GM’s Chevrolet Volt Named As 2011 Car Of The Year

GM’s Chevrolet Volt Named As 2011 Car Of The Year

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) was opened yesterday with some U.S. carmakers getting attention. The first one is Chevrolet Volt from General Motors return from bakcruptcy. And not only that, The car Which has won the Motor Trend Magazine’s car of the year, and the Green Car of the Year awards, named as 2011 North American Car of the Year.

It was beating the rival from Japan, Nissan Motor Co Ltd, and the Korean Hyundai Motor Co. Moreover, Ford Motor Co’s Explorer as the sport utility vehicle was named as the 2011 North American Truck of the Year. This is the third year in a row for Ford to dominate this category.

The U.S. manufacturer took away all the awards which were voted by 49 automotive journalists. It provide an encouraging auto show start for Detroit’s Big 3 automakers. The show will be th first in a string of trade events, where automakers will build a buzz for their vehicles befor it hit the showrooms. Tom Stephens, the vice chairman for global product operations of GM said while accepting the award that the Volt really reresents the soul and the essence of new General Motors. The award was claims as the recognition of the creativity, perseverance, and dedication from thousands of employees.

GM’s Chevrolet Volt Named As 2011 Car Of The Year is a post from: Automotive News and Review

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

When you hear the word Rolls-Royce, you won’t associate it with anything sporty. Instead, you’ll associate it with something elegant, classic, and timeless. But that’s probably going to change with the company’s new product, the Phantom Drophead Coupe.

The company has stated that in 2011 they will make and install more improvements and upgrades for the Coupe line, and in the end, it will make the car look sporty. Besides the change in outside and inside department, the company will add several improvements around engine and driving control.

The Phantom Coupe will have a change in suspension and calibration around the transmission line to make the car smooth and easy to drive. The car will engage and respond more to the driver. The steering wheel comes with thicker design and calibrated steering unit in order to improve the sporty and dynamic sensation. The gearbox will come in S design – still in automatic 6 speed transmissions – to make aggressive downshift when brake is applied and hold the lower gears in long period. The company decided to keep the original V12 of 6.75 liter engine with ability to produce 453 hp. The 5,886 lb vehicle will be sold around $ 452,000, which already includes gas tax, destination fee, and selling tax.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is a post from: Automotive News and Review

Renault’s Leaked Information Problem

It’s definitely not fun when you come up with great ideas that will make you famous and then some of your friends tell other people about it. Your leaked secret is no longer a secret anymore and other people may use it to make themselves famous.

The same problem happens to Renault with their electronic technology. The French company has planned to develop and focus more on the electronic technology vehicles. They have worked together with Nissan and had joined investment estimated about 4 billion euros or about $ 5.3 billion. With the joined investment and new development in technology, Renault hopes to be able to produce about 200,000 electric cars by 2016.

But it seems the plan is only a plan since three inside executives from the company were suspected to release the confidential information. Although the three executives were suspected for the leaked information, they haven’t got any legal charge. Still, they receive disciplinary sanction and will likely be fired if proven guilty.

Some sources mentioned that the leaked information may also due to the lack of security protocol and the employees’ tendency to blurt out their excitement concerning the company’s new plan to their friends through online forums or social network. No wonder the leak could happen.

Renault’s Leaked Information Problem is a post from: Automotive News and Review

New Ford Focus Technology and Improvement

Ford has finally released the new concept of Focus Electric at Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show. The car is designed to take on competition against Volt (Chevy) and Leaf (Nissan) as zero emission car. In 2013, Ford has planned to produce three more electronic rides.

The car comes with electric motor engine and lithium-ion battery pack to produce 123 hp and 181 nm of torque. The car will come in hatchback design with front styling similar to Aston Martin model. Electronic cars have never had problems concerning the acceleration or speed, but they have constant problems with weight and charging. Although the car is still quite heavy with 3,700 lbs weight, it has quite amazing new charging system able to recharge the car within 3 or 4 hours using electric standard home use of 240 volt.

The interior side is equipped with 8-inch touch screen display from MyFord System, which can also show you the charge level and the location of the next charging stations. The new navigation system will also inform you whether you can make it to the next charging station with the level of battery you have and give suggestions when potential problem arises. The car comes in 17-inch wheels, airbags, recycled rear seats, and traction control.

New Ford Focus Technology and Improvement is a post from: Automotive News and Review

How Classic Cars Get Their Names?

Car manufacturers usually have their own interesting histories behind their given names. Some classic cars were named after the founder like Ferrari, Roll Royse and Buick. Some others were named after the place where the manufacturers are located. Some even named after a very famous and influential person like Lincoln. Here are some other interesting stories behind some classic cars.

Alvis is one of British car manufacturers. The name was formed by shortening the word aluminum into AL and adding the Latin ending of -VIS that means strong. The two of them then combined to form a new word Alvis, a strong

Pontiac was a well known Native American chief. He was the one who arranged one of the biggest stands to oppose colonial invasion.

Mercedes is named after the daughter of Emil Jellinek. He was one of their distributors who assisted Daimler and Benz to overcome French official procedure when they were on their way to break into the French auto market. Following the aid, both Daimler and Benz agreed to name their auto new series after Jellinek’s daughter. Wilkinson took three consonant letters from his first name, Trevor, for the classic brand of his auto company TVR.

If you have a chance to start your own car company, what will you name after it?

How Classic Cars Get Their Names? is a post from: Automotive News and Review