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Ford Posts $2.1 Billion Profit, Sends "Thank You" Baskets To Chrysler, GM [Carpocalypse]

Jake Holmes — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:45:00 +0000

Ford posts $2.1 billion profit, sends really big “Thank You” baskets to Chrysler, GM. [ NYT ] More »

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Ford Posts $2.1 Billion Profit, Sends "Thank You" Baskets To Chrysler, GM [Carpocalypse]

Updated: Ed Whitacre to Keep GM CEO Position

Christopher Champion — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:01:22 +0000

General Motors chairman and interim CEO Ed Whitacre has announced his appointment as CEO for keeps. Whitacre took the position on an interim basis on December 1 when Fritz Henderson was ousted. He has been performing his duties as chairman while playing the part of CEO during the permanent CEO search. While he said at the time that he would not seek the position on a permanent basis, his optimism and comfort with the leadership team and company led him to change his mind. GM engaged an outside search firm 60 days ago and the board did look at candidates but decided to seek stability and asked Whitacre to take over. Whitacre lives in Texas and will not be moving his family to Michigan but will “spend a lot more time here [in Detroit] now.” He won’t specify how long he intends to keep the position, saying only that he’ll remain as CEO “an adequate amount of time to get done what we need to get done.” Related posts: BREAKING: GM CEO Fritz Henderson Out, Chairman Ed Whitacre Taking Over Until Replacement Is Found Overheard at NAIAS: Ed Whitacre Eats at Burger King

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Updated: Ed Whitacre to Keep GM CEO Position

More Cars Junked Than Sold For First Time Since WWII [Carpocalypse]

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:30:00 +0000

According to a report by the Earth Policy Institute , roughly 14 million cars in the US were scrapped during 2009, while only 10 million were sold. Why? It wasn’t Cash for Clunkers . Cash for Clunkers saw 700,000 old, mostly shitty cars traded in for shiny new ones, but it didn’t actually impact the total number of vehicles on the road, since its terms dictated a new car had to replace the old. The EPI instead cites a sales volume that was at its lowest point since 1982, the increased urbanization of the American populace (four out of five now live in towns) and the increased cost of owning a vehicle. Since the country still has 246 million licensed cars, yet only 209 million licensed drivers, EPI expects this trend to continue, saying that America has reached “the saturation point for cars” and comparing it to Japan, where licensed cars peaked in 1990 and has since seen a 21 percent drop. EPI predicts the number of cars on American roads will drop 10% by 2020 as sales fail to return the 17 million annual level that was achieved between 1999 and 2007, saying that 10 to 14 million is a more realistic number. [ EPI via The Guardian ]

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More Cars Junked Than Sold For First Time Since WWII [Carpocalypse]

Today’s Dilbert A Thinly Veiled Stab At GM Management [Carpocalypse]

Car and Driver — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Yesterday was going as planned with pre-LA Auto Show news trickling out until BAM! GM announces President and CEO Fritz Henderson was resigning ( fired !) and other-old-white-guy Ed Whitacre would take his place in the interim. Today’s Dilbert skewers everyone involved.

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Today’s Dilbert A Thinly Veiled Stab At GM Management [Carpocalypse]

VW Wants To Make Up! (Lite) Yours In 2011 [La Auto Show]

Erin Riches — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:20:00 +0000

This is the VW UP ! Lite concept, debuting moments ago at the LA Auto Show . It’s a four-seat, front-wheel-drive, diesel-electric hybrid with 70MPG fuel economy. While it’s not production-intent, Ze Germans have announced plans for an ultra-efficient compact by 2011. The UP! Lite takes what everyone knows following almost a hundred years of diesel electric train and applies it to cars. The sleek four-seater tips the scales at a featherweight 1,532 lbs and is fitted with a 0.8-liter TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine 50 HP mated to a 14HP electric motor and a a seven speed DSG transmission. Acceleration from 0-60 MPH is pegged at a leisurely 12 seconds but still, 70 MPG! It would be like never filling up at all. Of course, this is just a “concept” but telegraphs vehicles VW is planning on rolling out globally in 2011, so we’re betting it’s pretty close to the real deal. Well, except for those wheels. To the Point: Volkswagen Premiere in Los Angeles: Up! Lite – This car is the world’s most fuel-efficient four-seater Volkswagen’s Up! Lite concept consumes just 2.44 l/100 km (70 mpg/highway) Concept based on the future New Small Family from Volkswagen Wolfsburg / Los Angeles, 02 December 2009 – Volkswagen – Europe’s strongest automotive brand – is setting standards worldwide when it comes to efficiency with its clean high-tech TDI and TSI engines. Now this is being followed up by latest coup at the Los Angeles Auto Show (December 4 to 13): the world premiere of the Up! Lite A progressive, fuel efficient and in all details cleverly designed four-seater with a hybrid drive. Combined fuel consumption: 2.44 l/100 km or 70 mpg/highway! No other car is more sustainable. With a drive concept consisting of a TDI (turbo-diesel), electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) as well as top aerodynamics (Cd value: 0.237), Volkswagen is driving CO2 emissions down to a sensational 65 g/km. This makes the three-door concept the world’s most fuel efficient car – and from the perspective of its overall CO2 footprint the world’s most environmentally friendly four-seat car as well. Both technically and visually, the Up! Lite is a preview of the future. The image of the car body with its clean lines, as though sculpted from a block of aluminium, underscores just how fascinating a car tuned to aerodynamic perfection can look. The ideal car for the daily commute to work The technically challenging 2-Liter fuel consumption car might be launched globally. Many of the components of the 695 kilogram light Volkswagen are based on those of the future New Small Family, an entirely new model series that is already scheduled for market launch in initial countries at the end of 2011. The Up! Lite concept continues the Volkswagen strategy of offering high-tech and high-end quality in all of its vehicle classes, making progress affordable for every car driver. The Up! Lite was designed to be a versatile vehicle that makes trips into the city, commutes to work and naturally long trips as well significantly less expensive and more eco-friendly. Hybrid drive enables electric driving The centerpiece of the Up! Lite powertrain is the newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a power of 38 kW / 51 PS. Furthermore, the electric motor (10 kW) – designed as a pulse start module (starter, alternator and E-drive) – also reduces the load of the TDI, provides added propulsion (boosting) and works to recover kinetic energy (regenerative braking). During boost phases – e.g. in a quick passing maneuver – the TDI and E-motor combine for a total power of 48 kW / 65 PS. Incidentally, a version of the TDI used in the Up! Lite was also used aboard the L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt. In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system. Comfort and safety without compromises Naturally, on the Up! Lite there is nothing lacking in comfort or safety. ESP is on board, airbags are on board, ample space is on board, highly advanced information and control features are on board, and it is good to know that occupants are enclosed and protected by a highly innovative safety frame of aluminium, steel and carbon fiber. The Volkswagen concept has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and accelerates to 100 km/h in a respectable 12.5 seconds (0-60 mph in 12 seconds). “Made in Germany” Overall, the Up! Lite is a prime example of the art of innovative engineering with the “Made in Germany” seal. And indeed not only because of its efficient powertrain and lightweight body construction. Other examples include: The radiator grille that closes and opens automatically depending on the cooling needs of the engine (”active thermal management”); and instead of a classic rearview mirror, three cameras perform this job better and more aerodynamically; when the car is parked in the summer, hot air is vented to outside the vehicle (”passive park ventilation”); an “optimized Easy-Entry feature” enables extremely comfortable entry and exit from the rear seating area; longitudinal adjustments to the driver and front passenger seats automatically adjusts seat height as well; when folding the rear bench seat, the seatback is easily unlatched by folding the rear head restraints forward (”Easy Switch”); many vehicle features (including ventilation, Internet, telephone, MP3, video, telephone, trip computer, radio) are controlled centrally via an intuitive touchscreen with hand movement sensors. Design of the world of tomorrow Even the most innovative car must look good to really be fun. And the Up! Lite with its “Liquid Blue Metallic” exterior is fun. That is because the 3.84 meter long, 1.40 meter tall and 1.60 meter wide Up! Lite makes a futuristic, bold and – in its form – very independent appearance. It is a car that looks as though it were cast from a single mould. Compared to the E-Up! concept car presented at the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, it is lower in profile and – to satisfy even more demanding aerodynamic requirements – it is longer, nearly reaching the length of the Polo (3.98 meters). The styling itself portrays a compact vehicle that genuinely reflects its sustainable drive system and overall progressive concept. At the rear, the Up! Lite has the appearance of a distinctive hatchback sports car. As a result, the broad shoulder section is definitely reminiscent of the Scirocco. Furthermore, the look of the lower area is dominated by the large glass surface of the hatch, the LED rear lights and the rear fog lights (c-shaped) integrated in the bumper in typical Up! style. The counterparts of these lights are found in the front bumper as front fog lights. The car’s side profile has clean styling with markedly smooth surfaces. There are no edges except for the upper tornado line, the wheel wells and a connection line integrated there. The side cameras that replace the outside mirrors look like winglets on the wings of a cargo plane. A novel stylistic and technical feature: the 18-inch wheels are produced from a combination of aluminium and carbon fiber. That is because sports appeal and fuel economy do not need to be mutually exclusive. Already thinking about tomorrow today By the way: In Europe, Volkswagen is currently demonstrating that minimal fuel consumption can be realized in all segments today, in the latest versions of the Polo (3.3 l/100 km; 58 mpg/highway), Golf (3.8 l/100 km; 51 mpg/highway) and Passat (4.4 l/100 km; 48 mpg/highway).

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VW Wants To Make Up! (Lite) Yours In 2011 [La Auto Show]

Toyota Talks Recall, Ten New Models, And Competition [Industry News]

Erin Riches — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0000

In a press briefing held yesterday at the fancy-pants Detroit Athletic Club, Toyota Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter talked plans for ten new products for the 2010 calendar year, the fiery death floor mat recall and competition. Those new products will include the all-new Toyota Sienna, which was designed in California, engineered in Michigan, and will be built Indiana. Toyota plans to reveal it at the upcoming LA Auto Show. Carter also mentioned a replacement for the Scion TC, as well as the possibility of adding another model to the line, a refreshed Camry, and others. Earnings reports for Toyota will come out Thursday, but expect to see single digit improvements in daily sales rates compared to the last month, single digit declines in the same figure year over year and a 28% improvement quarter to quarter, led by a sales bump from the Cash for Clunkers program. Toyota’s expecting growth to continue in the entry-subcompact and subcompact markets and is reaffirming plans for the plug-in Prius at the end of the year, a battery electric by 2012 and a hydrogen fuel cell offering by 2015. The 800 lb gorilla in the room was of course the litany of bad news for Toyota recently. The floor mat recall problem was the source of much discussion. Carter fielded the questions by referencing the NHTSA studies which are now wrapping up and making note that the conditions which caused the unintended acceleration were largely customer related. Toyota’s claiming the problem arises when owners put down incorrect floor mats or multiple mats down which were getting caught up in the accelerator. Carter categorically denied claims like those in ABC News investigation into the situation wherein owners are claiming electrical or mechanical faults led to unintended acceleration. Those claims will have to be proven out independently at NHTSA. The briefing wrapped up with a bit of levity though. Asked to comment on the strength of the competition, specifically the Hyundai Sonata and Genesis, Carter responded “I have to be careful on what I say, I don’t want you guys writing a story saying ‘This Toyota guy thinks the Hyundai Sonata is a great car’” Take that for what it’s worth.

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Toyota Talks Recall, Ten New Models, And Competition [Industry News]

Toyota will make no money on the Lexus LFA

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:20 +0000

Many are still a bit skeptical about the new $375,000 Lexus LFA (seeing as it is Lexus’ first supercar with such an expensive price tag). Well, if it makes you feel any better about cashing out $375,000 for a Lexus, Toyota won’t be making any money on the 500 units it plans on producing. Basically, there is a very high cost of development and construction involved with the Lexus LFA and Toyota will likely make no profit, sources say. Everything on the LFA is brand new, besides just five parts that it shares with other Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Insiders say that the main idea behind the LFA was to create a halo car for Lexus. Production of the Lexus LFA will begin in December 2010. Click here for more news on the Lexus LFA . 2011 Lexus LFA : – By: Omar Rana Source: AutoCar

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Toyota will make no money on the Lexus LFA

Fiat 500 Abarth coming to the U.S. in 2011

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:38:51 +0000

According to a report by WardsAuto , Chrysler Group LLC dealers have been told that their first batch of Fiat 500 minicars due to hit showrooms in 2011, will be sporty Abarth versions. That means instead of the boring base 99-hp Fiat 500, we’ll be getting the 1.4L 16v turbocharged 4-cylinder variant making 135-hp. 0-60 mph for the Fiat 500 Abarth comes in 7 seconds with a top speed of 127 mph. Estimated fuel-economy comes in at 25/33 mpg (city/highway). Visual enhancements will include a spoiler, twin tailpipes, 16-inch wheels, a new front bumper, aluminum pedals, a beefy steering wheel, leather-trimmed shifter for the 5-speed manual and sporty seats. The Fiat 500 is expected to be priced between $18,000 to $19,000 when it hits U.S. shores. – By: Kap Shah Source: WardsAuto

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Fiat 500 Abarth coming to the U.S. in 2011

Lingenfelter turns 2010 Camaro into a Pontiac Trans Am for SEMA

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:22:53 +0000

We absolutely love the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and we respect the old Pontiac Trans Am as a true American sports car. However, you will never catch us transforming a perfectly good 2010 Camaro to pay tribute to the Pontiac Trans Am. Well, Lingenfelter seems to disagree. At the 2009 SEMA Show next week, Lingenfelter will show its new 2010 Camaro LTA, which will have an exterior and interior theme of the Pontiac Trans Am. This Lingenfelter�Camaro LTA car features: – Custom RHS aluminum engine block – 455 cubic inch displacement – 655 hp / 610 lb-ft tq – Corsa custom stainless exhaust – Lingenfelter 6 bolt LS9 twin disk flywheel and clutch assembly – Heavy duty driveshaft – Custom honeycomb wheels � 20�10F / 20�11R – Nitto tires – Custom classic interior – Custom 71 Trans Am inspired exterior 2010 Lingenfelter Camaro LTA 2010 Lingenfelter Camaro LTA : – By: Omar Rana

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Lingenfelter turns 2010 Camaro into a Pontiac Trans Am for SEMA

Tesla Roadster goes 313 miles at Global Green Challenge in Australia

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:48:42 +0000

If you’re one of the 900 Tesla Roadster owners out there you have to live with a very hard choice – you can either drive efficiently and show off how many miles you traveled on a single charge or you can throw the efficiency part out of the window and show off how you can go from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Owner Simon Hackett decided to go with the first when he drove a total of 313 miles in his Tesla Roadster with his co-driver Emilis Prelgauskas during the 10th annual Global Green Challenge in Australia. The distance appears to have set a new record for a production electric-vehicle. At the end of their trip from Alice Springs to Coober Pedy, Hackett’s Tesla still had 3 miles left on the charge. Check out the press release after the jump for more details . Tesla Roadster Travels 313 Miles in 10 Annual Global Green Challenge : Press Release : Tesla Roadster Travels 313 Miles on a Single Charge Competing in Australia�s Global Green Challenge, Customer Simon Hackett�s red Roadster goes from Alice Springs to Coober Pedy with 3 miles left on the charge. Coober Pedy, South Australia�- (Oct. 27, 2009) � Tesla Roadster owner Simon Hackett and co-driver Emilis Prelgauskas completed 313 miles (501 km) in a Tesla Roadster on a single charge � a distance that appears to set a new record for a production electric vehicle. Hackett and Prelgauskas are driving Hackett�s red 2008 Roadster as part of the 10th annual Global Green Challenge, one of the most high-profile rallies worldwide for production, prototype and experimental cars. Hackett is providing updates in real time on his blog. The pair drove from Alice Springs, in the Australian Northern Territory, to the finish marker at a point 183 km north of Coober Pedy, in South Australia. The previous distance record for an electric vehicle was set in April, when another Roadster was the only vehicle to complete the entire, 241-mile Rallye Monte Carlo d’Energies Alternatives. It had an estimated 38 miles left on the charge. The Tesla Roadster is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV with a range greater than 200 miles (320 km) per charge. Tesla has delivered about 900 Roadsters to customers so far. Hackett sent Tesla the following note before going to bed last night: “Emilis and I have decades of experience flying gliders competitively and we applied the same energy conservation techniques to our driving, with significant results! The car had about 3 miles of range left when the drive was completed. We travelled 501km on a single charge. Let that sink in for a minute. �The security seal was applied to the charge port door when we started the journey. As this is being done as part of the Global Green Challenge, we have a full set of official verifiers here who will attest to the results and to achieving the outcome. We were followed along the journey by our support crew and a documentary film crew – so we have it on film. �It�s late here and we have another 541k to drive (with an intermediate charge stop) tomorrow – and another two days of the event left after that. When we’re done, we will have driven over 3000 km’s in the Roadster over the course of only six days, from Darwin to Adelaide.” – By: Kap Shah

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Tesla Roadster goes 313 miles at Global Green Challenge in Australia