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 Hawke Fracassa May 24 2011 - 4:47pm

Chevrolet Volt, Nissan lead feds' green initiative

President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum from Washington Tuesday afternoon that puts the federal government on pace to buy only alternative fuel vehicles by 2015 while phasing out old-school transportation.

By Don Bain May 24 2011 - 4:13pm

Chevy recycles 106 tons of oil-soaked booms with Volt

Booms were used to save our Southern coastline from as much of the spilled British Petroleum oil in the Gulf of Mexico as possible. Once they had done their job, they were destined either for incineration or the landfill. Chevy collected 215,000 lbs. of oil-soaked booms and recycled them into air baffles for the new “1,000 miles between fill-ups” Volt – enough parts for a year of fabrication.

By Hawke Fracassa May 24 2011 - 3:45pm

Celebrity cars: Cool rides of Tyra, Paris, Britney, Shaq and others

Celebrities get to drive the coolest cars ever. Their wheels aren't just nice. They're fantastic. With help from my reporter friend Dave Menard, let's take a look at what these pretty people are into these days when they take to the road.

By Hawke Fracassa May 24 2011 - 3:17pm

Obama applauds Chrysler's repayment, turnaround

President Obama praised Chrysler Group LLC Tuesday for repaying $7.6 billion it owed the federal government and Canada an impressive six years ahead of schedule.

By Patrick Rall May 24 2011 - 3:05pm

The 2002 Panoz Esperante Jan Magnussen Driver's Edition at 2011 Mecum Indy

While the name Panoz Esperante (es-per-ahn-tay) may not sound like an American vehicle, the sleek supercar shown on the right is build in Georgia, powered by the same drivetrain as the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra and at the 2011 Mecum Indy Auction there was a rare special edition version of the high performance road car.

By Armen Hareyan May 24 2011 - 2:20pm

Ford Explorer 2011 MPG Delivering More Than Promising

Normally when one looks at the reported MPG of a new car the expectation is that the numbers reflect the best driving scenario, but the 2011 Ford Explorer MPG seems to deliver more than announced by EPA.

By Frank Sherosky May 24 2011 - 2:05pm

Ford (NYSE: F) using avatar technology to reflect plant workers

Like the motion-capture technology covered by Torque News at SAE World Congress, Ford is using similar but more sophisticated, multinational avatars like Ford's North American virtual workers, Jack and Jill, and now reflects the sizes and shapes of workers at assembly plants across the globe.

By Patrick Rall May 24 2011 - 1:13pm

Chat live with engineers from the Ram brand and Mopar group about off-roading tonight on TorqueNews

Today (Tuesday, May 24th) Ram and Mopar engineers chat on the topics of off-roading, the Power Wagon and the Ram Runner high performance truck is set to begin at 6pm and you can join in the chat right here at TorqueNews.com!

By Patrick Rall May 24 2011 - 12:37pm

Win a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible from GM

General Motors has launched an online trivia contest with three very easy questions offering contestants a shot at winning the Ultimate Corvette Prize Package – including a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible and an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the 24 Hours of LeMans race in France.

By Patrick Rall May 24 2011 - 11:51am

Honda recalls 2012 Civic sedan and coupe for fire risks

The 2012 Honda Civic has just begun hitting the streets of North America and the Japanese automaker has already issued a recall to address a possible fuel system problem.

By Hawke Fracassa May 24 2011 - 11:30am

Celebrate Memorial Day keeping your dog or cat safe from cars

Summer starts this Memorial Day weekend, and while sunshine makes drivers want to take to the road, it's also one of the most unsafe times of the year for the dogs and cats who live with us.

By Frank Sherosky May 24 2011 - 11:19am

Early adopters of electric cars helping car manufacturers go forward

From the Nissan Leaf to the Chevrolet Volt, the Ford EV and the Tesla Roadster, manufacturers are still in uncharted territory. Their reliance on early adopters, those who are the first to buy the electric cars, is crucial to going forward.

By Patrick Rall May 24 2011 - 10:55am

Chrysler officially announces early repayment of the US and Canadian bailout loans

This afternoon, Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne will speak at a ceremony at the automaker’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, where he will formally thank the US and Canadian governments for their financial support but more importantly, Marchionne is expected to announce that the company is paying off the $7.53 billion owed to the two governments.

By Don Bain May 23 2011 - 7:25pm

Avoiding the most common summer driving car repairs

Few things are as disconcerting as an automotive breakdown far from home. We only have so much vacation time and spending it awaiting parts and repairs can be a serious killjoy. Thanks to a slowed economy, many vehicle owners have put off regular automotive maintenance, increasing the risk of automotive malfunction.

By Hawke Fracassa May 23 2011 - 6:30pm

2012 Toyota Prius v aims for family-friendly buyers

Toyota's 2012 Prius v (v for versatility) goes on sale this fall as the consummate fuel-efficient midsize hybrid, with room for five people.

By Patrick Rall May 23 2011 - 4:46pm

The original BMW M6 hits the block at the 2011 Mecum Indy Auction

The majority of the major head-turners at the 2011 Mecum Spring Classic Auction were built by an American automaker; show goers had a chance to own a rare high performance German sports car in the form of the 1988 BMW M6.

By Don Bain May 23 2011 - 3:50pm

The burgeoning British market for the Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf

It’s seems the green revolution is coming to the British Isles as a leading online motoring website has announced the demand for greener and less polluting vehicles has hit an all time high while consumers are paying the highest price ever for diesel fuel.

By John Matras May 23 2011 - 3:33pm

Life Ball Mini 2011 by DSQUARED2, 'refashioned for adventures of all kinds'

Every year for Life Ball--called Europe's biggest AIDS charity event--Mini prepares a specially-designed Mini Cooper to be auctioned off for funds for Aids Life. The 2011 Life Ball Mini, nicknamed "Red Mudder," was "refashioned for adventures of all kinds" by Dean and Dan Caten, women's clothing designers otherwise known as DSQUARED2.

By Keith Griffin May 23 2011 - 3:31pm

Americans feel high school dropouts should not get driver's licenses

More than two-thirds of Americans feel that high school dropouts should not be allowed to have driver's licenses until they get their high school diplomas. It's an interesting concept who many feel should be enacted to get more kids completing high school.

By Patrick Rall May 23 2011 - 2:49pm

Spyker to become Swedish Automobile N.V.

Spyker has made some interesting moves over the past year, including buying the struggling Saab brand and selling off the Spyker brand to focus on Saab – only to run out of money and go on a desperate hunt for investors to resume production – and now it looks like the company will make another big move as they rename themselves Swedish Automobile N.V.

By Don Bain May 23 2011 - 2:39pm

Combustion engine improvements threaten alternative vehicles, electric cars

"We forget sometimes that the current contender continues to improve," said Linda A. Capuano, Marathon Oil’s vice president for emerging technologies, at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business’s 59th Annual Management Conference. If combustion engines continue to increase efficiency and lower emissions, alternative fuel vehicles may take longer to replace them than previously thought.

By Patrick Rall May 23 2011 - 2:18pm

The 1974 Plymouth Cuda Tooling Car at the 2011 Mecum Indy Auction

The 2011 Mecum Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis is chock full of amazing vehicles but nothing Ive seen before at Mecum – or anywhere else – is such a unique piece of muscle car history as the 1974 Plymouth Cuda Tooling Proof Body.

By Patrick Place May 23 2011 - 2:07pm

Honda Test Flies Jet over North Carolina

If you are into cars you may know that some auto makers such as, Saab, Mitsubishi, Subaru and others, made airplanes. Well, turns out Honda wants in on the plane market. Go right ahead, every thing else they make is reliable. If you happen to live in North Carolina you may have seen it and not even known about it. Honda Aircraft has been test flying there since 2010.

By Hawke Fracassa May 23 2011 - 1:32pm

Feds will buy energy-efficient cars, slash oil imports 33%

The Obama administration on Tuesday will announce in an online broadcast how it will start buying more technologically advanced vehicles for use by the U.S. government while at the same time finding ways to considerably decrease federal agencies' reliance on foreign petroleum.

By Patrick Rall May 23 2011 - 12:39pm

Paul Dehnert's 1994 Corvette ZR-1s sell at 2011 Mecum Indy

The 1990-1995 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 effectively raised the bar for American high performance and with under 7,000 units made over the course of its 6-year run, it is also one of the more rare Corvettes - but the 2011 Mecum Indy Auction featured three red 1994 Corvette ZR-1s owned by the late collector Paul Dehnert.

By Frank Sherosky May 23 2011 - 12:14pm

Toyota stock trading within a technical range ideal for traders

Toyota stock (NYSE: TM) is still finding its way after the carnage of multiple recalls and a slowdown from the earthquake and tsunami. This swing action, though, is ideal for swing traders and option traders.

By Roman Rosa May 23 2011 - 11:37am

Obama's Cadillac defeated by speed bump

A wedge on the exit of the American Embassy in Ireland exit defeated Obama's almighty Cadillac, rendering it completely stuck. All this in view of hundreds of excited onlookers.

By Hawke Fracassa May 23 2011 - 11:23am

New 'Friend' is Facebook for Toyota owners

Toyota has become a Facebook wannabe, on a small scale, with "Toyota Friend." "Friend" is the fledgling interactive Internet gated community birthed today by Toyota and partners Microsoft and Salesforce.com.

By John Matras May 23 2011 - 10:11am

Aston Martin V12 Zagato will award at Ville D'Este Concours

If you loved the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, you're in good company. The race-ready "concept" was voted best in class by visitors to the exclusive Concorso d'Eleganza Ville D'Este Concours, where it was shown for the first time on May 22.

By Patrick Rall May 23 2011 - 10:08am

NHTSA closes investigation of Toyota Corolla steering systems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed a 15-month investigation into the electronic power steering system in the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Corolla, stating that no problems were found with the system and allowing Toyota to avoid yet another reputation-damaging recall.

Automotive News

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