News archive

November 2011

First gas-to-liquid product shipment reaches America

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(November 25, 2011) Shell Lubricants has announced the arrival of its first shipment of gas-to-liquid (GTL) base oil at the Port of Houston. The high-quality product, the first from the Qatar-based Pearl GTL plant to reach the Americas, will be stored at a hub in Houston and routed to Shell Lubricants' GTL-enabled blending facilities throughout the United States.

Tata Nano gets slight horsepower boost for 2012

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(November 25, 2011) Tata Motors has released the first details on the 2012 model year Nano, a model which receives several improvements over the outgoing model.

To begin with, the 0.6-liter engine which equips the Nano received an upgrade and will develop 38 horsepower, slightly more than the model it replaces. The top speed increases to 65 mph.

Mazda announces groudbreaking regenerative braking system

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(November 25, 2011) HIROSHIMA, Japan — Mazda today released details on a groundbreaking regenerative braking system that uses a super capacitor in leiu of a battery for quick storage.

The system, which Mazda calls "i-ELOOP," will begin to appear in Mazda's vehicles in 2012. Mazda claims that in real-world driving conditions with frequent acceleration and braking, i-ELOOP improves fuel economy by up to 10 percent.

Fiat's social media spot 'Seduction' seduces 1 million viewers

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(November 24, 2011) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- With its high-performance styling and head-turning co-star, the Fiat brand's first 60-second social media spot promoting the new 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth has seduced more than 1 million YouTube viewers in just one week.

The digital spot titled "Seduction" made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show to hundreds of journalists and then was posted to the Fiat brand's YouTube site.

Chrysler recalls small number of 2012 vehicles over contaminated brake fluid

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(November 24, 2011) Chrysler is recalling about 340 Dodge Journey crossover vehicles and Fiat 500 subcompact cars from the 2012 model year. The recall stems from possible contamination of the vehicles’ brake systems with improper fluid, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ten Chevrolet trucks that built a global brand

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(November 24, 2011) DETROIT — Chevrolet captured the spirit of 20th Century America, with its “work hard, play hard” ethic.  And perhaps no Chevrolet represents this spirit better than the Chevy truck.

Founded in Detroit on Nov. 3, 1911, Chevrolet produced only cars through 1917. The company added its first truck models in January 1918, and has built tens of millions since.

Ford Focus wins four European safety awards

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(November 23, 2011) BRENTWOOD, England -- The new Ford Focus has become the first ever car to receive four Euro NCAP Advanced safety awards after its Driver Alert and Forward Alert technologies were honored this week.

The awards come a month after new Ford Ranger achieved an historic first by becoming the only pickup to receive a maximum 5 Star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Ranger also achieved the highest score ever recorded by Euro NCAP for pedestrian protection.

Chevrolet to produce all-electric Spark; limited numbers to be sold in U.S.

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(November 23, 2011) -- Chevrolet today announced it will produce an all-electric version of the Chevrolet Spark mini-car – the Spark EV. It will be sold in limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, including California.

“The Spark EV offers customers living in urban areas who have predictable driving patterns or short commutes an all-electric option,” said Jim Federico, global vehicle chief engineer for electric vehicles at Chevrolet.

Ford Escape gets big bounce in consideration after LA intro

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(November 22, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The 2013 Ford Escape saw a bigger surge of customer interest than the 2012 Honda CR-V after the competing crossover SUV's debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week, says Edmunds.com.

According to Edmunds.com site traffic data, the Ford Escape enjoyed a 95 percent lift in average consideration in the days following its unveil last Wednesday. The CR-V, meanwhile, saw a jump of just 25 percent over the same period.

Next-generation open-air Porsche 911 has uniquely styled top

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(November 22, 2011) ATLANTA — Porsche is introducing two new cabriolet versions of the recently unveiled seventh-generation 911 Carrera — the 911 Carrera Cabriolet and 911 Carrera S Cabriolet — and they will go on sale in the United States in the spring.

Like the coupe, the 2012 911 Carrera cabriolet features innovative aluminum-steel construction with the addition of an all-new convertible top design, which preserves the typically sleek 911 coupe roof line.