The Chevy Spark EV will lease at $199 per month, of if you prefer owning your vehicle, you can pick one up for yourself at a starting price of $27,495. If you are in a state that offers the $7,500 tax credit, then you will be able to own your own for $19,995. For a brand new car, that isn’t bad. Of course you could just get the gas powered Chevy Spark that starts at $12,185, but then you’ll have to pay more for gas over the long haul, but that’s really up to you.

If you are in California or Oregon, you can test drive the new Chevy Spark EV as early as next month. There are no details about when the rest of the country can expect to see the little car on their roadways. This little hatchback is set to give you 119 MPGe with a range of 82 miles per charge. The DC quick charging system will get you up to 80% in just twenty minutes, when these stations become available that is.

Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Marketing, said, “The Chevrolet Spark EV is the most efficient – and now one of the most affordable – EVs you can buy. Combined with outstanding infotainment and great design, the fun-to-drive Spark EV is engineered to impress.”

The post Chevy Spark EV Starts at $27,495 appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

The 2014 Kia Cadenza does have the most powerful engine ever. That engine is a 3.3 liter V6 that will give you 293 horsepower and 225 pound feet of torque. This is mated to a six speed automatic transmission that has manual shifts in either as a shift lever in the middle console or as a steering wheel paddle shifter. What all this will get you is about 19 city miles per gallon and 28 highway miles per gallon on regular grade gas. It is also a very quiet ride that gives you the feeling of somewhere in between top of the line luxury cruising and sports driving due to the sport tuned suspension. In other words, smooth and refined, but not overly much.

Inside the 2014 Kia Cadenza makes it more obvious than ever that this sedan is going for the luxury driving experience. The driver’s seat is a ten way adjustable seat that includes adjustable thigh support so you can get it “just right” for your long commutes. It is also heated and ventilated. The back seat passengers get heated seats as well and 36.8 inches of legroom to squirm around in. There is also plenty of cargo space, with 15.96 cubic feet of that in the trunk.

Source YouTube

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Mary Barra, General Motors senior vice president, Global Product Development was honored this past Wednesday with an Industry Leadership Award through the SAE. She is the first woman to ever win this prestigious award.

Barra commented, “The SAE Foundation’s STEM educational programs are vital to ensuring we ignite the passion for math and science in young students who will be the future leaders of the automobile industry. At a recent SAE a World in Motion third-grade skimmer project I was especially gratified to see students having so much fun applying key principles of math and science. So it is fitting to support SAE’s programs by donating a vehicle that embodies what is possible when ingenuity meets engineering excellence.”

John Calabrese, GM vice president, Global Vehicle Engineering, was also on hand. He added, “We need to ensure that the next generation of professionals has the skills and education necessary to compete on a global basis. SAE’s programs integrate physical science basics with team-based learning – and show young people that math and science is a viable career choice. By investing in programs like SAE’s a World in Motion, we help get students engaged at an early age and keep them interested.”

The Cadillac CTS V-Sport will be auctioned off later this year by Barrett-Jackson. The winning bid will also get a performance driving school package to help them enjoy their new Caddy to the highest potential. From the sounds of it, if you have the extra cash, you just might want to see about placing some bids.

Source General Motors

The post Cadillac CTS V-Sport Auctioned for Charity appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

For starters the hauling capacity for the 2013 Ram 3500 HD is 30,000 pounds and while most drivers will never have to worry about that huge of a haul, it’s nice to know its available if you do need it. As you can imagine, the engine makes a big part of how you are able to pull that kind of load around. If you choose the 6.7 liter Cummins turbo diesel inline six cylinder you can expect 385 horsepower and amazing 850 pound feet of torque. That’s an increase of 50 more pound feet than last year’s model and still gets better gas mileage.

The interior of the 2013 Ram 3500 HD has been completely overhauled and what you’ll find is higher grade materials a smarter layout and new colors to pick and choose through. Better yet, there are convenient knobs for audio and climate control so you don’t have to use the touchscreen unless you really want to. This helps a lot when you have your work gloves on. The luxury is a bit unusual with leather trimmed seats, but no one is complaining, it’s still a workhorse no matter how you dress it up.

Source YouTube

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2013 All Stars

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Price: $56,550/$59,240 (base/as tested)
• Engine: 6.2L supercharged V-8, 580 hp, 556 lb-ft
• Drive: Rear-wheel
• EPA mileage: 14/19 mpg, 12/18 mpg (manual, automatic)

Porsche Boxster

• Price: $50,450/$63,050/$75,615 (Boxster/Boxster S/as tested)
• Engines: 2.7L flat-6, 265 hp, 206 lb-ft; 3.4L flat-6, 315 hp, 266 lb-ft (Boxster; Boxster S)
• Drive: Rear-wheel
• EPA mileage: 20-22/30-32 mpg, 20-21/28-30 mpg (Boxster, Boxster S)

Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S

• Price: $25,255/$26,265/$28,265 (base FR-S/base BRZ/as tested)
• Engine: 2.0L flat-4, 200 hp, 151 lb-ft
• Drive: Rear-wheel
• EPA mileage: 22/30 mpg, 25/34 mpg (manual, automatic)

Audi A7

• Price: $60,995/$71,970 (base/as tested)
• Engine: 3.0L supercharged V-6, 310 hp, 325 lb-ft
• Drive: 4-wheel
• EPA mileage: 18/28 mpg

RAM 1500

• Price: $24,395/$54,335 (base/as tested)
• Engines: 3.6L V-6, 305 hp, 269 lb-ft; 4.7L V-8, 310 hp, 330 lb-ft; 5.7L V-8, 395 hp, 407 lb-ft
• Drive: Rear- or 4-wheel
• EPA mileage: 16-18/23-25 mpg, 14/19-20 mpg, 13-15/19-21 mpg (3.6L, 4.7L, 5.7L)

Honda Accord

• Price: $22,470/$24,140/$30,860/$31,140 (2.4L sedan/2.4L coupe/3.5L sedan/3.5L coupe)
• Engines: 2.4L I-4, 185-189 hp, 181-182 lb-ft; 3.5L V-6, 278 hp, 252 lb-ft
• Drive: Front-wheel
• EPA mileage: 24-27/34-36 mpg, 18-21/28-34 mpg (2.4L, 3.5L)

Mazda Mazda CX-5

• Price: $21,990/$25,410 (2.0L/2.5L)
• Engines: 2.0L I-4, 155 hp, 150 lb-ft; 2.5L I-4, 184 hp, 185 lb-ft
• Drive: Front- or 4-wheel
• EPA mileage: 24-26/30-35 mpg

Ford Focus

• Price: $16,995/$24,495/$39,995 (base/ST/Electric)
• Powertrains: 2.0L I-4, 160 hp, 146 lb-ft; 2.0L turbocharged I-4, 252 hp, 270 lb-ft;permanent-magnet motor, 143 hp, 184 lb-ft
• Drive: Front-wheel
• EPA mileage: 26-27/36-38 mpg, 23/32 mpg, 110/99 mpg-e (base, ST, Electric)

2013 BMW 328i M Sport

• Price: $41,595/$46,795 (base/as tested)
• Engine: 2.0L turbocharged I-4, 240 hp, 255 lb-ft
• Drive: Rear-wheel
• EPA mileage: 22/34 mpg, 23/33 mpg (manual, automatic)

Volkswagen GTI

• Price: $24,995
• Engine: 2.0L turbocharged I-4, 200 hp, 207 lb-ft
• Drive: Front-wheel
• EPA mileage: 21/31 mpg, 24/33 mpg (manual, automatic)

Source Automobile Mag

The post 2013 All Stars Chosen from Automobile Mag appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

Kia officials recently shared some of their plans with Automotive.com. They mentioned, “The oddly named Quoris (“derived from the English words ‘core’ and ‘quality,’” says Kia), will likely nuzzle up against its Equus stablemate when it debuts, carrying an estimated $50,000 to $70,000 price tag.”

The Quoris is not the only car that Kia is hard at work on. The 2014 Kia Cadenza sedan is getting its fair share of upgrades to. This next new model will by premium minded with rear wheel drive. This one is expected to show up at the dealers sometime next year. The Kia Sedona which had been getting a little stale is another model that’s expected to be buffed, polished and reconfigured to please the minivan drivers. This one will also be on its way next year. Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications Michael Sprague told Automotive.com, “the minivan segment is still important to the automaker, and some sales declines this year can be directly attributed to not having a minivan in the lineup.”

It looks like Kia will be the brand to keep an eye on as all the automakers gear up for yet another high sales year. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors have all been expanding, hiring new workers and doing everything else they can to remain the top contenders. Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda have their share of medals too, with Kia coming in, it will be an interesting race on all levels.

Source Automotive.com

The post Kia Quoris Ramping Up to Dominate the Competition appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

Ernest Moniz, U.S. Energy Secretary stated: “When you’re talking about cutting-edge clean energy technologies, not every investment will succeed — but today’s repayment is the latest indication that the Energy Department’s portfolio of more than 30 loans is delivering big results for the American economy while costing far less than anticipated. More than 90 percent of loan loss reserve Congress established remains intact, while losses to date represent about 2 percent of the overall $34 billion portfolio. The other 98 percent of the portfolio includes 19 new clean energy power plants that are adding enough solar, wind and geothermal capacity to power a million homes and displace 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year – roughly equal to taking a million cars off the road.

He continued with: “The Department first offered loans to Tesla and other auto manufacturers in June 2009, when car companies couldn’t get other financing and many people questioned whether the industry would survive. Today, Tesla employs more than 3,000 American workers and is living proof of the power of American innovation. This is another important contribution to what the Obama Administration has done to preserve and promote America’s auto industry. Finally, this announcement is also good news for the future of America’s growing electric vehicle industry. While the market has taken longer than predicted to get going, sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. tripled last year and are continuing to increase rapidly in 2013. Tesla and other U.S. manufacturers are in a strong position to compete for this growing global market.”

Source Tesla Motors

The post $465M Paid Back to DOE from Tesla appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

The 2014 Chevy Impala has a couple engine choices starting with a 2.5 liter four cylinder that offers up 196 horsepower, a 3.6 liter V6 that offers up 302 horsepower and a mild hybrid that gives 182 horses. The V6 offers the most assertive feeling drive, but the other choices aren’t totally miserable if you have a higher patience level for how long it takes to get from 0 to 60. All of these choices come with front wheel drive and are mated to a six speed automatic transmission. Pricing hasn’t been released for the hybrid version yet, but the LS model with the 2.5 liter four cylinder starts at $27,725 and the LT model with the V6 starts at $29,950. If you want to up the ante and get upgraded features, you’ll want the LTZ that starts at $35,770.

The Standard Features for each 2014 Chevy Impala model are:

• Antilock brakes
• Sstability control
• Curtain air bags
• Front and rear seat-mounted side air bags
• Driver and front passenger knee air bags
• Front seat belt pretensioners
• Six months of OnStar service with automatic crash notification and turn-by-turn navigation
• LED daytime running lights
• Automatic headlights
• Forward collision alert
• Blind spot alert
• Rear cross traffic alert
• Lane departure warning
• Rear vision camera with park assist
• Power sun roof
• Power mirrors, windows and locks
• Heated outside mirrors
• Pushbutton start
• Passive entry system
• Leather seats
• Power front seats
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Steering wheel controls
• Dual zone automatic climate control
• JD radio
• Three months of XM satellite radio
• Voice recognition for phone, audio and navigation
• Touch screen
• Storage compartment behind touch screen
• Bluetooth audio and phone compatible; USB input
  Remote start; two 12-volt outlets
• Floor mats
• 60/40 folding rear seat

2014 Chevy Impala options include:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Memory for driver’s seat
• Mirrors
• Steering wheel
• Carpeted trunk mat
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Ventilated front seats
• Power tilt and telescoping steering column
• Universal garage door opener
• Heated steering wheel
• Navigation system
• 11-speaker Bose audio
• Crystal red paint

Source YouTube

The post 2014 Chevy Impala Review Video appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

Jim Tetreault, head of Ford North America manufacturing, comments, “That’s more capacity (added) than (I’ve seen) in my 35 years in the business, that is being added in a very short period of time. We have F-Series plants that are going to produce 320,000 annually.”

Last year was the first year that 400,000 vehicles were produced in order to keep up with the 13% growth increase that Ford enjoyed in the American market for the first four months of this year. To continue keeping up Ford will be adding 3,500 workers to stay in compliance with the 2011 UAW contract that promises 12,000 additional workers to be added by 2015. Most of the 3,500 workers will be hired for the Flat Rock plant to help make more Fusions. Some of them will also be hired on at the Kansas City Plant in to make more F-150 trucks and the new Transit commercial Fan.

General Motors and Chrysler have also been ramping up production to keep up with car sales. General Motors doesn’t have summer shutdowns so their lines stay running without having to cancel any time off. Some Chrysler plants will have a one week shutdown except for the Jefferson North Toledo Plant and the Connor Avenue Plant. These plants will need to continue working without a shutdown.

Source Detroit Free Press

The post Ford Ups the Ante and Cancels Summer Shutdowns appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.

Christine Sitek, GM North America manufacturing manager, said, “This project is the latest example of how we’re doing business differently in GM today. We’ve developed an innovative material strategy that increases efficiency and improves quality to benefit our customers, employees and the bottom line.”

While the investment seems like an astronomical amount, it will save money in the long run and makes sense to simplify the car building process.

“This investment was earned through the quality and flexibility that has been a hallmark of Lansing Grand River since it opened in 2001,” said Lansing Regional Plant Manager Tony Francavilla. “However, our plant could not be successful without the strong support from our local community, the city council and Mayor Virg Bernero. We’re committed to continuing world-class manufacturing performance for which we are known, and our customers demand.”

The General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant builds the Cadillac ATS and three of the Cadillac CTS models including the sedan, coupe and wagon. It also builds the high performance V Series of each model. Awards for these vehicles include:

• Car and Driver 10Best List for five straight years (CTS-V Sedan, Coupe and Wagon)
• Consumer Reports’ most-reliable domestic car 2012 (CTS Coupe)
• 2013 North American Car of the Year ( ATS)
• 2013 Car of the Year by Esquire (ATS)
• 2013 Autobytel Luxury Car of the Year (ATS)
• 2013 Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year (ATS)
• Lansing Grand River by the numbers

Source General Motors

The post $44.5 Million and 200 New Workers for General Motors Lansing Grand River Plant appeared first on Automotive Discovery - Auto Industry News and Rumors - Car News and Rumors.