(July 14, 2011) DETROIT — The name “Oscar” may bring to mind a grouch, an award statuette, a former championship boxer or maybe even a hot dog. But for Chevrolet, Oscar plays a key role in the engineering and interior design of the all-new 2013 Malibu.

Oscar is GM’s three-dimensional, mannequin-like simulation tool comfort engineers used early in the product development process of Malibu to determine the overall dimensional layout of the car’s interior.

(July 14, 2011) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Jeep enthusiasts now have the opportunity to transform their four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a two-door pickup truck.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Mopar JK-8 kit is $5,499. The kit, which comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, is now available for ordering through Mopar at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships. The warranty covers kit materials and workmanship performed at a Chrysler Group dealership.

(July 14, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford and Recycled Polymeric Materials (RPM) have found a way to put discarded tires to good use. By combining recycled tires with bio-renewable content, they are delivering environmentally friendly seals and gaskets for Ford Motor Company vehicles.
 
The gaskets and seals are derived from 25 percent post-consumer, recycled tire particulate and 17 percent bio-renewable content from soy.

(July 13, 2011) ROYAL OAK, Mich. (PRNewswire) — Saab dealers who have been starved of product are surely excited that the new Saab 9-4X crossover has finally landed in U.S. showrooms. The greatly anticipated vehicle is Saab's newest addition to the Saab product family. Over 100 orders have been placed for the vehicle.