car search engines: Reports

Showing posts with label Reports. Show all posts

Monday, April 18, 2011

Can't make 'em Speed: LAPD gets Hosed in Ticket Quota Case

12:40 PM sport sedan No comments

$2 million, it turns out, is the magic number when trying to teach a lesson to the Los Angeles Police Department's traffic division. Which lesson?, you may ask. It's the one involving illegal (in California at least) quotas for traffic tickets, with an extra credit dose of payout for punishing officers when they don't meet those quotas.

Officers Howard Chan and David Benioff, working for LAPD's West Traffic Division, were awarded the money for winning a 2009 suit for harassment of various kinds resulting from the fact that they didn't write a number of citations each day.

Chevrolet Sells 1.1 Million Vehicles Worldwide in Q1 2011 Recording its Best First-Quarter Results Ever

8:48 AM sport sedan No comments

Driven by the new Cruze sedan and the globalization of the Chevrolet name, sales of GM’s brand in the first three months of the year reached 1.1 million vehicles worldwide, which is the best first-quarter results in the company’s history. Compared to the first quarter of 2010, Chevrolet recorded a 15 percent increase in sales this year.

Ford to Introduce 15 new Cars in China and to Double Workforce by 2015

3:25 PM sport sedan No comments

With only a few days left before the start of the Shanghai Auto Show, Ford Motor Company announced a very ambitious plan for China as the automaker aims to introduce 15 new vehicles and to double its workforce in the world's largest car market by 2015.

“Together with our partners, we are leveraging the strength of the One Ford plan and our global platforms to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, reinforcing our commitment to offer a full portfolio of vehicles for our Chinese customers," said Joe Hinrichs, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president. "The 15 new vehicles are part of Ford’s plans to introduce 50 new products and powertrains to the Asia Pacific region by 2015,” Hinrichs added.

Ward's Auto Announces the 10 Best Car Interiors of 2011

8:23 AM sport sedan No comments

Like every year, Ward's AutoWorld magazine picks the best interiors the automotive industry has to offer. For 2011, the publication chose 10 the ten best interiors the offer after editors analyzed 51 vehicles that were all-new or featured significantly upgraded interior. Ward's Auto picked the 10 winners from all segments, with the finalists including three luxury brands, three economy cars, a sport sedan, a minivan, an SUV and a family sedan.

If you’re still with us, the top 10 winners for 2011, in alphabetical order, are:

Audi A8
BMW X3 xDrive35i
Chevrolet Cruze 2LT RS
Dodge Charger Rallye Plus
Ford Focus Titanium
Honda Odyssey Elite
Hyundai Elantra Limited
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit
Kia Optima EX
Volvo S60

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Sedan: China Edition

6:44 AM sport sedan No comments

Another day, another photo of General Motors’ 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. This time, GM’s China site published a three-quarter view of the local market version of Chevy’s mid-size sedan finished in a blue hue. Blame the angle the picture was taken, but the new Malibu looks less dynamic, more plain here than it did on the previous image of the US-spec model. Of course, that’s our two cents worth, so feel free to express your thoughts in the comments section below. Read more »

California Set to Slash Lawmakers' Vehicle Costs in Half, No More Freebies

6:25 PM sport sedan No comments

In an attempt to help reduce California's $26.6 billion deficit, the state's Citizens Compensation Commission has decided that members of the Senate and Assembly who drive state-sponsored vehicles will have their annual vehicle costs cut from $7,453 to $3,600. That boils down to $300 per month for expenses (gas, insurance, etc.), and oh, they'll have to drive their own cars as of December…

California lawmakers average an income of $131,000 per year before retirement benefits, and reducing vehicle costs is one minor cut that's being made for the betterment of the whole. Some people thought the measure was a bit too broad, not taking into account lawmakers' locations.

Nissan to Show New Versa and a Motorsports Concept in New York, Infiniti to Announce New Addition to Range

3:00 PM sport sedan No comments

One by one, automakers are revealing their plans for the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show. This time we have news from Nissan and its luxury division Infiniti. Starting with Nissan, the Japanese firm will debut a “new compact sedan” and a “new, zero emission motorsports concept”. While we have don’t have any information yet on the concept study, from what we know, the compact sedan will be the next generation of the Versa that was teased in an official sketch back in late 2010.

Saved by Antonov: Saab Sells Production Facilities to Russian Banker to Get Cash

2:32 PM sport sedan No comments

The Swedish government offered Saab conditional backing for a deal to free up cash for the company (see previous story here), whose production lines have been stopped for two weeks as Saab didn't pay suppliers. "We have decided to allow the Debt Office to conclude an agreement with Saab," said enterprise minister Maud Olofsson during a news conference on Friday.

The government has approved a proposal from the Debt Office to allow Saab to sell real estate, including the production plant, to Russian financier Vladimir Antonov and then lease it back from him. The minister said this deal would bring €30 million to Saab in the first phase, although the real estate was worth much more than that.

Saab Roller Coaster Continues as Cash Gets Tight

12:26 PM sport sedan No comments

Saab just can't seem to catch a break. After moving from the General's formerly overcrowded pocket into the hands of Spyker, the once-quirky brand is now doing all it can to bring production back online after failing to pay suppliers.

The gist is this: Saab received 400 million Euros (~$580 million) from the European Investment Bank so it could keep on ticking. Sweden guaranteed the loan, meaning whatever Spyker's resolution calls for must get the go-ahead from the Man.

Seat to Launch in China in 2012, will be at the Shanghai Auto Show

10:49 AM sport sedan No comments

As part of the VW Group’s strategy to expand its brands into new markets, the German automaker will bring Seat to the Shanghai Auto Show (April 21-28, 2011) offering Chinese buyers their first taste of the Spanish firm’s cars before sales begin with the Leon and Ibiza models in 2012. Read more »

Aston Martin Enters Indian Market, Opens its First Dealership in Mumbai

5:49 AM sport sedan No comments

British sports car-maker Aston Martin announced its first foray into India’s booming luxury market on Friday with the opening of its first dealership in the country located in the city of Mumbai. India’s car market posted sales of 1.87 million units in 2010 recording an impressive 25 percent increase over the previous year. More importantly for brands like Aston Martin, the premium car sector grew by a staggering 70 percent last year.

After Tsunami, American Automakers Looking for Home Turf Sales Boost

5:05 PM sport sedan No comments

According to CNN’s Fortune and simple, cold-hearted business logic, now is the prime time for American manufacturers to take advantage of recent catastrophic events and pounce on their home market's consumers. A lack of Japanese parts (or entire vehicles), in conjunction with a strong yen and ever-improving American small cars, has given Ford, GM, and Chrysler a potential sales pick-me-up as we stroll into the summer months.

Two of the three factors which will help American manufacturers' sales stem directly from the tsunami in Japan a month ago: factory shutdowns have limited parts/vehicle availability, while the yen gained value as the Japanese are expected to repurchase some currency for disaster mitigation.

Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Shatters Corvette ZR1’s Record at Miller Motorsports Park [with Video]

3:06 PM sport sedan No comments

The Dodge Viper SRT10 American Club Racer (ACR) broke the production car lap record at Miller Motorsports Park, dipping below the 2-minute mark for the first time ever at the 3.048-mile Outer Course configuration. Dodge driver Kuno Wittmer stopped the clock at 1:59.995, beating the previous record held by Jan Magnussen in a Corvette ZR1 by almost four seconds (2:03.86).

Kia Confirms 2012 Rio Sedan and Hatch, and 2012 Soul Facelift for New York Show

1:52 PM sport sedan No comments

In a move that shows Kia has no intention of letting the momentum it has gained with the launch of seven new products in the past two years fade away, the South Korean automaker confirmed today the world premiere of two new models at the rapidly approaching New York Auto Show (April 22 – May 1).

The first global debut concerns the four-door sedan version of the 2012 Kia Rio, which was unwrapped in hatchback form at the Geneva Salon in March. The 2012 Rio sedan will be joined by the North American debut of the Rio5 hatchback.

European Union Asks Formula 1 to go Electric

12:39 PM sport sedan No comments

In 2006, Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth brought global warming to the forefront of the world’s consciousness. Regardless of what end of the spectrum you stand on this issue, you have to admit that it’s real, it’s bad and if we don’t do anything it’s only going to get worse. To me and many others, it’s that simple.

So naturally we’re targeting the obvious culprits: Big Mining, Big Agriculture and Big Automotive. We’re also encouraging the average man and woman to use less and be environmentally responsible. So what about the world’s biggest and most prestigious automotive racing category: Formula 1? What are they doing to stem the tide of global warming?

BMW Invests More in its 'i' Project, Snatches Chevy Volt’s Lead Engineer from GM

10:54 AM sport sedan No comments

BMW recently acquired Frank Weber, formerly head of Opel/Vauxhall's product planning division and lead engineer on Chevrolet's Volt. Automotive News Europe reports that he will become head of BMW's vehicle architecture and integration division.

Weber will be in control of EfficientDynamics (the green stuff), driver safety/assistance tech, and "full vehicle concepts and architecture", as well as bringing a whole bunch of electrical wizardry and know-how to BMW's nascent electric future.

Ford Expands Airbag-Related F-150 Recall to another 1.2 Million Units

10:36 AM sport sedan No comments

Ford has issued a massive recall action for its top-selling U.S. model, the F-150 pickup truck, of which around 1.2 million units are involved. The move comes after Ford agreed in February to recall more than 150,000 F-150 vehicles built between 2004 and 2006 for possible airbag faults. Read more »

Fiat Announces U.S.-Spec Version of 500 Cabrio

9:59 AM sport sedan No comments

After releasing the three-door hatchback variant of the 500 in the U.S., Fiat announced today a new addition to the range of its 1950s style model, the 500C, where ‘C’ stands for Cabrio. However, most will quickly notice that the 500C isn’t really a full-fledged convertible model as the Italian company opted to revive the rollback canvas roof from the original Cinquecento (500). Read more »

Fiat SpA Could Raise Chrysler Ownership to 46 Percent as Early as June

8:03 AM sport sedan No comments

Only two days ago, Fiat SpA announced that it had obtained an additional 5 percent of Chrysler increasing its stake to 30 percent. Now it seems that the Italian group's plans are to raise Chrysler ownership to 46 percent by June of this year, according to an Automotive News report. The news site quotes two unnamed insiders with direct knowledge of the matter who talked about Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's plans.

Definitely not a Safety Feature: The Broken Chevy Cruze Wheel that Launched 2,100 Inspections [with Video]

3:42 PM sport sedan No comments

Thanks to the worldwide web of ours, we now have some video of the one and only (so far) recall-inducing 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. For the full story, check out our previous post here. The nitty-gritty is that a guy, his wife, one of their mothers, and their 19-month-old son were in the car when the steering wheel decided it wasn't really needed anymore and took a hike...at 65 miles per hour.

car search engines

Blog Archive

Followers