Sep. 2, 2010 at 10:06 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Insurance
By Wailin Wong
Chicago is one of the least safe U.S. cities for drivers, according to a new annual survey by Allstate Insurance Co.
Out of 200 U.S. cities, Chicago ranked #167, Allstate said Thursday. The company’s data show that the average driver in Chicago will experience an auto collision every 7.6 years. This is a marginal improvement over the 7.3-year figure in the 2009 survey, but still puts Chicago behind other cities such as New York (#159) and San Diego (#103).
Allstate noted that U.S. cities with populations over 1 million people are more likely than the national average to experience a collision. Fort Collins, Colo., which has a population of roughly 140,600 as of July 2009, emerged as the safest driving city for 2010. Residents in Fort Collins go an average 14.5 years between collisions. Get the full story »
Sep. 2, 2010 at 8:38 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Cell phones,
Computers,
Software
By Wailin Wong
Digital mapping company Navteq has introduced a new navigation system that guides drivers based on the way people naturally give each other directions, with Chicago as one of the initial cities in the launch.
Its new system, called Natural Guidance, gives instructions based on points of interest and landmarks. For example, instead of traditional navigation systems that tell drivers to turn after a certain amount of distance, Natural Guidance instructs users to “turn right after the yellow shop.” Get the full story »
Sep. 1, 2010 at 2:05 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos
By CNN
Auto sales, once a bright spot in the economic recovery, grew fainter last month.
The pain was widespread. Big car companies General Motors, Ford and Toyota all saw sales slip. Smaller automakers like Subaru suffered too, as did companies that appeal to the budget minded, such as Kia and Hyundai. Get the full story »
Sep. 1, 2010 at 9:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy,
Environment,
Green
From WBBM Radio | Ford is announcing today that its plant on Chicago’s far South Side will begin making the new Police Interceptor utility vehicle, designed to have at least 20 percent better fuel economy than the current Crown Victoria police vehicle.
Aug. 31, 2010 at 1:29 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy
By Reuters
U.S. weekly retail gasoline demand on average fell 3.1 percent, to 9.169 million barrels per day, last week, as the summer driving season draws to a close, according to the SpendingPulse report released Tuesday by MasterCard Advisors. Year-on-year, U.S. gasoline demand rose 0.7 percent, in the week ending Aug. 27, the survey showed. Get the full story »
Aug. 31, 2010 at 12:52 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Bankruptcy,
Manufacturing
By Reuters
Visteon Corp. received court approval Tuesday to exit bankruptcy, ending a 15-month fight among hedge funds, lenders and an industry giant for a piece of the revived auto-parts maker.
Visteon’s reorganization caps a two-year stretch in which dozens of U.S. automotive companies collapsed into bankruptcy. Chrysler, General Motors, Delphi Corp. and Lear Corp. used Chapter 11 to remove crushing debt, shed obligations and close underutilized factories. Get the full story »
Aug. 31, 2010 at 12:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Government,
Investigations
By Reuters
U.S. safety regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into claims that Hyundai Motor Co.’s best-selling car in America, the Sonata sedan, may have steering problems.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials opened the preliminary investigation into the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Friday. Get the full story »
Aug. 30, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Energy,
Government,
Green
By Associated Press
The fuel-economy sticker on new cars will change under plans announced Monday.
Will your new car get an A in fuel efficiency? A government proposal may add letter grades to showroom window stickers on new cars and trucks to reflect a vehicle’s overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency said Monday they were considering two options to upgrade the energy and environmental information that will adorn labels on new vehicles in car dealership showrooms, beginning with the 2012 model year. Get the full story »
Aug. 30, 2010 at 12:47 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Franchises,
Retail
By Associated Press
Chrysler on Monday told 400 dealers about its plans to bring the Fiat brand back to the U.S. after a 30-year absence, starting with the Fiat 500 minicar later this year.
Fiat-run Chrysler Group LLC hopes the tiny Italian car can boost its lackluster sales when it comes to the U.S. in December. Chrysler wants the bulb-shaped 500 to become a strong contender in the small-car market, where it has struggled for years. Get the full story »
Aug. 30, 2010 at 6:21 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos
By Associated Press
In another sign that borrowers have taken tighter control of their debt, late payments on auto loans dropped in the second quarter. The rate of payments 60 days or more past due dropped to 0.53 percent of outstanding auto loans in the April-to-June period, from 0.73 percent a year ago, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. Get the full story>>
Aug. 27, 2010 at 2:36 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Jobs/employment,
Unions
By Associated Press
Harley-Davidson Inc. says Kansas City is one of the proposed cities where the motorcycle company might relocate some production.
Company spokesman Bob Klein said Friday a number of alternate sites remain on the table. He declined to say which other sites, or how many, are being considered. Get the full story »
Aug. 27, 2010 at 10:09 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
By Associated Press
Ford says it is recalling 575,000 older model Windstar vans in the United States and Canada over concerns that the rear axles can corrode and potentially break.
The recall covers vehicles in the model years 1998 to 2003 sold in states where the heavy use of road salt can cause more corrosion. That includes Canada, New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Great Lakes region.
Aug. 26, 2010 at 12:29 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Government,
Recalls
By Reuters
Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday that it would recall about 1.13 million Corolla and Matrix cars in the United States due to defective electronic control units that could cause the vehicles to stall.
Toyota said it had unconfirmed reports of three accidents and one minor injury in connection with problems with the units on vehicles from the 2005 through 2008 model years. It will replace the units. Get the full story »
Aug. 26, 2010 at 11:34 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Manufacturing
By Michael Oneal
Midwest manufacturing output increased in July, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, after revised data showed slight slippage in June. Get the full story »
