america
NHTSA Chief Battles Distracted Drivers
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator David Strickland explained last week that he will challenge unsafe infotainment technology that is distracting drivers. “I’m just putting everyone on notice. A car is not a mobile device,” Strickland said. “I’m not in the business of helping people tweet better. I’m not in the business of helping people post…
What Percentage Of Your Car Was Made In America? [Video]
Are you curious to know how much of your car is made in America? Well if you are, Diane Sawyer takes a look into the automotive manufacturing business. ABC World News lauched “Made in American Summer” which focuses on American manufacturing, the economy and how ordinary Americans can help create more jobs in their country….
Toyota Dealer Targets Guinness World Record for Longest Hybrid Parade
A group of green car enthusiasts are looking to set a Guinness World Record in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday, July 24 for the longest hybrid vehicle parade. The event know as Hybrids On Parade, will allow hybrid owners from throughout the Midwest to converge in Madison with 500 hybrids stretching over six miles to break…
GM Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles to Get Two Years of Free Maintenance
Buyers of certified pre-owned GM vehicles will be happy to know that a free maintenance program has been set up to service their cars. Next Sunday, certified pre-owned Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicles will be part of a two year standard maintenance Owner Care program. The arrangement will include a two-year/30,000-mile standard vehicle maintenance program…
Report: Americans Avoid Small Cars Because They’re Fat
Americans don’t buy small cars because we’re too damn fat. There. It’s what we’ve all been thinking all along. And now a report comes by to confirm our deepest suspicions: we buy SUVs and avoid small cars because our posteriors can’t fit comfortably without lumbar support. A report from AOL Autos reveals that there’s a…
California Considers Bill To Shorten Yellow Light Times
The state of California is considering lowering speed limits and shortening yellow light times. The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on Assembly Bill 529. This bill proposes to rewrite the state’s speed trap law so that cities would be able to round down all speed limits. The measure passed the full Assembly by a…
Redesigned Lincoln MKS And MKT To Debut Later This Year
Lincoln sales have been slipping and so far are down 8 percent this year. The automaker has sped up redesign plans for the full-size MKS and three-row MKT as sales have dropped by 40 percent this year for the sedan, and 38 percent for the crossover. The redesigned MKS and MKT will debut at the Los Angeles Auto…
Flo-Rida Receives DUI In Bugatti Veyron
Rapper Flo Rida (real name Tramar Dillard) received a DUI in his $1.7 million black 2008 Bugatti Veyron last night, after police observed the car swerving in and out of lanes. During the 3:30 AM downtown Miami stop, the police could smell the odor of alcohol, so the rapper was given a field sobriety test…
Apple Opposes DUI Checkpoint Apps
Apple has officially rejected any inclusion of DUI checkpoints in its iOS apps. In this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple updated its app store to prohibit applications informing users of DUI checkpoints. This recent update was a result of a group of U.S Senators sending numerous letters of concern to Apple, Google, and RIM, asking…
Mazda6 To Be Built In Japan
Mazda will shift production of their mid-size Mazda6 from the current AutoAlliance International plant (a joint venture with former owner Ford) to Mazda’s facility in Hofu, Japan. “Currently, production of the Mazda6 [known as Atenza in Japan] exists in three locations,” said Takashi Yamanouchi, Representative Director and Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Mazda Motor…
Consumers Believe Gas Prices Will Go Down Or Stay The Same: Survey
According to the latest Kelley Blue Book survey regarding gas prices, new cars and used cars, consumers feel gas prices will improve. In a recent May 2011 survey by KBB, more than half of car shoppers (52 percent) say they think gas prices will either stay the same or go down in the next 30…
Future Of Toyota Matrix In Doubt, Even With Strong Sales in Canada
With Matrix sales slumping in the U.S, Toyota may not invest in a next-generation version when the 2013 Corolla hits dealerships. Only 14,592 Toyota Matrix’s were sold last year in the U.S which is down from 66,836 units in 2002. Matrix sales are still doing well in Canada, but Corolla sales are double that of…
Car Buyers Willing To Pay For More Fuel Efficient Vehicles
With the recent recession and high fuel prices, car buyers are placing a higher priority on fuel efficiency. To save at the pump, buyers are willing to sacrifice purchase, price, amenities and size but not safety, according to the Consumer Reports National Research Center. 1,764 random adult car owners were interviewed between April 28-May 2,…
US Government Buying 101 Chevrolet Volts For Federal Use
The Obama administration will announce today it is buying 116 plug-in electric vehicles and will install charging stations in government buildings in five cities. Of the 116 vehicles, 101 of them will be extended-range Chevrolet Volts. These vehicles are to be placed with 20 government agencies in five cities including Washington, D.C., Detroit San Diego,…
Volkswagen China Gets Four Different Passats, Including Long Wheelbase Version
Volkswagen could barely sell one generation of the Passat here in the United States, but over in China, VW is selling no less than 4 different Passats, from the mid-1990’s B5 chassis car to the all-new, “Made for America” Passat that will be sold here. The New Passat, as the current car is dubbed, will…
2013 Chevrolet Malibu To Be Produced In China, Korea, Before United States
Chevrolet will build their 2013 Malibu in China and South Korea before it beings production Stateside, solidifying Chevrolet’s aims for the Malibu to be a “world car”. South Korea will be the first country to build the Malibu, starting in late 2011. China and the United States will begin building the car in early 2012….
The Donk Days Are Over As Cincinnati Police Impound Cars With Big Rims
Fans of American sedans with comically large wheels would do well to avoid the Cincinnati, Ohio area, as police in the region are now seizing and impounding vehicles that fit the profile of a “donk” (a large American sedan with wheels 20″ or greater in diameter) due to allegedly being unsafe for the road. Cincinnati…
Fiat Increasing Stake In Chrysler To 30 Percent
Fiat is set to increase ownership in Chrysler, from 25 to 30 percent, within the next few weeks, assuming regulatory bodies are satisfied with Fiat’s ability to meet specific demands for Chrysler. Fiat has already been able to generate $1.5 billion in revenue for Chrysler outside of North America, but still needs to build a…
Toyota Prius US Sales Top 1 Million Cars
In case you were wondering, the plural term for Prius is “Prii.” You might want to remember that, because according to Toyota, the car is multiplying fast. Its supply may be limited in parts by last month’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami, but that hasn’t stopped it from setting sales records, the most recent one being…
Toyota Says It’s “Too Early To Predict” North American Plant Shutdowns
After a brief announcement on March 23rd stating that the natural disasters in Japan may affect North American production, Toyota has announced that it is still “too early to predict” whether plants in Canada and the United States, which build both Toyota and Lexus cars, will face shutdowns due to a shortage of parts from…
Volkswagen Looking To Overhaul American Dealer Network
With its target of 800,000 sales still firmly in mind, Volkswagen is taking its next step towards achieving their goal, and the company is looking to their dealers for help, as they continue to roll out all new vehicles designed with American consumers in mind. With the new Passat and Beetle set to be launched…
UAW Head Bob King Slams Ford CEO’s $56.5 Million Compensation
UAW chief Bob King slammed Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s $56.5 million stock package, claiming that “I don’t think any human being in the world deserves that much money.” While certain to raise the ire of Ayn Rand fanatics everywhere, King is amping up the rhetoric ahead of the United Auto Workers “bargaining conference” where strategies…
UAW Official Hopes Ford Will Share Profits Amid Executive Stock Offerings
With Ford awarding more than $130 million in stock to its top executives, the UAW official in charge of Ford is optimistic that the company will also compensate union members who build the vehicles that Ford sells. “I am going to look at that on the up side and say that I know that they…
Honeywell Says United States Is An “Emerging Market” For Turbochargers
While forced induction has long been in favor in the rest of the world, Americans have often favored big displacement motors, but recent trends towards fuel economy have necessitated a shift to smaller motors, and turbocharging is considered the optimal way to stretch 4-cylinders into feeling like 6. Honeywell, one of the largest manufacturers of…
