america
Top 5 Fastest Roads in America
America’s five fastest roads have been ranked and surprisingly, the average driver’s need for speed has been dampened. American’s are traveling more slowly than they were a few years ago, likely due to rising gas prices and increased traffic enforcement. The average speeder traveled 81 mph on America’s top ten fastest roads, which is down…
Diesel Car Sales Up 38.5% with Volkswagen Jetta TDI in the Lead
Diesel sales have vastly improved through the end of July, up 38.5 percent, compared to the same seven- month cycle in 2010. Volkswagen has been leading the sales with the Jetta TDI and Golf TDI. Volkswagen sold 5,206 Jetta TDI models in July, bringing the diesel powered sedan’s year-to-date total to 56,717. On the other…
Fiat 500 Buyers Prefer Premium Trim Levels, Plenty of Options
American consumers buying the Fiat 500 are choosing pricier packages and customized options. The mid level Sport ($17,500) model accounts for almost half of the model’s sales in the first five months of the Italian brand in the U.S. The top level Lounge ($19,500) model represents 20 percent of sales which features bigger wheels, leather seats,…
Honda Recalls 1.5 Million Accord, CR-V and Element Models
Honda has launched a recall for about 1.5 million vehicles in the United States to update the software that controls the automatic transmission. The recall will include the 2005-10 4 cylinder Accord, 2007-10 CR-V and 2005-08 Element models. The issue surrounds a bearing in the automatic transmission system that was not built with sufficient strength and as a result,…
Chevrolet To Launch Spark Subcompact In First Half Of 2012
Today, General Motors confirmed that the Chevrolet Spark subcompact will be sold in the U.S. The Spark goes into production this month as the smallest car sold by Chevrolet. The General Motors executive director of North American production communications, Jason Laird, confirmed that the vehicle will launch between January to June 2012 as a 2013…
New Jersey In Contention To Host F1 Race
With the construction well underway in Austin, TX for a purpose built F1 track, you could be forgiven for thinking the US-F1 deal is settled for the next few years at least, but you’d be wrong. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, New Jersey could come in the picture and host a second…
NICB Releases Top 10 Most Stolen Cars Report
The National Insurance Crime Bureau released its Hot Wheels report today, listing the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. The report examins vehicle theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center to determine the most reported stolen cars. Domestic vehicles have become more popular to thieves over their import…
Sergio Marchionne Has Bold Plans For Maserati’s Global Sales
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ambitious plans for the Maserati, specifically to drastically improve sales almost tenfold from last years 5,675 units sold to 50,000. Marchionne believes this is attainable through three new Maserati models, all based on systems and components from Chrysler Group. Maserati will introduce two sedans and an SUV with technology from…
First Audi TT RS Sold In U.S. Marks Return Of RS-Branded Cars
The official launch of the eagerly anticipated Audi TT RS took place with the first vehicle was delivered to veteran race car driver Don Istook. Last year, Istook was one of more than 11,500 fans that signed a Facebook petition to introduce the TT RS to the U.S. Istook was also one of the first…
GM Has Plans To Expand Compact Car Lineup
GM may decide to expand its compact car segment with a coupe version of the 2012 Verano sedan that will launch this fall. The Verano coupe has not been given the green light, though it would be an Opel Astra GTC with Buick style accents. Issues regarding the Verano coupe include how to insert a…
GM May Add 8-Speed Automatic, Turbo Engine To 2014 Full-Size Trucks
With fuel economy being one of the for most issues for the entire auto industry, GM may plan to add eight-speed automatic transmissions and turbocharged engines to its next generation of full-size trucks. There has been no official word from GM concerning the powertrain decision to replace the outdated GMT900 full-size pickups and SUVs, but there is reason…
Fiat 500 Now Avaialbe with $199 Monthly Lease, 1.9% Financing
Fiat has returned to the U.S after a nearly three-decade absence, and the Italian automaker is eager to make a positive impression on the American consumer. So far, dealers are happy with the initial sales of the 500 but see the need for more ad support to sustain long-term growth of the brand. As part…
GM CEO Confirms Chevy Cruze Diesel Version In U.S
General Motors has officially confirmed that there will be a diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze compact car in the U.S, planned for introduction in 2013. The current Chevrolet Cruze Eco is rated at around 40 mpg on the highway, so the diesel would have to deliver significantly better fuel efficiency than that to justify…
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…
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…
Hyundai And Kia Expect To Sell 1.06 Million Vehicles In U.S This Year
Yesterday, Hyundai Motor Group said it is expecting to raise its U.S auto sales by 18.2 percent this year to 1.06 million vehicles, an improvement from a previous target of 1.01 million. Hyundai would to sell 624,000 units and Kia with 433,000 in the U.S. Both South Korean automakers are experiencing fast growth in the…
Fiat Asks Chrysler To Increase Freemont Production
Fiat has asked Chrysler to boost Freemont output after European demand soars for the rebadged Dodge Journey. Last June, with the Freemonts introduction, Fiat hoped to sell 13,000 of the minivans this year, however the automaker has already collected 15,700 orders. Fiat planned to sell 33,000 Freemonts in 2012 and as a result, Fiat was…
Toyota Issues Recall For Highlander And Lexus RX400h Hybrids
Toyota has officially announced a recall of certain 2006 and 2007 model year Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles. The recall will affect 45,500 Highlander hybrids and 36,700 RX 400h’s. The issue stems from the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the hybrid system inverter that contains a control board with transistors. Certain transistors on the…
Wal-Mart Is Rolling Back Gas Prices for 4th of July Long Weekend
Wal-Mart is rolling back gas prices just in time for the Fourth of July driving weekend. The retailer is offering ten cents off a gallon at Wal-Mart and Murphy USA stations if purchased with a reloadable Wal-Mart gift card, MoneyCard or a Wal-Mart credit card. The discount gas is available until September 30th, but is…
Australian V8 Supercars Might Be Headed To America
Move over NASCAR, some new V8 racing cars are coming to town, to show whose the new boss. We are talking about the possible introduction of the Australian V8 Supercar series to North America. Over the last decade, this Aussie racing series has expanded beyond its island home, having staged races in China, New Zealand…
U.S Auto Industry Recalls Declining
American automakers are performing much better regarding vehicle safety recalls compared to their Japanese counterparts. Approaching the middle of 2011, there have been 59 recalls, potentially affecting 6.8 million cars and light trucks. In 2010 at this point in the year, there had been 65 recalls potentially affecting 9.6 million light vehicles. Toyota, whose reputation…
Fiat North America Launches National Ad Campaign On July 4
Fiat North America is ready to launch its first national ad campaign. The new campaign will kick off with a special event on July 4, the 54th anniversary of the original Fiat 500, said Laura Soave, head of Fiat North America. “We’re confident we can do a national launch and have the network in place…
Osama Bin Laden Shift Knob Adds Class, Patriotism To Your Ride
Want to double-clutch on Osama’s face? The world’s most infamous terrorist can bring a touch of taste and sophistication to your ’77 Monza, thanks to the American Shifter Company and its latest gear-driving artistic creation, the Osama Bin Hidin’ shift knob. What better way to celebrate the efforts of America’s military operations in the War On…
Americans Choose Fuel Efficient Compacts Over Hybrids
Even with high gas prices, Americans are choosing fuel effiecient compacts with conventional gas engines over pricier gas-electric hybrids. Sales have steadily increased with the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze while hybrids are showing little activity. Hybrid sales in the U.S peaked in July,2009 peaking at 3.6% and last month sales were down…
