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CEO Fritz Henderson says the new, smaller General Motors will focus on customers, cars and changing the company's culture; it will even sell vehicles on EBay. He expects profitability by 2011.
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The sports car certainly has some asphalt chops and a solid rear-wheel drive. That said, there's room for improvement. Let's start with its unattractive look, shall we? >>
Consumer groups say prospective buyers should be told about product liability risks. >>
The auto insurer's alter ego, Californians for Fair Auto Insurance Rates, is sponsoring a bill that it says will surely lower our insurance bills. >>
AUTOS
Sales in the U.S. declined 28% last month compared with June 2008. But that's the smallest drop since September. >>
AUTOS
General Motors says it and Toyota can't agree on what vehicle to build at the NUMMI plant in Fremont. The move jeopardizes the future of the last vehicle assembly plant in California. >>
Logano, 19, becomes the youngest winner in NASCAR Cup history with rain-aided victory in New Hampshire. >>
INSURANCE
The proposal by state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, which is open for comment until July 9, could help motorists cut their bills by spending less time behind the wheel. >>
Energy Department funds will help Nissan, Ford and Tesla build fuel-efficient cars. >>
MOTOR RACING
Driver goes into the Toyota/Save Mart 350 without a Sprint Cup Series win since 2007. >>
MOTOR RACING
He tries to pass Kyle Busch in wins this year at the curvy Infineon track. >>
Car companies are finding the social media website to be 'a great medium to get the word out' about upcoming product launches. >>
MOTOR RACING
Race leaders will now line up two-by-two at the front of the pack to take the green flag after a caution period. NASCAR drivers are concerned that the newly implemented rule could cause more problems. >>
AUTOS
The automaker says it will end production of the Pontiac Vibe in August. The vehicle is made in Fremont at the New United Motor Manufacturing plant, which is co-owned by GM and Toyota. >>
AUTOS
The NHTSA's proposed label would give car owners information about a tire's effect on fuel economy as well as a tire's wet-weather traction and tread wear. >>
AUTOMOBILES
The Obama administration points to an existing $5-billion support program aimed at stabilizing the auto supply base and says further help isn't warranted. >>
COLUMN ONE
Wrecked cars litter a neighborhood of the capital. Specialized workers take pride in doing whatever it takes to restore them, and sometimes that means stretching vehicles between trees. >>
AUTOS
More Germans are bypassing the BMW and Mercedes dealers in favor of using their subsidies on Skodas, Hyundais and other fuel-efficient rides. >>
The $1-billion bill, backed by the auto industry, would pay consumers to trade in gas guzzlers. Opponents say criteria are so lax that the government could subsidize the trading of one gas hog for another. >>
Facing criticism by lawmakers, they tell a House panel the cuts are painful steps needed for the automakers' survival. >>
Several years ago, while on assignment for a magazine, I participated in an experiment with Mercedes-Benz that involved my being wired up like a lab monkey and driving across the Austrian Alps in an E500, some 10 hours of hellbent berggeblitzen (not officially a German word). These biometric readings were later plotted against the car's telemetry in an effort to measure the effects of fatigue on my driving. Given my superhuman talents and composure behind the wheel, naturally, the effects were negligible. >>
DAVID LAZARUS:
There's been much hand-wringing over the federal government's relationship with General Motors now that Uncle Sam owns 60% of the company. >>
Fiat figures to benefit more from its marriage with the struggling U.S. automaker. >>
U.S. auto industry's biggest hurdle is the perception -- fair or unfair -- that GM, Ford and Chrysler turn out inferior vehicles compared with their Asian and European brethren, David Lazarus writes. >>
FINANCE
Bush administration officials and auto executives worked Monday to try to seal a deal for a multibillion-dollar industry bailout, amid hopes that the money could be available this week. >>
'There is no Plan B,' an executive says. The Big Three automakers now seek as much as $34 billion in U.S. aid. >>
The South Korean automaker's first full-size, rear-drive luxury car is a near-peer to Euro sport sedans -- but at a 20% discount. >>
More is better, proves this elephant of a sedan. It reaches 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. It turns corners and changes direction with sheer crazy agility. It's laden with luxuries. What more could you want? >>
The '09 Maxima veers closer to its upscale sibling but remains a conventional sedan. >>
The Corvette ZR1 burns oil for a good cause: awesome power and agility >>
This is a car, an engine, for fully grown adults whose idea of motoring pleasure is high fuel economy. Yes, it will go fast, but the real exaltation is in going far. >>
Hybrids, plug-ins and pure electric vehicles arrive in force as manufacturers sort out battery woes. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
I find the 2009 VW Jetta TDI's lack of exceptionalism exceptional. This car is ordinary, routine, a mean of averages, a flat line on life's electroencephalogram. It is non-provocative right down to its brake shoes. Find the most common of gardens, and the Jetta is that garden's variety. >>
AUTOS
The third-largest U.S. automaker unveils three battery-powered models, the first of which it would sell by late 2010. >>
The 556-horsepower sedan is a speedster that provides superb cornering and control in a refined and seductive package. >>
AUTOS
Ford says August sales fell 26% from a year earlier. Toyota reports a 9.4% decline. Pickups and SUVs continue to depress results. >>
Rare cars like the 1927 Bugatti Type 35B resurface as prized collections go to auction. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
The total family package is high-functioning and deserves a good home. >>
Shares of General Motors sink to their lowest since 1974 on a Wall Street downgrade. Ford also declines. >>
Automakers fail to get tighter emissions rules delayed in California. >>
The struggling automaker's announcement comes shortly before California enacts a law that requires hands-free cellphone use while driving. >>
The trucks, once the top-selling vehicles in the U.S., have lost sales as prices at the pump have risen sharply. The No. 2 American automaker says it will remain unprofitable through 2009. >>
EUROPE
Despite the soaring gas prices, traveling the superhighways and country roads is a journey of discovery. >>
After a controversial run, Hummer's gas-guzzling star has faded >>
Despite the bumpy outing, the grind of the stick shift and the lack of power brakes and steering, vintage Ford Woody Wagons have a celebrity status among car enthusiasts. >>
It may be the end of the road for the landmark that has run afoul of the city. >>
HIGHWAY 1
You can have your shiny new Bimmer. Your eerily silent hybrids and your Lamborghini. >>
With pump prices around $4 a gallon, dealers are selling the high-mileage cars as fast as they're delivered. >>
Unwittingly choosing the wrong tires can hurt gas mileage. Unfortunately, no rating standard exists. >>
THE GARAGE
Supercar Life leads the all-access drive for dream machines at almost $5,000 a spin. For exotic car fans, it's a chance to switch from one high speed to another. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
A marvel of power and speed, the all-wheel-drive GT-R coupe is so safe and serene that it's curiously lacking in thrills. >>
COLUMN ONE
A reporter whose '89 Camry was 'made to be stolen' didn't expect a threepeat. Next to other crimes, he realizes, it's not the end of the road. >>
Cars that are quiet while in electric mode may provide no warning to pedestrians. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
The 135i packs a lot of oomph into its little body, but those looks . . . >>
The Italian carmaker is ready for a return with its stylish offerings, but it might find the track a little bit crowded. >>
Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Auto Sports in Van Nuys knows a few things about tricking out cars, such as the Navigator at right that boasts a diamond clock. One of the stars of MTV's "Pimp My Ride," Boeckmann has helped turn an El Camino into a mobile tailgating machine complete with barbecue grill, and modernized a Long Beach ice cream truck by adding a robotic dispensing arm and touch-screen ordering. To make the freeways more bearable, he suggests these add-ons: >>
AUTOS
Trucks, SUVs and hybrids decelerate in February, but small sedans pick up pace. >>
The prized Mustang in 'Gone in 60 Seconds' stars in a legal battle between the director's wife and icon Carroll Shelby. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
In looks, ride, even in sound, a Ford Mustang edition pays proper homage to a legend. >>
YOUR WHEELS
Car manufacturers don't recommend such frequent changes for many vehicles -- and all that used oil is bad for the environment. >>
AUTOS
The No. 3 U.S. automaker says it will phase out copycat models and reduce dealerships. >>
For modest fees, services match sellers who are looking to dump their cars with buyers who may not like their dealership's terms. >>
RUMBLE SEAT
Computer-like precision kind of takes the fun out of it. >>
They are accused of staging police 'raids' to steal from drug dealers. >>
AUTOS
The U.S. total is the lowest since 1998, with December sales from everyone but Honda and Chrysler down from last year. >>
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