Free Republic

General Motors Co (GM.N) on Wednesday announced six recalls covering 717,950 vehicles in the United States for varying reasons. None of the recalls were related to the ignition switch issues that have caused nearly 15 million recalls of GM vehicles worldwide this year. The new set of recalls brings GM's recalls worldwide this year to nearly 30 million. The largest recall is for a potentially loose bolt in power adjustable front seats for several cars from model years 2010 and 2012.

Each Chevy Volt sold thus far may have as much as $250,000 in state and federal dollars in incentives behind it – a total of $3 billion altogether, according to an analysis by James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Hohman looked at total state and federal assistance offered for the development and production of the Chevy Volt, General Motors’ plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. His analysis included 18 government deals that included loans, rebates, grants and tax credits. The amount of government assistance does not include the fact that General Motors is currently...

What was designed as a “man-on-the-street” style commercial for Ford Motor Co. turned into a potent political statement when F-150 owner Chris McDaniel, asked about the importance of buying American, explained why Ford was the company for him: “I wasn’t going to buy another car that was bailed out by our government,” McDaniel explained. “I was going to buy from a manufacturer that’s standing on their own, win, lose or draw.” The TV spot was so popular, the video went viral on YouTube. But it was not until the ad was pulled off the air that people really started talking...

Ford Motor Company has shelved a television commercial indirectly criticizing its competitors for accepting government bailouts to avoid bankruptcy in the wake of media criticism and, reportedly, a call from the White House. The ad, first uploaded to YouTube months ago, was part of a series featuring real-life customers who were thrust into press conferences where actor/reporters asked them to explain their decisions to buy a Ford. "I wasn't going to buy another car that was bailed out by our government," the customer, Chris, said in the ad. "I was going to buy from a manufacturer that's standing on their...

Cars fitted with OnStar's technology will be tracked even if the owners don't sign up to the service, in a change to the company's policy that will kick in come December. OnStar is a service offered by General Motors USA, which inserts a mobile phone, along with telemetry tracking kit, into cars sold by the company. Owners are then offered the option to sign up to the navigation and automatic crash reporting, but in a policy change the company will start collecting data from drivers even if they haven't signed up for the service. In the notice being sent out...

America is still fighting over President Obama's costly bailout of Chrysler and General Motors. Especially the owners of Ford, the only member of Detroit's "Big Three" who rejected the government dole and emerged perfectly healthy. [Check out our editorial cartoons on President Obama.] In its most political ad in the so-called "Drive One" ads where real drivers are thrust before cameras to explain why they picked Ford, a real Ford F-150 pick-up driver is featured.

The luxury automobile maker, Cadillac has noted the potential of small cars and has now come out with a concept car for urban driving. It will still be a spewing with luxury from all angles, including scissor doors and a very spacious cabin. Which brings me to one very troublesome fact - the small Cadillac isn’t very small. In fact it is only a couple of inches shorter than a sedan! As far as specifications go, the small Cadillac, Urban Luxury, will have a 1.0 litre petrol engine with 3 cylinders and an electric motor. It will be equipped with...

Each August, Chevrolet Outdoor Billboards line Woodward Ave in Detroit for Cruise Weekend. These billboards feature classic Chevrolet muscle cars & great tag lines!