Free Republic

Electrical-energy-storage unit (EESU) utilizing ceramic and integrated-circuit technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries IS THIS A HOAX? IS THIS FOR REAL?

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is rushing to finish the production version of its Chevy Volt and plans to unveil a showroom-ready model of the heavily touted electric car in September, people familiar with the project say.

Bruised by a deep sales slump and a half-century-low in its stock price, General Motors Corp. is preparing to cut thousands more white-collar jobs and is considering whether it should sell or shutter more of its brands, people familiar with the matter said. Both moves are part of a broader re-evaluation of GM's strategy and of its ability to meet an internal projection of returning to profitability in 2010, these people said. [Snip] The company currently sells vehicles under eight different brands, but most, including Buick, Saturn and Saab, struggle to attract buyers despite offering new models that cost GM...

TORONTO (Reuters) - The number of vehicles imported into Canada from the United States in 2008 is well on pace to break last year's record high, according to data compiled by the North American Automobile Trade Association. Canadians imported 151,169 vehicles as of June 30, more than double the amount for the same period a year earlier, and fast approaching the 189,738 vehicles imported throughout 2007.

BMW of North America is calling on the Bush administration to create an alternative fuel economy program for companies that would be hardest hit by proposed new standards in the 2011-15 model years. The alternative would allow a company such as BMW to comply by raising the fuel efficiency of its products by 4.5 percent a year over the standards in effect in 2010, the automaker says in comments submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration, responding to a new federal law, has proposed sliding scales of targets for cars and trucks of different sizes, measured by...

Free parking for electric cars axed - for being too successfulDavid Williams, Motoring Editor 24.06.08   Charging time: owners of electric cars like this Nice Mega City will now have to pay to park in the City of London   A pioneering scheme that rewards owners of electric vehicles with free parking is being scrapped - because it works too well. Since 2001, the City of London has issued free roadside parking passes to nearly 500 drivers of the zero-emission cars in a bid to encourage other people to buy one. It has also handed out 539 permits for...

We know that fine-tuning engine gear boxes is often a good way to put your auto on a diet. But a Scottish a mechanical tech firm Artemis Intelligent Power claims to have developed a new kind of transmission, capable of doubling fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 30 percent. The company says that nearly 15 years of scrupulous research have culminated in the High Efficiency Digital Displacement Automotive Transmission (HEDDAT) - a breakthrough hybrid engine modulator said to be more durable, lighter and cheaper than its electric counterparts. According to Cleantech, "the company claims its Digital...

The rapid decline in truck sales in the last month has pushed General Motors Corp. to the brink of a once-unimaginable trough: Its U.S. market share could fall below 20% on Tuesday when the auto industry reports vehicle sales for May. Sales of pickup trucks and big sport-utility vehicles -- Detroit's bread-and-butter products -- have been falling for the past few years, pulled down by the slumping economy, falling home values and rising gasoline prices. But the declines accelerated this year and showed an unexpectedly steep drop in May, as gasoline prices reached $4 a gallon in many parts of...

General Motors Corp.'s stock dropped almost 5 percent Friday after the company reported that strikes at some of its own plants and parts supplier American Axle will cost the automaker about $2 billion before taxes in the second quarter. GM also expects to produce 230,000 fewer vehicles during the quarter due to the nearly three-month American Axle strike, which crippled its production of large sport utility vehicles and pickups. The other strikes will cost it 33,000 vehicles. "We anticipate only a portion of this lost production will be recovered, due to the current economic environment in the United States and...

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. surprised Wall Street on Thursday with a $100 million profit in the first quarter as strong results from Europe and South America helped offset the impact of a slumping U.S. economy that cut car and truck sales in its main market

What you are looking at is the physical representation of Hyundai's will to succeed in the U.S., also known as the 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The Korean automaker's first attempt at a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan will debut in Detroit next week and arrive on our shores later this year (we think) with a price tag that starts below $30,000. As is Hyundai's way, it will feature power, performance and amenities that belie its little price tag. First, the design. The Genesis sedan has clean lines and uncluttered surfaces that look detailed and, frankly, expensive. Yes, it's derivative. There's a bit of...

A strike at an auto parts supplier has forced General Motors Corp. to shut down three more pickup truck factories, idling 12,000 workers, the company said Friday. Plants in Flint; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Oshawa, Ontario, were to close at the end of the second shift on Friday night, GM spokesman Tom Wickham said. The closures are in addition to the idling of a pickup truck factory in Pontiac on Thursday. All the plants make the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-sized pickups. It is all due to a strike against parts supplier American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. The...

Auto payment defaults doubled last year and are expected to get worse. It is another financial meltdown waiting to happen similar to the crisis in the home mortgage industry, according to one consumer group. A CBS 5 ConsumerWatch investigation has found consumers locked into cars they cannot afford. According to Power Information Network, 1.85 of the 9.6 million customers in 2006 who leased or financed a new car were subprime borrowers or consumers with weak credit. Vivian Snyder has strong credit and is not classified as subprime, but she is one of many consumers who can't afford the car she...

Most people are lucky to experience one life-affirming moment while they're on this earth; I experienced mine last week. AutoblogGreen's Sam Abuelsamid called to ask if I was interested in accompanying him on his exclusive First Drive of the Tesla Roadster. Aside from the company's own employees, only a few customers and the major automotive print publications have driven the Tesla Roadster so far. But you won't have to check your mailbox or drop $4.95 at Barnes and Noble to read about what it's like to drive this truly revolutionary vehicle. Follow the jump for our full road test (with...

Regulation: The new energy law contains stiff new fuel-efficiency standards for U.S. automakers. But make no mistake: What you got from Congress was a big tax hike. Just ask General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. That's right. The CAFE standards embedded in the Energy Independence Act require fuel efficiency to jump to a fleet average 35 miles a gallon in 2020 from about 25 mpg now. That means you will soon be paying more — a lot more — to buy a car. Maybe this sounds reasonable. To many, these new rules are long overdue. They'll help us cut our...

Parking outside your home could cost more if you have a long carBy MATTHEW HICKLEY - More by this author » Last updated at 22:31pm on 31st December 2007Motorists face a fresh financial onslaught with rules linking the cost of parking outside their homes to the length of their cars.  Owners of many ordinary family cars - including the Ford Focus, Renault Scenic and Vauxhall Vectra - will see the price of annual permits almost double as part of a move to encourage drivers to switch to small hatchbacks. Campaigners condemned the move as another 'stealth tax' for hard-hit...

General Motors and Ford Motor Company, struggling to keep turnaround plans on track, both said Monday that they would cut production in the first quarter because of slowing sales. At General Motors, which had fared the best of the three Detroit automakers lately, sales dropped 10.9 percent in November. Chrysler’s sales also declined, by 2.1 percent, with lower truck sales overshadowing a 43 percent rise in passenger car sales. Ford eked out a 1.3 percent gain, after 12 consecutive monthly sales declines, but largely because of more lower-profit bulk sales to commercial and government fleet operators. Dealership sales were down...

It was a rich decade, and car buyers rewarded themselves. After generations of being the exclusive domain of wealthy families, successful businessmen and professionals, luxury vehicles went mainstream in the mid-1990s. Between 1997 and 2006, luxury-brand sales grew 82 percent. Detroit's Big Three missed the party. A Plain Dealer analysis of data provided by the credit research firm Experian Group shows that domestic luxury brands failed to keep up with their Japanese and German counterparts. Once-successful near-luxury brands such as Mercury, Buick and Oldsmobile all but disappeared. Toyota's Lexus division more than tripled its sales, while Ford's Lincoln brand fell...

One-Eyed Deaf Driver, 82, Tows Trailer At 88mph Oct 20 2007 By Gordon Currie Oap Faces Road BanA ONE-EYED, deaf 82-year-old was caught pulling a trailer at 88mph on one of Scotland's deadliest roads.Maurice Hollyfield told a court he wasn't paying attention because he had his stereo turned up loud so he could hear the music.He also claimed he thought his car's rev counter was the speedometer.Hollyfield, whose left eye is made of glass, was clocked by a speed camera on the A9 at Waterloo between Perth and Dunkeld. He should only have been doing 50mph.David Holmes, defending, told...

Just about every month, CNW Market Research meets with a group of would-be car buyers and plays a trick on them. Sometimes the company, which specializes in auto sales trends, takes a Toyota Camry, removes any identifying logos, and tells them it's a new model from one of the U.S.-based auto makers. Or it takes a domestic car and tells them it's a Toyota or another import make. Either way, the result is the same. "If they think it's an American car, the perception of the vehicle falls dramatically," said Art Spinella, vice president of the Bandon, Ore.-based firm. "Detroit...

... the Model T was a piece of junk, the Yugo of its day...

Car geeks are generally an outspoken group. But they really put the pedal to the metal when Hagerty Insurance, a specialist in collector cars, surveyed its policyholders for their picks of the worst car designs of all time. Here's what one connoisseur had to say the about the top pick, American Motors' Pacer: "0 to 60 in four-and-a-half hours. AMC's only conceivable excuse for this stylistic horror would be if their design crew was tripping on massive quantities of acid...and even then...it wouldn't be a good excuse." McKeel Hagerty, CEO of the company, ordered up the survey after noticing that...

Chrysler, with a new owner and a new boss, is placing a big bet on a fledgling Chinese automaker. The Chery A1 is a cute little car. It's a four-door hatchback, with a 1.3-liter engine, dual air bags and antilock brakes. The two-tone interior, with air-conditioning, power windows and a CD player, is surprisingly appealing for a car that sells for just over $7,000 in China. It may not quite live up to American standards. The engine needs refinement, and some parts don't fit as well as they should--not to mention concerns about the safety of anything made in China...

This weekend over 10,000 classic cars will converge on Västerås at the Power Big Meet as car enthusiasts from Sweden, Europe and as far afield as Russia, Israel and Australia make their annual pilgrimage to the biggest Classic car event in the world. For Sweden’s Raggare, the Power Big Meet is more than just a car show - it’s a celebration of a way of life that is peculiarly Swedish, despite being entrenched in the fashions, music and motor cars of Americana. Since the 1950s, a version of the American Dream has been embraced with an enthusiasm that has endured...

The senator was vexed. The U.S. auto companies were resisting attempts by her and other Senate well-meaners to impose a radical rise in fuel efficiency by 2017. Why can't they be more like the Chinese, she complained. Or, to quote Sen. Dianne Feinstein precisely: "What the China situation, or the other countries' situation, shows is that these automakers, in all of these countries, build the automobile that the requirements for mileage state. And they don't fight it, they just do it." Yes. That is how things work in Communist Party dictatorships. It is odd to hold up China as a...

The world’s oldest running car is set to cross the auction block at Pebble Beach in August. The catchy-sounding De Dion-Bouton et Trapardoux was built in France in 1884, and amazingly, it’s a three owner car. Among its many credentials, “La Marquise” is a steam-powered four-wheeled car that is believed to have won the first automobile race. Top speed on the car is a startlingly high 38 miles-per-hour, which must feel decidedly exciting given its primitive construction and solid rubber tires. To reach that heady speed, drivers need to first stoke the car with coal, wood, paper, or other readily...

China's Brilliance BS6 is a recent entry into the European market, positioned as a premium-style import sedan at a budget price. Well, after seeing the videos of the car undergoing crash testing using Euro NCAP guidelines at the ADAC (Germany's AAA, essentially) test center, one thing's certain: buyers get what they pay for. The BS6, as currently constructed, appears to a complete piece of crap. The horrifying 40 mph offset frontal crash test video shows damage that can be described as catastrophic at best. The A-pillar collapses and folds up like a cheap suitcase, forcing the driver's door to pop...

June 1957 – Residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma are enjoying their city’s anniversary, called “Tulsarama!” Most every city around the country enjoys parties; it’s a big tradition throughout the United States. Tulsa representatives decided they needed something unique and different in order to compete with Oklahoma City. They decided to entomb an automobile in a time capsule, using a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere as the car of choice.

By Mac Gordon WardsAuto.com, May 23, 2007 2:09 PM Veteran Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers are upbeat about Chrysler Group’s purchase by New York investment firm Cerberus Capital Management LP. The dealers express hope that new ownership and “fresh cash” will bolster the auto maker’s marketing and product-development programs. “The Cerberus team sounds like they’re really committed to shaping up Chrysler,” says Bob Feeny, owner of a Chrysler Dodge store{snip} Don Schunk, a St. Louis Chrysler-Jeep dealer, applauds the Cerberus decision to keep Tom LaSorda on as CEO{snip} Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers have fared relatively well during the auto...

By John McElroy WardsAuto.com, May 23, 2007 12:43 PM While everyone else is focused on Daimler selling Chrysler, I’m trying to figure out who Cerberus is going to flip it to. You know this crowd did not buy Chrysler to hold it. That’s not what they do. {snip} Getting Chrysler’s labor costs to match Toyota’s in North America... Putting those savings into the product... Quickly pruning the U.S. dealer base... Expanding aggressively overseas. {snip} So the real question is, who gets it? It sure would make a tantalizing acquisition for someone such as Fiat, PSA, or (gulp!) one of those...

MARANELLO, ITALY -- How long should the world's super-rich have to wait before they can buy a Ferrari? The answer has as much to do with how luxury-goods companies create an aura of exclusivity as it does with the global economy's shifting winds minting more millionaires in places like China, Russia and the Middle East.

In 2005, General Motors Corp. executives -- blue over their company's less-than-green reputation and envious of eco-darling Toyota Prius -- began searching the world for advanced batteries they hoped would power a new generation of gas-electric hybrid cars. Most roads led them to Japan, the leader in battery technology and Toyota Motor Corp.'s home turf. Several GM engineers and executives describe their experience at Panasonic EV Energy Co. Ltd., one of the top makers of hybrid-car batteries, as typical of the reception they received there: When GM team members asked for detailed information about the company's most sophisticated automotive lithium-ion...

Truly scrumptious - The man who turned his Land Rover into Chitty Chitty Bang Bangby JAMES MILLS - More by this author » Last updated at 19:51pm on 4th April 2007  She's watched the movie hundreds of times, seen the West End show and even has a lunchbox featuring the magical flying car. Now, thanks to her husband and four years of oil, sweat and tears, Carolyn Pointing has her own full-size Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The 42-year-old police constable, who fell in love with the film as a three-year-old, said: "It's a dream come true."  More....   Video:...

Union leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are vowing to fight a sale of DaimlerChrysler AG's (DCXGn.DE) Chrysler Group to a private-equity buyer, throwing a potential hurdle in front of a deal, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The opposition comes as Cerberus Capital Management LLC is piecing together a team of auto-industry veterans headed by former Chrysler executive Wolfgang Bernhard to bolster its expected bid for the U.S. unit, people familiar with the matter said in the Journal. Cerberus, the tandem of private-equity groups Blackstone Group and Centerbridge Partners LP, and Canadian supplier Magna International...

Road tax doubles to curb ‘gas guzzlers’   Philip Webster, Political Editor   Gordon Brown is planning to double road tax for the country’s most polluting gas-guzzling cars in Wednesday’s Budget, The Times understands. As the Chancellor tries to enhance his green credentials before he takes over as Prime Minister, he is expected to say that the current tax of £210 for the 225,000 least fuel efficient cars purchased brand new since last April — including most 4x4s and sports cars — will rise steadily. Over the next two years it will increase to at least £400, it is...

General Motors said today that it earned $950 million in the fourth quarter of 2006, its largest quarterly profit in more than two years, as its restructuring plan drastically reduced expenses. But in a consequence of heightened expectations about the success of G.M.’s turnaround, Wall Street analysts expressed disappointment with the performance, which was hurt by heavy losses from subprime mortgages at its finance arm. Shares of G.M. were down 62 cents, or 2 percent, to $29.89 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. [Snip] Sales continued to slide in the United States, particularly on lucrative pickups and...

Daimler Chrysler AG's Chrysler Group will offer all 49,600 blue-collar workers in the United States up to $100,000 (U.S.) apiece to leave the company as part of a recovery plan announced earlier this month. The company, which lost $1.47-billion in 2006 and said it expects losses to continue through 2007, said on Feb. 14 that it would cut 13,000 jobs, including 11,000 hourly positions and 2,000 salaried, as it tries to further shrink itself to match reduced demand for its products. A company document obtained by Associated Press outlines an early retirement program for those near retirement age and a...

...Of course, the car has always been more than simple transportation. It was a dare in the early 1900s, a rough-edged dream that bumped along dirt roads on a weekend afternoon as the scarves of passengers streamed behind. The dream was about freedom, independence, adventure, moving out -- and up. Today that dream, while a lot flashier and able to travel faster than many people ever imagined, is still, at its core, about freedom. It's about taking off when a person wants to and going wherever one wants to go -- an attitude that probably explains why car pools aren't...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new testing procedures that will cause fuel economy estimates on the stickers of new vehicles to drop an average of 12% for city driving on most 2008 model year vehicles, and 8% for highway driving, the Associated Press reported. The changes are in response to consumer complaints that fuel economy estimates often don't match real-world driving. The EPA's new procedure will take into account data from vehicle tests designed to more accurately assess high-speed driving, rapid acceleration, the use of air conditioning and driving in cold temperatures, the story said. Highly fuel-efficient vehicles are...

DEARBORN, Mich. Jan 3, 2007 (AP)— Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said Wednesday that he recently bought a Lexus, but that reflects only his admiration for Toyota Motor Corp. and its luxury brand, and is not an overture to bring the companies any closer. Mulally, who took over at the nation's No. 2 automaker last year, said he deeply admires the Japanese automaker for its manufacturing processes and product development strategy. He said that was the reason for his trip to Japan last month to meet with Toyota executives. Mulally called Toyota "the finest machine in the...

Manufacturing of Camry to start in Lafayette this spring; company eyes GM takeover as world's No.1 automaker NAGOYA, Japan | Toyota announced Friday a global production target of 9.42 million vehicles for next year, increasing the odds that the Japanese manufacturer will surpass troubled General Motors Corp. as the world's No. 1 automaker. The latest figure, announced by Toyota in a release, marks a 4 percent increase over the 9.04 million vehicles the company expects to produce this year and easily clears the 9.2 million vehicles GM is estimated to have produced this year. GM does not give targets for...

FORD Motor will slip to become the No 3 US car maker next year as rival Toyota Motor powers ahead in the industry's largest market, according to a sales forecast released today. Edmunds.com, which provides information on the US auto market, said Toyota would overtake Ford by mid-2007 in sales volume. Toyota now often outpaces DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and for two months this year sold more vehicles than Ford, which has seen sales drop almost 8 per cent in 2006. Toyota's US sales, meanwhile, have increased nearly 13 per cent over the same period...

DETROIT – Three new powerplants join the list of Ward's 10 Best Engines winners for 2007, the 13th rendition of the annual competition that recognizes automotive powertrain excellence.

Can not link to the Detroit papers here, but this is just breaking. See the Detroit News or Free Press for information. No link on any national websites that I can find yet.

You're at the car dealership, excited to seal the deal on your nice new ride. You're assessing your options, and several sound sexy: heated cup holders, GPS navigation system, big alloy wheels. One option that does not: side airbags. But in a pinch, they could make a bigger difference than the navigation system, shiny wheels and coffee-warmer combined. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rattled the automotive world on Oct. 5 by announcing that side airbags that protect people's heads are reducing driver deaths in cars struck on the driver's side by an estimated 37%. So are side airbags...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - News) on Wednesday said U.S. October vehicle sales rose 8.1 percent compared to a year ago when demand fell after a summer of showroom discounts. The second-largest U.S. automaker said it sold 215,985 vehicles in the United States last month, compared with 199,847 vehicles a year earlier. Results for Ford include its import brands and some medium- and heavy-duty trucks and are not adjusted for the extra selling day in October 2005. Ford also estimated its inventory levels of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands at 622,000 units -- down 107,000 units from...

I am not sure what is wrong with my 2000 Buick and I am hesitant to take it to the dealer or mechanic as I do not want to get ripped off. In the last week when backing out of the garage, my car makes a squealing noise. It will also do this when I accelerate but does not do it when I apply the brakes. Does anyone have an idea of what this is?

New research from investigators at Harvard University measured secondhand tobacco smoke in cars and found pollution levels that are likely hazardous to children. "The levels were above the threshold for what's considered unhealthy for sensitive groups -- people like children and the elderly -- as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency," said lead study author Vaughan Rees, Ph.D., a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health. During 45 driving trials, the researchers strapped a pollution monitor into a child-safety seat, and then asked a smoker-volunteer to light up at different times along the near hour-long route. The road...

September 12, 2006 -- Big automakers have been rapidly shifting their ad budgets to the Internet in recent years, but deep-pocketed dealer groups are poised to pick up the pace of spending even more. In July, the Northern California Ford dealers, which have a multimillion ad budget, made their first Internet foray after seeing fewer results from television, radio and print. Like the national automakers, the dealer association noted that car buyers do most of their homework online, according to Jim Cooper, a managing director for ad agency JWT in San Francisco. "People aren't coming in on a Saturday morning...

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - News) on Wednesday said it would offer a powertrain warranty of up to 100,000 miles or five years on all of its 2007 models, including those that have already been sold. GM executives said they expected that the expanded warranty program would help the No. 1 automaker win sales against rival brands that have benefited from a better reputation for quality. "This is a turbo-charger for closing the perception gap," GM's North American sales chief Mark LaNeve told reporters. LaNeve said the new warranty offer would raise average sales prices for GM...