american cars
2012 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger Both Top Safety Picks
The 2012 Chrysler 300 and its mechanical twin, the Dodge Charger are both recognized as Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after also earning a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA. The American full-size sedans each received full marks in front and side crash tests and earned a commendable four-stars in…
2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible Video, First Look: 2012 Chicago Auto Show
This is what 650 hp blowing through your hair looks like. To know what it feels like, well, you’ll have to buy Ford’s new 2013 Shelby GT500 Convertible… or wait for our review. Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the GT500 drop-top borrows from the coupe, especially when it comes to what’s under the hood…
China Car Sales Drop 24 Percent in January
According to a statement by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s monthly sales of passenger-vehicles suffered its steepest decline in more than seven years due to a Lunar New Year holiday season hiatus that deprived dealers of a week’s worth of sales. Figures indicated that sales fell to 1.16 million units in January, a…
Video – 2013 GMC Acadia, Acadia Denali First Look: 2012 Chicago Auto Show
As planned GMC unveiled its refreshed Acadia SUV at the Chicago Auto Show this week, but the GM truck division also prepared a surprise. In addition to the standard-trim truck, GMC showcased the top-trim Denali version, complete with 20-inch wheels, an upgraded interior and paint-matched body cladding to deliver a more luxurious look. For more…
Mopar Chrysler 300 ’12 on Display: 2012 Chicago Auto Show
Today we took a first-hand look at the most powerful of the four vehicles Mopar doctored up for this year’s Chicago Auto Show, the Mopar Chrysler 300 ’12. In case you don’t recognize that name — it’s actually just a dressed up Chrysler 300, albeit with a price tag that jumped about $10,000 over the…
Cadillac ATS Is Real Super Bowl Winner: Most Watched Ad In U.S. History [Video]
When Cadillac aired its 30-second “Go To Green Hell” Super Bowl ad for the upcoming ATS sedan during the last two-minutes of the game’s last quarter, a total of 111.3 million viewers tuned in, effectively making this ad the most watched television commercial in U.S. history. Could the marketing department at GM have somehow foreseen…
2013 Buick Regal Gets eAssist Hybrid Tech Standard
Posting respectable 2011 sales numbers, the quietly successful Buick Regal outsold the Audi A4, Lexus IS250 and Acura TSX last year. For 2013, the Buick Regal has received some drivetrain upgrades. First, the performance trim Buick Regal GS will receive an automatic transmission. Second, the 2013 Regal will possess eAssist technology as standard. Introducing the…
Ford Threatens Legal Action Over Chevy Silverado Super Bowl Ad
Despite Ford’s efforts to stop GM, the apocalypse-surviving Chevy Silverado commercial aired last night during the Super Bowl. According to GM, the advertisement was intended as a “good-humored” spoof on the Mayan calendar predictions. Depicting a band of Silverado owners that are navigating across a “completely over-the-top, outrageous version of the devastation and destruction predicted to occur…
Win a Camry by Watching Toyota’s “Connections” Super Bowl Ad
Toyota has launched a new social media initiative with a chance for participants to win a brand new 2012 Camry for themselves and one more for a friend. The opportunity will come tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 5, during a live NBC broadcast – we’re presuming Toyota means the Super Bowl, but the oddly worded press release…
New Federal Bill Proposes $1 Billion Prize For 100 MPG Gasoline Powered Car
Although electric vehicle technology has been touted as the way of the future, some believe that there is still untapped potential lying within the conventional internal combustion engine. To encourage engineers to push the internal combustion technology forward, Republican Congressman Dan Lungren has introduced a bill that will reward a handsome $1 billion in Federal…
Fiat-Based Mini-Jeep Delayed
Plans for a new Jeep model below the Compass and Patriot have been pushed back as part of a larger financial reorganization within Chrysler parent company Fiat. The new model, code named B-SUV, was to be built at the automaker’s Mirafiori plant in Italy, but a $1.3 billion expansion of that facility has been pushed…
2012 Toyota Camry Sales Jump Significantly
In a January 2012 sales conference call, Toyota division group vice president and general manager Bob Carter reported some surprising results. Recovering from its mid-2011 slump, Toyota sold 124,540 units from its Toyota, Lexus and Scion divisions. Those sales translate to a 7.5 percent increase over last January. Toyota enjoyed a 9 percent increase in sales…
Ford Gets Serious About Re-Inventing Lincoln
Ford knows it will take a lot of work to restore its Lincoln premium brand. Most recently, Ford created an elaborate booth with modern decor for Lincoln at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show only to see the MKZ concept go up in smoke. Furthermore, the Lincoln MKZ concept failed to garner the same level of…
Cadillac ATS Coupe Shelved
Putting profits ahead of product, General Motors has reportedly decided to shelve production plans for a coupe version of the recently introduced Cadillac ATS. While not cancelled, the model has been delayed as part of a larger plan by GM to slow spending and increase profits, helping bolster its slumping share price. The ATS was…
Ford B-MAX Revealed Before 2012 Geneva Motor Show
Unveiled before its 2012 Geneva Auto Show debut in March, the brand new Ford B-MAX mini-minivan (the term in Europe is mini MPV) showcases a couple new innovations from the American automaker. Based on a tidy Ford Fiesta platform, the heart of the B-MAX is Ford’s clever 1.0-liter Ecoboost engine producing 123-hp while reaching an…
National Insurance Crime Bureau Introduces Special Mustang Theft Report
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), a non-profit organization created by the insurance industry to address insurance-related crime, publishes an annual report called Hot Wheels to identify America’s 10 most stolen vehicles. This year, the NICB introduced a special issue called Hot Wheels Classics, which focuses on a specific model with historical significance. For its first Classics…
Dodge SRT4 is Back With 300 Horsepower Dart
Since its reveal at the Detroit Auto Show, the new 2013 Dodge Dart has received a lot of positive reactions and Dodge intends to make it even better. Based on the Italian Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform, the solid European chassis will be further finessed for sport and performance under the care of Ralph Gilles and…
Chrysler 300 Gets Mopar Treatment, Becomes Chrysler ’12
The Mopar ’12 300, as it’s being called, is a souped up version of the 2012 Chrysler 300. Earlier today we published a story featuring a gallery with four Mopar-modified cars, which will appear at next month’s Chicago International Auto Show. Since then, the company released detailed information on them. Here’s what we’ve learned about…
Michael Shank Racing Dominates The Rolex 24 At Daytona
A grid of 58 vehicles at the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona made this year’s event one of the most competitive races in the history of the franchise. It was so competitive, in fact, NASCAR star racing driver AJ Allmendinger of the Michael Shank Racing #60 Ford/Riley car only beat Starworks Motorsport’s pole-sitter Ryan…
China’s Best Selling Buick Excelle is a Daewoo
When GM sold 9.03 million vehicles globally to become the world’s largest automaker of 2011, a great deal of the American automaker’s success came down to its dominant popularity in the Chinese market. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the best selling car in China for 2011 was the Buick Excelle. While…
California Rules 15% of Car Sales Must be Zero-Emissions by 2025
Just when CAFE loosened standards and lowered from 56.5 MPG to 54 MPG by 2025, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided to propose new and more stringent conditions for automakers that sell cars in California. The California Air Resources Board will not only enforce CAFE, but will also require at least 15.4 percent of…
Ford Posts $13.6-billion 4Q Net Income: Nobody’s Impressed
While 2011 marked Ford‘s biggest profit since 1998, fourth quarter results were still below the estimates of financial analysts. Despite marking Ford’s 11th consecutive quarterly profit, investors showed concern regarding the American automaker’s $190 million loss in Europe and $83 million loss in Asia. Ford stock had fallen 5.5 percent to $12.04 a share in…
Chevrolet puts Product Cycle Eco-Impact Labels on its Vehicles
Beginning with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet plans to apply eco-impact labels on all of its brand-new vehicles by 2013. As the first of any automaker to present its cars in this manner, Chevrolet’s Ecologic label allows customers to assess environmental impacts associated with any particular Chevrolet vehicle in all stages of its product life….
Nissan Builds New $2.0 Billion Manufacturing Complex in Mexico
Of the major Japanese Automakers, Nissan Motors has been one of the least affected by natural disasters and the strengthening yen, effectively minimizing exposure to regional risks by erecting facilities overseas. Nissan has announced plans to build another manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico, to expand North American production. An investment worth $2.0 billion USD, the…
