Automotive News

General Motors CEO resigns as carmaker posts best results in six years

Daniel Akerson, a former CEO of Nextel and a GM board member for just over a year, will succeed Whitacre. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars GM’s promising quarter financial numbers was the best result in six years for the automaker and and a stark turnaround from the $12.9 billion it lost in the year-earlier period when the company went into bankruptcy. According to statistics reported on CNNMoney.com, the second quarter was also an improvement from the $865 million in the first quarter. Revenue reached $33.2 billion, up 5 percent from the first quarter and 44 percent from a year ago. Achieving two straight quarters of profits

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Honda recall: Nearly 400,000 older Accord, Civic, Element models in U.S. can 'roll away'

The recall includes 197,000 Accord and 117,000 Civic sedans from the 2003 model year and about 69,000 Element vehicles from the 2003 and 2004 model years. The manufacturer announced in a statement that if the ignition interlock mechanism becomes worn out or damaged, the ignition key could be removed while the vehicle is not in park, allowing the car to roll away and possibly crash. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on CNNMoney.com, Honda reported received 16 complaints alleging failure of the ignition interlock mechanism on the recently recalled vehicles. The agency said 11 of those complaints involved a rollaway crash, including one in which the owner claimed that she was nearly run over by

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Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado most stolen, vandalized cars in the United States

The institute looked only at cars from the most recent three model years as reported on AOL Autos, and all vehicles with state-of-the-art anti-theft technologies. The HLDI, based in Dallas, Texas, is a nonprofit research organization that publishes insurance loss statistics on most automobile, SUV, pickup truck, and motorcycle models on United States highways. Sponsored by the automobile insurance industry, HLDI database includes more than 150 million individual passenger vehicles, about 80 percent of all privately insured vehicles on the road. Here are the current top-10 most popular cars among thieves in the United States. 1. Cadillac Escalade, 10.8 per thousand 2. Chevrolet Silverado, 8.0 per thousand 3. Dodge Charger, 7.4 per thousand 4. Chevrolet Avalanche, 7.4 per thousand 5.

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Toyota recall: Frozen steering wheel in nearly half-million Avalon, Lexus models

The recall affects 412,000 vehicles in the U.S. — 373,000 Avalon sedans and 39,000 Lexus LX 470 SUVs. The recall is Toyota‘s largest since announcing last April it would fix 600,000 Sienna minivans because of rusting spare tire holders. Toyota’s massive quality control problems began last October when it announced a recall of 5.3 million cars and trucks to fix floor mats that can trap pedals and cause unintended acceleration. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Several additional recalls have followed — sticky gas pedals to braking problems with the Prius hybrid to rusting frames in the Tacoma pickup. With the latest problem, Toyota has now recalled

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Tata Motors named Commonwealth Games official vehicle

Tata plans to provide 1600 cars, including the Indica and Indigo, 100 Sumo Grandes, 50 Safar sport utility vehicles as well as 20 Wingers to transport delegates and their families. The company will also provide few CNG buses and well as disabled friendly vehicles. The 19th Commonwealth Games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in Delhi and in India, which also hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. It will also be the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). James

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Kelley Blue Book selects its top-10 cheap, cool, cars

The list, according to KBB, dismisses the once prevalent belief that a “cheap new car used to mean resigning yourself to time bombs like the Chevrolet Citation or windups like the Geo Metro or Ford Aspire.” AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars The KBB list starts with the 2011 Ford Fiesta largely because of28 mpg city, 40 mpg highway EPA rating and mile-long standard feature list. Here’s the KBB list of cool new cars for less than$18,000: 1. 2011 Ford Fiesta; 2. 2010 Honda Civic; 3. 2010 Honda Fit; 4. 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring; 5. 2010 Kia Soul; 6. 2010 Mazda3; 7. 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer; 8. 2010

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Honda recalls 167,000 Acura TSX models with potentially faulty power steering hoses

The power steering hoses, according to the manufacturer, could deteriorate prematurely from prolonged exposure to high under-the-hood temperatures. Visit: owners.acura.com/recalls or call 800-382-2238 for a full list of recalled vehicles. Dealerships will replace the power steering hose, O-ring gasket and fluid will be replaced without charge. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers,

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BMW, 335d, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

The 2009 version I drove six months ago attracted a lot of attention. Some onlookers didn’t know a BMW diesel was available in the United States. Other car enthusiasts wondered what the odd exterior promotional decals were all about. Little has changed with the 2010 model, the second year of car in this country. Officially, there’s only one change. The 2010 model has HD radio. But the promotional decals are long gone, replaced by a BMW strong point, exterior paint colors and a well-coordinated interior. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Most of the major car publications have selected the vehicle on best-of-the-year lists, and what’s to argue? Is

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Bugatti Veyron tops top-10 list of world’s most expensive cars

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is only four years old, but its reputation has quickly spread around the globe among elite automobile enthusiasts. It tops the list of the world’s top-10 most expensive cars. Here’s the list: Bugatti Veyron,  $1,700,000 The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the most powerful, most expensive, and fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a proven top speed of over 400 km/h (407 km/h or 253 mph). It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS and is sold under the legendary Bugatti marque. It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original

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Chevrolet debuts 2011 Corvette Z06 carbon limited edition

“Designed to further incorporate technology developed through racing, the Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Corvette’s first race in the 24 Hours of LeMans,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet General Manager. “With a limited production of 500 units, this car is a must-have for the true Corvette collector and driving enthusiast.” AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, The Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition is another example of the expanded Corvette line-up. Five years ago, customers had the choice of a Corvette coupe or convertible. With the addition of the Z06, Grand Sport coupe and convertible and ZR1, Corvette enthusiasts now have more choices.

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San Diego runaway Toyota Prius: Could it have been a hoax?

The legitimacy of the story of Jim Sikes, the 61-year-old man who couldn’t stop his 2008 Toyota Prius on a Southern California freeway earlier this month until he was assisted by a California Highway Patrol officer, is now in question. According to a report on CNN.com, technicians who tested the Toyota after its owner claimed its gas pedal stuck were unable to recreate the same condition. The revelation was detailed in a draft of a congressional memo obtained Sunday by CNN. In addition, owner Jim Sikes’ claim that the car kept going even though he slammed on the brake while his gas pedal was stuck to the floor does “not appear to be feasibly possible,” read the memo draft. The

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Motor Trend showcases Buick on magazine's cover for the first time in nearly three decades

The issue includes two Buick features: a drive review of the new 2011 Regal called “International Rescue” and “Trading Places,” a comparison of the 2010 LaCrosse and the 2010 Lexus ES350, in which LaCrosse emerges the winner. The Century T-Type was the last Buick featured on the cover of Motor Trend in August of 1982. In his review of the 2011 Regal, Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Angus Mackenzie writes: “The Regal is the first Buick in history with internationally chic sheet metal and sophisticated road manners to match and it’s truly likely to appeal to young, affluent, trend-setting import buyers.” Available in dealerships this spring, the Regal is the next chapter in Buick’s transformation. The vehicle features a standard 2.4L Ecotec

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Toyota? Toyoda? What's in a name? Try rice paddies and good fortune

The original name of the car was Toyoda. But in 1937, Toyoda had a public competition to design a new logo. The winning entry of 27,000 was the three Japanese katakana letters for Toyoda (トヨダ) in a circle. But family member Risaburo Toyoda (her married name is Toyoda) preferred the word Toyota (トヨタ). It took eight brush strokes, two less than Toyoda. Eight is also a number of good fortune in Japan. But there’s more. The literal translation of Toyoda is “fertile rice paddies.” Toyota was also adopted to distance the company from old-fashioned farming methods. It was trademarked and the company was registered in August 1937 as the “Toyota Motor Company.” In some countries, including the United States, the

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Toyota Hearings: Akio Toyoda, 'We will invest heavily in quality' (part 3)

Here is the third of three parts of Toyoda’s prepared text: “Since last June, when I first took office, I have personally placed the highest priority on improving quality over quantity, and I have shared that direction with our stakeholders. As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name.” “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well. I, more than anyone, wish for Toyota‘s cars to be safe, and for our customers to feel safe when they use our vehicles.” “Under my leadership, I would like to reaffirm our values of placing safety and quality the highest on our list of priorities, which

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Toyota Hearings: Akio Toyoda, 'Our customers feel uncertain' (part 1)

“I am Akio Toyoda of Toyota Motor Corporation. I would first like to state that I love cars as much as anyone, and I love Toyota as much as anyone. I take the utmost pleasure in offering vehicles that our customers love, and I know that Toyota‘s 200,000 team members, dealers, and suppliers across America feel the same way.” “However, in the past few months, our customers have started to feel uncertain about the safety of Toyota‘s vehicles, and I take full responsibility for that. Today, I would like to explain to the American people, as well as our customers in the U.S. and around the world, how seriously Toyota takes the quality and safety of its vehicles.” “I would

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Winter Olympics: Organizers embrace 'green' automotive technology with cell fuel and GM vehicles

Twenty fuel cell buses are being operated by BC Transit in Whistler, site of many Olympic events. The buses are built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg and operate on fuel cells provided by Ballard Power Systems, with hydrogen storage provided by Dynetek Industries in Calgary. The hybrid drive system came from ISE Corp. in San Diego, California. Each low floor bus can carry 60 people and has a top speed of about 55 mph. The buses are twice as efficient as diesel powered counterparts and have zero tailpipe emissions. B.C. Transit’s new $89.5 million Whistler Transit Centre offers the world’s largest hydrogen refueling station. The station is a joint venture involving the Canadian and British Columbia governments, the Resort

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