Automotive News

This section of Torque News provides the latest auto news and updates from the car manufacturers. Every day number of news stories and editorials are published here that give our readers an overview of what is happening in the automotive industry. Read this section daily to find out about new cars, vehicle reviews and car pictures. Torque News is an automotive news website by Hareyan Publishing, LLC, dedicated to covering the latest news, reviews and opinions about the car industry.

By Don Bain Mar 17 2011 - 12:20am

NADA predicts demand for efficient used cars will outstrip supply

The National Auto Dealers Association (NADA), the preeminent resource for auto professionals, expects the price of gas to have an across-the-board effect on the price of used cars and trucks, as well as trade-in values.

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By Armen Hareyan Mar 16 2011 - 7:48pm

Opinion: Toyota Losin' for a Reason

The notion that Toyota's damaged reputation is simply the result of growing “too big too fast” must have come from the Recall King's marketing department. Defective products - in and of themselves - cannot possibly account for the barrage of government fines, criminal charges, lawsuits, and investigations.

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By Don Bain Mar 16 2011 - 6:54pm

Product Alert: Everclear Oil not good for your car

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA), an independent authority on automotive lubricants, has announced a strident warning regarding Everclear 5W-30 Motor Oil, stating it can damage motor parts and may result in a voided warranty.

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By John Matras Mar 16 2011 - 2:59pm

Yang replaces Lee as R&D chief as Hyundai advances alternative powertrains

Coming in the face of Hyundai's surge towards alternative fuel vehicles, Hyundai's research and development chief Lee Hyun-soon has resigned citing personal reasons and been replaced by Yang Woong-chul, currently president of the Hyundai Motor Research and Development Center in Namyang, South Korea.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 2:14pm

The NHTSA considering banning shut-off switches for EV noise

The US Federal Government ruled in early January that hybrids and pure-electric vehicles that make little noise while driving must include external noisemakers to alert pedestrians but with automakers offering shut-off switches for these audible warning system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering banning these types of switches.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 1:30pm

German automakers evacuate employees from Japan over nuclear risks

BMW And Volkswagen Auto Group both urged European citizens living in Japan and working for the automakers’ Japanese operations to head back to Germany with the looming danger of nuclear explosions.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 12:42pm

Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuit evidence dispute

Lawyers representing both Toyota Motor Corporation and the huge group of individuals suing the automaker for claims relating to “unintended acceleration” have reportedly almost come to terms on to the plaintiffs accessing Toyota’s electronic coding that controls their throttle system.

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By Frank Sherosky Mar 16 2011 - 11:54am

Aero Tec Laboratories sponsors Team Steam to break the world speed record

Aero Tec Laboratories will sponsor the Cyclone-Williams' Steam Vehicle, powered by a Cyclone Power Technologies Inc. (Pink Sheets: CYPW) steam engine, in its attempts to become the fastest steam-powered car on earth.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 11:39am

Honda, Mazda, Subaru keep plants closed until next week, Mitsubishi re-opens

Mazda and Subaru have announced that their Japanese production facilities will remain shut down until at least next week in the wake of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami, although Mitsubishi has re-opened their plants with the hopes of assessing their situation for production.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 11:15am

New hedge fund lawsuit filed against Porsche

Even though a nearly-identical case was dismissed in late December, a handful of US hedge funds have grouped together to sue for Porsche for over $1 billion US dollars in short-selling losses.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 16 2011 - 10:42am

Toyota continues production stoppage until next Tuesday

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that they will keep all 12 of their main production facilities in Japan closed through at least next Tuesday, March 22nd in the wake of the earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and the ensuing tsunami.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 8:55pm

The Ferrari Four configurator is live

The Ferrari Four is reportedly already sold out but that doesn’t prevent the new Ferrari FF configurator from being a great chance to build your dream-come-true version of the innovative new four-seat supercar.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 8:07pm

Toyota to decide tomorrow whether to resume production

Toyota Motor Company has announced that it will decide tomorrow (Wednesday March 16th) whether or not it would resume production after halting production due to shortages caused by Tier 1 and Tier 2 supply companies.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 5:00pm

Buick inks advertising deal for 2011 NCAA’s March Madness

The 2011 NCAA Men’s College Basketball tournament begins tonight and as the top 64 teams set off to figure out who is #1, the Buick brand will feature the new Regal and LaCrosse through commercials and branding efforts during the extensive television coverage.

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By Don Bain Mar 15 2011 - 4:56pm

Automotive leasing made a comeback in 2010

Auto leases represented nearly19 percent of all auto deals during 2010, a 5.8 percent increase over 2009’s lease levels, according to Polk. "OEMs began to increase their leasing activities in 2010, and consumers have increased confidence in the market and in turn are beginning to lease vehicles again," said Stephan Gallon, PolkInsight Advisor.

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By Don Bain Mar 15 2011 - 4:02pm

Top 10 most fuel-efficient vehicles

Cars are outselling trucks for the first time since September of last year due to concerns over the price of gas, according to TrueCar.com. Based on fuel economy and cost of gas, per 15,000 miles driven annually, they have compiled a list of hybrids with mileage ratings over 40 mpg and gas powered cars getting 30-mpg or more.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 3:10pm

GM donates $750,000 to Japanese earthquake relief efforts

General Motors announced this morning that their GM Foundation has approved an immeadiate donation of $500,000 to the American Red Cross as a part of the relief efforts in Japan following the earthquake, tsunami and string of nuclear explosions.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 2:18pm

Nissan updates the world on their post-earthquake status

Nissan has issued a pair of statements covering their part in aiding relief efforts, an update on their facilities and employees, and a forecast on the company’s ability to ship vehicles to other markets including the United States.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 12:30pm

Toyota update on damage done by the Japanese earthquake

Japanese automakers have been keeping the world well updated as to their damages stemming from the recent earthquake and ensuing tsunami and Toyota is the latest company to issue a statement, with the largest of the country’s automakers coming out relatively unscathed.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 15 2011 - 10:51am

Honda issues a statement on damages caused by the earthquake and tsunami

The news of the Japanese earthquake and ensuing tsunami has been full of discussions about the impact on the auto industry but Honda Motor Company has issued a grim statement addressing the damages caused in the Tochigi which, sadly, includes the loss of at least one life and injuries to dozens of others.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 14 2011 - 7:20pm

US auto industry hit by supplier shortages in wake of Japanese Tsunami

Since the massive earthquake and following tsunami hammered Japan, even the American automakers may face shortages throughout their supply chain but the Japanese automakers have obviously been hit the hardest by Mother Nature over the past week.

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By Don Bain Mar 14 2011 - 5:41pm

Ford goes solar at Michigan Assembly Plant

Ford announced Friday their new solar energy partnership with DTE Energy and one of the largest solar power generation projects in the state. The system is already delivering 500 kilowatts of power to the Michigan Assembly Plant where various models of the Focus are built.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 14 2011 - 5:24pm

B&M Automotive buys Flowmaster Exhaust

Today, the folks at B&M Automotive Group announced that they have expanded their family with the purchase of the aftermarket exhaust super-giant Flowmaster.

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By Don Bain Mar 14 2011 - 4:30pm

Mini to demo new on-demand music app at SXSW

Mobile services are moving from the smart phone to the automobile at a dizzying rate and MINI is right in the lead with its new MOG On-Demand Music service which is being showcased at the SXSW festival today in Austin, TX.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 14 2011 - 3:45pm

Lamborghini to train Flying Doctors to repair damaged Aventadors

The new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 utilizes a carbon fiber monocoque that essentially makes up the entire center section of the car which as you can imagine, takes a special kind of body-man so Lamborghini will have 3 “Flying Doctors” around the world to fix any damages to the body and/or chassis of the new Italian supercar.

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By Patrick Rall Mar 14 2011 - 11:48am

Fastlane of Houston to build a custom 500hp Ram 1500 R/T

Chrysler’s Ram brand is the only automaker to currently offer an on-road performance based trimline with their Ram 1500 Sport R/T and Houston’s high performance tuning shop Fastlane is using this sporty Ram pickup to build their 500 horsepower Ram R/T Terramoto (Earthquake en español).

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By Frank Sherosky Mar 14 2011 - 9:44am

Toyota stock trading in New York affected by Japan earthquake

Damage from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan is causing more than production suspensions at plants in Japan. Pre-market hours trading in New York shows a down opening.

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By Keith Griffin Mar 14 2011 - 6:27am

New Detailed Information Released for BMW 650i Coupe

The new BMW 650i coupe boldly goes where no 6 Series has gone before – it's actually a good looking car whose design matches its performance, according to new detailed information.

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By Don Bain Mar 14 2011 - 3:55am

Toyota suspends production to honor tsunami victims, place safety first

Though no employees at Toyota’s production plants in Japan were caught in this weekend earthquake and tsunami, the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will close all plants Monday, March 14 in honor of the people of Japan, their colleagues and families.

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By Frank Sherosky Mar 13 2011 - 8:43pm

SAE to host seminars on environment and emissions in Detroit area

SAE International, the society dedicated to advancing mobility engineering worldwide, will offer relevant technological courses this month in Troy, Michigan near Detroit; and during next month’s SAE World Congress on Environment and Emissions.

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