General Motors today announced its first full-year numbers after emerging from bankruptcy, posting a $4.7 billion profit after a massive bailout by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Profits for the fourth quarter were a slim percentage of that, however, at just $510 million, due to significant reinvesting in production, marketing and research and development.

“Last year was one of foundation building,” said Dan Akerson, chairman and chief executive officer in a statement. “Particularly pleasing was that we demonstrated GM’s ability to achieve sustainable profitability near the bottom of the U.S. industry cycle, with four consecutive profitable quarters.”

For hourly workers who took concessions in order to keep GM afloat, the news means a big bonus in the form of profit sharing that will see GM pay, on average, $4,300 to 45,000 eligible employees.

Ahead of its official public debut at the Geneva Auto Show next week, Ferrari has previewed its new FF grand touring exotic in Maranello.

Few new details were provided and most that were are somewhat irrelevant as the important parts remain unchanged, with the M Coupe-styled luxury Ferrari powered by a direct-injection 6.3-liter V12 engine with 651-hp and 504 ft lbs of torque, enabling a 0-62 mph time of just 3.7 seconds thanks in part to the automaker’s first ever AWD system.

In addition, Ferrari promises significantly improved fuel economy over the 612 Scaglietti it replaces thanks to the company’s HELE (High Emotion Low Emission) system that cut emissions by 23 percent in the California HELE Concept. While Ferrari still hasn’t release full details on the extent of the system in the FF, in the California it includes a start-stop setup, electronic air conditioning, as well as different transmission controls.

Look for even more photos next week from the car’s unveiling in Geneva. Until then, see AutoGuide’s 2011 Geneva Auto Show Preview here.

GALLERY: Ferrari FF

It’s something that hasn’t happened since the first half of the 20th century, but now it’s official, Ford retailers now outnumber their Chevrolet counterparts in the good ‘ol USA. According to statistics compiled at the end of last year, Ford had 3,131 stores across the land, versus Chevrolet’s 3,084.

Mind you, from some quarters, it’s probably not surprising, since, in the wake of GM’s structured bankruptcy many dealers lost their franchises.

But does Ford have too many stores in these lean economic times? Not necessarily, according to John Frith, vice-president of Urban Science, an automotive consultancy firm that monitors such things. In fact he says that Ford continues to closely monitor sales per store and so far, things appear to be on the up.

Last year, Ford sold a total of 1,726,349 vehicles with dealers reporting profits from 38 to as much as 129 percent. But what’s interesting, is while that total almost represents pre-recession volumes, it’s been achieved with fewer total stores.

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

Toyota might have been vindicated in it’s unintended acceleration investigation but now the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the automaker under the spotlight once again, this time regarding stalling engines on some of its Hybrid SUVs.

In a notice posted on its website; NHTSA said it had opened a ‘preliminary’ investigation into 43,941 Toyota Highlander Hybrids from the 2006 model year, after receiving no fewer than 32 separate complaints. These center around the fact that the gasoline engine would stall and then didn’t restart. In fact, in 21 of the separate incidents reported, the engine was said to have stalled out at speeds in excess of 40 mph and in 26 cases, the engine couldn’t be started, requiring a number of the affected vehicles to be towed to a dealership for repairs.

However, at this point in time, NHTSA says none of the reported incidents have resulted in crashes, injuries or fatalities. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons has said that Toyota is in the process of fully cooperating with the NHTSA regarding this latest investigation.

This isn’t the first time the agency has investigated engine stalling issues. In 2009, various Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles were having similar problems, resulting in an eventual recall of some 1.3 million 2005-08 Matrix and Vibe models.

In addition, Volkswagen has also been under the NHTSA spotlight for stalling TDI engines, in which 100,000 vehicles were the subject of investigation, though most of those were due to miss-fueling issues, likely the result of people pouring gasoline into the tank of their diesel fueled vehicles.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Fiat and Gucci are among the strongest brands to emerge from Italy, and now they have partnered up to bring you a special edition version of the 500 super-mini.

Creatively named the Fiat 500 by Gucci, the car is customized by Frida Giannini, the creative director of Gucci. The introduction of this special edition which features a Gucci inspired interior and some unique stripes, coincides with the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification and also the 90th anniversary of the Gucci brand.

The 500 by Gucci was launched on the opening day of the Milan Fashion Week, and will also be present at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, which will include a pop-up Gucci store in the middle of the Fiat booth.

Get more Fiat 500 news and info at Fiat500Owners.com

If you “like” electric vehicles, you’ll want to check out Ford‘s new electrified Facebook Fanpage. Dedicated to educate enthusiasts and curious consumers, fans will be able to find and share information about Ford’s electric vehicles.

If you’re already a fan of this page, you’ll know that it’s where Ford first revealed the information about the all-new Focus Electric. Now, you can use the page to discover what electric choices are available and how to make the switch to the electric lifestyle.

If you’re thinking about making the switch to a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicle, the Ford Electrified Vehicle Facebook page is a great tool to use to help you understand the differences between electrified vehicle technologies. The page is also an outlet where fans can interact with Ford, post questions and leave comments about the company’s electric vehicles.

The page offers links to videos and photos of Ford’s electrified vehicles, and provides information about the powertrains in each vehicle. There are areas for discussion between fans, user polls, a place where fans can direct questions to Ford’s electric vehicles team, and a calendar for upcoming events.

“We’re committed to engaging in an ongoing dialogue with our fans in a way that provides value for the time they choose to spend with Ford online,” said Scott Monty, Ford digital and multimedia communications manager. “As we’ve proven with Fiesta Movement and the Explorer reveal on Facebook, it’s important to pay attention to what people are saying, and for us to be able to respond and provide a unique experience for them as well.”

To become a fan of Ford’s Electrified Vehicle, click here.

Continue Reading…

Fresh from the clutches of its GM masters, Saab is celebrating its independence (to Spyker, anyway) with another special edition of the aging 9-3 convertible, shown ahead of its formal announcement at the Geneva Auto Show.

With just 366 editions available, you can bet somebody will be paying top dollar for one in 20 years. And to justify its value beyond mere rarity, the Independence Edition gets the 2.0-liter turbocharged four from the bigger 9-5, giving it 220 horsepower. Visually, the 9-3 convertible gets a snazzy new red-orange color called Sunset Red and 18-inch wheels, while the interior features light parchment leather seats with orange stitching and a stripe down the middle. A new steering wheel and an orange needle for the turbo boost gauge round out the theme nicely.

Click the jump for a picture of the interior with the orange-striped seats.

[Source: Saabs United]

Infiniti‘s first hybrid, the M Hybrid luxury sedan, will go on sale March 16th, priced from $53,700. Also available with two gasoline-only engines, the M sits atop the Infiniti lineup as the brand’s flagship sedan.

For comparison’s sake, the M35h is $6,000 more than the base M37, but undercuts the top-level M56 by about as much.

Powering the M Hybrid is a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a 50 kW electric motor to deliver a total of 350-hp, enabling speedy acceleration. Fuel economy doesn’t suffer as a result of all that power either, with Infiniti claiming 27-mpg city and 32-mpg highway for a combined total of 29-mpg.

Standard features include leather seats, 18-inch wheels and Infiniti Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, while high-tech options include Blind Spot Warning, Blind Spot Intervention, Intelligent Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention.

GALLERY: 2012 Infiniti M35h

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Cadillac is currently testing its CTS-V Coupe race cars at Sebring International Raceway and has released a full selection of photos from the shakedown, helping to add more to our weekly car-porn collection.

Shown for the first time in official livery and driven by pilots Andy Pilgrim (No.8) and Johnny O’Connell (No.3), the cars are preparing for the starts of the SCCA World Challenge series in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 25-27

“The driving is going very well,” O’Connell said. “We’re just learning how the car responds to different changes and we’re getting a lot of track data. With two full days of testing (Feb. 22-23), we’ll have a really good idea of how we’ll perform at the first race in St. Petersburg next month.”

We’ll be watching Cadillac’s return to World Challenge closely to see if the new coupes can dominate the series in the way the sedans used to.

GALLERY: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

You can smoke it, you can wear it, you can eat it… and now, you can drive in it. Is there anything you can’t do with hemp?

As it turns out, hemp has a long standing relationship with automakers. Did you know that in 1941, Henry Ford made a car body out of organic fibers that included hemp (we sure didn’t)? Now hemp is making a comeback as the world’s first production-ready biocomposite electric car is set to take off.

The Kestrel is a three-door hatchback, and according to Nathan Armstrong, the president of Motive Industries, Kestrel’s manufacturer, is made of a “hemp composite as strong as the fiberglass in boats, yet incredibly lightweight.”

The lightweight Kestrel tips the scales at 2,500 pounds (including the battery) and its boasts a fuel-efficiency increase of 25 to 30 percent. It’s really a cool process to make the resilient, lightweight compound – hemp stalks are combed and rolled into a mat that is infused with a polymer resin, making it as flexible as the carbon fiber used in racecars.

The price is affordable too. Since it’s cheap and fast to grow, the Kestrel comes in at around $25,000. The Kestrel is set to hit the road in 2012.

So what happens when the Kestrel finally breaks down and is no longer drivable? Would it be environmentally friendly to invite a few friends over, order a pizza and watch it go up in smoke?

[Source: Popsci]