domestic cars
National Insurance Crime Bureau Introduces Special Mustang Theft Report
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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…
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….
Fiat/Chrysler Reveal Product Future, Dodge Avenger Lives
While past reports have suggested that the Dodge Avenger is dead, speculation has apparently been a bit premature. Chrysler/Fiat have plans for a number of new cars in the future including the introduction of new midsize sedans which will update the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger for 2013. The new Avenger and 200 will be…
2013 Cadillac ATS “The Journey” Episode 4: The Big Reveal
One of the stand-out cars at this year’s North American International Auto Show, the Cadillac ATS looks extremely promising. In the 4th installment of Cadillac’s “The Journey” series, we witness GM’s commitment behind this product, from conception, to development, to its debut at the Detroit Auto Show. Tuned during Nurburgring shakedown testing, the ATS aims to…
Toyota Prius v Out-Sells Chevy Volt in Just 10 Weeks
Earlier this month a new reports noted that Chevrolet Volt sales were more successful in its first year than the sales numbers of the Toyota Prius hybrid on its first year back in 2000. What little optimism Chevrolet might have had on the Volt’s sales performance were quickly silenced when data revealed that Toyota dealt…
NHTSA To Take Crash-Assessment Testing High Tech
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering at length the changes that could be made to its 5-star crash-assessment testing. Rather than concentrate only on crash-worthiness, the NHTSA is looking into new technologies that put an emphasis on accident-avoidance. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, “Crash-worthiness has been the guiding star for NHTSA. But…
Ohio and Missouri Governors Visit NAIAS to Talk Investment With Manufacturers
Ohio Governor John Kasich and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon made a visit to Detroit this week during the North American International Auto Show in an effort to bring U.S. automotive manufacturing to their respective states. John Kasich said, “Contrary to popular opinion, the auto industry is getting stronger.” Ohio currently possesses the second-largest automotive industry…
Camilo Pardo Reveals the Merkury 4
From 2005-2006, Ford created its halo car in the form inspired by the legendary GT40. Penned by the brilliantly talented Camilo Pardo, the beautiful American supercar remains as beautiful to behold as ever. The boys from the specialist aftermarket firm, GT Guy LLC, couldn’t agree more and have asked Pardo to create a one-of-a-kind chrome…
Consumers Do Not Find Hybrids Appealing
For the last number of years, automakers have been pushing gas-electric products at auto shows across the world. However, according to researcher LMC Automotive, hybrid sales in the United States have slowed last year to 2.2 percent compared to 2.4 percent in 2010. Mike Jackson, chief executive of auto retail chain AutoNation Inc., said that…
NADA Used Car Guide Expects Strong Sales In Both New And Used Car Market
Since the 2007-2009 economic recession, the automotive retail market displayed a drop in new car-sales and the increased demand for used vehicles. For 2012, data indicates that it will be more of the same. Jonathan Banks, Executive Auto Analyst for the NADA Used Car Guide, explained, “The average trade-in value of a 3-year-old used car…
Nissan Leaf Predicted to Double Sales in 2012
As with all new products, analysts are quick to analyze its success after its first year of sales. When Nissan reported that its Leaf electric vehicle sales tallied 9,674 units last year, industry analysts claimed that the poor sales number proved that a market does not exist for electric propulsion. CEO Carlos Ghosn saw differently,…
U.S. Auto-safety Regulators Pleased By GM’s Cooperation in Volt Recall
Recently, Chevrolet Volt fire hazards resulting from compromised battery cells have been under particular scrutiny by the NHTSA. Addressing the issue, GM has been informing Volt owners to bring their vehicles back to dealerships where steel plates will be fitted to increase protection surrounding the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries. At an interview yesterday during the 2012 Detroit Auto…
2013 Nissan Pathfinder Concept is a Crossover and Looks it: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Nissan introduced its new Pathfinder Concept SUV at the Detroit Auto Show today. Boasting an all-new design, Nissan looks to provide more passenger comfort, innovative technology, and fuel-efficient performance when production versions hit the showroom this coming fall. The next Pathfinder promises an aerodynamic body combined with a more efficient V6 engine as well as…
Ford’s Detroit Auto Show Booth Will be “Auto Version of Disneyland”
Ford is pulling out all the stops for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, creating an exhibition floor featuring a series of interactive displays that will help attract visitors at the show and bolster the image of both Ford and Lincoln. According to Ford’s president of the Americas Mark Fields, “A positive experience is a positive…
Camaro Tops Mustang in Sales Race for Second Straight Year
More than four decades ago, the Ford Mustang became America’s first “pony car” and has established itself as the segment leader ever since. However, in the last two years, Mustang’s closest rival, the Chevrolet Camaro, has incontestably dethroned the Mustang as the new sales leader. When the Chevy Camaro beat the Ford Mustang by 81,299-to-73,716…
GM’s Test Track Amusement Ride At Epcot Center To Get Chevrolet Design Center Update
The Epcot Center, Walt Disney World’s theme park dedicated to human achievement, has renewed its long-term business relationship with GM and are making plans to overhaul GM’s “Test Track” amusement ride this year to re-open as the new Chevrolet Design Center. GM will also be involved with Walt Disney Imagineering of the development of the…
Chevy Volt’s First Year of Sales Trump Those of Original Prius
The Chevrolet Volt ended the last month of 2011 with its best month of sales to date. Having sold 1,529 Volts in December, GM ended its full year of Volt sales at a total of 7,671 units for 2011. While this figure is significantly lower than its 10,000 sales goal, Fox News noted that the…
Massachusetts Politician Involved In High Speed Crash Did Not Wear Seatbelt, Survives Without Injury
A state police report revealed Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray was involved in a high speed car accident that sent his state-issued Ford Crown Victoria careening into a ledge and flipping over after it had struck a rock ledge at 108 mph, according to crash data found in the black box of Murray’s vehicle. The…
Chrysler is America’s Fastest Growing Full Line Automaker
Since Fiat restored Chrysler after its humbling bankruptcy, the third American automaker has been reinvigorated, and boasts industry leading statistics in growth. Chrysler Group ended 2011 with U.S. sales in December amounting to 138,019 units, an increase of 37 percent over the same period last year. What’s more, December also marks Chrysler’s 21st consecutive month…
2013 Ford Fusion To Get Lane-Departure Warning Device
The lane-departure warning system will soon be found in a mainstream American family sedan as Ford introduces the new 2013 Ford Fusion at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The 2013 Fusion will feature a digital camera mounted on the windshield that will detect lane markers and position itself between them. If the driver allows…
Chris-Craft Builds An Infiniti V8 Powered Mahogany Speedboat
Infiniti‘s brawny 5.6 liter V8 proves to not only motivate land yachts but actual maritime yachts as well. Students at the Tennessee Technical Center-Nashville and Nashville State Community College have removed the titanic power plant from a donor Infiniti QX56 to ready it for maritime duty in an iconic 1962 Chris-Craft “Holiday” mahogany speedboat. The…
Cadillac CTS, SRX Earn 5-Star Crash Safety Rating [Video]
Last week, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety announced that 2012 earned a record number of “top safety picks,” but the automotive industry is looking to set the record number even higher. Cadillac‘s 2012 SRX crossover and CTS sports sedan and wagon models received a crash safety rating of 5-star overall. According to the National…
