Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.13.09
2011 Buick Regal revealed live at the Hollywood Palladium
2011 Buick Regal live unveiling - Click above for high-res image gallery Last night General Motors’ superstar train blew into Los Angeles for a gala event at one of Hollywood’s most iconic…
BREAKING: Ford announces it will build all-new Police Interceptor for 2011
In a surprise move, Ford has announced that it will pursue the development of an all-new Police Interceptor model. The move comes on the heels of General Motors’ announcement that it plans to…
Introduction to Karting - Part 7
WRAPPING UP The leaves have long-since changed and most have fallen off. There’s a chill in the air and the odd snowflake, too. The summer motorsports season is at an end, and it’s time to think…
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- VIDEO: Ten minutes of rally crashes devoid of butt-rock soundtrack
- Ford EcoBoost Engines see high take rate, customers see higher transaction prices
- Naked Australians reportedly arrested at car wash
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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 11.13.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-friend-via, a-new-report, arrested-at-car, billion, boost-engines, coyote, live-at-the, salvage, secret-service, tech
Buick Regal likely to be launch platform for next GM hybrid system
Nov 13, 2009 Object
Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Buick
2011 Buick Regal - Click above for high-res image gallery
Last night, General Motors publicly unveiled the 2011 Buick Regal that goes on sale in North America in the first half of next year. The Regal will be Buick’s new mid-sized sedan entry and is essentially just a re-grilled version of the Opel Insignia that went on sale in Europe last year. The North American Regal will be built at the Oshawa Ontario assembly plant in Canada beginning in calendar 2011 and will only be offered with a choice of direct-injected four-cylinder engines. However, the Regal is actually slated to go on sale in calendar 2010, and some are suggesting that the sedan will be sourced from Germany for 12 to 15 months.
The base engine will be the 2.4-liter normally aspirated unit that debuted earlier this year in the Chevrolet Equinox, among other models. With a six-speed automatic transmission, the Regal should hit 30+ mpg on the highway. The optional unit will be a 220-hp version of the 2.0-liter turbo, but that powertrain likely won’t come on-line right away.
Earlier this year, documents were leaked that listed the Oshawa plant as building a new mid-size hybrid sedan in 2011. It looks like the Regal will be that car with GM’s new second generation mild hybrid system that was announced in 2008. The new system uses a more powerful motor/generator and a lithium ion battery. According to Ward’s Auto World, the Regal could also get GM’s plug-in two mode hybrid system, but that likely won’t appear before late 2011 at the earliest.
Gallery: 2011 Buick Regal
[Sources: Ward's Auto World - sub req'd | GM-Volt.com]
Buick Regal likely to be launch platform for next GM hybrid system originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-new-mid-size, a-new-report, buick regal, buickregalhybrid, coyote, entry, europe, mild hybrid, models, oshawa-ontario, plug-in, plug-in-hybrids, regal, secret-service
REPORT: Sagging SUV sales, weak dollar could bring Mercedes C-class production to U.S.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class - Click above for high-res image gallery
Over the past two years, sales of SUVs from virtually all automakers have sagged deeply as fuel prices have risen and the economy has gone into the dumper. Mercedes-Benz is no exception, as sales of its ML, GL and R-class have dropped from a combined 152,500 in 2008 to just over 83,000 so far this year. At the same time, the U.S. dollar has lost significant value against most world currencies, including the Euro. The declining dollar makes it increasingly difficult for companies importing cars to the U.S. to make a profit, especially on low end models.
For Mercedes, this may be the perfect time to shift some production of its smallest model currently offered in the U.S. to its American plant, the sole global source of the aforementioned SUVs. The plant in Vance, Alabama could soon add production of the C-Class which is also the company’s top seller in this market. At a media briefing in New York Thursday, CEO Dieter Zetsche acknowledged that a decision on U.S. production of the C-Class would be made soon. If it happens, it will give Mercedes a significant cost advantage on those cars. That cost advantage could allow Mercedes to reintroduce smaller, four-cylinder engines in the C, which is currently only offered with a V6 in the U.S.
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
[Source: Automotive News]
REPORT: Sagging SUV sales, weak dollar could bring Mercedes C-class production to U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-combined-152, a-new-mid-size, a-new-report, buickregalhybrid, cclassproduction, dieter-zetsche, high-res-image, mercedes, mild hybrid, model-currently, secret-service, vance alabama, vancealabama
Hacker who aided Feds charged in theft of 130 million credit card numbers
Aug 18, 2009 Object
Filed under: Technology, People
Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year-old computer hacker, was indicted yesterday for stealing 130 million credit card numbers, topping his previous record of allegedly stealing 40 million credit card numbers in a series of Wi-Fi based intrusions of U.S. retailers, including TJ Maxx, Office Max and DSW. Gonzalez, known on the internet as “soupnazi,” worked as an informant for the Secret Service in 2003 to help expose credit identity thieves.
The Justice Department’s latest charges involving 130 million credit card numbers stolen between 2006 and 2008 will have to wait until two other cases against Gonzalez are heard. Gonzalez has been in custody since May 2008, when he was arrested for stealing credit card data at Dave & Buster’s. He was also indicted in another identify theft case, including data breaches at T.J. Maxx. He is awaiting trial in New York on the Dave & Buster’s case, then will face trial in Massachusetts on the T.J. Maxx breach, before he will face trial in New Jersey on the latest breach.
Continue reading Hacker who aided Feds charged in theft of 130 million credit card numbers
Hacker who aided Feds charged in theft of 130 million credit card numbers originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hacker who aided Feds charged in theft of 130 million credit card numbers
Tags: credit cards, entry, heartland, identity theft, identitytheft, in focus, including-data, jersey-on-the, previous-record, secret, secret-service, verizonwireless, wireless
Home Depot earnings fall — but not too far — for second quarter
Filed under: Company News, Earnings
Home Depot Inc. (HD) beat Wall Street expectations and raised its forecast for the rest of the year, even as the weak economy and housing market took a bite out of its second-quarter results.
The nation’s largest hardware chain posted net income of $1.1 billion, or 66 cents per share — down seven percent from the same time last year, beating expectations of only 59 cents per share in earnings. CEO Frank Blake credited cost-cutting and gains in market share with helping Home Depot pull off what passes for a successful quarter these days.
Continue reading Home Depot earnings fall — but not too far — for second quarter
Home Depot earnings fall — but not too far — for second quarter originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Home Depot earnings fall — but not too far — for second quarter
Tags: a-bite-out, credit cards, earnings, entry, even-as-the, frank-blake, home depot, identitytheft, in focus, news, previous-record, secret-service, street
White Collar Reset: We’re not in Kansas anymore
Aug 18, 2009 Object
Filed under: Technology, Columns, Economy
Last week, I dug out the phone numbers for some old contacts at Cessna, the large Wichita-based private airplane and jet manufacturer. Since Private Air, the magazine I edited, folded six months ago, I hadn’t had much occasion to call out to Wichita. I was curious to hear how the people I knew at the Textron (TXT) subsidiary were faring during what has shaped up as the worst downturn in the general aviation industry in 30 years. It didn’t long to get my answer.
“You have reached a number that is disconnected …”
“…. If you feel you have reached this number in error, please redial …. ”
“…. or that is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached ….”
“… please redial the number and try the call again.”
Continue reading White Collar Reset: We’re not in Kansas anymore
White Collar Reset: We’re not in Kansas anymore originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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White Collar Reset: We’re not in Kansas anymore
Tags: earnings, entry, faring-during, frank-blake, oprah, privatejet, secret-service, street, textron
