truth about domestics

2010 Ford Fusion hybrid (Ford)

Ford engineers, along with the help of NASCAR racer Carl Edwards and hyper-miller Wayne Gerdes, are going to attempt to drive 1,000 miles in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on a single tank of gas.  The route they plan to take winds all over the eastern side of the U.S. taking them from Mount Vernon, VA to Washington DC.  Not only is Ford using this as a way to promote how fuel efficient the Fusion Hybrid is, and how you driving technique can go a long way in reducing our dependence on oil, but they are also raising funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation along the way.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

In the midst of Earth Week, Chrysler has unveiled an electric minivan intended as a fleet vehicle. The vehicle is the first developed under Chrysler’s ENVI electric vehicle division. It is also a joint product developed by Chrysler and the US Postal Service.

Seems like a pretty good idea to me, and I’m glad that Chrysler is being innovative in this regard. After all, Chrysler’s minivan is one of the best out there, and with the type of driving conditions that postal vehicles undergo, electrifying their fleet seems like a great idea.

Read the full article here.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro V6 RS (Autoblog)

To those who see no point in the muscle car wars: screw off.  Now, to the rest of you who are so happy that rear-wheel drive is back, I bring you the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro V6.  Not only does the car manage an impressive 29 mpg on the freeway, but it has 306 hp to back up it’s muscle car image.  Autoblog recently had the chance to sample a pre production model equipped with the RS package and they came away thoroughly impressed.  To check out tons of high res photos and a great review, head on over to Autoblog.

Gm / Chrysler logos (Motor Trend)

According to a story in the Detroit Newsby David Shepardson, GM and Chrysler will be getting additional loans from the Federal government in the near term.  The amounts?  General Motors will reportedly receive $5 billion and Chrysler LLC around $500 million.  These amounts were released in a 250-page government report.

Also included in the report is that the Obama administration plans to set aside $1.25 billion to pay for warranty programs should either automaker go under.  In my opinion, this is yet another example that Washington does not know what the heck it is doing when it comes to the auto industry.  Sure, I don’t have the exact numbers, but I used to work in a quality department, and I know that GM and Chrysler’s warranty costs per year greatly exceed that number.  The government would have to cover the warranty on millions of cars sold within the last 5 years or so that had any warranty left.  Maybe the government should have focused on protecting the manufacturing base in this country so that we would have never ended up in this mess…oh well, wishful thinking right?  It’s way too early for me to be this worked out…*deep breaths…1…2…3…4…*

Chrysler plant (Chrysler)

Of course, much of this news is speculation, but it doesn’t seem too far out of reach, considering the challenges that Chrysler is currently facing.  News reported in…uhmm Automotive News, says that several Chrysler plants could be retooled to produce Fiats should a merger between the two automakers go through.  The possible sites are Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Toluca, Mexico; and Belvidere, Illinois.  This would cause quite a bit of shuffling in terms of production locations, but it would also mean that several new Fiat/Alfa small cars could be built in North America, making for an interesting B/C car segment.

Head to Autoblog for the full story.

Jay Leno was in Detroit two weeks ago for what he called the “Comedy Stimulus Plan.”  This was a free comedy show for all of the people in the metro Detroit area who were affected by the decline in the automotive industry.  He has said that he wanted to do some good for an area that was hit very hard by the recent events.

Leno is very well known for being a car enthusiast and was given full tours of the facilities of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.  He later mentioned about how he sees real potential in some of the future projects of these companies.

I had the pleasure of going to his second show in Auburn Hills, being that I am unemployed and all, and I really enjoyed it.  He did a long set that lasted about an hour and a half.  He talked about many different things, like about how his parents embarrassing him when he first started in Los Angeles and told many jokes about current events.  After the show, he said that we were the best audience that he had ever played.  I know he was probably just saying that, but it was nice of him to extend his thanks and appreciation for what this region has done for the country.

Here is a story from the Today show about the event that took place in Auburn Hills.

In recent days, it has been announced that he will be doing another one in Ohio, this time for a hard hit community in the southwest region of the state.  DHL has announced they will be fully pulling out of the area and thousands stand to lose their job in the small community.

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Also, I have just realized that this website has reached 200 posts.  I have contributed to only about three of them, so I would like to congratulate Alex and Steve on all of their hard work to get this website to 200 posts.  I hope that all of you are enjoying the articles here.  It is important to learn more of the Truths About Domestics because they do not get the coverage that they deserve.

Chinese Ford Fiesta (Ford)

China remains one of the few auto markets in the world that doesn’t seem to be affected by the global economic slowdown.  Last year over 9.38 million cars were sold in China, or 6.7% growth, which sounds impressive, but it’s actually down in terms of growth from the past 9 years where sales have grown by double digits.

Well now Ford Motor China’s chairman and chief executive, Robert Graziano, has stated that Ford predicts high single-digit growth this year in China.  Ford’s sales jump is expected to come on the back of the newly launched Fiesta sedan and hatchback.  These two vehicles also qualify for a purchase tax cut implemented by the Chinese government in January, which should help sales as well.  For more, head on over to CNN.

2010 Mustang reveal (Ford)

The Ford Mustang turns 45 this month, and to celebrate, tons of events are being planned by the Blue Oval.  In it’s long history, the Mustang has sold over 9 million copies, which is quite an impressive feat, considering I can think of only a few other name plates that can say the same thing (and non are from Toyota or Honda…imagine that!)  For full details on the events, head on over to www.MustangEvents.org.

From the original in 1964 all the way to the 2010 that went on sale just a few weeks ago, the Mustang is an American icon.  For anyone who hasn’t seen the new Mustang, I highly encourage them to take a look and see how much this pony car for all ages has grown up – inside and out.

Stop by AmericanMuscle.com and check out their large selection of Mustang Stripes.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro (Edmunds)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the new Camaro.  I also understand that cars like this (like the Mustang as well) are just ripe for the aftermarket treatment.  Exhaust, wheels, body kits, etc are all fairly standard fare on muscle cars these days.  However, after seeing this Camaro with an OEM body kit, I’m not so sure…

While the car doesn’t look bad, I just don’t feel it adds anything to the overall look of the Camaro.  Maybe I’d have to see it in person, but the square-openings for the exhaust just look like an afterthought.  Head on over to Autoblog for more pics.

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (Ford)

Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com has managed to find out the pricing for the upcoming 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.  At a driver’s prep meeting, Ford announced that the vehicle would start at $38,995, or about $3,000 more than a well-equipped FX4 model.  This actually makes the vehicle sound like quite a bargain, especially when you consider how much the vehicle has been upgraded to prepare it for serious off-road duty.