News archive

December 2010

Smart dummies save lives

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(December 6, 2010) DETROIT – If a crash test dummy could talk, what would it say? And would we understand what it was saying?

At General Motors’ Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) lab, new hyper-tech dummies talk in hyper-speed, recording and transmitting crash data 10,000 times a second.

Nissan GT-R — 3 seconds 0-to-62

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(December 6, 2010) YOKOHAMA, Japan — Nissan has announced the 0-100km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time for the 2011 Nissan GT-R supercar.

The acceleration time was measured during a media test ride event held at the Sendai Hi-land Race Way on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13. On both days, the GT-R clocked in with a time of 3.0 seconds.

Ford questions safety, repair costs of some aftermarket copy parts

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(December 5, 2010) DEARBORN — New Ford Motor Company crash tests show that not all replacement vehicle parts are created equal when it comes to safety and the cost of repair when an accident occurs.
 
The low-speed crash tests conducted by Ford showed that a commonly used copy bumper beam absorbs less crash energy than the vehicle’s original bumper beam or a genuine Ford replacement bumper beam.

CTS leads Cadillac sales surge

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(December 5, 2010) DETROIT — Cadillac’s total U.S. sales rose 21 percent to 11,801 in November with another strong month from CTS and SRX. November marked the 10th straight month of year-over-year increases for Cadillac.

Suzuki shows 51 percent sales increase, but that's only 2,332 vehicles

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(December 5, 2010) Suzuki doesn't sell many vehicles in the United States, but the Japanese company could point to a small measure of success after the November sales figures were released last week.

The good news — Suzuki sales were up a whopping 51 percent in November compared to November 2009.

Honda introducing small car to Thailand, India

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(December 4, 2010) BANGKOK, Thailand — Honda has debuted a prototype of the Honda BRIO, the new small-sized vehicle developed for Asian markets and scheduled to be introduced in Thailand and India in 2011.

Honda BRIO prototype is being developed with Honda’s advanced technologies, while further advancing Honda’s “man maximum, machine minimum” concept.

Fiat 500 serves as canvas at Miami art exhibit

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(December 4, 2010) MIAMI — With roots entrenched in Italian design heritage and specifications catered to the U.S. market, a Fiat 500 is being transformed from car to canvas during the four-day Exhibitalia event at Art Basel, Miami Beach, Fla.

General Motors sets November sales record in China

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(December 4, 2010) SHANGHAI — Supported by all-time record monthly demand for vehicles from Shanghai GM and Chevrolet, domestic sales by GM China and its joint ventures reached a new November high, rising 11.2 percent on an annual basis to 196,990 units.

Safety regulators want back-up cameras in all cars by 2014

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(December 3, 2010) WASHINGTON — U.S. auto-safety regulators proposed requiring backup cameras on all new vehicles by 2014, under a rule released today intended to prevent drivers from backing over pedestrians, Bloomberg News reports.

Boxy Honda Element will be history after the 2011 model year

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(December 3, 2010) TORRANCE, Calif. —The 2011 Honda Element will be the final model year of production of the innovative and functional crossover utility vehicle, Honda announced today.

More than 325,000 Elements have been sold in the United States since it went on sale in 2002 as a 2003 model.