May 14, 2013
- An old-school junkyard, Warhoops Auto and Truck Parts squats on 15.5 acres of dirt speckled with the detritus of our throwaway culture. A Cadillac propped against a tree exposes its Northstar to the sky. Bent buses and crumpled cop cars line up against a white fence. It’s forgettable real estate exc...
- Note to luxury automobile manufacturers interested in entering the performance market: The world’s strategic reserve of performance-signifying alpha characters is dwindling fast. BMW has M locked up, Audi claimed RS, Cadillac took V, and greedy old Mercedes-Benz, acting with characteristic disregard...
- Automotive News reports Lincoln is looking to Chinese luxury shoppers for customer service ideas. Those notions may eventually make their way back to the US in the form of new dealership training. Jim Farley, the executive vice president of global marketing for Ford, tells Automotive News, "In many ways, China will be a listening post for Lincoln in the United States. Soon China will be the largest luxury market in the world." Farley also said that in China, the Lincoln brand is currently where...
- Your eyes do not deceive you - that is, in fact, a Nissan NV200 work van with Chevrolet badging. General Motors and Nissan today announced a partnership where the Japanese automaker will build Bowtie-badged vans for Chevy dealers to sell throughout the United States and Canada. The new van, called the City Express, is expected to go on sale in the fall of 2014. "Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment, so this addition to the Chevrolet portfolio will...
- According to a report from The Detroit News citing "sources familiar with the company's plan," General Motors will spend $200 million to revamp dealerships on the East and West Coasts, specifically in California, New York and New Jersey. Many dealerships will be restyled, some will be relocated and some will be closed entirely. Car buyers in coastal regions of the US, particularly in California, tend to prefer import brands, but GM's market share falls short even when compared to crosstown...
May 13, 2013
- No, you didn't read our title wrong. This is a 2013 model year Trans Am, and yes, that is a Pontiac logo affixed to the front of the car. But don't bother dialing up your local General Motors dealership just yet. This is the new Hurst Edition Trans Am created by the Trans Am Depot located in Tallahassee, FL. Having spent a number of years restoring early Trans Am models, the crew at Trans Am Depot finally did what many Pontiac enthusiasts wish GM would have done - create a modern Trans Am using...
- Like many others, we were openly disappointed with Honda after driving its lackluster 2012 Civic, a model so ill-conceived that the Japanese automaker was forced to put together a far-reaching facelift after just one year on the market. We found the resulting 2013 Civic to be much improved, putting the sedan back into the thick of the economy-car hunt. The 2013 model year not only brought with it an upgraded Civic, it also marked the first model year of the Civic's upscale twin, the Acura ILX...
- To car classicists, the Chevrolet Impala is a tale of squandered potential as, with each passing year, the exuberant jet-age styling of the original 1958 model morphed into the amorphous last generation. To enthusiasts, recent Impalas have been nothing more than rental-lot punishment and a punchline...
May 11, 2013
- As consumers find new ways to avoid commercials and advertisements, companies are constantly trying to find new ways of marketing to them. Other than radio commercials, it's hard to think of a way for ads to show up in our cars, but Reuters is reporting that General Motors is considering selling ads show inside its in-car infotainment systems. In the article, GM CEO Dan Akerson talked about the possibility of in-car ads with the example being a "brought to you by Alltstate" message showing up...
May 10, 2013
- Tell a hip-hop fan you've got a vehicle with three-wheel motion and they'll think of low-riders, '64 Impalas and hydraulics. Michigan-based Elio Motors has another idea, and the Detroit News says it's a few beats closer to reality. Elio, which a few months ago made news when it agreed to buy an old General Motors plant in Shreveport, LA, has just announced 20 key suppliers - groups like IAV, Altair Engineering and Comau - for its upcoming three-wheeled vehicle. Elio is sticking with its...
- Not that it means anything beyond bragging rights, but if you're fixated on the positions of domestic automakers on the annual Fortune 500 list, both General Motors and Ford are still on it but they've slipped a couple of notches. The list ranks American companies and they're ordered solely by revenue. GM, fifth last year, came in seventh, while Ford fell from ninth to tenth even though both companies saw small gains in annual revenue. GM's $152.3 billion in revenue was less than a third of...
- So there you are on May 1 minding your own business on the internet when a forum user called "V12Baker" uploads a picture of the engine block above. But you're on the LS1 forum, a site devoted to the legendary V8s made by General Motors, and that's a V12. V12Baker explains that he sliced two LS1 engines and used the pieces to not only make an LS12, but also a V4 with the leftovers. That is probably when, like user "3.8redbird," you write "April Fools day is April 1st not May 1st." But the...
- The Detroit News reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into 103,374 Chevrolet Corvette models built between 2005 and 2007. The administration is currently looking into a headlight issue after receiving 30 complaints from owners saying that the vehicle abruptly lost both low beams. Demonstrating its uncanny affinity for the obvious, NHTSA said, "The loss of illumination impairs the driver's ability to see the roadway." Such a condition could lead...
May 9, 2013
- Never mind that one in six full-size pickups calls the Lone Star state home. Forget that the Dallas–Fort Worth area alone buys more trucks than do most entire states. And ignore for a moment that the Chevrolet you’re reading about is actually available in Texas Edition trim. It’s not the love for pi...
- When you’re as big a market for pickups as Texas, you can expect special attention from truck manufacturers. Special models honoring the state have come from nearly every corner of truckdom, and Chevrolet is adding another to the pile with the 2014 Silverado Texas Edition.The latest Texas Edition (i...