American automaker General Motors is intent to keep their Cadillac lineup of luxury vehicles as the iconic vehicles they are known to be and are constantly challenged by their European automaker competitors to keep the bar raised higher and higher. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi continuously trade places as being the favorite in the luxury lineup, but none have the reputation as the famous Cadillac has and General Motors hopes that American fans will remember that when they are looking for their 2013 models to drive home.

The Cadillac ATS has some particularly lofty goals of beating out competition. It is the first compact from the Caddy model line in about thirty years, enough time to hopefully forget about the unfortunate release of the Cimarron. The ATS is designed nothing like that embarrassing if well meaning breed of smaller Cadillac. It will have options of three powertrain options though, and just as exciting, talks are underway to add ATS versions including a V-series model and ATS Coupe. Many of us are hoping for a convertible version as well. And of course the whispers of other exciting innovations and options are circulating around the rumor mills by the bucket loads.

While General Motors is doing its best to keep most of their plans for the Cadillac lineup under wraps, we do know that they have been cutting back on as many expenses as possible in order to save up the extra budget in order to release some of the most amazing Cadillac models to come out in some time, and we imagine they are doing the same with their other vehicle brands. With all the advertising money they are saving, Cadillac and other General Motor product line drivers should be in for some top of the line new vehicles which is much needed to help keep the American auto industry going strong.

Source The Detroit Bureau

US;c�bd��oPqe:AR-SA’>Source The Detroit News

Ford truck fans aren’t going to wait much longer to take a gander at the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor because it is getting closer and closer to its release date. Ford thinks they will be especially pleased with the new “Terrain” color that is comes available in. While this sandy beige color may sound like a yawner, it is actually eye-catching, in an understated yet admirable looking way.

This new terrain color for the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has a flat, but not matte finish. It looks a bit more like the paint jobs that were coming out way back in the 30s and 40s if you have seen any of those stock old timers at classic car shows. Due to the Raptor’s distinctive styling and the rest of the design work on the truck, the terrain color is getting thumbs up from all the critics, which we all know how hard that is to accomplish.

The amazingly looking wheels you see in the picture are beadlock capable and feature 24 holes under the 12 bolt cosmetic trim that is ready for a Ford Racing beadlock ring if drivers care to shell out some extra cash to have their dealer convert to them.

“Ford F-150 SVT Raptor’s popularity continues to grow based on its proven reputation,” said Ford SVT Chief Engineer Jamal Hameedi. “It’s the ultimate high-performance off-road pickup, so it’s critical that we continue to push the boundaries of off-road capability. New available beadlock wheels help to improve Raptor’s performance in soft sand and other challenging conditions, enabling our customers to go further.”

The actual wheels on the 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor are made out of forged aluminum. This first in the industry convertible system will be under patent by Ford. The new color and new wheels create a great first image for the new Raptor.

Source Autoblog

Korean automaker Kia has had no luck at all with their Sephia sedan and this latest lawsuit that has gone through is beginning to look as if they have lost millions more by making and selling this car than they have made in its sales to begin with. One year ago, the second generation Kia Sephia lost a $40 million lawsuit by a jury award for its faulty seatbelt case and now it has lost another lawsuit even though it has been pursuing appeals for it.

This other lawsuit has been hanging around for about 11 years now and began by a Sephia owner in Pennsylvania and became a class action lawsuit against Kia found the Pennsylvania court system awarding each of the 9,400 plaintiffs $600 each in reimbursement. That came to around $5.6 million dollars out of Kia’s pocket. The Supreme Court finally took a look at Kia’s appeal for this suit and have refused to hear it. I guess the Court takes brakes on cars very seriously and the lawsuit was in regard to faulty breaks in brakes installed in Kia Sephias made from 1997 to 2000. The Supreme Court decision to end the appeal means Kia needs to break out the accounting software and start paying the plaintiffs of this case.

While that may be bad enough news for Kia, who did start using other brakes on the Sophia in 2001, Kia owners in other states are now bringing suits. While Pennsylvania owners in the class action lawsuit were awarded $600 each, the new suit in New Jersey is suing for $750 for each claimant for the same faulty brakes issue. We have no news of what the other states who are bring lawsuits are requesting for each claimant, but it sounds like Kia is going to be paying out some big bucks for their failure to build a better car.

Source The Detroit News

The Australian man in this video might be changing his identity to avoid getting the ridicule for being caught on tape for the whole world to shake their heads about while laughing at his totally ignorant move, which could have spelled disaster, injury and possibly death to himself and all those making their routine stops at the local gas station.

While many of us have taken pumping gas for granted and can sometimes forget how gas is a pretty dangerous chemical, we can usually keep our wits about us long enough to avoid potential death and disaster. This poor man must’ve had his head somewhere miles away when he was at the gas pump though because he thought he’d give his lighter a try, either out of boredom or just complete jack assery. While that move could be forgivable, what really sunk everyone’s boats on the guy’s stupidity was how he ran away from the flowing gas pump – turned inferno instead of attempting to do anything about it, despite the glaringly obvious fire extinguisher he could have very well bumped his head on in his rush to get out of the area.

Luckily, there was a Good Samaritan close by who rushed over, turned off the pump and dowsed the fire with water. While water may not be the best thing to pour on a gas fire, it seemed to be effective in this instance, and turning off the pump kept the fire from exploding into something that would have caused far worse damage than what probably happened to the car’s paint job. If you are ever in this situation, turn off the gas pump and grab the extinguisher which should be located at either end of every gas pump station.

Let this video be a great reminder why you should keep lighters, cigarettes or other fire producing objects away from the gas pumps.

Source CNN

Ford and American Idol have had an ongoing love affair for the past ten years, with Ford being the official American Idol sponsor and they have had so much fun together that Ford is taking Ryan Seacrest, ‘Idol’s’ host, to host their own project “Random acts of Fusion”. This entertaining little romp around America will introduce the new 2013 Ford Fusion to potential new customers. Who would’ve thought of a celebrity car salesman? Ford has, and it’s really nothing new. Celebrities have been used for awhile now to push the new car models, just not quite in this exact way.

“We are taking a completely unique approach to introduce the new Fusion with a transmedia program, launching this transformational vehicle that over-delivers with its distinctive blend of style, intelligence and technology,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service. “Combining social media, entertainment and unexpected consumer experiences will allow us to connect with audiences through every type of media, making Fusion’s profile larger than ever.”

Of course Ryan Seacrest is happy to come onboard for Ford’s latest marketing project. He gushed, “It’s a privilege to partner with such a stellar multinational brand as Ford. I’m excited to help Ford bring the Fusion to life through what I believe is going to be a very entertaining and surprising interactive consumer initiative.”

While we don’t know the cities Ryan will be visiting with the 2013 Ford Fusion, but we have a hint of what will be happening with, “Life is all about acts – big and small – and through Random Acts of Fusion, this vehicle and program will take real people to unexpected places. Consumers will have to work together to unlock the story, and as the program evolves, will have a chance to see for themselves how Fusion is able to transform the lives of the people who drive it.” This comment came in from Crystal Worthem, manager, Ford Brand Content & Alliances.

Source Ford