News Service

Ho-Hum, It's Another Hummer (Truck?)

Hummer will enter the competitive pick-up truck market beginning in early February when the manufacturer’s 2009 H3T pick-up truck is unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show. The Hummer H3T is a ‘three-quarter’ truck, slightly bigger than a midsize truck and somewhat smaller than a full-size truck. Martin Walsh, Hummer general manager said: “It offers the combination of truck versatility and Hummers off-road prowess that delivers customers to the trail in style.” Besides the usual Hummer design, the H3T features a five-foot truck bed, seats five and can tow up to 5,900 pounds with either a Vortec 3.7L I-5 (242 horsepower) or 5.3 liter V8 engine (300 horsepower). Production is expected to begin this fall. The new truck’s price has not

Read more
,

CarMax Makes Fortune Magazine's Top-100 List, But Only Employees Really Know

The recruit, face painted, a full pack strapped to his back and rifle in hand, shouts out, “Good morning, first sergeant.” I’ve never been in the military, but from the stories I’ve heard from friends who served, it’s not quite what the commercial represents. Which brings me to the announcement this week of Fortune Magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies To Work For.” Only the employees of the companies know for sure. But in terms of the automotive industry, the Fortune list may provide an insight into part of the problem for the workforce employed by auto working manufacturers and their affiliated companies. Only one automotive industry company, CarMax, made the list — at No. 46. Based in Richmond,

Read more

Left Side, Right Side? Where’s The Gas Cap?

It’s happened to all of us. You’re driving a rental car or a friend’s car (or your own car) and you stop for gas. As you’re getting close to the pumps you realize you don’t know on which side of the car the gas cap is located. This video, which claims to showcase a sure-fire way to determine the proper side, is a popular video on the site www.Metacafe.com. The video has attracted its share of attention. Plenty of those commenting say it’s an absolute truth; Others say it doesn’t hold its share of . . well, gas. One things for sure: It’s an entrepreneurial, fun video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7upuZSgKpA0   Matthew WildeMatthew Wilde is an automotive journalist with experience contributing to

Read more

The Future Is Near: GM Talks Driverless Cars

Have car, no driver required. General Motors Corp., has announced cars that drive and park themselves could be ready for sale within 10 years. According to an Associated Press article, much of the technology already exists that will allow the vehicles to operate using radar-based cruise control to lane-changing warning devices. Rick Wagoneer, GM’s chief executive, discussed driverless cars as part of his speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In a recent interview with AP, Larry Burns, GM’s vice president for research and development, said “This is not science fiction.” The most significant obstacles facing the vehicles could be human rather than technical: government regulation, liability laws, privacy concerns and people’s passion for the automobile and the

Read more
,

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

Read more

Cadillac CTS, 2008: The Weekly Driver (Video)

A mid-size entry level luxury car, the Cadillac CTS was introduced in 2003 as a replacement for the Cimarron. Five years, later it’s become the manufacturer’s first success story in recent market campaign to sell vehicles to younger buyers. The CTS, in fact, is credited with rekindling the popularity of the Cadillac, whose sales dipped heavily in the 1990s in favor or Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. After its debut at the North American International Auto Show, success arrived quickly for the CTS after its public debut last August. Motor Trend magazine selected the CTS as its 2008 Car of the Year. After five years of the first generation CTS, it was redesigned for 2008, and it’s easy to see and

Read more

Total Recall: 2007's Surprising Most Recalled Car List

Last August, for example, Ford Motor Co., announced it was recalling 3.6 million vehicles, mostly trucks from the 1990s, to fix a speed control deactivation switch. And last spring, Volkswagen began recalling 1 million new Beetles from the model years 2001 to 2007 to repair a brake light problem. “Now almost any time you pick up a newspaper, there is a recall,” said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at J.D. Power & Associates in Troy, Mich. According to Libby, overall car quality has improved. However, since automakers are using more shared platforms and parts, the chances the sample bad component resulting in recalls for the same reason in multiple manufacturers has also increased. Conversely, the increase amount of

Read more

Nissan recalls mass quatities of Altimas, Sentras

If the problem occurs, the engine could stop running without warning when the car is driven at low speeds. Jeannine Ginivan, a Nissan Motor Co. spokeswoman, said Monday there have been no reports of crashes or injuries corresponding to the issue. More than 650,000 of the recalled vehicles are in the United States, with the remainder in Mexico and Canada. The Japanese automaker reported the problem in a Nov. 16 letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nissan, which will begin to notify owners Dec. 10, will reprogram the electronic control module to address the problem. For more information, contact: Nissan at (800) 647-7261. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written

Read more

Did Roberto Clemente Drive A Chevy?

Sponsors like Bank of America, Holiday Inn, Pepsi, Sharp and Taco Bell are offering trips to the series as grand prizes in sweepstakes tied to the games. And as far as the automotive industry, Chevrolet will have a substantial presence. Most important for the American manufacturer: It will be the presenting sponsor of the Roberto Clemente Award. The honor is given to the player who epitomizes the humanitarian efforts of Major League Baseball. It will be presented on the field during pre-game activities in Game Three. The presenting sponsorship is part of the manufacturer’s $100 million campaign geared toward the 2008 Malibu and its quest to compete with Honda and Toyota. The Malibu’s redesign was introduced in commercials during the

Read more
, , ,

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 —

Read more

Hey GM, Chrysler, Toyota? Get Charlize Theron Behind The Wheel — Now

Theron likely has plenty of apparel and fragrance deals in the works. But a smart car industry expert would immediately find out what kind of car Theron drives (if she drives) and persuade her with a healthy financial deal to tout the car — let’s say while she’s driving along Highway 1 on the Carmel, California, coastline. The sexiest woman alive promoting a car? Watch the sales spike make assembly plant lines reach critical mass. Now, Jill Wagner may not be as well-known as Theron, but she’s certainly a pretty actress, too. And her appearance beginning in 2005 in Mercury commercials certainly hasn’t hurt. Who’s Jill Wagner? You know her. She wears stilettos, has a long strong stride, wears an azure sweater

Read more

Another Auto Strike? How About Less Talk, Better Cars?

What the pending strike means for the auto industry at large is hard to know. But it what is known is that tactics used both the company management and the UAW is growing old. Management gives its side of the equation to the media and the workers’ representatives follow with their thoughts. Or the scenario works in reverse. Regardless, both sides spin their tales to the press knowing exactly what they’re doing. And the media reports it. For years, I’ve periodically heard friends and the parents of friends give their the strong opinions about the best cars to buy, the status of the auto industry and the United Auto Workers. One common theme is, “Only Buy American.” Auto industry strikes

Read more

Car Gadgets: All I Want Is My OnStar And XM Radio

I’ve been reviewing cars for about five years. And if I’ve learned anything after driving more than 200 vehicles, it’s that every manufacturer has a terminology “spin” for what it believes is its revolutionary automotive technology. Some of the parlance is clever and represents great innovation; Other descriptions are shameless, meaningless hype. Regardless, with the admission that I’m a minimalist, I think it’s fair to say some manufacturers’ equipment offerings have reached critical mass or perhaps exceeded it. In short, some cars have too much stuff, some of which just doesn’t work well. Hypersensitive electronic sensors, rear view navigation systems with blurry visual quality and inefficient braking systems all come to mind. Yet, two items stand out among as the

Read more
Previous