Marc Carter
Ford Engineers Push Shopping Carts into the 2010 Taurus
Ford has announced a new series of safety testing that the automaker is using to evaluate the the sensitivity of new air bag pressure sensors being introduced on the new 2009 F-150 and 2010 Taurus. The new "extreme" testing involves ramming shopping carts into car doors and blasting water cannons. The new airbag sensors being used in the new F-150...
Toyota Cuts Annual Production to Lowest Level in 7 Years
Toyota has announced that the automaker will cut production this year by 28 percent to its lowest level in seven years. Slow sales mean that Toyota will produce 6.68 million vehicles in 2009, down from 9.24 million in 2008. "We expect the severe conditions to continue this year," said Toyota spokeswoman Ryoko Nishinohara. Toyota also expects the fiscal year ending...
2010 Opel Astra Photos Leaked Onto the Web
Although the Saturn Astra may be dead, the US may still get the next Astra under the Buick brand. The first photos of the all-new Astra (Euro-spec) have surfaced. The new Astra is based on the Delta platform, which underpins the Chevy Cruze and upcoming Volt. The sixth-generation Astra will be powered by a normally aspirated gasoline1.4L four-cylinder according to...
GM Plans to Sell Chinese Built Cars in the US
A new document has surfaced that reports that GM is planning on selling vehicles it makes in China, in the US by 2011. The document that was given to lawmakers reports that GM plans on selling 17,335 units of China-made vehicles in the U.S. by 2011 and hopes to increase that number to 51,546 by 2014 according to the...
GM Claims an Opel Buyer to Be Announced by the End of the Month
Although Opel has been one of GM's "better" brands lately, the European brand is not going to be under the GM umbrella much longer. It's already been rumored that GM is looking for a suitable buyer for the brand, but now GM CEO Fritz Henderson recently stated that there are several bidders for the brand. GM hopes to decide...
Ford Recalls Almost 9,000 MY 2009 F-150s
Ford is recalling 8,735 2009 Ford F-150 trucks to fix an issue with the brake lights. According to NHTSA the issue has to do with the brake stop lamp switch and in some situations of very mild braking, the brake stop lamps may not illuminate. Dealers have been instructed to inspect the affected vehicles and to reinstall the brake stop...
Obama Administration Slashes Chrysler's Advertising Budget by Half
Chrysler has only been in bankruptcy for close to two weeks, but the automaker is beginning to see how serious Obama's Automotive Task Force is. Chrysler had planned on spending $134 million over the next nine weeks on advertising, but Obama's team has reportedly only given the automaker half that amount. Judge Arthur Gonzalez was skeptical about spending even 50...
Bob Lutz and Other GM Execs Dump GM Stock
GM North America President Troy Clarke and soon to be departing Vice Chairman Bob Lutz plus four other execs have sold more than 200,000 shares of GM stock. Spokeswoman Julie Gibson says the sales don’t show a lack of faith in the company. As GM comes closer to the June 1st deadline, GM has publicly disclosed to its shareholders that...
Fiat/ Chrysler Deal Could Mean the Ford Ka May Eventually Come to the US
The deal between Fiat and Chrysler could mean that Ford could eventually bring its small Ka to the US. The Ford Ka and Fiat 500 are built on the same platform that as developed by Fiat. Currently there are plans for Fiat to build the 500 at one of Chrysler's North American plants, when the vehicle eventually goes on sale...
Honda Insight Becomes Japan's Best-Selling Vehicle…First Time for a Hybrid
Honda has announced that the new Insight hybrid was Japan's best selling vehicle in the month of April 2009. Honda managed to move 10,481 units making the Insight the first hybrid to ever top the sales charts in Japan (Toyota must not be happy). The Insight was introduced on February 6, 2009. It managed to move to the top spot...
