Category Archives: Auto

Automakers start year with strong sales

By doris | Published: February 2, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com Car sales zoomed ahead in January, with many automakers reporting solid sales at the start of a year expected to show a steady gain in vehicle purchases. Chrysler, now privately held and majority owned by Italy’s Fiat, was the notable standout for the month. It posted a 44 percent rise in [...]

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Obama’s Chrysler 300 on sale for $1 million

By doris | Published: January 27, 2012

Full Story atmoney.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — A Chrysler 300C once leased by President Barack Obama is for sale on eBay with the eye-popping “opening bid” of $1 million. The opening bid, which is dictated by the seller, means that bidding for the car must start at that price. The woman who posted the car [...]

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Chevy Volt’s problems may not be over as GM’s CEO prepares to face Congress

By doris | Published: January 25, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnvc.msn.com The Chevrolet Volt got a clean bill of health, last Friday, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closing its investigation into potential problems with the plug-in hybrid’s battery pack – but that doesn’t mean General Motors’ problems with the Volt are over, as a Congressional hearing is scheduled to begin [...]

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GM creates digital windows on the world

By doris | Published: January 22, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com Game Boys and backseat monitors are “so five years ago,” suggests Tom Seder, a manager at the General Motors R&D labs. Working with the Future Lab, at Israel’s Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, GM researchers are exploring ways to turn a car’s rear windows into interactive devices that could permit [...]

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Drivers again faulted over Toyota acceleration

By doris | Published: January 19, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com A two-year study looking for possible causes behind Toyota’s rash of unintended acceleration issues has put primary blame on driver error — but the review by the National Academy of Sciences also cautioned that some problems may have been caused by inadvertent interactions involving vehicle electronics — an issue frequently cited [...]

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Chrysler brings back the Dodge Dart

By doris | Published: January 10, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Chrysler Group unveiled its much-needed new small car, the Dodge Dart small car at the Detroit auto show Monday. The car is expected to go on sale later this year at prices starting at about $16,000. Official fuel economy estimates aren’t available, yet. The Dart is based [...]

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GM recalls Volts to fix fire risk

By doris | Published: January 6, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — General Motors is recalling the Chevrolet Volt to make changes that it says will help prevent fires from coolant leaks which may follow a severe side impact. Coolant leaks days after National Highway Traffic Safety Administration side crash tests caused several fires. The fires were sparked when [...]

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A sad end to Saab’s story

By doris | Published: January 1, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com With the filing of bankruptcy papers this week it’s all over for Saab but the funeral. Or is it? Few automakers have existed so long and so close to the precipice — or shown the uncanny ability to come back from the seeming dead. But this week’s developments would suggest that [...]

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Chrysler to call Fiat-based compact the Dodge Dart

By doris | Published: December 6, 2011

Full Story atnews.Yahoo.com DETROIT (AP) — The Dodge Dart, a 1960s compact car that gearheads turned into street racers, is making a comeback. Chrysler said Tuesday that it will use the Dart name for a new compact car based on Italian technology that it will introduce in the U.S. next year. The Dart, which is [...]

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GM’s OnStar is looking a lot like a stand-alone business

By doris | Published: December 5, 2011

Full Story at Features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com FORTUNE — General Motors is nearing its long-term goal of making OnStar, its high-tech telematics service, a compelling reason for consumers to buy its cars. That means OnStar is also quickly becoming a valuable asset that could help the auto maker raise capital. Founded in 1995, OnStar was GM’s (GM) bid [...]

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Up to 876,000 cars at risk from deadly exploding airbags

By doris | Published: December 4, 2011

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com Hundreds of thousands of Honda vehicles sold the United States are being recalled or will be inspected by the company because their airbags could potentially explode causing injury or death, the company said. In a notice posted in a PDF file on its website, the American Honda Co. said it was [...]

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Automakers take aim at drowsy driving

By doris | Published: December 2, 2011

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com If you’ve ever felt yourself nodding off when you’ve spent a little too much time behind the wheel you’re not alone. According to a recent study by the AAA Foundation more than two in five drivers admit they’ve fallen asleep, even for a moment, when driving. While most motorists now recognize [...]

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Car sales could be strongest since ‘Clunkers’

By doris | Published: December 1, 2011

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — American car buyers were out in force in November, with U.S. automakers posting solid sales in what is expected to be the best month for auto sales since 2009′s “Cash for Clunkers” program. General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) reported sales up 6.9% from a year earlier, while [...]

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GM Volt owners can get loaner during fire probe

By doris | Published: November 28, 2011

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — General Motors said Monday it will loan cars to any owner of its electric-powered Chevrolet Volt who is worried about the risk of a battery fire after a crash. The automaker, which reasserted the overall safety of the car, had no estimates about how many loaners might [...]

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