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Residents of Idaho and Wisconsin have claimed the bragging rights as the nation's most knowledgeable drivers when it comes to road rules, following a test conducted by GMAC Insurance dubbed the National Drivers Test. Drivers from these states don't have all that much to cheer about though, considering that the test also found that the number of drivers with basic road rules knowledge was on the decline. The testing also found that over 20% of American drivers would fail a written driving test if they were to take one today, which amounts to over 40 million people driving around the...
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New GPS system from BMW steers drivers away from bad weatherWe've already heard of GPS systems that can help us dodge traffic jams and get home quicker, but what about a GPS system that can get you home drier? BMW is introducing just such a system, and for those choosing to use it the special GPS unit will help navigate them away from rain and hail and...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: Next-gen Chevrolet Aveo delayed until January 2011The Chevrolet Beat has been paraded around the last several auto shows as the forerunner to the production Spark hatchback revealed at March’s Geneva Motor Show, which will sit just below the Aveo as Chevy's smallest car. In the past couple of months, spy photos of a Spark-styled but slightly...
Ralph Hanson -
GM receives additional $4 billion in Treasury loansGeneral Motors received an additional $4 billion in loans from the U.S. Treasury late on Friday, while also reaching a cost-cutting agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers union ahead of a rumored Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing expected next week. This is in addition to the $19.4 billion already...
Ralph Hanson -
Honda releases driving simulator kit to teach safe, green drivingDriving simulators can vary from arcade-like video games to serious training aids for racing drivers, but so far few if any have put the emphasis on safe, green driving. Honda is hoping to change that with its latest release, however - a simulator dubbed 'Honda Safety Navi'. The system comes with...
Kenneth Hall -
German governor says Magna is best choice for OpelThe contents of the bids for purchase of Opel submitted by Fiat, Magna and Ripplewood Holdings on Wednesday - and BAIC on Thursday - haven't yet been disclosed, but today the governor of the German state where Opel is headquartered said he thinks Magna's plan is the best for Opel. Though Hesse...
Alex Kaufmann -
As the economy and car market continue to stagnate, it's becoming increasingly obvious that the bailout funds already paid to industry players like General Motors, Chrysler, and their financing arm GMAC, were just the tip of the iceberg. Today the Obama administration proved that point by handing over another $7.5 billion in funds to GMAC. The new GMAC has the duty of financing not just GM's customers, but also Chrysler's now that the administration has required them to. So ensuring GMAC's success is a necessary element in the GM-Chrysler restructuring effort. "This new arrangement with GMAC...
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Lutz gives $32,500 ballpark price for VoltThe epic development period of the Volt has been unique in many ways, not least of which because it was announced about three years ahead of its actual debut - which is still more than a year out. But this week Bob Lutz told David Letterman one key detail of the upcoming plug-in hybrid from General...
Nelson Ireson -
Mini unveils Mayfair and Camden 50th Anniversary special editionsThoroughly modern yet pleasingly reminiscent of the original Mini, the latest generation offers a price, economy and handling package few can match. And today Mini decided to sweeten the deal with a pair of special editions in celebration of its 50th year of production. The names of the two new...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: Mitsubishi could become new Saturn supplierWith confirmation Saturn is up for sale coming from General Motors earlier this month, a number of potential investors and buyers have come out of the woodwork recently and confirmed interest in the struggling brand. Two main groups include investment firm Telesto Ventures and Roger Penske’s...
James Martinez -
Volkswagen launches new 28mpg Touareg TDI BlueMotion SUVNext year Volkswagen will launch a new petrol-electric hybrid version of its Touareg in its BlueMotion range but before that another version of the handsome SUV will get the environmentally conscientious banner. Just launched in Europe is the new Touareg TDI BlueMotion, which comes with a 225hp...
Jeremy Weber -
Ariel boss reveals plans for future modelsSmall-scale British carmaker Ariel is perhaps best known for its skeletal-framed Atom two-seater, one of the lightest and most thrilling sports cars on the planet. Now, Ariel is considering expanding its model lineup, and fans of the brand will be happy to hear they will be sticking to keeping...
Kenneth Hall -
As General Motors peers over the brink of the abyss into a future that very likely holds a bankruptcy, the hits just keep coming. Today industry forecasters revealed that Toyota will pass GM in U.S. market share by 2010 at current rates, while Ford will push past the General in North American production by the end of 2009. The double whammy means GM will have to struggle even harder not just to recover what it's lost but to maintain what it has. As things sit, IHS Global Insight puts GM's U.S. market share at 19.2%, down 2.7%, while Toyota's is down just 0.3% to 16.1%, according to an...
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Smart offering free upgrade to fix balky ForTwo transmissionsQuestions about safety, affordability, ultimate value and even performance are all well-worn topics for fans of the Daimler-built Smart ForTwo minicar, but to date mechanical problems haven't been a hot topic - aside from balky transmissions. Now Daimler has decided to fix the problem by offering a...
Alex Kaufmann -
Toyota doubts widespread acceptance of plug-in hybridsThe idea that plug-in hybrids aren't all they're cracked up to be isn't a new one. Carnegie Mellon University has even published a study that calls the technology inefficient and cost-prohibitive. Now it looks like Toyota may be in agreement, saying it doesn't expect more than 50,000 plug-in hybrid...
Nelson Ireson -
GM and UAW reach tentative dealThe U.S. Treasury, General Motors and the United Auto Workers have reached a tentative bargain on how they'll deal with changes to the current agreement in the face of the industry's problems and GM's increasingly probably bankruptcy. The details of the deal are being kept quiet until the local...
Ralph Hanson -
VW apprentices build 301hp Golf GTI StreetCustom-tuned turbocharged four-cylinder hatches are pretty common fare anywhere in the world. But it's not every day that a handful of young apprentices at one of the world's biggest carmakers turn out a car that turns heads like the Golf GTI Street Built around a heavily modified 2.0L TFSI engine...
Alex Kaufmann -
Cadillac boss Mark McNabb resignsLast April General Motors made some structural changes to its brand operations, consolidating a lot of redundant work into a single channel. As part of that change, Mark McNabb was appointed head of Cadillac, Hummer and Saab as chief of GM's premium division. Things have changed at GM since then...
Nelson Ireson -
A lot of discussion goes into the topic of finding synergies within the auto industry, but few big, successful examples show what that looks like. The disastrously failed attempts - DaimlerChrysler, for example - are more well-known. But Magna's gambit to win Opel and now Saturn from the rapidly disintegrating General Motors may prove to be an example of what happens when things go right. Magna was one of three bidders that submitted a plan to takeover Opel's operations yesterday. While it will have to beat Fiat to the deal, there is already tension both in Italy and Germany over Fiat's...
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California already working on tougher fuel standardsPresident Barack Obama may have just taken the wraps off his new national fuel policy, but according to the state of California it’s not too soon to already begin work on the next stage of clean car regulations. The infamous California Air Resources Board (CARB) is known for being passionate...
James Martinez -
MEC Design adds sporty touch to the Mercedes Benz S-ClassThere's something about a lowered Mercedes Benz S-Class with a bodykit that just looks sinister, and while there are some examples out there that can seem downright cruel others, such as this example from MEC Design, are much more pleasing to the eye. With one of the most comprehensive...
Ralph Hanson -
Subaru chief reveals diesel and hybrid plansSubaru doesn't offer much in the way of environmentally conscientious cars but this may be set to change as the company is considering introducing new hybrid models. Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, has revealed plans to introduce a new hybrid model along with a range of more...
Jeremy Weber -
Report: Fiat picks 3 directors for restructured ChryslerOnly yesterday it was announced that former Chairman of Borden Chemical and of Duracell International, Robert Kidder, would preside over a restructured Chrysler as its new CEO, but already reports have emerged claiming Fiat has appointed three new directors for the struggling carmaker. In the lead...
James Martinez -
Mopar cuts sponsorship ties with champion drifter Sam HubinetteChrysler's in-house accessories division Mopar has been sponsoring champion drifter Sam Hubinette for a number of years now, including for this year’s 2009 Formula Drift series where he is competing in a highly modified Dodge Challenger. Unfortunately, the relationship will be ending soon due...
Ralph Hanson