Automotive News at a Glance

• The Flexibility of One Ford
  Motor Trend , January 27, 2011
  This is the Ford dealership of the near future: If you find a big-city showroom in which every car is smaller than a Mustang and every truck or crossover is smaller than an Edge, you might think you've stepped into a European store.
• 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet - Short Take Road Test
  Car and Driver , January 27, 2011
  The press intro for the new 911 Carrera GTS in Palm Springs left some casualties on the battlefield.
• 2012 Hyundai Veloster Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows
  Car and Driver , January 27, 2011
  The 2012 Veloster Hyundai is showing at theDetroit auto show is the result of the company asking itself the question, "Why can't we have two coupes?"
• Toyota still No. 1 in sales; GM narrows the gap
  The Detroit News , January 24, 2011
  Toyota Motor Corp. clung to the top sales ranking in 2010 despite a difficult year marred by recalls, while a recovering General Motors Co. came in a close second after increasing sales 12 percent.
• Video: Crews tear down auto show displays
  Detroit Free Press , January 24, 2011
  Digital Host Mike Brookbank takes us behind the scenes, as crews work to break down displays used at this year's Detroit auto show.
• Feds delaying loans for advanced vehicles
  The Detroit News , January 24, 2011
  Automakers, suppliers, start-up companies and members of Congress are frustrated that the government is sitting on billions of dollars in untapped loans intended to nurture the next generation of clean, fuel-efficient vehicles.
• Final weekend's visitors sweep in a strong finish for Auto Show
  The Detroit News , January 24, 2011
  This year's North American International Auto Show continued to emerge from a slump in past years, with an increase in attendance the second year in a row. More than 735,000 visitors attended the show at Cobo Center this month, up from 714,000 in 2010.
• GM in race to meet demand
  Detroit Free Press , January 24, 2011
  Will 2011 be the year of the doughnut hole for General Motors, the year when the time and talent the automaker lost during bankruptcy open a yawning hole on the showroom floor?
• Ford to show biggest annual profit in a decade; profit-sharing checks to be big, too
  Detroit Free Press , January 24, 2011
  Ford is about to happily wave good-bye to 10 years of turnaround plans.
• In sales race, GM is starting to gain on Toyota
  MSNBC , January 24, 2011
  General Motors has a shot at being No. 1 again.
• Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Gets Pushrod Suspension
  Jalopnik , January 24, 2011
  The Ferrari Enzo had one, so did the Porsche Carrera GT. It's a pushrod suspension, and Lamborghini announced the V12-powered 2012 Aventador LP700-4 will have one, too. Coilovers are mounted inboard, with rockers that transmit forces from the wheel mounts.
• EPA approves higher ethanol fuel for some vehicles
  The Detroit News , January 21, 2011
  The Environmental Protection Agency, as expected and over the objections of automakers, today approved the use of a higher blend of ethanol in older vehicles.
• Chicago cabbies to use Ford natural gas Transit Connects
  The Detroit News , January 21, 2011
  Ford Motor Co. has sold a dozen Transit Connect Taxis that run on compressed natural gas to be used as taxis in Chicago.
• Detroit's Woes Make for Better, Smaller Cars
  The Wall Street Journal , January 21, 2011
  Crisis and calamity in the auto industry are good for car buyers. The next couple of years should demonstrate why.
• New GM product chief to focus on speed, quality
  MSNBC , January 21, 2011
  The new chief of product development at GM holds what is arguably the most important job in the company: coming up with cars and trucks that people want.
• Ferrari FF technology focused on performance, less weight
  AutoWeek.com , January 21, 2011
  At 660 hp, the Ferrari FF matches the horsepower output of the 2002 Enzo, becoming the most powerful production Ferrari ever. The company built just 349 units of the Enzo from 2002 to 2004, while Ferrari plans to build about 1,000 FFs a year.
• GM-backed biofuel companies win USDA support
  The Detroit News , January 21, 2011
  Two biofuel companies backed by General Motors Co. have won new support in an effort to make cellulosic ethanol a reality.
• GM names first woman to lead global product development
  The Detroit News , January 21, 2011
  Mary Barra, General Motors Co.'s new global product chief, says her priority is to give GM customers what they want in their cars and trucks - and fast.
• GM Daewoo to change name, sell under Chevy brand
  Forbes , January 20, 2011
  GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Thursday it is changing its name to GM Korea and will sell most of its cars under the Chevrolet brand.
• Auto show hits and misses
  Detroit Free Press , January 20, 2011
  The 2011 North American International Auto Show is the launching pad for automakers' grand strategies and painstakingly developed new vehicles -- some of which will fail utterly.
• Chrysler, EPA working on new hybrid technology
  MSNBC , January 19, 2011
  Chrysler and the Environmental Protection Agency are trying to adapt an engine technology invented by the EPA to improve gas mileage in minivans.
• Against The Odds, Chrysler Goes "From Third World To World Class"
  Forbes , January 17, 2011
  I noticed something different about Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA, as soon as he walked in to our interview during last week's preview of the Detroit auto show, running now until Jan. 23. He was wearing his signature black sweater and dark slacks, but he was noticeably slimmer, disclosing later that he had recently lost 30 pounds.
• Honda Civic Coupe Concept Tempts The Youngish
  Jalopnik.com , January 13, 2011
  Honda revealed two concepts pointing to the ninth-generation, 2012 Civic. Honda wants us to know the prototype Civic Coupe and sedan will entice the "young at heart," further highlighting some tension in being the "VTEC just kicked in, yo" company.
• 'Impressed' Mayor Bing tours auto show
  The Detroit News , January 12, 2011
  Promising that the city is on a long road to recovery like the auto industry
• Akerson: 2012-13 are pivotal for GM
  The Detroit News , January 12, 2011
  General Motors Co. is about a year behind schedule in new car and truck introductions because it slashed development spending while in bankruptcy, Chairman and CEO Daniel Akerson said Tuesday.
• Detroit's Dreams: Curvy, Quirky and Built for Speed
  The Wall Street Journa , January 12, 2011
  Does America need a party wagon with clamshell doors or a sports car with a power-boosting flywheel contraption in place of the passenger seat?
• Mercedes-Benz Rolls Out Reworked C-Class (Video)
  The Wall Street Journal , January 12, 2011
  Mercedes-Benz gave a preview of its coming C-Class sport sedan during an event Sunday night at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit but says it will not display the car during the North American International Automobile Show that begins in the Motor City this week.
• Carmakers enjoy electric buzz - within reason
  MSNBC.com , January 12, 2011
  Throw a rock anywhere at the Detroit auto show and you're sure to hit an electric car: from the $24,000 battery-powered sedan made by China's BYD to the projected $400,000 SLS E-Cell supercar from Mercedes-Benz.
• Automakers fear Calif. will seek own fuel savings standards
  The Detroit News , January 12, 2011
  Automakers and dealers want House Republicans to review proposed fuel efficiency standards that could require a fleetwide average of 62 miles per gallon by 2025 - and are worried that California may proceed with its own program.
• Detroit auto show: Hyundai reveals Veloster three-door coupe
  AutoWeek.com , January 10, 2011
  The Hyundai Veloster coupe, which is headed for showrooms later this year, comes with a sizable third door for easy rear-seat access.
• For automakers, this year is crucial
  Detroit Free Press , January 10, 2011
  Do you want to know who will be the world's largest automaker five years from now? What the future holds for electric vehicles? Whether Honda can get its mojo back, or if General Motors and Ford can make a dent in the small-car market? Why Toyota fears Hyundai more than any other automaker?
• 360 degrees of the Ford Explorer display
  Detroit Free Press , January 10, 2011
  The North American Truck of the Year is the Ford Explorer, which beat out the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. It was Ford's third consecutive year to win Truck of the Year.
• Chrysler 300 to get near 30 mpg
  Forbes , January 10, 2011
  Chrysler says it will put an eight-speed automatic transmission in its all-new 300 luxury sedan that will push the big car to 30 mpg on the highway.
• Porsche race car uses hybrid tech for power boost
  Forbes , January 10, 2011
  A new race car concept from Porsche is using hybrid technology to boost power as the automaker said Monday it was looking to 2011 for continued sales growth.
• GM's Chevy Volt named 2011 Car of the Year
  MSNBC.com , January 10, 2011
  The North American International Auto Show opened Monday with fresh signs the comeback by U.S. carmakers is gaining traction.
• 2012 Ford Focus Electric - Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows
  Car and Driver , January 1, 2011
  Like Toyota did when it made the first Prius hybrid, Nissan and Chevy chose to invent new names and shapes for their EVs.
• 2012 Buick Verano Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows
  Car and Driver , January 1, 2011
  Buick executives have to be pretty happy with 2010. The brand had its highest sales since 2007, even outselling Cadillac. Now, executives think the brand is ready for a small car, and dealers who no longer have Pontiacs to peddle seemingly are clamoring for such a vehicle.
• 2011 Detroit: Mercedes-Benz Shows Aesthetics No. 2, SLS E-Cell
  Motor Trend , January 1, 2011
  Mercedes-Benz is celebrating the 125th anniversary of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler's invention of the car as we know it this year.
• 2011 Detroit: 2012 Audi A6 - Fixing What Ain't Broke
  Motor Trend , January 1, 2011
  Perhaps curiously, Audi didn't spend a whole bunch of time talking about its new 2012 A6 at the A6 press conference.