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Mercury Sable Latest Recession Casualty
The last Mercury Sable will roll off the assembly line this Thursday. The latest casualty of the worldwide economic downturn, the Mercury-branded Taurus has been produced alongside its vastly more popular brother since 1986 – with a short production stoppage in 2006. While Ford recently unveiled an all new Taurus, the decision was made to…
New Fisker Karma Video Shows It’s a Performance Car Too
It’s the Fisker Karma like you’ve never seen it before. This video (no doubt leaked on YouTube to keep up the marketing buzz surrounding the luxury hybrid) shows the Karma sliding through pylons and screeching its tires. Until now all we’ve ever seen are carefully crafted beauty shots and auto show snaps. With just over…
Chrysler to Close 789 Dealerships by June 9th
According to the latest bankruptcy court filings by Chrysler, the company plans to cut 789 dealerships (one quarter of the current dealer network) in an effort to emerge as a financially viable company. The company sent out overnight letters to the dealerships that will be eliminated. As expected in bankruptcy, Chrysler will not buy-back the…
Chrysler Resale Values Drop 6% In One Week After Bankruptcy Filing
Resale values on Chrysler products like this Dodge Challenger SRT8 went up in smoke after the company filed for bankruptcy. According to Automotive Leasing Guide, the resale value of a Chrysler vehicle dropped six percent in the week following the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. In just seven days the uncertainty about Chrysler’s future crept…
Chrysler Bankruptcy May Take Two Years Says New Report
From start to finish, Chrysler’s bankruptcy proceedings could take as long as two years, according to a Bloomberg report. The article cites an administration official, and says that the initial period of 30 to 60 days for the “quick and surgical” process only refers to the period required to sell the major assets to a…
General Motors Planning To Sell Chinese-Made Cars to Americans
According to a leaked document, General Motors is planning on selling Chinese-built cars to Americans in the near future. The document does not specifically state which vehicle or vehicles could be exported to the U.S., but it does suggest that small cars would be the focus. There is speculation that it could be a sub-compact…
GM Exectives Sell Off Stock As Sign That Bankruptcy Certain
GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz Kisses a Saturn Astra. Recently he kissed-goodbye to all his stock in the company. In a move that should probably be illegal (but isn’t) six General Motors executives recently sold off all their shares in the company. That’s right, those same guys who helped drive GM into bankruptcy traded in…
Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky Not Dead Yet
It’s not exactly the sort of news worthy of a celebration, but some cautious optimism is certainly appropriate as word comes that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky might not suffer the same fate as almost every other fun vehicle under the General Motors umbrella. Fritz Henderson, GM’s new CEO said that the company would…
General Motors Cuts More High-Performance Models
Late last week we reported that GM was ceasing production of the Cobalt SS Sedan and now the automaker has confirmed several other performance models will get the axe. That’s right, the latest vehicles to face the guillotine in this French Revolution-style automotive bloodbath are three (or four depending on how you look at it)…
Ford May Sell “Ka” Microcar in U.S. to Compete With Fiat-Sourced Chryser Model
There is a definite possibility that Ford’s European Ka microcar could make its way to dealerships in North American in the next few years. A new second-generation Ka was just launched in Europe in 2009, using either a 68hp 1.2-liter gasoline engine or a 74hp 1.3-liter diesel engine. At just 142.5-inches long, the Ka is…
Corvette ZR1 “Hero Edition” To Be Raffled Off For Charity
General Motors has built a one-off “Hero Edition” Corvette ZR1, which will be raffled-off for charity. The car will be paired up with a 1967 Corvette 427 convertible and will be given away to the lucky ticket holder at the end of the year as a part of the Win The Vettes Corvette Dream Giveaway….
General Motors Axes Cobalt SS Sedan
Thanks to a little investigative journalism, the folks over at Autoblog have uncovered that General Motors will cut the Cobalt SS Sedan from its product lineup for 2010. A sad day indeed. The discovery came about due to GM hosting its Order and Reference Guides online. Look for the Cobalt and noticeably absent is the…
GM Canada Adds Shifts to Keep Up With Camaro Demand
As General Motors continues to report record losses, there are still some small success stories to report. The reborn Chevy Camaro is one of them. While plants are being idled and employees being let go across the company, at the Camaro assembly plant in Oshawa, Canada, workers can’t keep up with demand. The Peterborough Examiner…
General Motors Posts $6 Billion Q1 Loss
General Motors has once again posted a massive quarterly loss, coming up short to the tune of $6 billion for Q1 of ’09. That is roughly the equivalent of the value of 473,000 Chevy Aveos. The company burned through $10.2 billion during the period, lowering its cash reserves to $11.6 billion from $14.2 billion at…
Nissan-Renault Latest Candidate to Buy Saturn
The sale of Saturn to Nissan-Renault could see cars like this Mégane Renault Sport roaming U.S. streets. The rumor mill keeps churning out new and exciting candidates interested in buying GM’s Saturn brand. The most recent speculation is that Nissan/Renault might be interested. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the Nissan-Renault interest in Saturn, while…
Ford Transforming Michigan Trunk Plant into Compact Car/Electric Vehicle Plant
Ford will spend $550 million to transform it’s Michigan truck plant into a facility that bill be used to built the new Ford Focus, including an electric version of that vehicle. By transforming the Michigan Trunk Plant into a compact car facility as many as 3,200 jobs will be saved as demand for large SUVs…
Chrysler Bankruptcy Filings Shed Light on Which Fiat Models Headed for U.S.
The Fiat Panda is just one of several cars that will be sold in the U.S. under the Chrysler/Fiat alliance. It will most likely be badged as a Jeep. There has been plenty of speculation as to which Fiat vehicles will make it on to North American roads as a result of the merger with…
Ford Focus RS Spied in Detroit
Stoking the rumors that Ford is planning to bring its impressive Focus RS to the U.S. are some amateur spy photos of the hopped-up compact, taken just outside Detroit. Forum user 2004SVTAutoXer took the photos in the up-scape Royal Oak neighborhood and posted them on FocusFanatics.com. The 2009 Focus RS is powered by a turbocharged…
Before Bankruptcy Chrysler Tried to Sell to Chinese, Partner with Everyone
Before Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 late last week the automaker explored every option, including selling the company to the Chinese and forging partnerships with any other manufacturer that expressed even a remote amount of interest. In public bankruptcy filings, made at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, Chrysler’s co-president and vice-Chairman Tom LaSorda…
Pontiac Dealer Wants to Buy Brand, GM Not Interested
Jim Waldron, the owner of a Pontiac dealership in Michigan has revealed that he and a group of investors submitted an offer to buy the scheduled-for-termination Pontiac brand from GM. Waldron made the announcement on ABC’s local WJRT station and said that he expects to hear back from the company this week. GM representatives, including…
Chrysler to Idle Plants During Bankruptcy
Starting Monday, Chrysler will idle most of its plants as the company restructures under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. This will include 8 U.S. assembly plants, as well as facilities in Canada and Mexico. Other pre-assembly facilities will also face temporary closure including five North American engine plants, six stamping plants and seven transmission plants….
Chrysler Officially Bankrupt: Merger With Fiat A Done Deal
At a mid-day press conference President Barak Obama made the official announcement that Chrysler will in fact file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Included in the announcement was the news that Chrysler has also reached an agreement with Fiat. “I can report that the necessary steps have been taken to give one of America’s most…
Obama to Announce Chrysler Bankruptcy Tomorrow
President Obama is expected to announce tomorrow that Chrysler will in fact file for bankruptcy; according to a report by Bloomberg. The Wall Street Journal, however, says that Obama currently has two speeches drafted for tomorrow’s press conference: one if the struggling automaker files for Chapter 11, and one if it doesn’t. The Chapter 11…
Ford Fusion Hybrid Sets World Record, Driving 1,445 Miles On One Tank of Gas
On Saturday, April 25th at 8:15 a.m., Ford set out to show just how fuel-efficient its new Fusion Hybrid sedan really is. With drivers including NASCAR racer Carl Edwards, as well as CleanMPG.com founder Wayne Gerdes and several FoMoCo engineers, the team drove the 2010 Fusion Hybrid non-stop until it ran out of gas. Ford called this…
