truth about domestics

Ford led the auto industry with in-car infotainment systems when it released its super successful SYNC system.  SYNC allowed phone and MP3 player control with simple voice commands.  Several years have now passed and SYNC has seen its share of upgrades including the ability to dial 911 on your phone for you if you are involved in an accident!

Well Ford has decided to up the ante a bit and has released its newest system at the Consumer Electronics Show and its called “MyFord” (or “MyLincoln” in a Lincoln automobile.)  The system is supposedly very straight forward and will allow vast amounts of control over your phone, climate control, navigation system and entertainment system with voice commands and controls mounted on the steering wheel.

For more on the system, as well as tons of screen shots, head on over to Jalopnik!

(Image source: Ford via Jalopnik)

The image you see above is a leaked photo of what is believed to be the next generation Chevrolet Aveo RS.  Only time will tell, so stay tuned for more news!  For now, head on over to Jalopnik for the photos.

So, maybe you’ve heard the talk on the internets about the high-performance Buick Regal that GM may or may not be building.  Well, a concept is being shown at the Detroit Auto Show that is being called the Buick Regal GS.  The car features a turbocharged 4-cylinder putting out 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.  That power is routed through a six-speed manual on its way to a Haldex-based 4-wheel drive system.  All of that power is brought to a halt by Brembo brakes…Brembo’s on a BUICK!  For more details, head on over to Autoblog, or check out the coverage on Jalopnik.  Two sources…you’re welcome!

(Image source: GM)

Have you ever attended an auto show and wondered what went into the display you were standing on?  Well Jalopnik has taken a behind the scenes look at the General Motors display for the North American International Auto Show and it is actually quite interesting.  GM has plans to use 100,000 square feet of Cobo Hall, and will display around 60 vehicles during the public days.  For more details and photos, check out Jalopnik.

(Image source: NAIAS)

GM has just announced that they will be offering a dealer-installed Wi-Fi system on seven models.  Those models are the Equinox, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, Silverado and Express.  Notice anything in common between those seven models?  They’re all trucks!  For some odd reason, GM felt their trucks should get first dibs on mobile Wi-Fi (well, after Cadillac.)  The other odd bit of information at the moment is that the Volt will not have Wi-Fi capability.  For more details, head on over to Jalopnik.

(Image source: GM)

Jeep has a new advertisement out that shows women getting haircuts and fancy do’s and then hitting the road with the top down on their Jeep Wranglers.  Jalopnik apparently doesn’t get the message but I think I do.  Women are usually very particular about how their hair looks, hence the women in the commercial getting their hair styled.  What Jeep is trying to say next by having the women drive with the wind in their hair is that driving a Jeep is so much fun, you won’t care how your hair looks!  Or something like that.  Eh, cute girls driving American products, doesn’t get much better than that.

A study from a company called Quality Planning shows the 10 least ticketed vehicles in the country and it just so happens that 8 of the vehicles are (or were) produced by General Motors.  The writers at Jalopnik say that it’s because many of the vehicles are Buicks (3) or that they are a large truck or SUV (5).  I however see a different spin on this, and that is that foreign cars probably didn’t make the list because they are often driven by foreigners…and that’s a story for another time.  Anyway, let us know what you think in the comments!

(Image source: GM)

Jalopnik has had the opportunity to test the 2010 Shelby GT500 and their overall impression is a pretty good one.  I do have one gripe, and that is how they bashed the cars’ interior.  They said it had cheap plastics, a cheesy cue ball shifter and the aluminum on the instrument panel was tacky.  Really?  When the new Mustang was revealed for 2010 everyone loved how much the interior had improved, but apparently it’s not good enough anymore.  I happen to find the GT500 interior to be very sharp and it’s good to see Ford putting higher quality materials in their cars and not being afraid to try new things.

(Image source: Ford)

I know, it’s hard to believe, but Jalopnik actually liked the 2011 Buick Regal!  Can you blame them though, I mean, the car is based on the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia which has won tons of awards and is a top-seller.  They have pretty much only one complaint about the car and that is…well, why don’t you just head on over to Jalopnik to find out what it is!

(Image source: Jalopnik)

General Motors has been pushing OnStar, its in-car telecommunications service since the 1990′s and has actually been having success with it.  Click on the video to see all 60,000 calls to OnStar that occurred over a one day period.  It’s actually quite impressive!  I think blue dots are general calls for directions and unlocking of doors, the red dots might be accidents (there were 60 on this particular day.)

Another impressive note is that no other automaker in the world offers a service like OnStar, one that can call authorities for you if you are involved in a car accident, give you directions, make reservations for you and give you service updates on your car right to your email.