Filed under: Ford

General Motors may be raking in the awards with its Chevrolet Volt right now, but Ford isn’t exactly going unnoticed for its efforts on the green front. The Green Blue Oval has won Nielsen’s first Automotive Green Marketer of the Year award. The honor is given to brands that help shape consumer awareness of environmental themes, and Ford beat out Chevrolet, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota for this year’s pick in the automotive category. According to Nielsen, the campaigns for both the Fiesta and Fusion Hybrid helped tip the scales in the Ford direction. Additionally, Nielsen says that FoMoCo’s decision to sponsor this year’s hybrid-oriented American Idol helped out quite a bit as well.

This isn’t just some popularity contest, though. Nielsen dug through three research studies to determine each manufacturer’s effectiveness in green advertising. All told, over 7,000 participants were involved in the research. Hit the jump for the press release.

[Source: Nielsen]

Continue reading Ford wins first-ever Nielsen automotive ‘Green Marketer of the Year’ award

Ford wins first-ever Nielsen automotive ‘Green Marketer of the Year’ award originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford wins first-ever Nielsen automotive ‘Green Marketer of the Year’ award

Filed under: Sedan, SUV, Government/Legal, Work, Ford, Specialty

The battle for law enforcement domination rages on. A gaggle of would-be police cruisers showed up at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for public testing recently, and of all the competitors, the Taurus-based Ford Police Interceptor with its twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine managed to turn the quickest lap time of the bunch by beating out the V8-powered forces from Dodge and Chevrolet. It also ran from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds. Ford isn’t saying exactly which other cars were on hand for abuse, but we can probably guess they were the Caprice and Charger.

The new 3.7-liter V6-powered Police Interceptor Utility, which is based on upcoming 2011 Ford Explorer, also managed to turn a lap time that was a full two seconds quicker than the new law enforcement Chevrolet Tahoe. Both vehicles were laden with a 400-pound cargo box at the time.

Ford’s standard 3.5-liter V6 held its own during the competition, too – beating out the rest of the V6-equipped enforcers in handling, braking, acceleration and lap time tests. Ford says that in addition to performance and durability, the Interceptor also brings impressive fuel economy to the table – offering up to 20-percent better economy than the outgoing Crown Victoria.

How’s that for a change from the last time these bruisers locked horns? Hit the jump for the full press release.

Live photos by Steven J. Ewing / Copyright (C)2010 AOL

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford Police Interceptor quickest in LA Sheriff’s Department testing

Ford Police Interceptor quickest in LA Sheriff’s Department testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Police Interceptor quickest in LA Sheriff’s Department testing

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Racing

IndyCar is about to get a heck of a lot more interesting to both diehard open-wheel fans and casual observers alike. While the current series relies on a single chassis platform (Dallara) and engine supplier (Honda), starting in 2012 a number of engine options and aero packages will be allowed, though the same basic chassis will still be used by all teams (again from Dallara).

Just a short while after Chevrolet announced that it was going to offer a turbocharged 2.4-liter V6 engine for the 2012 season, Lotus chose to officially throw its storied British name into the racing ring with an announcement from the 2010 LA Auto Show. In addition, Lotus will offer its own customized aerodynamics package that should help set Lotus-powered teams apart from the competition.

Lotus and Chevrolet will join Honda, which announced that it will also offer an engine package for 2012 IndyCar teams, and all three teams will be relying on turbocharged V6s displacing 2.4 liters, all running on E85 as per the rule book. Check out the official announcement after the jump.

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series

Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Electric

The Chevrolet Volt drove off with the 2011 Green Car of the Year Award at the LA Auto Show this morning, beating out tough competition from the Nissan Leaf and ending a two-year diesel powertrain reign (at the 2008 show, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI was named the winner; last year, the Audi A3 TDI won). The other finalists for this year’s award, given out by Green Car Journal, included the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid , Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Ford Fiesta.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Roland Hwang said during the ceremony that “the environment means business.” To be globally competitive, automakers need highly-efficient vehicles to compete and, “what this means is that green vehicles are going to go mainstream.” The Green Car of the Year award embodies this change. When it was first given out in 2006, it was sort of tacked on at the end of the LA Auto Show. Today, as it was in ’09, the ceremony was a highlight of the show.

Last year, Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan made a point to mention the five vehicles up for consideration were notable because they were mainstream vehicles that were already available. This year, only three of the candidates are currently on dealer lots. With the high tech involved in the Leaf and Volt, though, we’re okay with the slight delay in availability.

If you were rooting for the Leaf, don’t worry too much. Today, that car won the Green Car of the Year title from TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk over in the UK. Still, in the U.S., the Green Car Journal award is the big one, and we want to know if the Volt claiming the first Green Car of the Year award of the electric era – and if there’s one message we’re heard here in LA this year, it’s that we’re really in the electric era now – make sense to you. Let us know in the comments below.

[Source: Green Car of the Year]

Continue reading 2011 Chevy Volt wins Green Car of the Year title in LA

2011 Chevy Volt wins Green Car of the Year title in LA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Chevy Volt wins Green Car of the Year title in LA

Filed under: Government/Legal, GM, Earnings/Financials

All of General Motors’ top brass were in person on Wall Street this morning to witness the company’s return to public life. In fact, GM took over the New York Stock Exchange with a giant banner hung on the outside of the building and the revving engine of a Chevrolet Camaro SS accompanying the traditional morning bell that opens trading at 9:30 AM. Follow the jump to watch a short video of the bell-ringing/engine-revving from the show floor.

As soon as that Camaro came to life, shares of GM – given the simple stock symbol of ‘GM’ on the exchange – jumped up sharply from the initial IPO price of $33. They quickly hit a high of $35.99, fell a bit and are again trending upward at $35.33 at the time of this writing (Follow GM’s stock in real time here at Daily Finance). To put that in perspective, GM stock traded for less than a dollar back in 2009 before the company filed for bankruptcy.

What effect does today have on the U.S. government’s role in GM’s future? For starters, the federal Treasury is selling off more than 400 million shares of GM, reducing its stake in the company from 61 percent to 33 percent. Reports estimate that in order for the government to break even, its remaining shares would have to be sold for an average of around $50.

Given the excitement surrounding today’s historic event, which could ultimately turn out to be the largest IPO in history, and the sharp jump in share price this morning, the U.S. government breaking even on the bailing out of General Motors seems more possible today than ever before.

Stay tuned for more updates on the stock’s performance throughout the day on our Twitter feed, as well as an end of day report on where it closes.

[Source: Associated Press]

Continue reading GM stock opens up, revving Camaro accompanies opening bell

GM stock opens up, revving Camaro accompanies opening bell originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM stock opens up, revving Camaro accompanies opening bell

	Chevy Volts ready to ship Just waiting on the EPA’s MPG stickers.		Indian minister calls use of “gas guzzling” SUVs “criminal” German automakers object.
	LA 2010: Toyota RAV4 EV hits the stage Proudly powered by Tesla.	Other news: LA 2010: Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby now likes electric cars, because he’s driven one Chip Yates cries foul after rule change, won’t compete in 2011 TTXGP Amp to electrify three Saturn Vues for DTE Energy fleet

AutoblogGreen for 11.18.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoblogGreen for 11.18.10

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Chevrolet, GM, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery

The first batch of production Chevy Volts are ready to ship, they’re just waiting on the EPA to issue an official mileage label. General Motors global product chief Tom Stephens told Automotive News that the required sticker certifying the Volt’s miles per gallon rating is expected “any day,” and that’s a requirement before the vehicles can head out the door.

As we reported a few weeks ago, when the 2011 Fuel Economy Guide was released by the EPA and DOE, the Volt just missed being included in the publication because, as the EPA stated, “no 2011 model year electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have completed testing as of publication of this list.” The Toyota Prius was again listed as the most fuel efficient available in the U.S., but we’ll soon be able to see where the Volt stands in terms of official fuel economy.

The Volt, named the Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year, can run 25 to 50 miles on battery only and an additional 310 miles when assisted by the gasoline engine. GM is pushing through with its plans of producing 10,000 Volts through 2011 and 45,000 in 2012.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Chevy Volts ready to ship, just need official EPA mileage stickers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Chevrolet

Earlier this morning, Chevrolet let loose with official details, pictures and even a few videos of the 2011 Camaro Convertible just ahead of the car’s official debut at the LA Auto Show. The droptop pony car hasn’t been a secret for some time now, but this is our first real look at a standard production model.

Perhaps it’s because the concept version debuted nearly four years ago in Detroit or because we’ve seen dozens of spy photos, but for some reason, the Camaro Convertible hardly seems like a new car. The front end is essentially unchanged from the coupe, so if you like the hardtop then you’ll likely enjoy the looks of the convertible, as well. Even so, the folks at General Motors are excited about having a second model to help improve their sales lead over the Mustang, and we’re sure that they’ll soon be popping up all over the place in warmer states and rental car fleets across the country.

It was a typically warm Southern California day without a cloud in the sky, and we would have loved to take the Camaro Convertible out for a spin. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to get behind the wheel just yet, but we did take plenty of photos that can be found in the high-res gallery below. You can also hit the jump for the official press release from GM in case you missed it this morning.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading LA 2010: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible drops its top in sunny SoCal

LA 2010: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible drops its top in sunny SoCal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2010: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible drops its top in sunny SoCal

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Safety, Videos, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Luxury

Sadly, it’s simply not possible to build an automobile that’s impossible to steal. But what we all hope for is that an automaker does all it can to make the unscrupulous thief’s job as difficult as possible. According to a report from WXYZ Action News in Detroit, General Motors full-size SUVs aren’t particularly hard to grab. In fact, the Cadillac Escalade is the insurance industry’s most hated vehicle with $146 in theft loss payments per insured vehicle, per year. On average, insurance companies pay out around $11,934 per theft claim when it comes to the Escalade with 10.8 of the SUVs stolen per 1,000 vehicles.

Gone in 60 14 seconds, says the news station, citing a security flaw in the design of the vehicles’ steering column (sounds familiar, no?). Specifically, it seems that the little locking metal pin that is supposed to keep the aforementioned Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon locked firmly in ‘park’ (which is supposed to be a safety feature, not necessarily a theft deterrent) is rather easy to defeat by giving the column-mounted shift stalk a hard yank down.

Also cited as a contributing factor is the lack of a steering wheel lock that inhibits directional movement of the vehicle when not running. It seems that GM decided to leave off this well-known feature for a period after the introduction of ignition keys with computer chips that make it difficult to start the machines without the properly coded chip.

Combine these flaws and you end up with a vehicle that isn’t all that difficult to steal. Here’s the process outlined in the video after the break: Smash the driver-side window (which apparently doesn’t set off an alarm) and force the column-mounted shift lever into ‘neutral.’ Step two requires some help: Have a buddy with a mutually lax sense of right and wrong push you and your confiscated SUV to a deserted area and strip it of all its pricey bits and pieces. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy, assuming you don’t have a bothersome conscience.

According to a spokesperson for Cadillac, The General is aware of these issues and has introduced laminated glass for the side windows along with a beefed-up locking pin for the shift lever. Also, these full-size SUVs were re-equipped with locking steering wheels to make them more difficult to push without the proper ignition key. In any case, we’d suggest you keep a close eye on your blinged-out sport ‘ute… and get used to paying higher-than-average insurance premiums.

Click past the break to watch a video of the full report.

[Source: WXYZ Action News]

Continue reading Video: Why the Cadillac Escalade is a particularly easy target for thieves

Video: Why the Cadillac Escalade is a particularly easy target for thieves originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Why the Cadillac Escalade is a particularly easy target for thieves

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Chevrolet, GM, Electric

As much as we’d like to say that we didn’t see this one coming… well, we did. But, despite the fact that it would seem to be the obvious choice to take home the Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year award, the voting crew claims that it “wasn’t a shoo-in.”

In fact, claims Automobile, “the Chevrolet Volt endured more scrutiny and skepticism than any of the nine other semifinalists.” We don’t doubt it, either. There’s no denying that the Volt has and will continue to receive more close scrutiny than just about any other vehicle that will be introduced this year or any other, and the voters are well aware of this fact. In other words, if the Volt wins a bunch of awards and turns into a major flop, the award-givers will have plenty of explaining to do….

Fortunately, it seems that the Chevy Volt is mostly worthy of the admiration it is receiving from the automotive press (the Volt was also named the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year). Automobile Magazine calls the Volt a “game changer,” and, with its innovative powertrain that should allow a large number of owners to drive almost completely without the use of gasoline, it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

Click past the break for a video of Automobile’s Editor-in-Chief, Jean Jennings, explain why the Chevy Volt is a worthy recipient of its Automobile of the Year award. When you’re finished, feel free to click here for a massive 10-page missive on the same topic.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

Continue reading 2011 Chevrolet Volt wins Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year award

2011 Chevrolet Volt wins Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year award originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Chevrolet Volt wins Automobile Magazine Automobile of the Year award