http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:43:45 -0500 Tips and Advice -- find out how to maintain, service, insure, wash and wax, and change the oil in your car with tips from TheCarConnection.com. Lifestyle/Fashion http://static.thecarconnection.com/website/tcc-feed.jpg http://www.thecarconnection.com/tips http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037346_chrysler-fiat-outline-their-future http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037346_chrysler-fiat-outline-their-future Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0500 After a year of financial and political turmoil, and a shotgun marriage to Italy's Fiat Group, the new Chrysler is unveiling a five-year plan today that takes on a fast-paced, ambitious overhaul of the company's cars and trucks. The joint management of the Fiat/Chrysler group has confirmed already today that the current Viper will disappear ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037705_chrysler-gm-loans-include-u-s-production-goals-gao-worried-about-gm http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037705_chrysler-gm-loans-include-u-s-production-goals-gao-worried-about-gm Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500 Yesterday's headlines may have centered on Ford's new-found profitability, but Chrysler and GM are working toward the black ink, too. General Motors in particular has high hopes for the future, but the federal government is slightly concerned that GM may be rushing its game plan and setting itself up for disaster (again). This could be read as ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036261_exclusive-volkswagen-nms-replaces-passat-phaeton-to-return http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036261_exclusive-volkswagen-nms-replaces-passat-phaeton-to-return Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:29:00 -0400 Volkswagen of America president Stefan Jacoby has confirmed to High Gear Media that the new sedan to be built in Tennessee will effectively replace the VW Passat in North America--and that the former Phaeton sedan will return to the U.S. market. Speaking to journalists gathered to drive the new VW Golf, Jacoby admitted that today's Passat is ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035674_ford-profitable-by-2011-launches-new-facility-in-china http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035674_ford-profitable-by-2011-launches-new-facility-in-china Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:40:00 -0400 Despite the general unpleasantness that's plagued the auto industry for over a year, Ford is doing comparatively well these days. In fact, given the gradually rebounding global economy and Ford's new strategic alliances in Asia, CEO Alan Mulally feels fairly optimistic about the next two years. Mulally expects Ford to finish 2009 with a 16% ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035285_midsize-volkswagen-will-be-the-first-designed-for-americans http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035285_midsize-volkswagen-will-be-the-first-designed-for-americans Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:12:00 -0400 In an interview with the New York Times, Volkswagen's head designer, Klaus Bischoff, has indicated that Volkswagen plans to create vehicles targeted squarely at American preferences and tastes in the near future. More importantly, he believes that doing so will benefit VW's bottom line: "Designing cars specifically for the American market will ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034758_study-lithium-fears-unfounded-plenty-to-meet-ev-demand http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034758_study-lithium-fears-unfounded-plenty-to-meet-ev-demand Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:39:00 -0400 There's been growing concern in the green car community about EVs and their reliance on lithium batteries -- specifically that there's not enough lithium on Planet Earth to go around. Thankfully, analysts over at Gerson Lehrman Groups have put those fears to rest (for now). According to their data, even if EVs were manufactured at projected ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034709_mahindra-mulling-purchase-of-u-s-assembly-facility http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034709_mahindra-mulling-purchase-of-u-s-assembly-facility Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:35:00 -0400 There's been much discussion about Indian manufacturer Mahindra and its plans to launch vehicles in the U.S. next year. Of particular interest to those in the industry: how and where Mahindra trucks (and later, SUVs) will be built. Pravin Shah, the company's executive vice president of international operations, has now indicated that Mahindra ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034330_toyota-to-wrap-up-nummi-production-by-march-2010 http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034330_toyota-to-wrap-up-nummi-production-by-march-2010 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:20:00 -0400 Ever since General Motors announced plans to pull out of the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, its partner in that venture -- Toyota -- has been evaluating what to do with its own operations there. There's been much speculation as to whether Toyota would continue production on a limited basis, find a new partner, or sell its stake in the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034205_ford-focuses-on-the-focus-to-meet-clunker-trade-in-boom http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034205_ford-focuses-on-the-focus-to-meet-clunker-trade-in-boom Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:52:00 -0400 The Ford Focus has been extremely popular with Cash-for-Clunkers buyers. With an MSRP starting just above $15,000 and an EPA-rated fuel economy of 24/33 mpg -- not to mention the new luster of attractiveness Ford has acquired in light of its refusal to accept bailout dough -- the Focus is tailor-made for American buyers looking to cash in. Of ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034132_toyota-drops-goal-of-achieving-15-global-market-share http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1034132_toyota-drops-goal-of-achieving-15-global-market-share Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0400 In 2002, Toyota president Fujio Cho set a lofty goal for the company: 15% of the global auto market. The timeline for achieving that goal? Shortly after 2010. However, the Tokyo-based automaker's new president (and scion of the Toyoda family), Akio Toyoda, has set aside that objective, instead prioritizing fiscal responsibility and meeting the ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033962_obama-and-the-doe-award-2-4-billion-in-battery-grants http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033962_obama-and-the-doe-award-2-4-billion-in-battery-grants Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:42:00 -0400 Yesterday, President Obama announced $2.4 billion in technology grants to car companies, battery makers, universities, and research facilities across the U.S. During his speech in Elkhart, Indiana, the president stressed the importance of battery development as a way of reviving America's manufacturing sector and reducing the country's ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022505_nissan-relies-on-subsidies-for-ev-profitability-releases-first-ev-teaser http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022505_nissan-relies-on-subsidies-for-ev-profitability-releases-first-ev-teaser Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:10:00 -0400 Nissan has garnered a lot of headlines in the past few months -- largely because of its buzz-worthy EV project. You might recall that Nissan recently received a $1.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, which the company will use to ready its factory in Smyrna, Tennessee for production of Nissan's electric vehicle lineup. ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022425_nummi-heading-to-orphanage-after-toyota-gm-breakup http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022425_nummi-heading-to-orphanage-after-toyota-gm-breakup Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:23:00 -0400 Just three days after we reported that Toyota Motor America chairman Yoshimi Inaba was exploring a variety of cost-saving measures for the company's U.S. unit comes word that Toyota's important NUMMI plant is likely set for closure. The factory (full name: "New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.") is located in Fremont, California, and with its ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022225_gm-investing-1-billion-in-brazil-for-new-cars-expanded-facilities http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022225_gm-investing-1-billion-in-brazil-for-new-cars-expanded-facilities Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:58:00 -0400 Hot on the heels of Volkswagen's announced investment of $1 billion to expand its facility in Puebla, Mexico comes news that General Motors is  investing just over $1 billion significantly further south, in Brazil. The funds will be spent between now and the close of 2012, and will be used primarily to enhance GM's Gravatai factory in Rio ..]]> http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022203_volkswagen-invests-south-of-the-border http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022203_volkswagen-invests-south-of-the-border Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:36:00 -0400 Volkswagen has set a lofty goal of tripling VW and Audi sales in the U.S. by calendar year 2018. To help meet that objective, the company began construction of a new factory facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee in May. Now comes word that the company is also investing a whopping $1 billion to expand and improve its only existing North American ..]]>