New models, strong sales and cost cutting measures have put General Motors in the black for the first quarter of 2010. GM posted a $865 million Q1 net profit, after posting staggering losses for five straight years in a row.

“We’re pleased with our first quarter performance, in particular achieving profitability,” said Chris Liddell, vice chairman and chief financial officer. “In North America we are adding production to keep up with strong demand for new products in our four brands. We’re also steadily growing in emerging markets, keeping our costs under control, generating positive cash flow and maintaining a strong balance sheet.  These are all important steps as we lay the foundation for a successful GM.”

Recently GM announced it had paid back the almost $8 billion in loans from the Canadian and U.S. governments, however, the U.S. Treasury also fronted $43 billion to save the American auto giant from solvency. If GM can sustain profits then the U.S. government may look to sell-off its shares of the automaker by the end of the year.

[Source: Automotive News]

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Ford appears set to bring back the BOSS 302 as the next special edition Mustang. According to Mustang Heaven, Mark Field’s, president of the Americas for FoMoCo, told dealers at a recent meeting that, “We did the Bullitt, we did a Mach 1, we did the C/S. I can’t tell you what the next special edition Mustang will be, but I can give you a hint.”

Then, behind Fields, drove an original 1970 BOSS 302.

Last year, with the debut of the new 5.0-liter Mustang GT, Ford also announced the BOSS 302R, a racing version of the car destined for competition in the Grand Am Series. We expect some of the racing goodies, the suspension components in particular, to make their way to the hard-core street car.

[Source: Mustang Heaven]

Ford has just received the official EPA fuel economy rating for its new Fiesta sub-compact, with a 29/40 mpg (city/highway) with the dual-clutch six-speed automatic. This makes the Fiesta a class-leader in fuel economy in the sub-compact segment, beating out the Fit by 5-mpg and the Yaris by 4-mpg on the highway.

The Fiesta with a five-speed manual transmission achieved 28/37-mpg (city/highway).

“The new Fiesta is yet another car in Ford’s lineup that delivers class-leading fuel economy,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president, Global Powertrain Engineering. “From Super Duty to Fusion Hybrid and the new Mustang V6, Ford is committed to fuel economy leadership with every new vehicle it introduces in all segments.”

In order to achieve the impressive fuel economy rating, the Fiesta is powered by a 120-hp 1.6-liter Duratec 4-cylinder engine that features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT), a deceleration fuel shutoff  and electric power steering.

Pricing for the new Fiesta starts at $13,320 for the sedan and $15,120 for the hatch. See AutoGuide’s review of the new Fiesta by following the link below:

2011 Ford Fiesta First Drive

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

The next-generation Honda Civic will be delayed until 2011, possibly as a 2012 model year car. This will put the Civic significantly past the typical five-year cycle, stretching until six or possibly even seven years before the ninth-generation car debuts. The current Civic arrived back in September of 2005, making it already quite dated.

Honda COO Tsuneo Tanai admitted at last year’s Tokyo Auto Show that significant changes were being made to the Civic, which was already getting close to production.

The reason for the drastic updates is due to significantly tougher fuel economy targets says American Honda Motor Co.’s VP John Mendel. The move is also, no doubt, attributed to serious competition from unfamiliar foes like the Ford and Chevy, which have both promised 40-mpg versions of the Focus and Cruze. While Honda is often known to be a fuel economy leader, as it stands the current lineup of cars is set to be outmatched by emerging domestic rivals in the sub-compact class; and improvements of just one or two miles per gallon won’t be enough to put Honda on top.

Rather than bring the planned Civic to market and have it fail, Honda is choosing to hang on to the current model (which, luckily for them is already quite good) in order to plan and come out with something better.

The news follows a report that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito is “not satisfied” with his company’s performance and the complacent attitude that has set in among its leaders.

As for the CR-V, Mendel confirmed that it will stock to a five-year production cycle with a redesign coming next year.

[Source: Autmotive News]

With a field stacked full of Porsches and Audis, it was BMW that took the top spot at the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hour race in the No. 25 BMW M3 GT2. Drivers Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy managed 154 laps on the Green Hell to claim BMW’s 19th victory at the grueling endurance competition.

“That was a fantastic return for us at the 24-hour race here on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. This win reminds me of the triumph in Le Mans in 1999. I have never known excitement like I experienced today,” said BMW Director of Motorsport Mario Theissen. “After some of our direct rivals fell by the wayside, our victory was also hanging by a thread. At about 12.00 the winning car developed a gearbox problem, resulting in the loss of one gear. Shortly after 13.00 other gears gradually gave up. It was a masterful performance how Jörg Müller and Uwe Alzen brought the car home in first place in this crucial phase. The tension was enormous for all of us, so the relief was all the greater when the car crossed the finish line. I must say a big thank you to every single member of the team. Everyone worked perfectly together. Thanks also to our loyal fans, who have taken us to their hearts after a five-year break and given us such great support.”

Joining BMW on the podium was the Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GTC piloted by Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen and Leh Keen. And after dominating the first two rows of the grid in qualifying, Audi managed third place in the R8 LMS driven by Dennis Rostek, Luca Ludwig, Marc Bronzel and Markus Winkelhock.

As for the Porsches, the favored Manthey Racing car driven by Timo Bernhard, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Marcel Tiemann retired early when another car spun into them, while the GT3 R Hybrid put on an impressive performance using its fuel economy advantage to pit less often. Unfortunately the hybrid race car broke while in the lead with just under two hours to go.

[Source: BMW Motorsport]

Having just launched the impressive new M range of luxury sedans, Infiniti is now considering expanding the lineup to include both an M Coupe and an M Convertible. News of the new additions to the M lineup comes via InsideLine, which reports Nissan execs are seriously debating the two door models.

As surprising as it sounds at first, the move actually makes a great deal of sense with a M 2-door and drop-top competing directly with the Mercedes E-Class Coupe and Convertible and the upcoming BMW 6 Series lineup. With Mercedes offering both an E350 and E550, we’re likely to see Infiniti offer both the coupe and convertible as M37 and M56 models delivering horsepower and performance on-par with the Mercs.

Somewhat surprisingly, the M models might not be the bargain option in the segment, with the M56 sedan currently priced at $58,000 – a $3,000 premium over the E550.

[Source: InsideLine]

It’s time to wear luxury on your wrist. Infiniti, the luxury automotive manufacturer from Japan, has just released the Limited Edition BR03-92 Instrument Phantom Infiniti wristwatch, engineered by the Swiss specialist watchmaker Bell & Ross.

Limited to just 100 individually numbered units, the Instrument Phantom Infiniti watch was inspired by the recently revealed Infiniti FX Limited Edition performance crossover. Offered only through Infiniti Centers in Europe, this timepiece is the perfect complement to either a finely crafted suit or a button down and jeans, thanks to its black carbon powder finish, which envelopes its 42 mm case. Lined with a distinct purple coating, the seconds hand sits on a galvanic black dial, and fans of this luxury automotive moniker will notice it’s the same color that lies at the heart of Infiniti’s brand identity.

Says Jim Wright, Vice President of Infiniti Europe: “The limited edition BR03-92 Instrument Phantom watch is a perfect tribute to the core qualities of Infiniti. It is also about offering the Infiniti owner something truly special and individual which we are able to achieve through this exceptional timepiece.”

If you can find one of the Limited Edition Phantom Infiniti wristwatch, it will set you back €2,809.97 or about $3,576 U.S.

[Source: Top Speed]

Hot on the sales figures of the fastest production off-road vehicle ever, the SVT Raptor, Ford has announced it will be offering the Baja-ready truck in SuperCrew configuration for 2011. Other than the length of the cab, not much else is changed from the current production model, but the 6.2L “Boss” engine will be the only engine available on the heavier Super Crew. No word yet on pricing, but expect the roomier Raptor to sell for just a bit more than the $41,995 base price of the current 6.2L version.

It’s truly amazing what the Internet has enabled companies to do in terms of marketing their products. The advent of Adobe Flash technology and truly interactive experiences allows users to immerse themselves and forget that they’re actually being sold a product.

Lexus has taken one of these approaches with their new CT 200h viral marketing idea, which comes down as a choose your own adventure game. You assist Tony, the driver, in trying to keep the CT200h out of the criminal’s hands who wish to steal the hybrid technology. Why they just don’t go and buy their own, we’re not sure. But hey, the game is set in a nice thriller movie-like atmosphere and the overall production is impressive. It’s clear that Lexus spent quite a few dollars in producing it and hopefully it’ll be a success for them.

Check it out at the source if you have the time to spare, there’s no way to pause the experience. Be patient while it loads, like all Flash-based websites, it’s decent size. Now too bad Apple isn’t a Flash lover, Lexus is missing out on all the possible iPhone, iPad consumers that are environmentally-conscious.

Get more Lexus CT200h info at CT200hForums.com

[Source: Lexus Dark Ride]

In any sort of scientific test, it’s important is to control the conditions to make sure that any variables are neutralized, and that the experiments can be repeated with consistent results. An experiment that gives the same data over and over again can usually be seen as an accurate way of obtaining information on a subject.

As a means of reducing human error, Mercedes-Benz is utilizing automated drivers, using special  ”robots” that are capable of steering, braking and using the throttle (seen above). Unlike Volkswagen, the robots cannot drive themselves “autonomously”, but rather they follow a specific pattern to drive around a closed course. Mercedes-Benz engineers have an override switch to shut down the cars as well.

The robots allow Mercedes-Benz engineers to test the cars using drivers that have better reaction times and are more consistent than human drivers. This in turn lets the engineers get better data to use when developing the cars, as well as information on how they should behave in potentially dangerous situations without putting human life at risk.

No word on the cost of these systems, but you can bet that it’s more than your house.

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…