GM suing supplier to keep Camaro production going originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jaguar and Land Rover could strike a deal with Daimler originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 May 2008 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GM making sure Camaro accessories are ready

GM making sure Camaro accessories are ready originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: 427 Anniversary Big Block

Continue reading Big Block Fever: First Anniversary 427 Big Block ZL-1 on the block at Barrett Jackson

Big Block Fever: First Anniversary 427 Big Block ZL-1 on the block at Barrett Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For Wrangler owners who believe that it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that... chrome, Mopar has a delivery for you. The new chrome grille, only for the Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited, lets you front more of the shiny stuff in case you haven't been getting the kind of attention you deserve at chi-chi establishments. It's got all the Jeep fixin's, it installs in 20 minutes, and it'll only set you back $299. Even better, according to Chrysler, it will "turn heads on the trail or at a red-carpet event." You really don't have a choice not to buy this. Follow the jump to read the full press release.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Mopar intros chrome grille for Jeep Wrangler

Mopar intros chrome grille for Jeep Wrangler originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who would have thought that Pixar would turn out to be a prophet of the automotive industry? In creating its talking automobiles for the computer-animated film Cars, the Disney-associated studio might have done just that, as a group of engineering students in England have demonstrated.

The team at Cambridge developed a "talking" car of their own. Based on a Fiat Stilo, the prototype is capable of telling mechanics what's working and what's not. By transmitting radio signal tags, engine components can inform workshop staff of the working condition of specific parts, as well as identifying parts that haven't received recall work yet and what parts are worth salvaging should the car be heading for the scrap yard.

According to Prof. Duncan McFarlane, the team is discussing selling the technology to "a number of firms", and we hope that the feature gets adopted fast. This is one piece of tech that really speaks to us.

[Source: Auto Express]

Cambridge engineers develop "talking" Fiat originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Subaru Impreza Accessories by STI

Subaru STI performance pack released, in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GM exec says weak U.S. dollar helping suppliers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If just about any part breaks on your 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, you could probably get a replacement from a hundred different outlets. If the black box goes out on your 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII, your car becomes little more than a giant paperweight. With the profusion of different cars and the electrical components that go in them, automakers would face an inventory nightmare if they tried to stockpile all of the necessary replacement parts. So in order to avoid that scenario, once the warranty runs out, they simply stop making the parts.

Ted Field, Sr. found out the hard way when the black box went out on his Mark VIII. Ford doesn't make the part any more -- and doesn't have to, since the warranty is finished and "the part is obsolete" -- and no aftermarket company has reverse-engineered it. That means that an 11-year-old car with 66,000 miles on it ... is also obsolete. As a customer, Field has no idea how popular -- or not -- the Mark VIII would be, and couldn't have had any idea when he bought the state-of-the-art car that he'd be scrounging for parts just a few years later (relatively speaking). We often consider the price of technology on the front end -- say, how much more will a car equipped with ABS cost? But as cars become more and more computerized, and the obsolescence of computer technology occurs in faster cycles, it will be interesting to see what kind of price we have to pay on the back end as well.

Thanks for the tip, Stedwoo!

[Source: LA Times]

Are electronics making cars obsolete faster? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2007 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Desktop fabricator takes DIY to a new level

Desktop fabricator takes DIY to a new level originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eulogy for the Pacer - a memorial tribute to organ-donating AMCs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Level Field Institute - a group consisting of Big 3 retirees - has released a report detailing the impact of domestic and transplant automotive OEMs on the American auto parts industry, and it contains some interesting nuggets of information.

Of the $225B in auto parts purchased from the US last year, approximately 77% was bought by the Big 3. GM led the spending with $85B in purchases, compared to $20B by Toyota. Overall, the domestic content of vehicles from the Big 3 averaged 71%, while Japanese automakers came in at 48% (note that both figures include vehicles that were manufactured elsewhere and imported into the US). Honda has the highest domestic content of any company outside of the Big 3, with 59% of its parts sourced in North America.

As the Level Field Institute points out, if the Big 3 were to drop their domestic parts buying down to the level of import manufacturers, the net loss to the US auto parts industry would be about $83B and 232,000 jobs. On the other hand, if the import manufacturers bring their domestic component buying up to the same level as the Big 3, the gain would be about $47B and 131,000 jobs. In all likelihood, what we'll actually see in the coming years is a convergence of these trends, with domestic manufacturers buying fewer components state-side, and foreign manufacturers increasing their domestic content.

[Source: Level Field Institute]

Warning - the Read link below points to a PDF.

Level Field Institute releases report on domestic content originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1. Ford F-Series - Dearborn, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Norfolk, Va. (Except Ford F-650, F-750)
2. Chevrolet Silverado - Fort Wayne, Ind.; Pontiac, Mich.
3. Toyota Camry; Camry Solara - Georgetown, Ky. (Except hybrid Camry)
4. Ford E-Series - Lorain, Ohio
5. Chevrolet Cobalt - Lordstown, Ohio (pictured)
6. Ford Explorer - Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.
7. Chevrolet Malibu/Malibu Maxx - Kansas City, Kan.
8. Ford Escape - Kansas City, Mo.
9. Toyota Sienna - Princeton, Ind.
10. Chevrolet TrailBlazer - Moraine, Ohio (Except now discontinued TrailBlazer EXT)

Grade A, 100% All-American Car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 02 Jul 2006 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toyota to suppliers: don't sell to Hyundai originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jun 2006 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Honda celebrates Ohio parts center groundbreaking originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 May 2006 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rick Wagoner, embattled head of General Motors, appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday morning news program, and confessed that GM is stockpiling parts and complete vehicles in an attempt to protect the automaker in case its spin-off supplier Delphi decides to strike. Indeed, this comes as little surprise to those who have noted the unusually large discrepancy between GM first-quarter sales and production figures. Wagoner admits that the strike bank won't do much, if anything, to keep GM running if indeed Delphi's workers stage a walkout.

In the meantime, word is that Wagoner would have stepped down as CEO had he not received the vote of confidence from GM's board last Monday.

[Source: The Detroit News]

GM building "strike bank" in preparation for Delphi walk-out originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.