america
Fiat 500 Will Fail, Says Ford CEO Alan Mulally
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For all the hype surrounding the Fiat 500, Ford‘s CEO, Alan Mulally, has become one of its most prominent detractors, condemning the car to failure before it’s even launched. Speaking to the Italian language magazine Panorama, Mulally remarked “I do not see large market in the U.S.A. for a smaller car than the Fiesta. Those that tried…
Chevrolet Volt A Target Of Price Gouging, Dealers Demand Up To $65,000
Any time a hot new car is released, the inevitable race to squeeze every last dollar from consumers starts almost immediately, and the Chevrolet Volt is no exception. With supply extremely limited and demand strong, Chevrolet dealers seem to be taking advantage of market conditions. An investigation found that prices ranged from $46,923 in Michigan…
UAW Sued By Former Chrysler Employee Over Sexual Harassment
A Chrysler worker, claiming to have been fired after ending a relationship with the son of a United Auto Workers official, is now suing the UAW for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit. Janet Burney began dating Pat Byers, son of John Byers, who was…
Chrysler Plant Workers Arrested For Suspected Drug Use At Work
Mere months after workers at Chrysler’s Jefferson North factory were caught drinking and smoking marijuana on their lunch breaks, three employees were arrested by law enforcement agencies after Chrysler tipped off police regarding workers who continued to abuse substances while on the job. The workers were arrested on January 24th, but have yet to be…
EPA To Approve E15 Gasoline With Higher Ethanol Content
The EPA will announce Friday that it has approved the use of E15 gasoline for vehicles made after the year 2000. The EPA previously approved the added ethanol content for vehicles made after 2007 – the new regulations would see the amount of vehicles able to use E15 grow exponentially, and directly benefit American corn…
Kia Drops Borrego, Rondo From U.S. Market
Kia‘s Rondo small minivan and Borrego SUV have been dumped from the U.S. lineup, ostensibly after slow sales forced Kia to cease importation. Although originally reported by Automotive News, Kia declined to comment on the matter. The Borrego was never a strong seller in the U.S., although the large SUV, along with the Rondo small…
Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz Ramp Up Production Amid Record Demand
Surging demand and ambitious sales targets are causing BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to expand factories in Europe and North America to simply keep up with production obligations. China and America are leading the resurgence for the German automakers, with Audi planning to roll out 13 new or upgraded models in 2011 alone, in the hopes…
Porsche Looking To Double Sales Via Factories In North America, China
With Porsche sales having recovered on par with pre-recession levels in the United States, Porsche’s CEO Matthias Mueller said that the brand is looking at adding production facilities in the United States or China so that the brand can meet its target of 200,000 sales by 2018. “We will consider this year whether to start…
Ford Ecoboost V6 To Be Torn Down In Live Demonstration At 2011 Detroit Auto Show
After going through the equivalent of 160,000 miles worth of grueling tasks, Ford will take apart an Ecoboost V6 selected for the evaluation process, in a bid to demonstrate that the boosted V6 can be a viable alternative to traditional V8s. The V6, which was randomly pulled from the regular production line, was put into…
2011 Ford Territory Sketch Released
The Ford Territory is the enthusiasts idea of a dream SUV; based on a rear-drive car platform, the Territory is available with turbo six cylinder or V8 powerplants and was widely received by both private owners and government agencies looking for a rugged utility vehicle. With the Territory looking pretty much the same since its 2004 debut,…
2012 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Officially Revealed
Although we were one of the first outlets to bring you specs on the competition-only 2012 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, official pictures were hard to come by – until today, when Ford released the first shots of their factory backed dragster. Unveiled at the PRI Show (a trade show for racing gear held in Orlando,…
DTM Series Confirmed For USA, In Partnership With NASCAR And GRAND-AM
After days of back-and-forth rumors concerning the arrival of DTM touring car racing in the United States, the series debut in the United States has been confirmed for 2013, in partnership with NASCAR and GRAND-AM sports car racing. The announcement comes as BMW also stated that they plan to return to DTM in 2012, giving…
Chrysler Recalls 26,000 Vehicles Over Fire Risk
Chrysler is recalling 26,397 vehicles over fault power steering hoses that could leak and cause a fire. Vehicles affected include the 2010 Chrysler 300, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Journey and Dodge Challenger. NHTSA released a statement regarding the recall stating “Some of these vehicles may experience a separation at the crimped end of the…
GM To Sells Off Old Assets, Including A Church, Golf Course
General Motors auctioned off assets from the “old GM” that existed before the company’s bankruptcy filings in 2009. The sale, which lasted for more than 10 hours and was broadcast online, was largely composed of heavy machinery and plant equipment. The assets come from GM’s Livonia plant, which built the Northstar V8 engine for high-end…
Chevrolet Suburban’s 75th Anniversary Edition Suffers Quality Problems
Chevrolet‘s venerable Suburban is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a special edition, but if you want to let your neighbors know that you went to the trouble of getting one of 2,200 special editions made by Chevrolet, you may run into some problems. It turns out that the special ““Suburban Diamond Edition 75 Years” badges…
Volkswagen Passat Slated To Die In America After 2010 Model Year
Volkswagen‘s Passat will disappear after the 2010 model year to make way for the upcoming New Midsize Sedan (NMS) that is positioned against the Toyota Camry rather than continue with the Passat’s European-derived engineering. The Passat always developed a cult following among a certain group of buyers,, but never developed widespread acceptance among mid-size buyers….
Hyundai To Produce Elantra In Alabama
Hyundai is set to build the new Elantra at their Alabama factory, as it joins the Sonata and Santa Fe at the plant. The new Elantra is already on sale in South Korea, but is set to debut in U.S. spec at this November’s 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. In a press release, Hyundai CEO…
Chevrolet Cruze EV To Begin Testing In South Korea
General Motors plans to launch a fleet of Chevrolet Cruze-based electric vehicles in Korea, but the company says that there are no plans to sell such a car in the United States. GM is partnering with Korean conglomerate LG to develop the battery technology needed to make the Cruze EV a reality. A range of…
Hyundai And Nissan Emerge as Rivals to Overtake Honda in U.S. Sales Race
The Japanese auto industry has always had a well-defined hierarchy, with Toyota, Honda and Nissan locked in a firmly established pecking order. But Toyota’s recent streak of quality problems has caused it to shed sales, causing a disruption in the marketplace. Customers fleeing Toyota are helping to propel the sales numbers of both Nissan and…
Toyota: Strong Yen Means Exporting Small Cars “Isn’t Feasible”
Toyota‘s executive vice president for global manufacturing said that exporting the Corolla and Yaris to America was no longer profitable due to a strong yen, which is at a 15 year high relative to the U.S. dollar. Given the current exchange-rate situation, it isn’t feasible, in terms of a business model, for us to produce…
Volkswagen Looking To Add Small Vehicle To New U.S. Production Plans
Volkswagen is looking at producing a small car (similar to the Polo pictured above) at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant alongside the upcoming New Midsize Sedan, set to replace the Passat when it debuts in 2011. The Chattanooga facility could also host a new engine plant as well. The new U.S. plant is a vital factor…
Ford To Develop New Body-On-Frame SUV, North Americans Likely Won’t Get It
Take a look at the Ford Territory SUV pictured above. It looks just like our now-dead North American market Ford Taurus X, right? Underneath, the two cars couldn’t be different. The Taurus X is based on the last generation Taurus, a heavy, lumbering, underpowered behemoth, while the Territory is based on the rear-drive Falcon, and…
BREAKING: Chevrolet Volt Priced At $41,000, Lease Payment Matches Nissan Leaf
General Motors has announced that their Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid will be priced at $41,000 when it goes on sale later in November 2010. The Volt is also entitled to a $7,500 tax credit given to buyers of electric vehicles, which brings the price down to $33,500. The MSRP includes a $720 destination charge. Fully…
Chinese, U.S. Consumers Have “Bottomless” Appetite For German Luxury Cars
Consumers in China and the United States are fueling the fortunes of German luxury car makers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Buyers in both countries are going wild for the re-designed Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A8. “The Chinese appetite for German nameplates is absolutely bottomless,” Sascha Gommel, a Frankfurt-based analyst with Commerzbank…
