Automotive News

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General Motors' latest shocker: $38 million loss in 2007

How’s it possible to loss $38.7 million in a year? Not even General Motors is like sure exactly how it happened. But the world’s largest automaker has annnounced that’s the amount it lost in 2007. As a result, GM will again offer a new round of buyback offers to 74,000 hourly workers, all of whom are represented by the United Auto Workers. GM said the loss largely was due to a third-quarter charge related to unused tax credits. The 2007 loss topped GM’s previous record in 1992, when the company lost $23.4 billion because of a change in health care accounting, according to Standard & Poor’s Compustat. Excluding the tax charge and other special items, GM lost $23 million, or

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Malibu Awarded North American Car of the Year Honors

Geez, a $100 million ad campaign should do something for ya. And do it did for the Chevrolet Malibu. The new Malibu, promoted extensively dating to the global telecast last October of the World Series, has been selected as the 2008 North American Car of the Year. The announcement gave General Motors Corp. the top honor for the second straight year. The Malibu was chosen by this year’s media jury from a field of 15 cars and 13 trucks. GM vehicles captured four of the final six candidate spots for the awards. The Malibu, which Chevrolet hopes will compete for family sedan honors with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, dominated the voting, earning 190 points. The runners-up were the

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GM, Toyota Battle For No. 1 Over A Half-Million Cars

What’s a few hundred thousand cars between close friends? According the manufacturers’ respective tallies, General Motors and Toyota ended  2007 nearly tied for honors as the world’s biggest automaker. General Motors announced this week it sold 9,369,524 cars in 2007. Toyota also reported this week that it sold 9.366 million cars last year,  about 3,000 fewer vehicles than GM. Toyota has steadily expanded its U.S. demand for small cars, particularly the hybrid market. Its Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the country. Toyota has also done well in the pick-up truck market, where the Tundra was named Truck of the Year by a respected national automotive publication. A day later, however, the results got a little complicated. Toyota, not GM,

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Hyundai Earns Three Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Awards

For the first time, three Hyundai models have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award. The Hyundai Veracruz and Santa Fe received awards in the midsize SUV segment and the Hyundai Entourage in the minivan segment. All winning vehicles are recognized for their ability to protect people in front, side and rear crashes. This marks the third straight the Entourage has received the highest honor — the IIHS Top Safety Pick award in the minivan category. All three vehicles also earned five-star crash test ratings, the highest government rating under NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program, for both frontal and side impact. Top Safety Pick awards recognize vehicles that do the best job of protecting people

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Subaru Debuts Redesigned 2009 Forester At Detroit Auto Show

Subaru of America, Inc., has introduced the redesigned, third-generation 2009 Forester, a crossover built on the manufacturer’s strong reputation for safety, dependability and versatility. The 2009 Subaru Forester expands that reputation. It features a bolder, more SUV-like design, and advancements in safety technology, comfort, and driving dynamics. The unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show occurred about three months before the Forester will arrive at dealerships nationwide. As with all Subaru models, the 2009 Forester comes equipped as standard with Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. The new 2009 Forester again blends positive SUV attributes, including a high seating point and interior versatility with passenger car comfort, handling and fuel efficiency. The 2009 Forester is built on an all-new platform featuring a 3.6-inch longer

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Car Manufacturers’ Decree: Green Is Cool, Just Not The Color Green

Few trends are more trendy than “going green.” But in the automotive industry, the concept and the color don’t match. According to recent study from DuPont, only two percent of new vehicles built in North America in 2007 were painted green. Green was even a less popular choice than yellow, which accounted for three percent of manufacturers’ color choice. While green cars are far from the rage, cars painted white are now the North American industry leader. For the first time in eight years, according to a report on MarketWatch.com, white overtook silver as the most popular color choice, with a 19 percent of the market. Silver was second, not far behind white, with black as the third most popular

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California Fuel Cell Partnership: Worthy Of A Good Look Or Visit

The Sacramento Auto Show was largely underwhelming this year. Electrical difficulties prompted the shut down of two display building at Cal Expo. And manufacturers’ presentations were uninspired – like the reps were going through the motions of presenting new vehicles for the umpteenth time — which they were. There were a few exceptions, including the display and energy of the presentation at the California Fuel Cell Partnership booth. The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) is a collaboration of 34 organizations that believe fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen have the potential to change the future of transportation. The CaFCP web site, www.cafcp.orfg, provides information about the progress that CaFCP’s automotive, energy, fuel cell technology, government and associate members are making

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Cars Have Gone To The Dogs — Especially The Honda Element

It’s nice to “reconnect” with someone you used to know 30 years ago. Gina Spadafori and I were on the staff of The Hornet, the student newspaper at California State University, Sacramento. I recently contacted her after discovering her cool web site that combines two great subjects — dogs and cars. I may have seen Gina once since college, but I’ve read her work for a long time. Gina’s had a great career in journalism, specializing in writing about pets. She co-authors the syndicated column, Pet Connection, and she has written several animal-focused books. With several other journalists, Gina  also has one of the most unique automotive-related web sites I’ve seen, DogCars.com. The site has just selected its 2007 DogCar

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Skoda Extends Tour de France Official Car Deal Through 2011

But the Tour de France is nothing if not a moveable money machine, which is why one of its most important sponsorships is the race’s official vehicle. The manufacturer will serve it that capacity was announced on the eve of the 2008 race route when Skoda agreed with race organizers to extend its current sponsorship through 2011. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Professional cycling’s image is not as its best, but that didn’t deter the Czech manufacturer from agreeing to keep its brand in the race’s spotlight. Skoda’s vehicles are not available in the United States, but the brand is distributed in nearly 40 countries —

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