Automotive News (Page 1238)

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro is the bestselling model in its class, outselling the Mustang and Challenger every month this year and this success has helped the bowtie-clad muscle car see its 5 millionth production unit roll off of the assembly line at the Oshawa Ontario production facility.

Blood at a race track is usually not a good thing, but it will mean free tickets to the July 22-24 “New Jersey 250 Presented by American Red Cross” GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series event weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

This past weekend, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series took to banks of Michigan International Speedway for the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips 400 and when they did, the 2012 Ford Focus served as the official pace car with Ford’s Mark Fields at the helm as the celebrity pace car driver.

Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan on Lake St. Clair on Father’s Day 2011 was the place to be if you wanted to experience the evolution of an automobile’s design. For certain, the 24th EyesOn Design (EOD), Automotive Design Exhibition, a benefit for the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology is not your average car show.

Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, set a price Sunday for the exclusive rear-wheel drive 2011 LS 460 Touring Edition.

Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine Service, an award-winning ground transportation company based in Ventura County, Calif., that is committed to going green, is the first of its kind in its county serving LAX airport to use propane autogas as its chief alternative fuel.

Nissan and Infiniti return to the North American International Auto Show after a two-year absence.

The Midwest regional regional press launch of the family-oriented 2012 Toyota Prius v, the second member of the Prius lineup, is scheduled for this morning at the Eagle Crest Conference Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Seven-time Pikes Peak Hillclimb champ Jeff Zwart will drive Porsche’s fastest road car up the world’s most famous hillclimb. But as a precursor to that 12.42-mile race on Sunday, this weekend he drove 1,100 miles from California to Colorado to get there in his 620 horsepower 911 GT2 RS and arrived without incident. Zwart told TorqueNews.com today that his 911 delivered 22.3 mpg.

All Michigan Secretary of State offices are gearing up to sell Gold Star license plates to honor fallen military heroes. They can be bought anytime after the July 4 holiday.

The Motor Press Guild has named Larry Rusznak business operations manager. The guild is the largest automotive media association in the United States and Canada. Ruznak, a former marketing manager for Nissan and other car companies, has been a guild member for more than two decades.

Michigan's Secretary of State has found a way to creatively serve drivers while at the same time saving money and offering greater accessibility. The mobile office put on the road today by Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has every service offered by brick-and-mortar branches but has the added benefit of being able to be used at special events or as a mobile site when a branch is shut for remodeling.

While the EyesOn Design show is more about cutting edge styling and the exterior designs that help to shape the trends of the automotive industry, at the 2011 EyesOn Design show Ken Lingenfelter has brought out his 2007 Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 – one of the fastest cars in the world.

Some folks are born to the racetrack and others find themselves there by a less direct route. Driving the latest automotive models about a track designed by, operated for and maintained in the interests of regional car and motorcycle-racing clubs is a rare opportunity for many in the automotive media. High Plains Raceway is just such a place under an hour East of Denver, where the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press provided track time for those attending the second annual Rocky Mountain Driving Experience this week.

This Sunday brings the Detroit area the 24th annual EyesOn Design car show but throughout this week there have been smaller events leading up to the big Father’s Day show, including the media preview where I got a chance to check out a gorgeous 1948 Fiat Topolino 500.

Chevrolet has announced the starting price of the Sonic subcompact will be $14,495, as well as information about its list of options and safety features.

The Chevrolet Cruze has quickly become one of General Motors’ bestselling models but when the 2012 Cruze models start hitting showrooms, they will offer more standard features and improved fuel economy over the current (2011) models.

Over the last two days, June 15-16, the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press hosted the second annual Rocky Mountain Driving Experience, bringing Western and regional automotive media together with numerous manufacturers and examples of their model lines in the unique environments Colorado can provide. Consisting of off-road, racetrack and even motoring up the highest paved road in North America, the second event was an unqualified success.

It is uncanny how often stock prices preempt and help define market cycles, even before headline events. Such is the case with Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR: TM) which today announced a return to full production in the U.S. in September.

The U.S. Senate, in an unexpected about-face from the day before, voted 73-27 Thursday to kill its $6 billion annual subsidy of ethanol corn fuel, which critics say has been an icon for wasteful spending for years.

A group of 48 creditors who are owned money by Saab have turned to the Swedish collection agency Kronofogden to gather monies amounting to a sum of over $3.6 million US dollars and if this group is successful, it could force Saab to declare bankruptcy.

The members-only Thermal Motorsports Track & Club in southern California has received approval from the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to break ground on a new race track that will open by the first quarter of 2012. The board's approval was the last step needed by the luxury racing club to begin construction.

Even though American models like the Ford Focus and Chevy Cruze are flourishing in the US market, the Dodge Caliber has never received a great deal of respect – a problem Chrysler hopes to fix that when they unveil the next generation of the Caliber at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Despite an April sales report that showed an increase of 16 percent versus a year ago and year-to-date sales up 16 percent, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) stock has since trended with lower lows and lower highs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of various 2010 and 2011 Porsche 911 models equipped with the race style center locking hub assembly due to early wear possibly causing the lugnut to work loose and release the wheel.

Ford presented the public with its 12th-annual sustainability report yesterday, addressing its plans to reduce CO2 emissions and water usage in the future, as well as improve passenger safety.

Since the IPO of the new General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), the stock has not only failed to meet investor and analysts expectations, but has been increasing its pace of making new lows ever since. The low of $28.29 from a few days ago was challenged today and broken one hour before the close. Market Close Update: GM's new low is $28.16 with the daily close at $28.57.

The folks from the Chrysler Group and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced of a wide variety of 2011 model year vehicles from the Chrysler Group, affecting 12 vehicles across the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

Since the introduction of the S197 platform Ford Mustang in 2005, the legendary pony car has been built at the Auto Alliance plant which Ford shares with Mazda but with the news that Mazda is planning to move out in the near future, some analysts believe that the Mustang alone does not move enough units to keep the Flat Rock production facility up and running.

Mazda Motor Corp has announced that they will be recalling almost a half million of their popular Mazda3 sedan and 5-door over an electrical issue that could cause the windshield wipers to not work properly.