(July 2009) General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz is back in the news. This week he has discussed leasing and advertising.

With the uproar over the Buick LaCrosse ad featuring the trendy West Coast director, Lutz — who now has the final say in advertising for GM — has left the ad agency people responsible for the ad quaking in their boots.

(July 2009) TORRANCE, Calif. — Honda today announced that dealers in Utah will have the option of selling the natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX to customers on a retail basis, beginning today.

(July 2009) The Monterey, California Peninsula's Classic Car Week (August 9-16) that includes the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, the Monterey Historics and the famed Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will be the backdrop for introductions by three European brands, themselves historic in their own right.

(July 2009) The Ford Focus and the Volvo C30 two-door models got top ratings for side impact crashes by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it was announced on July 21. To evaluate the extent to which automakers are extending crashworthiness improvements to two-door cars, the Institute conducted front, side, and rear tests of 2009 coupes including the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, and Scion tC, all small mode

(July 2009) If you thought General Motors' OnStar system was mainly for getting directions or asking for help when stranded on the side of the road, think again.

The in-vehicle safety and communications system has launched a new service to keep car thieves from starting a vehicle that has been reported stolen, according to a report by Automotive News.

It's called "remote ignition block."

(July 2009) Ford Motor Company, the only major U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy, may be able to snag buyers as General Motors Co. ends production of the Pontiac brand this month, according to a survey, Bloomberg.com reported.

(July 2009) TORRANCE, Calif. — The all-new 2010 ZDX four-door sports coupe will arrive at Acura dealerships thiis winter with "dramatic styling, outstanding performance and the latest in advanced technology."

(July 2009) It looked like a giant rolling Subaru used car lot July 11 in the Village of Itasca, Ill.

Subaru of America's Great Lakes Region organized a parade that drew 339 cars setting a Guiness World Record for the "Longest Parade of Subaru Cars."

(July 2009) We can only hope the space-age looking Honda CR-Z two-seat hybrid sports coupe will make it to the United States. Honda isn't saying at this point.