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Fiat Pays U.S. Gov’t $560M For Final Stake in Chrysler
Italian automaker Fiat purchased the U.S government’s remaining holdings in Chrysler today. Fiat paid $560 million to the Treasury Department for the government’s 98,000 shares. Fiat has run Chrysler since the American automaker emerged from bankruptcy protection in June 2009. The U.S government provided a total of $12.5 billion to Chrysler with the funds coming…
Fisker Planning Multi-Gear Transmission to Help Karma Deliver “Veyron Pace”
Anyone who has played around with an electric radio-control car knows that power comes instantly and as a result acceleration is pretty rapid. Expand the idea to a full-size vehicle, and the results are certainly thrilling. So far, all fully-electric vehicles have had a drawback, their single-speed gearbox, which tend to neuter the driving experience….
Ford Marketing Boss Jim Farley says “F**k GM”
Ford’s head of marketing came out today with a brash, succinct statement that strikes deep down into the core of humanity: “f**k GM.” Jim Farley, shown above in a much calmer demeanor, launched this shot across the bow in an early copy of the book “Once Upon A Car,” by New York Times reporter Bill Vlasic….
Chevrolet Sells 2.35 Million Vehicles Globally In First Half Of 2011
Chevrolet has sold 2.35 million vehicles globally in the first six months of 2011, setting sales records in all the top five markets. The first six months of 2011 was the best half year performance in Chevrolet’s 100-year history. The American automaker sold 286,499 more vehicles in the first half of 2011 than the same…
Nissan To Make Leaf Electric Motors In The U.S
Nissan has confirmed today, that starting in early 2013, the electric motor for the Nissan Leaf will be produced at the Decherd, Tennessee powertrain assembly plant. Prepping the plant for the electric motor production has been facilitated by U.S Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program loan funds. The Leaf motor will also create…
1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six “Ghost Car” Goes Under The Hammer
A 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six often referred to as the Ghost Car is to be auctioned July 30 at the RM Auctions St John’s sale in Plymouth, Michigan. This unusual car’s exterior is made of Plexiglas body panels making it transparent. Plexiglas was a relatively new material in 1939, and supplier Rohm & Hass replicated each of the car’s…
Ford Recalling More Than 20,000 Trucks In The US
As a result, the automaker is recalling certain 2004-2011 Ford Ranger pickups, 2002-07 Super Duty pickups, including F-250 through F-550 models, as well as 2002-05 Excursion SUVs.
Sales Of Convertibles Are Falling, Like Their Roofs
Sales of convertibles are lowering like a power hardtop, with an over 50% decline in just four years. Convertibles have never been the most popular of vehicles, owing to people eschewing fresh sunshine for such plebeian concerns such as seats and storage room. But in 2006, convertible sales still managed to account for 2% of…
Ford Kills Blue Oval Certified Dealer Program
After 11 years of irrelevance, Ford silently buries its “Blue Oval Certified” program for dealers—to the surprise of absolutely no one. The certified dealer program aimed to reward good Ford dealers for customer service; dealers spent thousands following guidelines from Ford and J.D. Power & Associates on how to achieve and maintain their certified status. And…
Vaughn Gittin Jr. Drifts Saudi Arabia in a Ford Mustang [Video]
2010 Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. takes his dog and pony show to the Middle East: drifting Saudi Arabia in his Ford Mustang. At the Al Reem Circuit, he puts on a show that would make Ken Block proud. Titled Drifting In The K.S.A, Gittin was given permission to do basically anything around the…
Saab 9-6X Concept Unveiled After Being Axed Six Years Ago
The Saab 9-6X concept was unveiled six years after being axed. The first pictures of the concept have hit the web and was unveiled at the company’s museum in Trollhättan. The 9-6X was based on the Subaru Tribeca and was slated for production but the vehicle was shelved when GM sold their 20 percent minority stake in Fuji…
GM Prepares To Launch EV Smart Grid
From the data gathered, utilities will then be able to decide on the optimum times for charging EVs on the grid, the idea being, that charging them is done during off-peak periods.
Tata Motors May Enter Joint Engine Development Program With Jaguar Land Rover
Today, a report was released regarding the possibility of Tata motors entering a joint engine-development program with Jaguar Land Rover. Tata is currently India’s leading automaker by sales, and presently obtains engines from Jaguar and Land Rover models from the brand’s previous owner, Ford Motor Co. Tata feels that the joint engine-development program would allow…
Chrysler Ousts Ford As Canada’s Number 1 Truckmaker
Chrysler has taken the title of number one light-truck seller in Canada from Ford in the first half of 2011. Deliveries in the light truck segment have grown at twice the rate of the rest of the Canadian auto industry, and Chrysler led in sales last month for the first time in 2011. The Dodge…
GM’s Uzbekistan Arm Helps Spur Growth In Russian Auto Market
General Motors has its hands in all corners of the globe, and while most consumers know about their operations in Europe and South Koreas, their arm in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan is shaping up to be quite the powerhouse in the all-important Russian market. Despite only being in existence since November, 2008 GM…
2012 Ford Transit Connect Rated At 22/27 MPG
t Today, the Ford Transit Connect is targeted at taxi and delivery business where fuel efficiency is a top priority. Initially, the small van was rated for 21 mpg on the city and 26 mpg in the highway. For 2012 Transit Connectgets a 1 mpg bump in each category, for a ratings of 22 mpg…
“Mann Vs. Ford” HBO Documentary To Air At 9PM EST [Video]
In 1955, Ford built America’s largest auto plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, just up the river from New York City. And between 1967 and 1971, Ford dumped hundreds of tons of toxic waste into mineshafts in northern New Jersey—right in the backyards of communities. The sludge of lead, arsenic, Freon, paint chemicals and dioxins poisoned…
Ford Fiesta 1.0L 3-Cylinder Ecoboost Coming To America
While Ford has stopped short of confirming it, a recent article on Automotive News suggests that a Fiesta subcompact fitted with the company’s newest 1.0L Ecoboost 3-Cylinder engine is all but a done deal for North America. Ford confirmed that the engine would make it to America in some capacity, and the motor is only…
3,000 Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego Sedans Recalled Over Fuel Tank
Ford has issued a recall for 3,000 2007 Ford Five Hundreds and Mercury Montego sedans due to faulty fuel tanks. The tank may not have been properly welded between the fuel tank and fuel filler neck. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted that in the event of a severe rear impact, a faulty weld could…
Shelby SSC Tuatara Revealed as New Name of Veyron Rival [Video]
Shelby has just unveiled the name of its upcoming supercar, the SSC Tuatara, which is expected to reclaim the position as the fastest production car in the world. The American automaker’s previous model, the Ultimate Aero TT, came equipped with a twin turbocharged V8 which produced 1,287-hp and beat the Bugatti Veyron. The Aero TT achieved a…
Dodge Caliber Replacement to Get SRT Version?
With the recent launch of several big and powerful SRT models, including the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, high-performance boss Ralph Gilles is now looking down-market. In an interview with Automobile Magazine the new head of the SRT division and an avid car-nut, Gilles admitted that while he loved the Dodge Neon SRT4, when…
Mercury Cougar-Based Bugatti Veyron Kit Car Could be Yours for $89,000
A Bugatti Veyron costs over $2 million, not exactly in the price range for the majority of people on this planet. So what happens when you really want to rock a Bugatti Veyron but can’t afford it? Convert your existing car to look like one, that’s how. This enthusiast in Palm Bay, Florida did exactly…
Jeep Planning MINI Countryman Rival
With Fiat’s backing, Jeep is building a small crossover that takes direct aim at MINI’s Countryman. Will it still be Trail Rated? Because the Patriot and Compass weren’t, which must have been hard for Jeep to resist slapping them with “Trail Rated” badges. This crossover will be even smaller than those two, based on a…
SRT Boss Ralph Gilles Wants Dodge Magnum Back
It looks as though Chrysler may resurrect the Dodge Magnum. The station wagon was one of several vehicles that got axed during the dark days of Chrysler’s bankruptcy and reorganization in 2008 and 2009. “That vehicle was single-handedly killed by one executive who is no longer with the company. He’s retired. A lot of people…
