A truck containing a teleprompter and audio gear used by President Barack Obama was stolen in Virginia, prompting questions about security lapses. The gear, estimated at about $200,000, was parked in a van at a Virginia hotel parking lot ahead of Obama’s visit to the area. The van was said to be carrying audio equipment,...
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Kia is hoping to reach the 500,000 unit milestone and add 40 new dealers by 2012, as the Korean automaker enjoys increasing success in the U.S. market. Kia Vice Chairman Hank Lee said that Kia is on pace to sell 470,000 vehicles in 2011, up from 356,258 in 2010. Lee also said that in addition...
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The Chevrolet Malibu will get a 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo powerplant when it debuts in China, similar to its Buick Regal platform mate. While North America will forgo this engine in favor of larger displacement 4-cylinder engines, the 1.6L mill still produces 186 horsepower. GM is attempting to position Chevrolet as an upmarket, rather than bargain...
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For the second year in a row, General Motors has sold 2 million vehicles in China, with 10 weeks left in the calender year 2011. GM reported strong demand for Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles, up 24, 18 and 73 percent respectively. General Motors’ SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture also reached a milestone, selling its 1 millionth...
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Mazda is hoping to boost sales in the United States by 74 percent, and a key component of their strategy will be delivering sporty vehicles that can turn out “real world” fuel economy numbers. “It’s not acceptable to us have 40 mpg and sacrifice performance,” said Robert Davis, Mazda’s senior VP of U.S. operations. Rivals...
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While General Motors has had major success in South Korea, Japan has eluded GM for some time. The American automaker is hoping to reverse that trend with the introduction of their Chevrolet Sonic small car, which will be positioned above domestic entrants like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. GM is launching a television campaign,...
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Volkswagen announced that they would unveil two new vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, and a convertible version of the Beetle is among the rumored introductions. Considering the popularity of the previous droptop Beetle, Los Angeles seems like an obvious choice for the new car. On the other hand, we’re not so...
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Ford is revising their forecast for F-150 Ecoboost sales, estimating that the turbocharged 6-cylinder pickup will comprise 45 percent of F-150 sales, versus original estimates of 40 percent. Ford now estimates that the Ecoboost will sell 100,000 units this year. The F-150 remains the best selling vehicle in the United States, and Ford was caught...
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The 2013 BMW 3-Series, codenamed the F30, was revealed today by BMW, and the most noteworthy change is the first four-cylinder engine for North America since the 318i of the late 1990’s. So far, we know that the 328i will pack a 4-cylinder turbo displacing 2.0L and putting out 245 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of...
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Hyundai will unveiled a one-off Genesis coupe at SEMA, dubbed the Genesis Hurricane SC, built in collaboration with Magnuson Products, Rhys Millen Racing, Harman International and Torvec Inc. Magnuson is a well known maker of superchargers, and will be contributing the “SC” part of the equation, though technical details haven’t been released. Horsepower has been announced...
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An interview with BMW engineer Ulli Kranz conducted by Consumer Reports suggests that the BMW i3 city car will get a range extender similar to the i8 supercar – but the technology will come from two-wheeled transportation, rather than a conventional car. With weight a key consideration for the i3 (materials like aluminum and carbon...
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General Motors unveiled their new family of small displacement engines, a group of three and four cylinder engines ranging from 1.0L to 1.5L in displacement. The engines were designed in concert largely with GM’s Chinese subsidiaries. GM didn’t divulge which vehicles will get the new engines, but did say that North America won’t be an...
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A new continuously-variable transmission, a supercharged 2.5L four-cylinder engine and an front-drive hybrid system should all arrive on the new Nissan Altima for 2013, helping Nissan stay competitive in an increasingly tough segment. The hybrid drivetrain will be similar to that used on the Infiniti M Hybrid, but adapted for front-wheel drive vehicles. The new...
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Sorry to get your hopes up, but it looks like the 2013 Chevrolet TrailBlazer won’t be coming here after all. Despite teasing us with a preview of the upcoming mid-size SUV, Chevrolet representatives said that there are no immediate plans to bring the TrailBlazer to our market. The TrailBlazer’s platform-mate, the Colorado pickup, will be...
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New rules to Britain’s MoT inspection program, used by the government to declare whether vehicles are roadworthy or not, could end up costing motorists thousands of dollars for non-essential repairs. European Union regulations, which Britain is subject to, require that electronic stability control systems must be checked, and any vehicle that doesn’t pass will be...
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Two employees at Italian tuning house Abarth have been arrested for selling $1.3 million in stolen parts, while 23 other employees and Italian postal service workers have been summoned for questioning after an 8-month investigation. Abarth became aware of the scam after several dealers complained that several tuning kits, used to upgrade Fiat 500 and...
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Cadillac is hoping to use an unconventional marketing strategy to lure buyers to its upcoming XTS sedan, with plans to market it to limo services as a livery vehicle or “black car”. While the livery car market is a small niche segment, it naturally attracts a fair number of high-end clients who use the vehicles...
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Legendary design firm Pininfarina is ending its auto production business, but will retain its engineering and design divisions. Pininfarina said it will shed 127 jobs due to the division’s closing. “Unfortunately we are having to stop our production activities, given the way the car market is. So we are focusing on design and engineering,” a...
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Subaru is looking to increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles by 30 percent and will introduce new technologies like turbocharging, different transmissions and hybrid systems to help meet those goals. First up will be a blitz of new product built on an all-new lightweight architecture that will replace the current platform used by all...
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Police in Detroit have impounded a strip club on wheels dubbed “The Booty Lounge” after it was spotted by Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. Joe Parsons, operator of The Booty Lounge, was busted for a number of technical violations, including being unable to prove that the bus had passed a safety inspection. Parsons...
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The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was killed off in 2009 to make way for GM’s new range of car-based crossovers, but evidently there’s still demand for a mid-size, truck based SUV, as Chevrolet has announced a new TrailBlazer based on the upcoming Colorado mid-size pickup. Given that the Colorado was developed for world markets by GM’s Thailand...
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Outlandish engine swaps are usually a fool’s errand that cost far more time and money than most people ever expect. Of course, if you’re a major automaker with endless financial and mechanical resources behind you, you can do whatever you want. When Nissan set out to create the Juke-R, considerations like “budget”, “space” and “access...
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Cadillac has released a video of its 2012 ATS testing at the Nurburgring, along with some photos of the heavily disguised sports sedan being put through its paces. The ATS in the video is obviously a long way off from production, with a rollcage, bucket seats and other competition-grade pieces, and we can’t quite make...
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Hyundai has already admitted that they have two sets of tooling for their three-door Veloster, so that Hyundai can switch the door’s location for either left or right-hand drive markets, and the company has admitted that a Veloster with two rear doors is a possibility for the future. Hyundai is apparently planning a five-door version...
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