October 2010

Ford reportedly to sell most of its stake in Mazda

(October 16, 2010) TOKYO  — Ford  plans to sell a majority of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp. to Sumitomo group firms and other companies with close business ties with Mazda, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

Ford, the top shareholder in the Japanese automaker with 11 percent stake, is expected to reduce its interest to 3 percent or less, the daily reported.

Chevrolet Impalas recalled over seatbelt glitch

(October 16, 2010) DETROIT — General Motors is recalling 322,409 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2009 and 2010 model years to inspect for a small number of vehicles whose front seat belt webbing may not have been properly secured to the lap belt anchor pretensioner mounted to the side of the seat nearest the door.

Ford: EcoBoost engine priced for affordability

(October 15, 2010) Ford said Thursday that it has priced the 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6 engine $1,750 above its entry-level engine for its 2011 F-150 pickups.

The V6 engine, which Ford brands as EcoBoost, is expected to get the best fuel economy of Ford’s four new engines for the truck and it has the highest towing capacity.

Michigan governor visits Chevy Aveo booth in Paris

(October 15, 2010) PARIS – The new Chevrolet Aveo will go into production in Seoul, Korea next year, and begin a rollout that will include a U.S.-assembled version of the car in 2012.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm stopped by the Aveo display on Friday during a tour of the Paris Motor Show.

Ford introduces new 'world' Ranger in Australia; no U.S. sales planned

(October 15, 2010) SYDNEY — The all-new Ford Ranger – the latest in a wave of global vehicles — makes its worldwide debut Thursday at the Australian International Motor Show. The all-new Ranger has a powerful presence and promises to give pickup truck owners more can-do capability and a transformed truck ownership experience.

Nissan sets 2011 Murano pricing starting at $28,500

(October 14, 2010) Nissan has announced U.S. pricing for the refreshed 2011 Nissan Murano Crossover SUV, which is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide.

The Murano is base trim will sticker for $28,500 not including destination charge.

Buick virtually clones toughest roads

(October 14, 2010) DETROIT — It’s a technology that would captivate anyone who grew up on video games. What if you could create an exact digital replica of one of the world's most challenging roads and then drive virtual cars on it to see what happens?

The inventors at Buick found a way to do just that. Istanbul native Mine (Mee-NAY) Tasci is part of a team of engineers that created an innovative road scanner that makes a micro-detailed 3D digital representation of some of the toughest real-world road surfaces.

Ford launches most fuel-efficient full-sized pickup in F-150

(October 14, 2010) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Company is launching the most fuel-efficient full-size pickup of any manufacturer — the all-new 3.7-liter V6 engine in the 2011 F-150. It is projected to deliver best-in-class 23 mpg highway, pending EPA certification.

The new 5.0-liter V8 engine is projected to deliver best-in-class 21 mpg highway, pending EPA certification.

Volvo’s Jacoby to deliver MPG keynote at L.A. Auto Show

(October 13, 2010) LOS ANGELES — The Motor Press Guild (MPG) and the Los Angeles Auto Show announced that the former head master (president and CEO) of the Volkswagen Group of America and now president and chief executive officer of Volvo Cars, Stefan Jacoby will open Media Days at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show as keynote speaker.

Lexus simulator to enable safety technology

(October 13, 2010) TORRANCE, Calif. — Lexus’ latest innovation in its pursuit of perfection isn’t a new vehicle. It’s an idea…the idea that a car that will never have an accident may be possible. The automaker is using the world’s most advanced driving simulator to enable its engineers to design technology that will help make driving safer.