truth about domestics

Automobile magazine named it’s list of 2009′s All-Stars and the list has some big names on it.  Cars from Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Jaguar all made the list.  The surprises are the 4 domestic cars that made the list!  The Dodge Ram 1500, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Flex and Fusion all made the list!  This just shows you how good these cars really are!  What I can’t seem to put my finger on is which automakers are not in the 10 All-Star list…lets see…oh wow, NONE of the Japanese automakers made the list!  That’s SOO weird!  I thought their cars were the best of the best???  This surely must be a mistake.  Or the magazine just knows what true car fans know, that the Japanese cars are too boring to be All-Stars.  For more on the list, head on over to Automobile magazine.

(Image source: Automobile magazine)

Prior to declaring bankruptcy, General Motors began delaying products in the hopes of saving some cash to survive the economic downturn.  While all that did was buy them some time, it meant new product was being pushed further downstream.  Post-bankruptcy, GM has about $40 billion in cash and lower overhead costs so it has decided to use that money to pull programs ahead.  One of the specific programs mentioned by Bob Lutz is the all-new Malibu.  Originally slated as a 2012 model, the car will now be seen in 2011.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

The car you see above is a rolling tribute to the Camaro pace car from 1967.  They share a similar paint scheme and styling but that’s where the similarities end.  This is, after all, a new generation of Camaro!  For all of the details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Autoblog)

You read that right folks!  The Dodge Challenger has claimed the top spot on Consumer Reports owner satisfaction survey with 92% of V8 Challenger owners saying they would buy another Mopar pony car again.  That knocks the Toyota Prius out of the top spot…actually, the domestics knocked it all the way to 5th!  The Challenger is followed by the Ford Fusion hybrid, and Chevrolet Corvette!  It’s nice to see a car from each maker in the top three.  Kinda warms my heart on a cold Michigan December night.  For more details, head on over to Consumer Reports.

(Image source: Dodge)

GM announced just recently that they are investing $336 million to re-tool its Detroit-Hamtramck plant to build the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.  This investment is just part of the $700 million being invested in the state of Michigan to build the Volt and its state of the art battery packs.  For more, including GM’s official press release, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

It’s a funny world that we live in today.  Companies are using the internet to market their products but that same internet can come back to bite them.  Honda found that out the hard way when they released pictures of their new Accord Crosstour on Facebook and the opinions left were less than favorable.  To make matters worse, Honda started deleting the negative comments and actually had employees leave positive feedback without stating they were a member of Honda’s workforce.

The blogs lit up again when stories came out about 2010 Camaro SS owners having transmission issues and the complaints were quickly blown out of proportion.  So, to help calm any concerns, GM’s own John Fitzpatrick, marketing manager of Chevrolet’s performance cars, went on the blog and left his own comments and GM’s official response to the situation.  He let owners know the issue has been corrected, all cars affected are covered by GM’s 5 year/100,000 mile warranty and they would stand by that decision.  For all of the details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, due out around the middle of next year, is the very well designed replacement for the current Cobalt.  The Cruze features some impressive sheetmetal, as well as a well trimmed out interior.  It is also expected to hit somewhere in the 40 mpg range on the EPA test circuit.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog or Jalopnik.

(Image source: GM)

In an interesting bit of news, General Motors announced that the 2011 Buick Regal would be entering production in early 2011 at the Oshawa assembly plant in Ontario.  Then they slipped in a bit of news that the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible would also be starting production at that time.  Say what!?  The Mustang will finally have some drop top muscle car competition and that can’t be bad for sales.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)

According to GM (in their latest press briefing on the Chevy Volt) the biggest challenge with the Volt battery pack is hot-weather storage of the vehicle.  There had been rumors on the internet that the Volt battery pack would not last 10 years in warmer climates, however GM has stated that this is simply not true, that the battery would last 10 years minimum for all customers.  They even went so far as to say that people in more moderate climates could see battery life last longer than the 10 years.  For more details, head on over to AutoblogGreen.

(Image source: GM)

The Volt is less than a year away from production, and as can be expected, development is in full swing.  The cars and batteries are undergoing some serious testing, and from everything GM is saying, the car and battery are performing better than expected!  This is great news for the General and also for customers looking forward to the Volt.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: GM)