Ford used the Chicago Auto Show to announce the return of two nameplates that were supposedly killed. (Taurus and Sable) The newly revised Five-Hundred, Montego and Freestyle have had their names swapped out at the last minute.

Saturn has announced the addition of the new Astra to their lineup for 2008. The car is basically a rebadged version of the Open Astra (not sold in the US).

Pontiac's new 2008 G8 sports sedan has been revealed. The car is based on (rebadged) the Holden Commodore, which is sold in Australia.

Dodge plans to unveil the Dodge Demon Roadster Concept at the Geneva Auto Show in March. The car is supposed to compete with the Pontiac Solstice/ Saturn Sky and Mazda MX-5.

DaimlerChrysler has reported a profit of $7.3 billion in 2006, which is due
to the Mercedes arm and the commercial truck division. The Chrysler division
lost $1.3 billion last year. This is forcing management to re-evaluate the
current relationship.

Dodge has announced that the production version of the 2009 Dodge Challenger will be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show next Feb 2008.

Chrysler and General Motors are currently discussing the possibility of collaborating on a large suv for Chrysler. The SUV would be about the same size as the Suburban, something that Chrysler is currently missing from their lineup.

Rumors have been circling after DaimlerChrysler said that they were looking at every option necessary after the huge $1.3 billion loss last year (Chrysler Division). A possible de-merger could be on the horizon.

According to the U.K.'s Times, U.S. investment bank JPMorgan is preparing to start an auction of the Chrysler Group on behalf of DaimlerChrysler. It was rumored that Hyundai may have been interested in buying the troubled automaker, but those rumors have been denied. That leaves GM as the only company currently interested in acquiring the group (not confirmed). It is rumored that GM is basically interested in Jeep and Dodge, but will buy the whole group if it is necessary. It is estimated that if it does go up for sale the Chrysler Group could go for $13 billion.

The editors over at Autoblog have discovered that Chevy is quietly ending production of the Chevy Monte Carlo. May 4th is the last day that you can order the car and production will end on June 20th at the Oshawa plant in Canada. Apparently Chevy has high hopes for the new 2008 Chevy Malibu, which is going to take up the extra capacity left by the Monte Carlo. Sales in Jan 07' were down 64.2%.

GM has set 2010 as their goal for the release of a production version of the Chevrolet Volt electric concept car. The concept car has a range of 640 miles on a single tank of gas. The main difference between this car and the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic hybrids is that the gas motor in the Volt does not directly drive the wheels. Instead, the gas motor simply powers the electric motors. GM's main goal is to make the car run for 40 miles on pure electric power. This means that most commuters can go a whole day without using a single gallon of gas. The car also has plug in capabilities, so the batteries can be charged at night. A running prototype of the car is expected by the end of this year.

Ford is close to announcing the sale of Aston Martin. According to reports the racing firm Prodrive is the likely new owner. The deal is going to close for $870 million, which is half of what Ford hoped to get for the British car maker.

It has just been reported by Reuters that Chrysler is going to issue a recall of 489,000 vehicles. The recall is for three different models. 328,424 Dodge Durangos (2004-2006) are being recalled because of electrical problems, 149,605 Jeep Liberty SUVs (2006-2007) are being recalled because the blower motor could fail and 10,994 Dodge Avenger sedans (2008) are being recalled due to latch problems. There was also a recall last month of 51,000 vehicles that had brake issues.

Ford has officially announced today that they are selling the British company, Aston Martin to an investment group led by Prodrive founder David Richards.

According to CEO Dieter Zetsche all new vehicles built by the group will have a hybrid variant.

Saturn has announced today that the 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid will be the lowest-priced hybrid on the market, starting at $22,695. The car also qualifies for a $1,300 tax credit from the IRS.

DaimlerChrysler has begun taking reservations for the its Smart ForTwo car that will be available in the U.S. in 2008. Buyers can reserve either the hardtop or convertible for $99. The company has set up a reservation page were people can enter their personal information and select the car that they would like. The $99 fee does not guarantee a car. Instead it is meant to help the company figure out where to distribute the car. The money will be applied to the cost of the car if you do actually buy one, if not it is refunded.

Ford has announced that they are finally going to show the production version of the Fairlane concept at the New York Auto show next month. They decided to not keep the Fairlane name and instead rename the new car, the Ford Flex.

It's the same old story, it seems like every automaker is trying to attract younger buyers that will continue to buy from the brand for years to come. As an automaker's age demographic increases they run the risk of eventually running out of buyers. It's a simple argument when we are younger we have many more years to buy cars as we age those "years" decrease. If your average buyer is 65 or above the chance of them returning to buy another car is a lot smaller than if they are in their 30s.

AutoBild, recently did a comparison of the BMW Z4 and the Opel GT (Saturn Sky) in Europe to see if the cheaper by $14k Sky could hold its own against the Z4.

HUMMER has finally addressed a major problem with the H3, a lack of power. Since its intro the SUV has only had a 5-cylinder engine that was borrowed from the GMC Canyon/ Chevy Colorado trucks.

Right ahead of its release at the New York Auto show next month, photos of the 2008 HUMMER H2 have surfaced. The super-sized SUV has a revised interior, exterior and an upgraded engine.

Cadillac has taken the wraps off the refreshed 2008 Cadillac STS. The car has received improvements to the interior, a revised front grille and a new standard 298 horsepower V6. The car is going to be unveiled next month at the New York Auto show.

Chrysler has announced the pricing for its all new 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. The car will start at $26,145 and is priced $645 below the outgoing model. They describe the car as a convertible that delivers open-air freedon with elegant coupe styling and functionality of a year-round car.

Ford and Shelby Automobiles announced today the launch of the new 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR. This is the most powerful Mustang ever produced and it is inspired by the 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500KR.

Chrysler has revealed the refreshed 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Notable changes for the new year are a new 4.7L V8 engine, and styling changes inside and out.

Ford has announced the pricing and overall specs for the 2008 Ford Taurus (aka. Ford Five-Hundred). The new Taurus will start under $24k and will cost thousands less than its main competition (Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300).

Sales of the Chrysler Crossfire have never really taken off. The car is based on the previous generation Mercedes SLK, which was not enough to drive sales.

Toyota's sales increased 9% last month compared to March 2006. This was largely driven by sales of the new Camry, the RAV4 and the Prius.

Ford has finally taken the wraps off their next "crossover" the 2009 Ford Flex at the New York Auto Show. The new car is supposed to fill the void left by the deseased Ford Windstar/Freestar.