The Car Exam News # 31: The Ford F-150 recalled, and Automakers could roll in the dough with Super Bowl Advertising

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A bump in the road for Ford: Automotive News reports that Ford is recalling almost 281,000 2009-2010 F-150 pickups built between January 2008 and November 2009 because NHTSA reports the door handles could possibly malfunction and come open in the event of a crash. No accidents or injuries had been reported as of January 21, however.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110203/RETAIL05/302039961/1147) 2/3/11



Numbers can mean a lot: Automotive News is reporting that if a record number of viewers watch the Super Bowl this coming Sunday, the $3 million-dollar-plus ads some automakers have paid for may translate in higher sales for those automakers (some of which include G.M. and Volkswagen). If you're watching the big game this Sunday and it's time for commercial break--and you need to take a potty break--automakers with high-priced ads just may prefer it you hold it in awhile longer...at least until their commercials are over.

Source: Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110203/RETAIL03/110209926/1295) 2/3/11

P. Scott

The Car Exam News #4 - August 12, 2010: GM says no to a mid-engined Corvette, plus GM and Chrysler news

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No mid-engined Corvette from Chevrolet

GM officials say a mid-engined Corvette is not in the cards. This may have a great deal to do with development costs for such a car; while GM is doing better, it's not out of the woods just yet. The Corvette needs to stay affordable, and the financial commitment needed for such a change would be substantial. A hybrid Corvette maybe in Chevrolet's plans, though, but time will tell.

Source: Automotive News (www.autonews.com) 8/11/10



GM turns a profit--and Whitacre prepares to leave

Speaking of General Motors, the company reported that it made a second-quarter net income of $1.3 billion dollars. This is good news for a company that needs to continue to become profitable--especially if it wants to get out from under government control anytime soon and shed its "Government Motors" label. GM also announced that Ed Whitacre will be stepping down as CEO on September 1, and will be replaced by Daniel Akerson. Whitacre will stay on as Chairman until December 31.

Source: Autoweek.com (8/12/10)



Chrysler hopes to turn a profit

Chrysler is hopeful that new products will begin to help the struggling automaker return to profitability. Chrysler has several new products like the 2011 jeep Grand Cherokee, the upcoming redesigned Dodge Charger and the Fiat 500 in the mix, Chrysler desperately needs new and improved vehicles to get customers in the showrooms.

Source: news.yahoo.com (8/7/10)

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The Car Exam News - Edition #2: August 9, 2010 - New vehicles from GM, and good news for Ford

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New Vehicles on the horizon from General Motors

According to the Automotive News (www.autonews.com), General Motors is getting ready to tackle the next round of $4.00 per gallon price hikes (whenever that happens) by preparing to sell a number of new, fuel efficient small cars across its product range during the next three to four years: Chevrolet (the Aveo in 2011; the Spark in 2012), GMC (the Granite- a small, car-based truck-possibly in 2014), Buick (the Verano, in 2012), as well as Cadillac (the ATS--possibly in 2013 04 2014). Don't forget about the Chevrolet Cobalt Replacement, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze (see photo above), which should make its debut later this year. GM will also be designing) its larger models to produce better fuel economy, too.

Source: Automotive News 8/9/10



Good News for Ford

The Wall Street Journal (online.wsj.com) is reporting that Ford's profits may be moving higher. Ford has reshaped the company by streamlining its business. It cut costs, sold Land Rover, Volvo and Jaguar in recent years and vastly improved its product quality (which reduces warranty costs and helps resale values rise). However, Ford will losing some money in the second half of 2010 because it is discontinuing the Mercury brand. Nevertheless, Ford has introduced some successful vehicles (the 2010/2011 Mustang (insert photo), 2010 F-150, 2010 Taurus and the 2011 Fiesta, for example) and it has more new vehicles on the way (the Focus, as well as the Explorer, just to name a few). Ford will also be bringing new Lincoln models to the market soon, fortifying that lineup.

Source: The Wall Street Journal Online 8/8/10

Photos by P. Scott