Posts by Chris Haak
GM’s Northstar V8 to End Production in July
By Chris Haak GM's Northstar V8 - once a crown jewel of the automaker's powertrain organization and a point of pride for the Cadillac division - is scheduled to end production at...
Smart to Test Electric Cars in US
By Chris Haak Struggling minicar maker Smart has announced plans to launch a 250-car electric vehicle test fleet in select metro markets this October. Cities that will be...
Buick Reveals 2011 Excelle GT Sedan for China
By Chris Haak GM China has revealed its 2011 Excelle GT sedan. The new car, which is an Opel Astra with Buick-specific front and rear clips. The new Excelle replaces the...
Leaked GM Memo Proposes Eliminating “Chevy” Nickname for Chevrolet
Say hello to GM's version of New Coke. By Chris Haak The New York Times received a copy of an internal GM memo, signed by Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and...
Germany Declines to Give Opel State Aid
By Chris Haak GM's troubled European subsidiary, Opel, requested €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion USD) in state aid to help fund its expensive €3.6 billion restructuring program....
EPA Announces Top-Ten Fuel Sipper Lists, 1984-Present
By Chris Haak The US Environmental Protection Agency issued a news release yesterday that listed the top-ten fuel sippers from the period 1984 to 2010. During the 27 model...
Vehicle Safety Bill Moves Toward Senate Vote
By Chris Haak In response to the Toyota recall crisis and the subsequent furor over when vehicles should be recalled, how large fines for deliberate noncompliance should be, a...
The Week of Recalls Continues
By Chris Haak Though nowhere near the number of vehicles recalled by Toyota at the height of its sudden unintended acceleration crisis of late 2009/early 2010, there have been a...
Chrysler PT Cruiser Production Set to End July 6
By Chris Haak The Chrysler PT Cruiser, perhaps the best-selling and most-recognizable retro-styled car sold in the US market over its eleven-year production run, is about to end...
Review: 2010 Ford Transit Connect XLT Cargo Van
By Chris Haak I can sum up the Ford Transit Connect in one word: visibility. Approaching the van, it's hard to miss it. I caught more than one fellow motorist gawking at...