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Chrysler has received an emergency loan of $4 billion from the U.S Treasury — a long-anticipated “lifejacket” the auto manufacturer’s chairman and CEO said would “help bridge the current financial crisis.”
Toyota is hoping the 2009 Venza, is “the right vehicle at the right time.” That’s the message from the manufacturer as it unveils its new offering positioned between two of its long-time mainstays, Highlander and Camry. The Venza, named via the combination of the words Monza (the famous raceway in Italy) and Adventure, is also being promoted as “70 percent car and 30 percent sport utility vehicle." By other manufactures’ and industry definitions, that would classify the Venza as a crossover. But the automotive buzzword was never used during a recent media presentation.
Automobile manufacturer sponsorship is nothing in professional cycling. The Tour de France has had an official automobile designation for decades and Peugeot, Volkswagen and Saturn come immediately to mind as automotive brands with long histories as cycling team sponsors. But in tough economic times, a new sponsorship, particularly considering the drastically suffering automotive industry, is a surprise. Yet, Land Rover has done just that, joining the cycling market with a new title sponsorship of the Portland-based men’s development team, Land Rover-ORBEA.
The 36th annual
Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races and auto exposition is
scheduled Aug. 14-16, 2009, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey,
Calif., General Racing has announced. Next year’s dates come in the
still-buzzing aftermath of this year’s successful event during which
special guest Mario Andretti drove his famous Lotus 79. Porsche, the
manufacturer that has long intrigued compassionate global automobile
enthusiasts, will be the featured marque.
Introductions from
the world’s major manufacturers will be featured at the San Francisco
Chronicle/SFGate.com 51st Annual International Auto Show presented by
AutoTrader.com., November 22-29 at Moscone Convention Center in San
Francisco. Introductions expected at
this year’s show, include: Aston Martin DBS; Ford’s 2010 Mustang, 2010
Fusion and Fusion Hybrid; Lincoln’s 2010 MKZ; the 2010 Mercedes-Benz
GLK; Mercury’s 2010 Milan; the new Nissan new 370Z Coupe; and
Volkswagen’s new Beetle convertible.
In its yearly
report on automobile reliability, Consumer Reports has released its
2009 model calculations. Asian automakers dominated the top results,
Chrysler suffered a sharp decline and Ford overshadowed its Detroit
rivals. Toyota’s Scion xD was named as the most reliable car, followed
closely by Honda Motor Co.’s Acura and Honda Toyota and its luxury
brand, Lexus, were next.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced ts best and worst gas mileage averages list for 2009 models. Each car is respectively listed with its city and highway mpg averages listed.
General Motors and Chrysler are
considering a merger despite the volatile economy and plummeting stock
values, according to a report on the web site of The New York Times.
Two of the auto manufacturers who comprise Detroit’s
“Big Three,” General Motors and Chrysler have
discussed joint engineering projects for several months. A merger, of
course, is a much larger issue. And its feasibility wouldn’t
be any easier after GM’s stock has fallen to below $5 per
share, its lowest level in 50 years.
If you’re driving anywhere near South Carolina, and need to fill up the tank, it’ll likely be worth the time and effort to find your way to Georgetown.