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Vote For The Best Of 2009 LA Auto Show

2009-12-04T19:38:27Z

The 2009 LA Auto Show is happening at the LA Convention Center, from December 4-13! I will not waste your time nor insult your intelligence by pointing out that LA is a car culture! Suffice to say it is one of the largest shows in the country with 347,000 sq ft of exhibition space. That's a lot of cars!

Scroll through to pick the best in show!

GM Chairman Ed Whitacre: Unless Employees Take Risks, Resist Bureaucracy, "We're Not Going To Make It"

2009-12-04T17:05:43Z

DETROIT (TOM KRISHER and DEE-ANN DURBIN --AP) - General Motors Co. Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. urged the troubled automaker's employees to forget their old bureaucratic culture, telling them Friday not to fear being fired for taking risks.

Whitacre, who also announced key management changes, wants to speed up the automaker's shift to an entrepreneurial culture where decisions are made quickly.

"We want you to step up. We don't want any bureaucracy," Whitacre told employees, strolling back and forth across a stage at the company's headquarters here. "We're not going to make it if you won't take a risk," he told the audience of 800.

In a 45-minute presentation that was broadcast to employees on internal television networks and over the Internet, Whitacre also unveiled a mission statement to design, build and sell the world's best vehicles.

Whitacre, who peppered his address with self-deprecating humor, named Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who has long advocated for a more risk-taking culture, as his adviser for product development.

Whitacre also said he is recombining sales and marketing, placing them under Susan Docherty. She became head of sales when former CEO Fritz Henderson separated the roles of sales and marketing. Henderson left the company earlier this week.

Lutz, 77, who had been in charge of marketing, will help Whitacre learn about the business, he said.

In another key move, the chairman, who joined GM in June, promoted engineering chief Mark Reuss to run North American operations. Reuss recently was named head of engineering, and before that ran the company's Holden operations in Australia.

GM board member Stephen Girsky, a former auto analyst with Morgan Stanley, also will be an adviser to Whitacre. Girsky worked briefly as an analyst in the treasurer's office at GM in the late 1980s, and also was an adviser to former CEO Rick Wagoner in 2005 and 2006.

During his speech, Whitacre set a tone of humility and encouraged employees to give him ideas.

"I'm on the 39th floor of the RenCen. You're all welcome," he said, referring to GM's headquarters. He also said he would be roving around GM's operations, drawing laughter. Recently, former auto task force leader Steven Rattner criticized GM executives for using a private elevator that took them directly to their offices, bypassing employees.

When one employee asked Whitacre if he would consider reviving the Pontiac or Saab brands, Whitacre shrugged.

"I'd say the probability is low. But I don't know. I'm new to this business," he said.

He was also effusive with his praise, calling GM "intellectually better" than its rivals.

"You're a terrific bunch of employees. You have our support. Let's go hit it and make this thing big," he said.

Whitacre also named new leaders in several other key positions.

Nick Reilly, who has been leading restructuring efforts in Europe, was named president of GM Europe.

Tim Lee, GM's former manufacturing and labor chief, was named president of GM International Operations, overseeing GM's Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and Middle East operations. Diana Tremblay, GM's former labor relations chief, is now vice president of manufacturing and labor relations.

(This version CORRECTS spelling of Rattner's first name to 'Steven') )

GM, Chrysler Reconsider Thousands Of Dealership Closings

2009-12-04T01:23:13Z

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co. and Chrysler will reconsider decisions to close thousands of dealerships as part of a compromise meant to stave off federal legislation that would require them to keep the showrooms open.

The decision by the two automakers, announced Thursday, raises the prospect of new life for some of the more than 3,000 dealerships that were slated to close as part of the broad auto industry restructuring. Dealers have loudly protested the decisions, and some said Thursday that the policy is merely an attempt by the automakers to placate Congress.

Audi E-Tron Electric Car REVEALED: Eco-Muscle Car Will Be Available In 2012 (VIDEO)

2009-12-03T11:58:24Z

Electric car fans will have another option to chose from in 2012, Audi announced this week.

Unveiling its E-Tron electric car at the LA Auto Show, Audi showed off a shiny orange version of the car which originally debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The announcement came after months of anticipation and a secretive Internet campaign.

The engine behind Audi's latest eco-machine is powered by a 42.4 kilowatt-hour liquid-cooled lithium ion battery which supports four motors that produce 313 horsepower. With 3,319 pounds of torque, the car goes from 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds, and 60 to 120 in 4.1 seconds -- a level of power almost unprecedented in an electric car.

Peter Scharzenbauer, marketing and sales board member of Audi, told Wired that this car has been a long time coming for the brand: "Five years ago we began to dream of this car. It shows what is possible, and that an electric car can be very, very emotional."

The reaction to Audi's latest project has been overwhelmingly positive. An article at CarDomain Blog states:

"The body is so smooth and clean it almost looks like this eco-beast was grown in a vat, and not constructed by something as mortal and clumsy as human hands. I don't really care for the wheels--they look a little too much like food processor blades--but overall, this car is a complete knockout, and getting these few shots probably took close to an hour, because all the media peeps were swarming over it. The scene honestly made me think of killer bees attacking a bull."

As commenter "GTwildfire" enthusiastically put it on the CarDomain Blog, "OH HELL YEAH. Gimme Torque, with a side of Orange."

WATCH this video by Car & Driver from E-Tron's appearance at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September:

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Peugeot May Take Control Of Mitsubishi

2009-12-03T03:09:23Z

PARIS — French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said Thursday it is in talks with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. that could lead to a "strategic partnership."

In a statement, France's biggest automaker said it "confirms that it has started discussions with Mitsubishi Motors ... concerning the possibility of extending their relationship which could lead to a strategic partnership."

Chevy Volt DETAILS: Hybrid Car Will Go On Sale In California Next Year

2009-12-02T13:28:36Z

LOS ANGELES — General Motors says the Chevrolet Volt electric car will go on sale late next year in California.

GM said Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto Show that it will announce other markets later.

Porshe Sales Jump 18 Percent

2009-12-02T01:48:30Z

NEW YORK - Porsche Cars North America Inc. said Tuesday that its November sales increased 18 percent compared to the same month last year on stronger sales of its Cayman model.

BY THE NUMBERS: Porsche said U.S. sales were 1,626 in November, compared with 1,378 in the same month last year. However, sales dropped overall to 17,578 in the first 11 months of the year, compared with 23,881 for the same period in 2008.

HOT MODELS: Sales of the Porsche Cayman sports coupe jumped to 88 in November, more than double the number sold in November of 2008. But overall sales of the Cayman fell to 881 so far this year, compared with 1,312 in the same month last year.

Antonio Villaraigosa: Leading the Charge on Electric Cars

2009-12-01T18:32:16Z

Earlier today, I announced a plan that will make Los Angeles and the Southern California region the electric vehicle capital of the world. Make no mistake about it - the electric vehicle is coming and Los Angeles will be ready for its arrival in the Fall 2010 and 2011!

Los Angeles has always been a leader in innovation and embracing change. And the electric car is no exception. Here in LA we are going to build the infrastructure necessary to allow commuters and visitors the ability to seamlessly travel across cities and utility service territories.

There are always two sides of every story and there are certainly two shades of green. And they go together beautifully here in L.A.

The days of stopping at a gas station to spend your heard-earned money on the always-fluctuating price of gas are over. Soon, you will be able to stop at an electric charging station that is not only good for your wallet, but good for the environment too.

I know this might sound too good to be true, but it isn't just an abstract plan; we've already started taking action to make Los Angeles plug-in ready. We have brought manufacturers to Los Angeles and formed a coalition of cities, stakeholders, public/private utilities, automakers, and government organizations that stretch across Southern California.

I have no doubt that there will be challenges in implementing this ambitious task, and I know that Los Angeles will be not able to do this alone. That is why my plan focuses on ensuring the Southern California region works effectively together. In California, we all bear a unique responsibility - as the eighth largest economy in the world, California has the highest ratios of car ownership anywhere in the world. And as the biggest city in California, Los Angeles' roads and freeways are congested with myriad cars each day that impact our local climate by increasing greenhouse gas emissions that worsen our air quality. Los Angeles' plan that encompasses the Southern California region, will hopefully be the template and gold standard to be implemented by other cities and regions.

Today, I pledged that the LA region will grasp this opportunity to shift the paradigm to reduce our reliance on imported oil and create new jobs and new economic development. To learn more about the specifics of how the City will do this, click HERE.

NASCAR Goes Green (VIDEO)

2009-12-01T12:00:33Z

One of the nation's most popular sports is going green. NASCAR, hardly synonymous with environmental innovation, can now claim that ⅓ of all its venues are recycling. The organization has also vowed that this green wave will reach every single remaining track within the next few years. From recycling 180,000 gallons of oil and fuel, to getting drivers to promote green habits, NASCAR is a suprising but interesting example of how all sectors are responding to environmental concerns.

WATCH:

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Jonathan A. Schein: Business America Lights a Candle for Copenhagen

2009-12-01T11:07:39Z

"You can either light a candle or curse the darkness." That old saying is finding new relevance in our responses to climate change. There is still debate as to whether climate change is a natural occurrence or a man-made phenomenon. The real answer is, "Who cares?" It's happening and we have to deal with it if we want to live on a healthier planet.

There are many in the corporate realm who "get it" -- that's why they're finding new and innovative ways to combat climate change. Some do it for public relations outreach, while others are driven by a straight profit motive. If profits are an incentive to make this a better place, then here's hoping they go right ahead and make as much as they can for their shareholders. Many corporations already see the writing on the wall in regard to future legislation and realize that they'd better move into the new reality instead of finding left in the dust by their competitors. Major corporations have joined the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) which, according to its website, "is a group of businesses and leading environmental organizations that have come together to call on the federal government to quickly enact strong national legislation to require significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions." These firms include ALCOA, BP America, Caterpillar, Dupont, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Honeywell, PepsiCo, and Shell, among others.

Other organizations are also uniting corporate and planetary needs. We Can Lead's mantra is "Competing by Leading." Its 150 members include Levi Strauss, Starbucks, Applied Materials, Duke Energy, NRG and Symantec. This group recently sent a letter to President Obama lauding his upcoming trip to Copenhagen. Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, is quoted in the group's letter as saying, "I applaud President Obama's travel to Copenhagen, demonstrating the United States' commitment to action on climate change. His presence will help ensure a successful outcome at the global climate talks, driving new investment, strengthening our global economic recovery, and moving us forward in building a productive, competitive economy here at home. The rules that Congress is developing will complement Copenhagen's global road map, supporting our business objectives to provide clean, efficient, affordable and reliable energy to our customers."

In essence, corporate America is taking a deep breath and quickly taking the steps necessary to support a brighter, safer, and cleaner future.

Jonathan A. Schein is the publisher of MetroGreenBusiness.com and GreenBusinessCareers.com

Detroit Needs Housing Rebound To Spur Pickup Sales

2009-11-29T18:28:26Z

DETROIT — At Kevin Haner's construction company in Las Vegas, three of the four Dodge Ram pickup trucks are starting to get a little old. He may replace one if he gets a great deal, but he'll keep running the others until he's convinced that the housing slump has ended.

Haner's reluctance to spend is typical of contractors nationwide. This presents a huge problem for the Detroit automakers because truck sales are directly tied to new home construction. Pickup sales are on pace for their worst performance in 17 years, and GM, Chrysler and Ford still sell 91 percent of all full-size pickups in the U.S.

Convoys May Replace Carpools As A Greener Way To Travel

2009-11-24T11:44:23Z

The project, based on the concept of linking vehicles together using wireless sensors, is aimed at finding an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way of getting cars to travel together, convoy style.

Rob Kall: China Buys Hummer Brand -- Further Evidence of a Shock Doctrine-Assaulted America?

2009-11-23T17:31:48Z

Naomi Klein described, in her breakthrough book Shock Doctrine, how a nation is attacked, shocked and torn apart, destroying the middle class. It looks like the GM sale of Hummer to a wealthy Chinese investor, probably with the help of Morgan Stanley, is an example of how it's happening in the US.

The deal is sealed. Motortrend reports

The new owners, upon Chinese government approval, will be Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, with 80 percent via an investment entity, and Suolang Duoji, a private entrepreneur who will hold the other 20 percent.

Don't assume that Duoji is a minority partner. The Asia Times reports

Tengzhong is "under the wing of Sichuan Huatong Investment Holding Co, Ltd, 98.5% owned by Suolang Duoji," according to a SinoCast Daily Business Beat report, carried on the Zachs Research website.

One man will basically control Hummer.

GM is selling Hummer for an estimated $150 million, far less than the $500 million it estimated it would get when it declared bankruptcy. Hard to believe that after the tens of billions the US has poured into GM, Hummer is worth so little. But apparently China thinks so.

There's some good news. The manufacturing will stay in the US. Seems the market for Hummer vehicles is primarily in the US. Also, the manufacturer of the military version of the H2 Hummer will continue to build Hummers for the military, at least until 2011.

Reports indicate that the newly owned Hummer company intends to introduce a new H4 model that gets 25 MPG. The Asia Times article compares the Hummer sale to IBM's sale of Thinkpad notebooks to Lenovo, a Chinese company that took the brand to be the number three selling notebook in the world.

We have to wonder if the US had taken Hummer, especially with its dependence on the military version, and turned it into a government-owned operation, would the US benefit? The same goes for the Saturn brand. The US could have easily loaned the money it did to GM with first option to buy those brands, or even to take them, if GM decided to end them. In the case of Saturn, how much does the US lose in terms of thousands of lost jobs? How many technological resources and even patents will the US lose when China virtually steals the Hummer brand for a tiny price?

Right wingers would raise the cry of socialism at the idea of the US salvaging brands and technology. I guess their ideology overcomes concern for American jobs and technologies. Who knows what patents Hummer holds after all? And the deal for the production of US military vehicles has an expiration date. Will China end up making military Hummers? That would surely be a sign of the USA's being in deep trouble.

Perhaps what we're seeing is just more examples of the Shock Doctrine Naomi Klein described, at work. The Hummer purchase was probably aided by Morgan Stanley, one of the last two Investment banking firms, before it and Goldman Sachs became normal banks with Federal Reserve approval. If you want to look to organizations that are profiting from the devastating effects of the Shock Doctrine on the US, look to Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. The Asia Times reports, "Morgan Stanley is financial adviser to GM during its restructuring, along with Evercare Partners and Blackstone Group, according to a June 1 Bloomberg report."

Will we see more bargain acquisitions of major US companies or brands by Chinese and other non-US firms, brokered by the companies that brought the US economic catastrophe? Considering that President Obama appointed major players from those companies to run the US economy, one would guess that the foxes are not only in, but they are running and operating the hen house. We can expect to see many more US brands acquired by the Chinese, Russians, Brazilians (who now own Budweiser) and other nations.

The question is, since it is so clear to so many that the US was subjected to the brutal assault of the Shock Doctrine, why aren't legislators looking into this and doing something about it? Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation to first identify and then break up companies that are too big to fail. That's a great idea, so long as the broken up companies aren't scarfed up by foreign nationals. The US economy is in shock. Congress is either in shock or in bed with the perpetrators -- same with the White House. Someone better wake up and start responding to the economic disaster and the ongoing sell-off of US assets as an economic terrorist attack. Maybe that's the language that's needed.

My guess is this will not happen from the top down. Obama's White House is inseparable, even indistinguishable from Goldman Sachs. It may happen in Congress. Sherrod Brown, Alan Grayson, Dennis Kucinich and a few others are asking questions, including getting rid of Goldman Sachs and Fed Reserve man Tim Geithner. The problem is, this is complicated stuff, just like the financial products that brought down the economy. It will take some powerful public education and media coverage to get the public aroused enough to push Congress to do something. Ironically, since Obama has bedded Goldman Sachs, it may well be Glen Beck and Fox News that gets this ball rolling. It would be ironic if Democrats like Chris Dodd, a sweetheart of the financial industry, and Barney Frank, who seems to be way too friendly to banksters, hand the right wing the issues they need to take back Congress and the White House. Stranger things have been known to happen.

Cross-posted from OpEdNews.com

Electric Rolls-Royce Could Be Out By Christmas 2010, Rumors Report

2009-11-20T17:19:01Z

Rumors of an electric Rolls-Royce Phantom are back, with the word being the super-luxe automaker could have one on the road within 12 months.

Displacement Of Local Peoples As Coporations Buy Carbon Offsets

2009-11-20T08:33:58Z

THERE IS ANOTHER vexing question inherent in preserving forests: What happens to the people who use the land? Efforts to protect biodiversity in the dwindling wildlands of the world have increasingly run into a discomfiting tension between the impulse toward absolute preservation and the needs of people--many of them indigenous--who have lived sustainably in forestlands for decades or centuries. Such tensions are playing out in the new economics of carbon offsets.

Mike Signer: Drive Like a Jetson

2009-11-19T17:55:39Z

When you watch an episode of The Jetsons, what gets you isn't so much that Elroy wore an antenna on his head or that the family spent their time in cars that levitated. What still resonates about the show is the extreme ease of transportation -- they always just seem to get up and go. For many of us in the modern world, where gridlock and wincing at gas pumps are facts of life, the Jetsons seem spectacularly free of commuter woes. But it's a cartoon.

Ambitious clean technology schemes have usually been condemned as the province of dreamers. But this week, a new organization threatened to convert Jetson-esque schemes for powering electric cars from futurism into reality through a network of charging stations and new fleets of affordable electric cars. The Electrification Coalition is a group of prominent companies who have committed dollars and workforces to creating the infrastructure to make electric cars. (We previously wrote about electric cars here.)

At a lavish launch in D.C. featuring New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) were some old -- and new -- captains of industry: Carlos Ghosn, the president & CEO of Nissan Motor Company; Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president & CEO of FedEx; Peter L. Corsell, the young and dynamic CEO of GridPoint, a successful company in Arlington that builds software applications that integrate, aggregate, and manage distributed sources of load, storage, and generation to connect utility customers to the smart grid.

The Future: Closer Than You Think

The coalition's goals are at once ambitious but practicable. By 2013, they hope to put approximately 700,000 "grid-enabled vehicles" (GEVs) -- vehicles with lithium-ion batteries that you can plug into either a 110-volt or 220-volt outlet to recharge -- on the road. Through economies of scale and government tax credits and other incentives, the coalition thinks it can put 14 million GEVs on the road by 2020 and more than 120 million GEVs by 2030. Ultimately, they would like to have 75 percent of all vehicle miles traveled by 2040 be electric.

How to visualize this? Ghosn, Nissan's CEO, put it crisply: "How do you imagine an electric car? There is no tailpipe, no emissions." He repeated himself: "No tailpipe."

A full fleet of silent, tailpipe-less cars is ambitious and could lead even the sane to skepticism. Friedman moderated a panel with several of the coalition members and led with a question: "I want you to sell me on the efficacy and the reality of implementing this roadmap." The coalition members answered quickly and confidently, relying on actual business plans, dollars invested, consumer habits and charging infrastructure already in place, and cars already in production.

David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy, said, "The service station of the future is in your garage." Ghosn talked up the vastly improved efficiency of new lithium-ion batteries, saying, "We can make batteries today that were not possible 20 years ago."

Corsell of Gridpoint, the software designer for smart grids around the country, said, "We've learned that you can leverage technology ... to give consumers benefits." In response to the oft-raised concern about whether too many drivers charging their cars at once would burden the grid, Corsell said, "The power is there -- we have all the power we need. You can incentivize people to use power at the right time by building technology into the car." Other participants stressed that cars will essentially become "grid appliances" -- simple technology will allow charging mechanisms in cars to be controlled through the Internet. In Chicago, one pilot program even pays drivers per day to hook their cars up to the Internet.

The Next Step

What's needed is policy -- leadership by federal and state governments to push electrification through incentives. In the short-term, the coalition's policy goals include significantly increasing plug-in electric drive vehicle tax credits, establishing tax credits equal to 75 percent of the cost to construct public charging infrastructure, extending consumer tax credits for home charging equipment, and providing tax credits equal to 50 percent of the costs of the necessary IT upgrades for utilities or power aggregators to sell power to GEVs.

These common-sense but aggressive measures would put electrification within the free market by investing, as government can, in providing technology with the threshold it needs for manufacturers to achieve economies of scale. It's now, not the Jetsons -- and nobody will have to wear antennas on their head.

This article also appears at PPI's new website the Progressive Fix.

Thomas DeLorenzo: Who Knew a Buick Regal could be so Fabulous?

2009-11-19T15:39:01Z

Last Thursday night, I was reluctantly taken to a party. I am constantly going to parties; it's part of the price I pay for working in the Entertainment Industry. There are parties for just about any moment you can think of. Hollywood is always inventing reasons to dress up and stay out late. It's as if this entire town sleeps during the day - poolside, of course. I can assure you that is not the case with me.

This party was held at the newly remodeled Hollywood Palladium, a location I had not seen since the "facelift," so I was curious. GM was relaunching its Buick line, and the party was a preview event for the Los Angeles Auto Show. It was totally Hollywood, complete with celebs and food by Wolfgang Puck. I was secretly hoping for Adrian Brody to run up and steal a kiss from Halle Barry as I watched.

This party was one I wasn't exactly looking forward to. Cars are not my thing. I miss my subways in New York. I admit to following a trend on this matter - I drive a Prius. It's nice enough, and saves on gas. Comfortable it is not - practical it is.

The car launched was the Buick Regal. I had all sorts of preconceived notions. I believe my old Aunt drove a Buick - not sure what kind - just remember it being a metallic, shiny blue, and it seemed to be as long as the block. She was always listening to opera in that car, something that is not a favorite to a six-year-old boy.

Thanks to the friendly people at Buick, I was introduced to the Regal and met the extended family of products. Well, let's just say the experience was above and beyond all of my expectations. Aren't Buicks supposed to be clunky? And aren't I supposed to covet something with a foreign name attached to it? The Buick Lacrosse not only grabbed my attention, they had to pry me out of the front seat. It was way beyond comfortable and stylish.

There are three things I look at when car shopping - (1) how well the AC works, (2) is the sound system amazing; and (3) is my seat comfy. The Buick Lacrosse had all of these hand-stitched details on the dashboard - it was like sitting in a very private club, complete with amazing amenities and just short of your own personal valet (which I am sure will be included in next year's edition). I learned later that it was designed by a team of engineers based China, Germany and the US. It felt so very comfortable because the car's feng shui was the major focus. They wanted to get the car's Chi just right, so the driver always felt at home. And let me tell you they succeeded.

The party, however, was not about the Buick LaCrosse. It was about the new Buick Regal. My memories of the Buick Regal take me back to summers in Wildwood, New Jersey, driving a big car to the beach. The car I saw that night was so not that same car. The Regal, based on the Opel Insignia, already achieved success in Europe - it won European Car of Year - the carmaker's equivalent of the Palme D'or. The car definitely has all the elements you need to make it in this town - styling any contestant on Project Runway would envy, and brains that would make any Studio Executive nervous. Who knows, maybe HBO already signed it up for a new series? And the opera - well GM made sure we got a completely new impression of the car with Colbie Caillet providing her pop tunes as entertainment.

The party made me think - which I assure you is something that parties don't usually do. It reminded me of how we all made it through this past year. This event was a perfect way to start ending my year. You know that saying, "As GM goes, so goes the country." It definitely fit that night. We have all gone through our own makeover, and are now on the other side of it, and are ready to relaunch our own selves. The Buick Regal has done what we have all had to do - rethink who we are and how it fits into today's paradigms, leave what works, and rethink what doesn't. We are all coming to the end of this trying time, much different than who we were in January, and frankly we are the better for it. GM is providing us hope - that we can come out of this economic crisis in a stronger position than we were before. It is just going to take effort. If GM can do the work, than so can the rest of us.

I commend GM for having the courage to realize that what they were doing was not the answer- we all know how hard it can be to admit that one - and for having the know-how to create a new, and hopefully, very successful car line.

Remember, as GM goes, so goes the country. We all have a stake in this one.

GM IPO 2010? Offering Could Come Next Year, Says Obama Administration

2009-11-18T13:31:20Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration wants a fast-track initial public offering of General Motors Co shares to reduce its majority stake in the automaker, a senior official said. An IPO for GM could come as soon as the fourth quarter of 2010...

Safest Cars 2010: Ford, Subaru, VW Win Insurance Industry Picks

2009-11-18T07:27:36Z

WASHINGTON -- (KEN THOMAS, AP): Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen lead the insurance industry's annual list of the safest new vehicles, according to a closely watched assessment used by car companies to lure safety-conscious consumers to showrooms.

(Scroll down for photos of the safest cars and SUVs -- and vote for your favorite.)

The Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded its "top safety pick" on Wednesday to 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility vehicles for the 2010 model year. The institute substantially reduced the number of awards compared with 2009, because of tougher requirements for roof strength.

Is That A Car Or A Millennium Falcon?

2009-11-17T15:44:07Z

I'm sitting in a Toyota Prius, testing out the new HALOsonic External Sound Synthesis technology, which could both save lives and liven up the morning commute no end.