autoinsane

Chrysler to build Fiat 500 EV for US market; 140 Dodge Ram PHEV secured with DOE grant, 2011 Dodge Ram HEV canned

In case you missed it, Chrysler announced it will develop the new, zero emission  Fiat 500 eV for the US with a synergy between the Chrysler Group LLC and parent company, Fiat. Production for the US market won’t begin until 2012.
The Fiat 500EV powertrain is comprised of three systems; a high-power electric powertrain module, advance [...]

Saab will focus on expanding models in both price directions; Audi is “Target”

Meeting with a small group of journalists from the New England Motor Press Association, Mike Colleran, President and COO of Saab Cars North America gave more details into how he and Saab management will steer the newly independent Swedish automotive brand. The automaker plans on launching four new models during the next year; The 9-3X, a new 9-5, a 9-4X crossover, and the 9-5 SportCombi.

Factory Five Racing, Inc. wins in court vs. Carroll Shelby

It’s a classic David vs. Goliath type of battle, but Factory Five Racing, Inc., of Wareham, Mass., won its second battle against legendary car builder Carroll Shelby who sought to stop the firm from producing vintage replicas of his 1960s era cars.

OnStar showing Chevy engines and transmissions approaching 100 percent reliability in January

In the month of January, 99.3 percent of the 1.8 million Chevrolet vehicles enrolled in OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics reported that there were no issues with the key components of their engine and transmission systems.

Rolls Royce sells over 1,000 cars for 2009; North America is largest market

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced it retailed 1,002 cars for 2009, including 150 Ghosts to customers in December 2009. Demand for the Ghost has been exceptional and the latest Rolls-Royce has been met with universal acclaim from customers, the media and enthusiasts alike. Around 85 per cent of Ghost customers are new to the marque. More than a third of the sales totals were for Phantom models.

Genii Capital rumored to rival Spyker bid in last minute faceoff for Saab

It’s the final day of the bidding process for the beloved Saab brand and despite GM CEO Ed Whitacre being pessimistic about the brands future, rumors have it that Genii Capital is readying a last minute rival bid.

GM Announces Ray Young Moving to VP of International Operations

In yet another executive shift, GM has moved Ray Young from CFO to Vice President of International Operations. This newly created position is the latest round of musical chairs in the board room following Fritz Henderson stepping down less than a month ago. Since thing Ed Whitacre had taken over day to day operations, changed Maximum Bob’s job title, Brent Dewar, Vice President of Chevrolet left and Michael Richards left Buick after just 9 days.

If you’re having a hard time keeping track of what executives are coming and going, you aren’t alone. Needless to say it’s highly likely that this won’t be the last change we hear about in the next few months. Now GM needs to find a CEO and a CFO at least, and that’s assuming nobody else jumps ship. We know GM needed to make some changes, but the fire sale in the board room makes us wonder if this isn’t just change for the sake of change.

Porsche posts back-to-back Intellichoice.com win for Best Certified Pre-Owned Luxury Warranty

IntelliChoice.com announced this week that the winner of its 2009 Best Warranty for luxury cars is Porsche Cars North America. This is the second consecutive time that Porsche’s Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program has received this prestigious award.

Consumer Reports’ 2009 Reliability Survey- Ford Fusion tops Honda Accord and Toyota Camry

Ford scored big in this year’s Consumer Reports 2009 Car Reliability Survey. As the only Detroit automaker to be labeled with “world-class” reliability, 46 of 51 Ford/Lincoln/Mercury products scored average or above average. General Motors did well with some of its new offerings but Chrysler continued to struggle. Who took home the “most reliable” and “least reliable” titles? Read on and find out…

GM to provide cash advances to dealers for CARS rebates

This morning General Motors announced it would be providing cash advances to dealers equal to the amounts they are currently owed under the government run CARS rebate program. The advances will allow dealers to stay in business until the rebates are processed.