February 2014

GM Foundation donates $1 million to charities in honor of Dan Akerson

(February 19, 2014) DETROIT — The General Motors Foundation is donating $1 million among three Detroit charities in honor of GM’s former Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson and his wife Karin. The donations to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity Detroit and the Coalition On Temporary Shelter, or COTS, further the GM Foundation’s and the Akersons’ commitment to making a difference in GM’s headquarters city.

Toyota Prius most popular vehicle line in California second year in a row

(February 19, 2014) TORRANCE, Calif. — The Prius took home the gold in 2013 as the most popular vehicle-line in California for the second year in a row.  The Prius Family (Prius Liftback, Prius v, Prius c and Prius Plug-in) was the state's best-selling vehicle name plate in both 2012 and 2013. 

New Enzo Ferrari Museum opens this week

(February 19, 2014) MODENA, Italy — The new Enzo Ferrari Museum (EFM) was opened Feb. 18 in Modena by Luca di Montezemolo and Piero Ferrari, the son of the man who started off the amazing story of a marque recognized today as the strongest in the world.

The choice of Feb. 18 for the reopening of the MEF was in recognition of the anniversary of Enzo Ferrari’s birth on Feb. 18, 1898.

Ford reveals 2015 Expedition with EcoBoost engine at Dallas Auto Show

(February 19, 2014) DALLAS — The new 2015 Ford Expedition was revealed here on Feb. 18 ahead of the 2014 DFW Auto Show. The Expedition now features Ford F-Series’ popular 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, more technology than ever and a fresh new look.

Volvo Ocean Race edition to be shown in Geneva

(February 18, 2014) Exactly 40 years after the completion of the first race, Volvo Car Group is celebrating the upcoming 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race by presenting another special edition of sailing-inspired cars.

The fifth generation Volvo Ocean Race Edition, which includes the Volvo V40, V40 Cross Country, V60 and XC60, will be launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. At the same time, Volvo Cars will introduce the V70 and XC70 Editions for customers with a taste for a more dynamic look and handling.

Two limited editions to Range Rover Evoque add luxury, performance

(February 18, 2014) MAHWAH, N.J. — Land Rover is introducing two new limited editions to the Range Rover Evoque line-up for 2015: the luxurious Autobiography, and the more powerful, more agile Autobiography Dynamic, which will debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

Ford’s European sales outpace industry growth in January

(February 18, 2014) COLOGNE, Germany — Sales of Ford vehicles surged by 9.2 percent in January compared with the same month last year, and was almost double the industry growth of 4.7 percent in the key 20 European markets Ford tracks.

January marked the eighth consecutive month of sales growth for the company. All key market shares — total, retail and commercial vehicle market shares — rose in January.

BMW Group announces Mini Hatch production in the Netherlands

(February 17, 2014) The new Mini Hatch, which celebrated its production start at the Mini plant in Oxford, England, in November will also be built in the Netherlands beginning this summer. The BMW Group confirmed the start of production today.

McLaren releases pictures of its new supercar, the 650S

(February 17, 2014) — McLaren today released pictures of the McLaren 650S, which will be shown at the Geneva Auto Show in March. McLaren says the 650S in the company's fastest, most engaging, best equipped and most beautiful series-production supercar yet.

Ground Hog Day at the Kia K900 introduction

By Russ Heaps
Clanging Bell

(February 18, 2014) I'm not the kind of guy who says, no, a lot.

 Several years ago I read an interview with Virgin's Sir Richard Branson in which the interviewer asked him something to the effect, “With all your money, why do you continue to risk your life doing crazy things like hot-air ballooning around the world and jumping out of airplanes?”