General Motors Co. is recalling over 44,000 Cadillac CTS sedans over a flaw that could cause one of the rear wheels to become unstable.
The recall affects 2009 and 2010 CTS vehicles, Cadillac’s best seller. Get the full story »
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Mercedes to take back Smart sales in U.S.
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz USA will take over sales and marketing of the microcar smart USA brand from Penske Automotive Group by the middle of this year, Mercedes-Benz USA and Penske said Monday.
By the end of the transition period around July 1, the number of U.S. Mercedes-Benz dealers selling smart cars will drop to the mid-50sfrom the current 75 at dealerships owned by the Penske group, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman said. Get the full story »
GM bonuses to average $4K per hourly worker
General Motors Co. will pay more than $189 million in profit-sharing to 48,000 U.S. hourly workers and millions more in performance bonuses to salaried employees, according to a person briefed on the matter.
The company, less than two years out of bankruptcy protection, will pay most hourly workers more than $4,000 each as compensation for the company’s strong financial performance last year, the person said. The payments are more than double the previous record payment of $1,775 in 1999, the height of the boom in sales of sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Get the full story »
NHTSA steps up probe into diesel VW stalling
The government is expanding its safety investigation into possible engine problems in 100,000 Volkswagen diesel cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has received 160 complaints and field reports about engines stalling or losing power. The reports involve 2009 and 2010 Jettas and 2010 Golfs and Audi A3s with TDI clean diesel engines. Get the full story »
Volkswagen unveils 2012 Jetta GLI, outlines U.S. plan
Volkswagen looks to come on like gangbusters in the U.S. in the next several years, said Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen North America, during the unveiling of the 2012 Jetta GLI at the Chicago Auto Show.
The automaker’s goals for the GLI were to keep Volkswagen’s euro-style, with multilink rear suspension for taut handling, but also meet U.S. buyer demands. So the car also includes carefree maintenance, the carmaker’s Intelligent Crash Response System, and fuel economy and power from a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. It will be priced at $23,000. Get the full story »
GM, Chrysler salaried workers to get bonuses
Most of the 26,000 white-collar workers at General Motors Co. will get performance bonuses of 4 to 16 percent of their base salaries this year, but payments to a small number could be 50 percent or more, the company confirmed late Thursday.
Chrysler Group LLC also will give bonuses to its white-collar staff, with payments expected on Friday. Both companies needed government bailouts in 2008 and 2009 to stay in business and make it through bankruptcy protection. Get the full story »
Ram Tradesman aimed at small biz, commercial fleets
In its second year as a standalone brand, Ram Trucks has positioned itself to take advantage of growing sales to small businesses and commercial fleets with the 1500 Tradesman.
Available in two or four wheel drive, the regular cab Tradesman offers a 10,400 pound towing capacity and 1,600 pound payload, to help the truck maker extend its sales gains to 10 straight months. Get the full story »
Chicago OKs contract for 280 car charging stations
A residential electric car charging station in Washington D.C. (Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty)
By the end of this year, Chicagoans will not only be able to purchase and drive electric vehicles, but also charge those vehicles in the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee.
The city of Chicago has awarded a $1.9 million contract to a California firm to install 280 electric vehicle charging stations in Chicago and surrounding suburbs by the end of 2011.
The contract — paid for with equal state and federal dollars though a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — means the city has cleared a major hurdle on the road to widespread electric vehicle adoption. Get the full story »
Dodge SRT8 line includes ‘man van’
Emphasizing its performance roots, Dodge displayed a family of SRT8 vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show media preview Wednesday.
The potent lineup of Hemi V-8 powered cats includes a Caravan “man van” with an all black interior to “scare off the regular minivan buyer” said Ralph Gilles, Chrysler design chief. Get the full story »
GM shows off Chevy Camaro ZL1
At the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday, GM design chief Ed Welburn unveiled a surprise — the amped-up 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1.
The car is based on the 1969 aluminum block ZL7, and will carry a Mustang Shelby fighting 6.2-liter, 550-hp supercharged V-8 with 6-speed manual. Get the full story »
U.S. finds no defect in Toyota’s electronic throttles
A row of Toyota Prius cars at a sales lot in Daly City, Calif., Feb. 3, 2010. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A U.S. government investigation showed no link between electronic throttles and unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, a victory for the world’s top automaker battered by recalls over runaway vehicles.
The encouraging result for Toyota stems from a 10-month probe ordered by Congress following recalls of nearly 8 million of its best-selling models in the United States over defective floor mats and accelerator pedals that hurt its reputation for quality.
Some safety advocates and congressional investigators questioned whether software-driven throttles also played a role in unintended acceleration complaints. Get the full story »
Toyota lifts guidance despite decline in profits
Toyota Motor Corp. lifted its annual forecasts beyond market expectations as cost cuts and sales exceeded its plans, but a heavy reliance on exports will keep it a laggard as long as the yen stays strong.
The world’s top automaker posted a smaller-than-expected decline in third-quarter profit and raised its sales forecast for the year to March 31 by 70,000 vehicles to 7.48 million, thanks to better-than-expected sales in Asia, Japan and Russia. Get the full story »
NASA unlikely to report defects in Toyotas
An investigation into sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles by the nation’s space agency is expected to report Tuesday that no significant electronic defects have been found, though the issue requires continued monitoring, according to automotive electronics and safety experts.
The NASA report was commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after thousands of owners complained that their Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles accelerated unexpectedly, causing dozens of deaths.
The study was launched in March in the wake of three congressional investigations. It is scheduled to be made public at a press conference in Washington.
Ford recalls 2011 Explorers over seat issue
Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 1,600 just-built Explorers for a safety problem with the second row of seats.
Ford said in a filing with federal safety regulators that the seats may not provide the required strength in a crash. Get the full story »
