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It's the week ending October 30, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each. First, it's too obvious to forget, but this weekend is Halloween, and there are sure to be lots of kidlets swarming the roads in costume on Saturday evening. AskPatty knows Halloween is the most dangerous day of the year for children to walk and offers up a selection of tips to help drivers do their part to keep trick-or-treaters safe from harm. Love this one: "Empire Strikes Back: White House calls out Edmunds on Clunkers story, Edmunds responds" The facts in the case of the White House versus Edmunds are essentially indisputable - but they are open for interpretation. Thanks to AutoBlog for summarizing this excellent -- and entertaining -- case of "He said, They said." Daylight savings time ends this weekend, be sure to take extra care when driving in residential neighborhoods and approaching intersections and stop signs as you adjust to the added darkness along your familiar roads. Automotive Traveler advises your children to be extra careful if they're walking in a parking lot or crossing the street as the sun sets...
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The latest high-performance creation from Hennessey Peformance Engineering (HPE) is so quick that OnStar was alerted by a recent acceleration test. In a video , posted by AutoBlog , a Cadillac CTS-V700 billed as a “four-door ZR-1” ran the quarter-mile in 11.07 seconds at 128 mph. In doing so, the musclebound CTS-V pulled .99 g, enough to alert OnStar that something beyond the norm for a production car was going on. A great nod to the performance accomplishment, an OnStar operator calls the car after the run and the driver reports all is fine. (Learn how OnStar works .) The CTS-V700 with 20-inch drag radials claims a 10.9 second quarter-mile time at 129 mph. It blasts 0-60 mph in just 3.1 mph, reaching a 211 mph top speed. The V700 package includes: Four-inch cold-air induction system Supercharger pulley and snout upgrade Engine management software upgrade Long tube 1 7/8-inch stainless-steel headers Three-inch stainless mid pipes High-flow catalytic converters Intercooler heat exchanger system upgrade V700 camshaft upgrade V700 high-flow cylinder heads 160-degree thermostat Hennessey embroidered head rests Serial numbered dash and engine plaques Should that transformation sound too...
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General Motors happily reports that since launching their 60-day love-it-or-return-it guarantee, only one buyer from 150,000 new-vehicle purchases has returned their new GM car, and actually he exchanged it for the same car but with a different transmission. “Out of hundreds of thousands, the people who've selected the 60-day guarantee were in the hundreds,” GM's marketing chief Bob Lutz said during a press conference Wednesday. “We have had one substantiated return of a vehicle.” Actually, of the 150,000 vehicles sold since the sales campaign debuted, only 100 people have opted for the 60-day return offer. The rest of the buyers each chose to take $500 cash. That's $74,900 in sales incentive "costs" the the automaker ... about the value of one nice Vette or a CTS-V ... and an indicator that a lot of people love cash and/or have faith they'll be happy with their new GM purchase decision 60 days down the road. ~ Deborah Neal, Editorial Director, autoMedia.com
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It's the week ending September 11, 2009 and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Big news is General Motors' announcement of a 60-day money-back guarantee , that will allow eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles that will allow customers to return their vehicle to their dealer between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle. Sneak Peeks from the upcoming Frankfurt Auto show are everywhere to be found! AutoBlogGreen has news and photos of the Mercedes-Benz S 500 plug-in electric Hybrid set to Debut in Frankfurt next week. The luxury PHEV features a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and a 44 kW/60 hp electric motor that promise the S 500 Hybrid races from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, while also offering more than 70 miles per gallon. Race on, Treehuggers! MotorTrend's Frankfurt preview is live now, with first looks at more than a dozen of the cars set to be revealed next week. They've got everything from the Audi R8 Spyder, Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, Lexus LF-Ch and BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concepts. The...
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As another step towards boosting consumer confidence in the brands, General Motors will now offer a Satisfaction Guarantee to eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles which allows customers to return their vehicle between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle. The new Satisfaction Guarantee is in addition to GM's existing warranty coverage, which includes a transferable 100,000-mile/five-year (whichever comes first) limited powertrain warranty, roadside assistance, and courtesy transportation. The warranty is part of GM's larger "May the Best Car Win" marketing campaign that demonstrates the manufacturer's confidence in its vehicles when compared head-to-head with the most competitive vehicles in each vehicle segment. The moneyback guarantee will be offered between September 14 and November 30, 2009. "We're putting our money down that if people buy one of our vehicles and don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back. We will stand behind them both in the short-term and over the long haul," said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, Marketing and Communications. It's clear...
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One month after it emerged from bankruptcy, General Motors reintroduced itself on Tuesday by revealing to journalists an array of all-new cars, crossovers, and trucks that will be debuting now through 2011. ...
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It's the week ending July 25, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. News this week was slow (for a change), with no monumental announcements regarding the state of the automotive industry....
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It's the week ending July 17, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Following on the heels of General Motors return from bankruptcy last week, the biggest news this week swirls around the return of beloved "Maximum Bob" Lutz from retirement to head General Motors as vice chairman responsible for all creative elements of products and customer relationships. And within days of his return he's already making headlines wherever we look, thanks to one particularly lofty statement made early in the week... On Monday, MotorTrend.com reported some of Lutz' future product plans, including confirmation that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is still alive and that there's even a remote possibility of a CTS-V Wagon; hints that the nearly production-ready Camaro Z/28 supercharged Mustang GT500-fighter may never see the light of day; and a report that the fabulous Pontiac G8 will live on as the Chevy Caprice. The possibility of a Pontiac G8 to Chevy Caprice rebadge was optimistically covered by a number of auto blogs, including Jalopnik , Consumer Reports, AutoBlog , USA Today , Automotive...
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J.D. Power and Associates released its annual Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study revealing the owner satisfaction with 2009 cars, trucks, and SUVs. Seven all-new and redesigned models rank highest in their respective segments, including the Dodge Challenger , Ford F-150 (in a tie), Ford Flex , Hyundai Genesis , Nissan Maxima , Volkswagen CC , and Volkswagen Tiguan . (Click links for AutoMedia reviews .) Based on the first 90 days of ownership, the APEAL study examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 90 vehicle attributes. The comprehensive research is based on responses more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year vehicles. Luxury nameplates dominated the top brands: Porsche , Jaguar , Cadillac , Audi , BMW , Mercedes-Benz , Lexus , Infiniti , Land Rover , and Lincoln . The bottom brands were largely value-focused car lines, though Subaru and Toyota were in the lowest six. (Click links for the new car buyer's guide .) The results can help shoppers gauge the satisfaction from other consumers, though ultimately the real use for the survey is to help manufacturers understand how their...
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As part of the austerity program accompanying its emergence from bankruptcy, General Motors is ending long-standing sponsorship contracts to slash unnecessary costs. The move follows on the heels of the company’s announcement Friday that it will be cutting 25-35 percent of its workforce, and reducing nameplates from 48 to 34 within a year. According to a report at The Detroit News : ”A federal judge Monday let General Motors Co. shed dozens of sponsorship deals and pricey perks that included VIP suites at international speedways, naming rights for a Lansing baseball stadium and Times Square billboards.” The move frees General Motors from millions of dollars in marketing, sponsorship, and promotions-related expenses, most of which are deemed unrelated to core operations, especially now that the company has announced it will be focusing its efforts on Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , and GMC . Among the cuts are even seats at major motorsports venues, including Daytona, Dover, and Richmond NASCAR tracks. ( Click here to download a complete list of affected sponsorships.) Earlier this year, General Motors ended several sponsorships with such high-profile celebrities as PGA golfer Tiger Woods...
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As General Motors emerges from its bankruptcy today, GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson led a "state of the company" address this morning, describing the immediate priorities for the new General Motors. It's been only 40 days since the company filed its bankruptcy plan on June 1, 2009....
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The General is racing through its bankruptcy proceedings, with victory lane in sight, where the troubled automaker will arrive leaner, meaner, and better positioned for long-term success. A key milestone was reached Sunday when Judge Robert E. Gerber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the sale of substantially all of General Motors Corporation's assets to the new GM. Through the 363 asset sale, the new company will carry on with the “best” parts of the old corporation, officially known as Motors Liquidation Company. Among the key assets are just four brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. Separately, GM has said it will withdraw from the NUMMI cooperative factory venture with Toyota, where the Pontiac Vibe was built in California. The new GM's common stock will be owned by: U.S. Department of the Treasury: 60.8 percent UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust: 17.5 percent Canada and Ontario governments: 11.7 percent The old GM: 10 percent The judge's order included a four-day stay before closing of the sale can occur, allowing for appeals to be heard.
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The Detroit 3 showed marked improvements in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Initial Quality Study released this week, with a 10-percent gain over 2008. This accomplishment for Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors is remarkable given the well-publicized challenges they have faced in the past year, and all the more impressive for being greater than the 8-percent rate of improvement by the industry overall. Cadillac ranks in the top three, moving up from 10th last year, with Ford, Chevrolet, and Mercury all ranked above the industry average. However, Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep remain well below the average. The study finds that initial quality for newly launched and redesigned models in 2009 has improved compared with previous years. Historically, all-new models have typically launched with below-average levels of initial quality. However, several all-new models in 2009, including the Hyundai Genesis, Kia Borrego, Toyota Venza and Volkswagen CC, perform considerably better than their respective segment averages. Many redesigned models in 2009 also show notable improvement from the previous generation--particularly the Acura TL, Ford F-150, Honda Pilot, and Nissan Z. The highest ranked...
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So the wondering is over: General Motors has followed Chrysler into bankruptcy , and the automotive world continues to turn. After weeks of speculation , General Motors has outlined a plan for the company, promising to reinvent itself and "create a leaner, stronger "New GM" positioned for a profitable, self-sustaining and competitive future." "Today marks a defining moment in the reinvention of GM as a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive company that, above all, can quickly generate winning bottom line results," said Fritz Henderson, GM president and CEO. "This new GM will be built from the strongest parts of our business, including our best brands and products." This new future is made possible thanks to agreements made with the U.S. Treasury and the governments of Canada and Ontario, as well as additional partnerships made by GM Europe with the German government, as well. According to Yahoo.com General Motors "will rely on $30 billion of additional financial assistance from the Treasury Department and $9.5 billion from Canada. That's on top of about $20 billion in taxpayer money GM already has received in the form...
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Automotive history will be made Monday, June 1st. All signs point to General Motors announcing that they are filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with the first signal rumored to come at the morning bell on Wall St ., followed by a speech by President Obama at about noon, trailed immediately by a GM press conference . It has been a long, hard road for General Motors this past year, as the entire automotive industry has seen car sales rapidly drop from more than 16 million units a year to just 10 million, with buyers shifting from large, profitable models to small and midsized vehicles with slim profit margins. All automakers have struggled to keep pace with the myriad changes and challenges that have faced their businesses, and most have suffered significantly from the economic recession. In its effort to avoid following Chrysler into Chapter 11 , GM has made significant efforts to right-size its business. Notably, it has pursued reducing its division portfolio by selling or otherwise disposing of Hummer, Pontiac , Saab, and Saturn--leaving Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC for the U.S. market. (It has recently sold its Germany Opel division to supplier Magna.) It will reduce its dealer...
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