News archive

September 2011

Honda recalling 310,773 Pilots to inspect seat belts

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(September 9, 2011) TORRANCE, Calif. — Honda will voluntarily recall 310,773 Pilot vehicles from the 2009 through 2011 model years in the U.S. to inspect and potentially replace the driver’s and/or front passenger’s seat belt.

Honda initiated this voluntary recall due to a manufacturing error on a small number of front seat belts, where the stitching connecting the lap section of the belt to the outboard anchor webbing may be incomplete or missing.

Kia Optima wins recognition from Esquire magazine

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(September 9, 2011) IRVINE, Calif. — Esquire magazine likes the Kia Optima. This week the men's lifestyle magazine named the mid-sized Optima the "Most Gorgeous Car Under $20K."

Along with the recognition, Optima is one of nine finalists in "The 2011 Esquire Design and Technology Awards" after editors applauded its "clean and inspiring" design that provides a refined and upscale feel at an extraordinary value.

580 horsepower — 2012 ZL1 most powerful Camaro in history

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(September 9, 2011) DETROIT — The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1’s supercharged 6.2-liter engine is SAE-rated at 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque making it the most-powerful production Camaro ever.

The ZL1’s record-setting power is complemented by advanced powertrain and chassis technologies, including Performance Traction Management and third-generation Magnetic Ride Control.

Opel to show creatively styled two-seat electric car

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(September 9, 2011) Opel has announced it will show a two-seat electric microcar at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, one of several small two-seaters that will be on the showroom floor pointing to a growing demand for high-mileage personal "city car" transportation.

Opel says the creatively styled concept has production potential.

Fiat bringing 500 and 500 Cabrio to malls for test drives

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(September 9, 2011) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Fiat is bringing the 2012 Fiat 500 and 500 Cabrio to shopping malls across the nation. Starting in 20 cities, consumers can get behind the wheel and experience first-hand the new Fiat 500 models.

"Our new Fiat 500 and 500 Cabrio deliver simply more — more Italian-by-design styling, more value and more efficiency, all intelligently tailored for our American customers," said Laura Soave, Head of Fiat Brand North America.

GM, joint ventures set August sales record in China

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(September 9, 2011) SHANGHAI — General Motors and its joint ventures in China set an August sales record en route to the third-best sales month in 2011. Domestic vehicle sales rose 13.4 percent on an annual basis to 205,885 units.

For the first eight months of 2011, GM and its joint ventures sold a record 1,652,693 vehicles in China, which was up 5.4 percent from the same period last year.

BMW Group has best August sales in history

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(September 9, 2011) — With 110,891 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand automobiles sold worldwide in August  — up 7.4 percent from August 2010 — the BMW Group achieved its best-ever August sales.

BMW Group worldwide sales crossed the one million mark in August, with 1,073,363 vehicles delivered to customers since the beginning of the year, an increase of 16.8% compared with the first eight months of the previous year.

Nissan marks 25 years of auto production in the UK

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(September 8, 2011) The United Kingdom's largest car plant was opened 25 years ago today, and the Nissan Sunderland Plant is marking the 25th anniversary with special ceremonies.

Since 1986, Nissan Sunderland Plant has rewritten the record books for UK car production, with volumes increasing from 5,139 Bluebirds in that first year to 423,262 cars in 2010 — which was the first time ever that a UK car plant had made more than 400,000 vehicles in one year.

Saab pushed closer to bankruptcy

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(September 8, 2011) Reuters news service reported today that Saab was pushed closer to bankruptcy after a Swedish court rejected its application for protection from creditors.

Saab owner Swedish Automobile had filed for protection from creditors on Wednesday to stop them from pushing the car firm into bankruptcy and to allow it to work on securing its future as it waits for planned Chinese investments.

Cadillac puts customers behind the wheel of 556-horsepower CTS-V

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(September 8, 2011) DETROIT — In the hotly contested battle for luxury car buyers, personal experience matters most. So Cadillac is putting potential customers behind the wheel of a 556-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V on a private racecourse.

It’s an experience few would soon forget, and that’s the point behind Cadillac V-Series Performance Lab events being held across the United States.