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 Keith Griffin Dec 30 2011 - 9:42am

Ford Brand Number One for 2011, but Another Company Wins Overall

With just a couple sales days left, Ford is saying it has broken the 2 million vehicles sold barrier for the first time in four years, making it the top brand for 2011, but not the top manufacturer. Another company should end the year with that designation.

By Don Bain Dec 29 2011 - 9:17pm

Authorities concerned by cyber-security of cars

Federal authorities are growing increasingly alarmed that our automobiles, being ever more computer, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and satellite connected, could possibly be hacked en masse by enemies of America with bad intent. The nightmare scenarios are unsettling, to say the least.

By David Herron Dec 29 2011 - 8:21pm

Fisker announces recall of the Karma following A123's disclosure of battery pack mistake

The companies identified a manufacturing flaw, and are of course issuing a recall.

The Teddy Nissan dealership in the Bronx is #1 in NYC

By Don Bain Dec 29 2011 - 4:32pm

Two entrepreneurs turn Bronx showroom into the top Nissan dealership in NYC

Two New York entrepreneurs took over a Nissan dealership site in the Bronx during 2009 that had been closed for over a year. Since then, Ted Bessen and Steven Risso have turned the showroom into the top Nissan dealership in the Big Apple, creating 80 much-needed jobs in the beleaguered borough in the process. This dynamic duo has recently added a VW dealership a few blocks away to their holdings, with plans to boost the business in a similar fashion.

The potential electric car charging infrastructure

By David Herron Dec 29 2011 - 2:33pm

Electric Vehicle charging station tax credits a victim of US Govt budget battles

The latest round of the U.S. Federal budget showdown was averted with the deal on the payroll tax cut, but there was collateral damage with dozens of tax credits that were not extended and are now expiring on Saturday, including three related to electric vehicles and several more related to biofuel production.

The 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe with the 3.6L Touring PackageGM recalls 2010 and 201

By Patrick Rall Dec 29 2011 - 2:22pm

The 2012 Cadillac CTS lineup gets V-Series inspired Touring package

The Cadillac CTS lineup has become the crown jewel of General Motors’ luxury brand and for the 2012 model year, the CTS sedan, sport wagon and coupe will all benefit from a trio of new exterior colors and – most importantly – the new CTS Touring Package that offers some features from the high performance Cadillac CTS-V.

AeroVironment is a key player in the West Coast Electric Highway

By Frank Sherosky Dec 29 2011 - 1:52pm

West Coast Electric Highway evokes proper use of subsidies

Officials from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), with Bellingham, Wash. Mayor Dan Pike, joined local business leaders as they celebrated the ground breaking of the state’s first AeroVironment DC fast charger and its segment of the West Coast Electric Highway.

By Patrick Rall Dec 29 2011 - 12:48pm

2011 looks to be a record sales year for the Ford Fusion

Including today, there are three sales days left in the 2011 calendar year and when the year’s final tally comes in, Ford Motor Company expects their popular Ford Fusion sedan to top the 240,000 unit plateau – marking the Fusion’s best year since being introduced and making the Fusion Ford’s bestselling car for 2011.

By Keith Griffin Dec 29 2011 - 10:40am

2012 Cadillac Escalade Security Beefed Up

Just before the busiest car theft day of the year, Cadillac has announced stronger security protection for the 2012 Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV that sits on the list of most stolen vehicles. It's a good timing for the announcement in advance of the busiest day of the year for car thieves.

The 2012 Toyota Camry, top selling car in U.S. 9 of 10 years.

By Don Bain Dec 28 2011 - 11:32pm

A few good questions for the auto industry in 2012

The auto industry is an ever-changing, inscrutable business on a path fraught with detours, road hazards, cross traffic, patches of immobility, washed out bridges and damaged roadways. Finally shaken out of their Rip Van Winkle stupor by the Lehman Shock, Detroit’s Big Three made progress last year against the growing field of Asian and European competitors. Will 2012 serve to continue their successful growth?

By David Herron Dec 28 2011 - 8:25pm

Are the Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf flops as some naysayers claim?

A report by 24/7 Wall Street spins the truth about the Chevy Volt into a negative view on its sales and popularity record.

Drunk driving increases among teens on New Year's Eve

By Keith Griffin Dec 28 2011 - 6:08pm

Three things can be done to stop teen drunk driving

Teen drunk driving by their own admission is high during New Year's evening but here are 3 things parents and teens can to to stop teenage drunk driving.

By Patrick Rall Dec 28 2011 - 2:01pm

Chrysler announces the new 2012 300 and 300C Luxury Sedans

The Chrysler brand has made an increasingly strong push towards being a luxury automaker over the past few years and with the introduction of the 2012 Chrysler 300 and 300C Luxury Series sedans – they look to dive deeper into the luxury segment with new appointments and incredible fuel economy with a price well below the competition.

By David Herron Dec 28 2011 - 11:28am

Why electric cars are cheaper to drive than gasoline cars

Many look to electric cars not for ecological reasons, but because of greater efficiency, they're cheaper to drive.

By Patrick Rall Dec 28 2011 - 11:23am

GM recalls 2010 and 2011 Cadillac SRX over rollaway risks

General Motors and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced a recall of select 2010 and 2011 model year Cadillac SRX crossovers due to a risk of the transmission cables coming unattached from the transmission – making it impossible to shift and possibly leading to a rollaway accident if the vehicle is left in a drive gear or neutral.

By David Herron Dec 27 2011 - 8:39pm

NYC deploying six Nissan LEAF's in Taxi of Tomorrow pilot program

In the first time in over 110 years since electric taxi's were last used in New York, Nissan and NYC are working together to develop the Taxi of the Future starting with a fleet of Nissan LEAF's.

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 8:27pm

NHTSA investigating Infiniti M45 over stalling risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary investigation into the Infiniti M45 sedans from the 2003 and 2004 model year over a concern that the fuel gauge components may go bad and read incorrectly – possibly leading to stalling and increasing the risks of an accident.

Walking Dead contest for Shane's Hyundai Tucson

By Keith Griffin Dec 27 2011 - 8:04pm

Win the Hyundai Tucson Shane Drives in The Walking Dead

The wildly popular AMC show, The Walking Dead is giving away the Hyundai Tucson that Shane drives while fleeing the brain-eating zombies that have infiltrated the world – or at least the Southeastern United States.

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 7:57pm

Ford's EcoBoost F150 tops 100,000 units sold

When Ford introduced their new 3.5L twin turbocharger engine sporting the EcoBoost badges this year, some speculated that the American truck buyer wasn’t ready for a forced induction V6 as a premium engine but the F150 EcoBoost has proven the critics wrong – selling over 100,000 units this first year of production.

By Armen Hareyan Dec 27 2011 - 7:42pm

High School Students Design a Concept Car, Look for Investors

A team of high school students, comprised from various high schools in South Charlotte are in NC, has come together to build a concept car named named The Levibeat

By Don Bain Dec 27 2011 - 6:58pm

Ford's New Year's resolutions for safer driving: Obvious and interesting

The roads today are crowded and sometimes confusing, but the cars we drive are smarter and safer than ever. Understanding these technologies and using them correctly can help you drive more safely. Nevertheless, there is one thing you can do before even getting in the car that will make you a smarter, safer driver and that is simply leaving the stress at home or the office.

The MB execs at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 6:21pm

Former Mercedes US CEO Lieb sues for wrongful dismissal

Mercedes Benz fired US Chief Executive Officer Ernst Lieb in October for improper use of company funds after he allegedly used over $100,000 to buy things for his home such as a home theater system and now, Lieb is taking Mercedes’ parent company Daimler to court to clear his name.

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 4:12pm

GM announces 2012 downtime for three US truck plants

Each year, auto plants around the United States deal with planned downtime as various maintenance and retooling tasks are handled and as 2012 nears, General Motors has announced planned downtime for their three American truck plants in Michigan, Texas and Indiana – with a total of 21 weeks of downtime across the three facilities.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 at SEMA 2011

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 3:02pm

The Lamborghini Aventador blows away the stated 217mph top speed

The Lamborghini Aventador is amazing in a variety of ways but now that various groups are getting their hands on the new supercar, the LP700-4 is not only exceeding the expectations of owners and test drivers around the world but the new Lambo is even exceeding the output expected by the automaker – with a recent test video showing the Aventador topping out at 230 miles per hour.

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 1:22pm

The upper half of the new Buick Encore teased on Facebook

Almost two weeks ago, General Motors offered up the first teaser image of the new 2013 Buick Encore followed by a four quadrant image of the new crossover on Facebook with the four sections covered b the Buick logo– the second of which was revealed quietly over the long holiday weekend.

By Adam Yamada-Hanff Dec 27 2011 - 1:17pm

GM gets Bailout, Why not Saab

It was recently announced that Saab, the venerable Swedish automaker, filed for bankruptcy protection. Saab did not need to do this though, as it had a chance with two Chinese firms to pull itself out from the dire financial situation it found itself in. However, General Motors (GM), blocked the deal. This begs the question... why can't Saab get a bailout?

The Battery Show 2011 in Novi, MI showed many products with rare earth materials

By Frank Sherosky Dec 27 2011 - 12:44pm

More intrigue behind scenes of Chinese quotas of rare earths

Wall Street Journal and other sources in China reported today on the country’s change in rare-earth export quotas. However, there really doesn’t seem to be much change, especially the Chinese rationale behind the quotas.

The Dodge Caliber Mopar Edition offered in South Africa

By Patrick Rall Dec 27 2011 - 11:51am

The Dodge Caliber meets its demise

While most of the American public was preparing for Christmas last week, the folks who have built the Dodge Caliber for the past 5 years saw the last compact hatchback roll off of the line at the Belvidere Illinois Assembly Plant but sadly – few people other than those who built the Caliber shed a tear over the death of this low priced 5-door.

Electric Superchargers allow boost at low rpm

By Frank Sherosky Dec 26 2011 - 6:59pm

Best of Best Advanced Automotive Technology 2011: Electric Supercharger of Controlled Power Technologies

As the second part of a new, end-of-year recognition awards, and hopefully the start of a TorqueNews tradition under the automotive technology category, the Best of the Best Advanced Automotive Technology 2011 goes to the Electric Supercharger of Controlled Power Technologies, which was recently acquired by Valeo.

2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe on Consumer Reports recommended list

By Keith Griffin Dec 26 2011 - 3:17pm

2012 Honda Civic Si Squeaks Onto Consumer Reports Recommended List

Consumer Reports is out with fairly light praise of the 2012 Honda Civic Si coupe that, in the words of the popular consumer testing publication, is a good powertrain in search of a decent car to surround it. The car has been named to the magazine's recommended list.

Automotive News

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