Latest Car News

Mazda2, Ford Fiesta to Debut at L.A. Auto Show

Posted: Nov. 19, 2009 10:11:09 a.m.

Los Angeles is known worldwide as a place full of very small women with very big . . . never mind.  Still, it seems fitting that the L.A. Auto Show is shaping up to be a cavalcade of very small cars with very big . . . utility.

Autoblog reports, " Mazda has finally made it official this morning: it will be bringing its B-segment Mazda2 to the North American market late next year. As you are likely aware, the current generation Mazda2 has been sale ...

Toyota May Shorten Gas Pedals to Fix Floor Mat Problem

Posted: Nov. 19, 2009 10:11:09 a.m.

Over four million Toyota vehicles have been recalled or had their floor mats removed due to reports of some vehicles exhibiting unintended acceleration.  Toyota says the problem is due to improperly installed floor mats, though now they may have come up with another solution.

Inside Line reports, "Toyota is reportedly on the brink of deciding to make accelerator pedals shorter in millions of vehicles, as a fix to a problem with floor mat sticking that has led to a 4-million-vehicle ...

Top Safety Picks Announced

Posted: Nov. 18, 2009 10:11:28 a.m.

'Tis the season for automotive groups and publications to hand out awards, but one of the latest stands out. It's not based on blistering zero-to-sixty times or lust-inspiring exteriors.  This award is one that really matters to a lot of consumers.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced their Top Safety Picks for 2010.

In a press release, IIHS says, "Nineteen cars and 8 SUVs earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award for ...

Ford Fusion is Motor Trend's Car of the Year

Posted: Nov. 18, 2009 10:11:34 a.m.

The Ford Fusion may have just missed becoming an IIHS top safety pick, but it's racked up another award -- one that it doesn't have to share with 27 other cars.

Motor Trend announced, "The Ford Fusion has been named Motor Trends 2010 Car of the Year®. This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Motor Trend award - the longest standing editorial automotive award of its kind."

The Fusion snagged the award out of a field of 23 new ...

GM hopes L.A. Show Will Create Buzz for Cruze and Volt

Posted: Nov. 18, 2009 10:11:00 a.m.

Auto show season is when the automotive industry starts handing out awards, and car makers start showing the cars they hope will become award winners. Chevrolet is following that pattern closely as they roll out the U.S. spec 2011 Chevy Cruze at the L.A. Auto Show in December.

Autoblog reports, "General Motors has announced plans to unveil the U.S.-spec version of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze at next month's LA Auto Show, alongside the all-new Chevrolet ...

Saab Dealers Running Out of Cars to Sell

Posted: Nov. 17, 2009 11:11:51 a.m.

Saab dealers are in a bind. Most of their competitors are working to sell off their last stock of 2009 model year cars because trucks laden with 2010 editions are rolling in daily. Saab dealers have 2009s left to sell, but nothing coming in their place.

“We have about 10 Saabs left, and they won’t last long,” Ivan Goodwin, sales manager at Jim Ellis Saab in Atlanta, told Bloomberg. “It’s going to be a big problem, but there ...

GM to Launch Holiday Sales

Posted: Nov. 17, 2009 11:11:53 a.m.

Autoblog reports, "The big sales, starting this week, each get their own names. Chevy is having a ‘Red Tag Sale,’ Buick-GMC are going with ‘Holiday Event’ and tip of the top Caddy is using, ‘Seasons Best.’"

The company hasn’t released details of the incentives yet.  Automotive News reports, "As of Nov. 1, GM carried a 70-day supply of vehicles on its lots, which is higher than the industry's 63-day average." However, GM appears to have a larger stock ...

Recall Alert: Mitsubishi Lancer, Lancer Evolution

Posted: Nov. 17, 2009 11:11:23 a.m.

Mitsubishi has issued a recall order for about 30,000 2008 and 2009 Lancers and Lancer Evolutions currently registered or originally sold in 23 "salt belt" states, in order to correct a defect that could prevent airbags from opening properly in an accident.

In a recall notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety administration, the automaker explains, "In areas where heavy road salt is used in the winter, a long term exposure to a mixture of melted snow with ...

Report: Toyota May Replace Gas Pedals in Floormat Recall

Posted: Nov. 16, 2009 11:11:57 a.m.

Toyota Motor Corp may replace the gas pedals of about four million vehicles as part of the ongoing saga of the largest safety recall the company has ever faced.  The company initially recalled the cars over concerns that the driver’s side floormat in the vehicles could come out of alignment and press the gas pedal down, causing a vehicle to accelerate without any input from the driver.  The company first asked drivers to remove floormats until further notice. 

Now ...

Report: GM to Begin Repaying Uncle Sam Next Month

Posted: Nov. 16, 2009 11:11:11 a.m.

The federal government may get its first check paying back some of the money is loaned to bail out the U.S. auto industry, just in time for Christmas.

The Washington Post reports, “General Motors is expected to announce on Monday that it will begin repaying its debt to the United States next month, years earlier than required.”  An unidentified “source familiar with the matter” tells the Post that “The nation's largest automaker plans to pay $1 billion per ...