG Chem to build Volt Battery Packs in Michigan GM announced at the New England International Auto Show that LG Chem would provide the battery packs for the upcoming Volt. The Korean based battery supplier will build a plant in Michigan at a yet to be confirmed location, with GM handling the responsibility of building the complete packs and for all the battery management systems and power electronics. Follow the jump for full details and press release. http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?sh...c=27681&hl=

From Forbes Dan Lienert On Autos 12.29.05 The Big Trend 2006 will be the year American automakers borrow a page from the airline industry and break their social contract with unionized workers. In order for the American auto industry to survive, manufacturers will have to cripple their unions, just as Northwest Airlines did. Delphi Chairman Steve Miller has already demoralized his unionized workers; in 2006 he will force the UAW to abandon a decades-old tradition of gold-plated wages and benefits for its workers. Following suit, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler will begin to chip away at the power of their union workers, too. The Unconventional Wisdom …

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...zMgA&refer=news Q how far can you run into the woods? A.only half way, then youre running out. just something until the official numbers are released. and some good news for the folks over at the blue oval, perhaps care to make any bets?

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 11, 2012 Small cars are on track to to capture the largest share of the U.S. auto market since 1993 according to Bloomberg. Sales of compact and sub-compact vehicles jumped 50% to 240,288 units last month, giving the segment a 19.3% of market share through September. That's only 1.2% off the highest market share that small vehicles ever got back in 1993. “Traditionally small cars were purchased by people who couldn’t afford anything else. Right now, that’s not the case. We see people choosing them because they find them more appealing,” said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst for TrueCar.com. Why are small cars …

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 31, 2013 With automakers and researchers testing autonomous cars more and more, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put its regulatory hat on and announced guidelines that outline the recommended rules for the vehicles and drivers. NHTSA in its guidelines says it recognizes five different levels of vehicle automation. Those five levels are, Level 0 - No Automation: Driver is in complete control of the vehicle Level 1- Function-specific Automation: Vehicle has some features that can temporally take control of the vehicle, such as electronic stability control or pre-charged brakes Level 2 - Combi…

Stumbled across this story on the BBC that shows that 4 major cities will have a ban on all diesel auto's and Trucks by 2025. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38170794 Paris Mexico City Madrid Athens These four cities are implementing complete bans on Diesel to improve air quality. Campaigners are pushing to have London Diesel free also by 2025. Very interesting read, plus I see they are converting more roads into bicycle lanes only. Bummer but the future is an ICE free future for many cities

“Most dangerous car in America.” It’s the title no automaker wants to have, but was given to the Dodge Ram by 24/7 Wall St., a financial publication that put together a list of the worst cars on the road based on testing scores from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumer Reports, the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration and consumer analyst JD Power. The Ram 1500, a long-standing high-selling pickup truck in the US, has a safety track record that "has long been unimpressive," said 24/7 Wall St., noting poor crash testing results. It also scored a poor 2/5 from JD Power's Initial Quality Study. In second place was the Chevr…

Reporting through December 20th, 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has data about manufacturer recalls for the year. Ford has issued 54 recalls affecting 5,692,135 vehicles. Not only is this the highest of any automaker, but it marks the third year in a row that Ford is at the top spot for recalls. Ford had almost twice as many Kia vehicles at 3 million. This was related to leaking brake fluid which is a fire risk. Stellantis came second with 45 recalls and 2.7 million affected cars. Third to fifth place goes to BMW with 29 recalls, Mercedes-Benz with 27 recalls, and Nissan with 22 recalls. Ford had the highest number of recalls bu…

[source: MSNBC] Senate reaches deal on extending 'clunkers' Lawmakers agree to vote Thursday on adding $2 billion to rebate plan WASHINGTON - The Senate reached a deal late Wednesday on saving the dwindling "cash for clunkers" program, agreeing to vote on a plan that would add $2 billion to the popular rebate program and give car shoppers until Labor Day to trade in their gas-guzzlers for a new ride. Following lengthy negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats and Republicans had agreed to vote on the plan Thursday, along with a series of potential changes to the bill, which was passed by the House last week. …

SRT Kicks Off The SRT High Performance Tour Two weeks ago, I had the chance to head down to Chrysler's HQ to see the kickoff of the SRT High Performance Tour. While down there, I had the chance to sit in a roundtable with CEO Ralph Gilles and drive some of the new products. SRT Kicks Off The SRT High Performance Tour A Moment with SRT CEO, Ralph Gilles First Drive & Ride: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 & Dodge Challenger SRT8 392

Is Hybrid Fever Cooling? Interest wanes as mileages come down by Bengt Halvorson | Link to Original Article @ TCC | (2007-07-24) Are some customers less willing to consider hybrid models once their optimistic high-mileage expectations become more realistic? A new study from J.D. Power and Associates suggests that the answer is yes. The firm's 2007 Alternative Powertrain Study found that among all new-car shoppers polled, 50 percent considered a vehicle with a hybrid powertrain. In 2006, 57 percent said that they considered a hybrid. J.D. Power found that hybrid-considering shoppers this year are willing to pay an extra $2396 for a vehicle with the technology, but t…

Hey, it's Back to the Future Day, right? So what better way to celebrate than to talk about the man behind the (time) machine. No, not Doc Brown. Link to the weirdness here: http://blog.caranddriver.com/back-to-the-future-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-delorean-motor-company/

October 5th was a major press release for Genesis-Hyundai-Kia as all three auto companies announced that they would begin shipping their EVs at the start of Q4 2024 with NACS ports on their EVs. With NACS ports, Genesis, Hyundai and Kia EVs will gain access to the 12,000 plus North America Tesla Supercharger stations which have over 50,000 charging stations. Genesis, Hyundai, Kia EVs are built on the E-GMP or Electric Global Modular Platform that is an 800V fast charging platform. The current EV owners that have CCS ports will have access to the Tesla Supercharger network starting the beginning of Q1 2025 and upon receiving their CCS to NACS adapter. …

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...G/70306036/1139 Senators ponder need to limit vehicle power Harry Stoffer | Automotive News / March 6, 2007 - 2:59 pm WASHINGTON -- Senators of both parties said today that the government may have to cool the American passion for high-powered cars and trucks -- in the name of saving fuel. The lawmakers, members of a key Senate committee, also said they don't trust the Bush administration to be tough enough in raising fuel economy standards. "I sense a lot of reluctance and foot-dragging," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, during a hearing on fuel economy. Lawmakers should raise standards by passing a law rather than wait…

It was three months ago that General Motors published a scathing report on its handling on the ignition switch problem. Now its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's turn. This morning, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a 44 page report on NHTSA's handling of GM's ignition switch problem. The report was based on the review of millions of pages of records and interviews with key NHTSA officials and found that a series of critical mistakes and “ample information” already on hand meant that the agency should have found the problem sooner. “Both GM and NHTSA had ample information necessary to identify this defect. It was a failure to process, share…

By Christopher S. Rugaber, The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential race will give labour unions and the embattled U.S. auto industry a strong ally in the White House, and likely will put pressure on oil and gas producers and pharmaceutical companies. His election Tuesday also makes congressional approval of a fresh economic stimulus package - perhaps as large as $150 billion - more likely, economists said. "There is a general consensus that some kind of stimulus plan is called for," said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics. The new president's biggest challenge will be to turn around an economy that many analysts…

SOUTHFIELD, MI – The winners of Ward’s 10 Best Engines awards for 2006 demonstrate U.S. auto consumers still can have it all: Many of the winning engines highlight sophisticated new technology that generates exhilarating performance – but also improves fuel economy. The 2006 list marks the 12th year for the Ward’s 10 Best Engines program, the auto industry’s highly anticipated annual barometer of powertrain prowess. This year’s winners, as well as the vehicles tested, include: Audi AG: 2L FSI turbocharged DOHC I-4 (Audi A3) Audi AG: 4.2L DOHC V-8 (Audi S4) BMW AG: 3L DOHC I-6 (330i) DaimlerChrysler AG:5.7L Hemi Magnum OHV V-8 (Dodge Charger R/T) Ford Motor Co.: 4.…

The next generation of this biomass fuel could be cheaper, more plentiful and arriving sooner than you think. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Cellulosic ethanol, the biofuel that differs from corn-based ethanol in that it can be made from pretty much any organic matter, has made an impression among people who matter. Alan Greenspan, the revered former chairman of the Federal Reserve with a big distaste for irrational exuberance, recently sang its praises before a Congressional hearing on energy security. Greenspan said cellulosic ethanol is the only alternative energy source that could be produced in enough volume to make a dent in gas usage. Full Article - http://money.cnn…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com August 9, 2012 Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors have been making great strides in quality. J.D. Power and Associates' recent Vehicle Dependability Study saw Buick, Ford, and Lincoln above the industry average. Also, Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet, and Ram trucks all ranked above average in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study. However, there is still many people who view these three as inferior vehicles. A new poll from Harris Interactive says that out of 2,634 U.S. adults, 35% said they find the quality of american vehicles to be inferior to imports. The poll also found that 24% of adults find imports to be inferior and 42% f…

Protean Electric is proud to introduce their latest innovation to the auto world, the Protean 360+. A super-efficient, fully integrated in-wheel motor that brings 922lb-ft of torque or 1250Nm with 107hp or 80kW of power per wheel. This give the mobility solution a total of 428 hp or 320 kW of power with 3,688 lb-ft or 5,000 Nm of torque to move the auto. Urban mobility has never had a better option for ultimate maneuverability with the Protean 360+ delivering the following: Limitless 360-degree steering provides exceptional vehicle maneuverability. Pneumatic ride-height control enables 'kneeling' for stepless curb-to-vehicle access. Patent-pending…

Ron Gettelfinger Isn't a Bush Man Gettelfinger would prefer them shaved... President Bush's trade policies, that is. On Monday, the UAW leader argued that Bush's trade policies such as a free-trade proposal with Thailand are hurting the UAW and the American automotive industry. Gettelfinger also denounced Bush's "anti-union" stance. He told his delegates that it is time for a different relationship with domestic automakers as there are tough times ahead (as well as presently). Read "UAW chief warns of changes, slams Bush" @ Yahoo

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 18, 2012 New analysis from TrueCar, an online research firm, shows the average transaction price of new cars are on the rise. TrueCar looked at sales data from last month and found that the average price was 30,748, a rise 6.9% over the previous year. So why the increase in average price? The answer lies in the options list. Consumers are ticking more boxes on the list like never before, with the average new car being very close to “fully loaded.” For example, Ford’s president of the Americas, Mark Fields recently told investors that the Focus is selling for an average of $3,100 more per car than the previous …

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com UnOfficial State Auto In spending time looking over stories in Popular Mechanics, I came across their story on what was the top selling auto in each state or better known as the UnOfficial State Auto. Popular Mechanics Story Link Some I could easily see why the auto was a top seller in comparison to the state and what the state is known for from a gross product producing standpoint. Others clearly surprised me and some have happened truly due to special interest groups and the politicians eating out of those interest groups hands. It is a well known fact that the High Tech Millionai…

G. David Felt - Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.cheersandgears.com Honda Consolidating Assembly plants in Japan It would seem Evolving is the new Honda buzz word as Honda releases a News Release this morning stating that they will be evolving their automobile production systems in Japan by merging their Saitama assembly line into the Yorii plant consolidating respective production strengths. This evolution will allow them to prepare and better guide the company as they plan and prep for the evolving electrification and intelligence technologies that will become standard in the auto industry. This will allow them to use the Yorii plant as a test bed for glo…

Big 3 are Primary Sources for Green and Fuel-Efficient Technologies By James E. Malackowski General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are collectively one of the world's primary sources for the research and development of green and fuel-efficient technologies. As Washington decides on aid to the ailing auto industry, top consideration should be given to the significant potential of these Big 3 technologies for stimulating economic and job growth and creating a greener and more fuel-efficient world. In fact, much of the privately funded green and energy innovation in the United States will stall or likely never come to fruition if the domestic automobile industry fails. Th…

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. Dewar out at Chevrolet & Richards out at Buick - GMC Whitacre now has more opportunities to chose the leadership group he thinks will turn around GM. Dewar out at Chevrolet & Richards out at Buick - GMC

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is able to build vehicles in China thanks to a partnership with Chinese automaker Guangzhou Auto. Guangzhou wants FCA to return the favor by helping them enter the U.S. "Chrysler's development in China required our support. Now for GAC Motor's development in the U.S. we also hope for Chrysler's support and help," said GAC Motor General Manager Wu Song to Reuters at the Beijing auto show. Guangzhou Auto's subsidiary GAC Motor announced its intentions last year to enter the U.S. by 2017. The company has already been talking with dealerships about selling their vehicles and doing tests on U.S. roads. Song told Reuters the company has also st…

By Hannah Elliott updated 10:43 a.m. ET, Fri., Aug. 15, 2008 It might sound surprising, but all-electric vehicles are already on American roads. They just haven't quite made it to the highway yet. A growing cottage industry of Neighborhood Electric Vehicle manufacturers is spurring the development of cars like the Zenn, which has reached a state of vehicular enlightenment so advanced it doesn't even need a tail pipe. "We saw this car in May of '06, and all of us were just freaking out: 'Finally, a car!'" said Steve Mayeda, sales manager at Seattle-based MC Electric Vehicles, which sells 30 percent of Zenn's U.S. inventory, in addition to electric vehicles made by …

The U.S. government in 1975 created CAFE and since that time the push was to make new auto's more fuel efficient. The auto industry has always balked at it but has also always delivered. With that we have seen some interesting trends happen. In 1987 the average auto weighed 3,221 lbs and had 118 horsepower were as in 2008 the weight had increased by 25% and the horsepower had doubled. 2009 is the most current year for full records and that shows that new auto's achieved 22.4 MPG. With a strong economy we are also seeing people leave their efficient cars and move to trucks / suv's so this could really change again. To quote the story of other interesting facts: …

The past few years have seen studies come out that reveal teenagers are less likely to have a driver's license. But a new study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) says teens aren't the only group that are passing on a license. The study which looked at data from 1983 to 2014 reveals that every age group has seen a decrease in carrying a driver;s license. 24.5 percent of Americans aged 16 carried a license in 2014. This is down 6.6 percent from 2008 where 27.5 percent carried one. 76.7 percent of Americans aged 20 to 24 have a license in 2014, compared to 82 percent in 2008. A number of older Americans aren't also carrying lic…

The founder of RBW Classic Cars fell in love at the age of 17 to his first car, the MG Roadster released in 1962. This car styled by Pininfarina went on to sell 520,000 and became so popular that 9 out of 10 of the MG's built were exported out of the country becoming a true British Classic. The second car that became an obsession for our founder was the Jaguar XKSS. RBW Classic Cars started the business of restoration of these two lovely cars and for many years the business grew and to this day still does custom restoration work on original MG and XKSS cars. Yet the wind is blowing and the founder is reading the tea leaves. With Tea in his palm, RBW Classic Electric…

China has announced today that it would be reducing tariffs on U.S.-built cars and car parts from 40 to 15 percent beginning on January 1st. This reduction will last for three months as the U.S. and China begin hashing out a new trade deal. We first reported the reduction of the tariffs earlier this week. China's Ministry of Finance posted on their website said it hopes the talks between the two can go quickly and remove "all additional tariffs on each other’s goods" that were brought forth before the current trade-war. “China just announced that their economy is growing much slower than anticipated because of our Trade War with them. They have just suspended U.…