Big 3 sales fade as 'clunkers' wraps up | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- The Detroit Three automakers' share of "cash for clunkers" sales fell sharply, compared to foreign nameplates, in the final week of the $3 billion incentive program. General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC sold 38.6 percent, or about 266,000 of the nearly 700,000 clunker replacements. That's far below their combined 45.3 percent share of 2009 auto sales. The U.S.-based companies said they were hampered by a comparative shortage of small, fuel-efficient vehicles that buyers were...

How I claimed a (very small) part of Corvette history | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- It's a rare opportunity to drive a piece of history. But sure enough, sitting in a parking lot full of 2010 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport models was a white Corvette with 1,500,000 written across the top of its windshield. The once-in-a-lifetime machine will spend its days at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., not far from the assembly plant that puts it together. But on Wednesday, this beautiful ride was parked in Milford and Chevrolet officials said I could take this convertible for a...

Corvette Grand Sport fills gap in price, performance | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- There's now a new 'Vette in the mix. For the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette lineup, General Motors Co. has added a Grand Sport model to fill the price and performance gap between its base model Corvette and the high performance Z06. At the top of the Corvette food chain, of course, is the ZR1. "We felt there was a need for something in between the base model Corvette and the Z06," said Tage Juechter, chief engineer for Corvette. "Some people want a little more performance but don't want to spend over...

Sneak peek: 2010 Mercedes E Class | detnews.com | The Detroit News
The new E-Class models replace the smaller CLK models, and carry several of the styling cues from the Fascination concept shown at the Paris Motor Show. The new coupe and E-Class sedan launched together this summer as a 2010 model, with the convertible following several months later. And, of course, the coupe and convertibles will offer the full range of E-Class powerplants. [source]

Cruisers can still get their car fix in Michigan | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Looking for one last motorhead thing to do before the end of summer? Why not browse the stock of a used car lot? Southern Motors in Clarkston is no ordinary used car lot. You won't find a plaid-suited, slick-talking sales person in the place. Pontiac classic car showroomThe 9,000-square-foot showroom typically holds 35-40 classic cars, muscle cars, and hot rods. Among the vehicles on display now is a totally trick blue-over-white 1956 Chevy Bel Air with a price tag of $29,900. There's also a clean 1972...

Inventive engineer sees light in LED wrenches | detnews.com | The Detroit News
"I don't how many times my dad asked my mom to hold a flashlight for him when he was working on a car." That's from Clifford Wright, whose father, Rollo "Buddy" Wright, restored vintage automobiles: Cords and Duesenbergs and such. "One day, as a kid, I remember him telling me, 'If you can't find or buy a tool, you just have to make it yourself,'" Clifford recalled, adding that his father often had to create his own unique tools to complete a restoration project. And, as they say, like father, like son...

Calif. car auction nets $14M from collectors | detnews.com | The Detroit News
More than 800 car collectors spent $14 million at an auction in California, snapping up Duesenberg and Mercedes-Benz models and passing on a 1939 Auto Union racer that was estimated to fetch as much as $10 million. Jay Leno, the comedian and talk-show host, was among the selective crowd at the Bonhams & Butterfields sale in Carmel that had been forecast by the organizers to make as much as $35 million. Last year's event totaled $21 million. The Auto Union racing car had been expected to make the most...

Battery grants might recharge state's talent base | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- As a business professor and former auto executive in Michigan, Gerald Meyers has seen his share of former colleagues and students leave the state. The state's economy has been shrinking along with its struggling auto industry. And the brain drain is well-documented as the state struggles to keep its own college graduates, much less attract degreed newcomers. "I can speak for my students, who are predominantly leaving the state," said Meyers, a University of Michigan business professor and former...

VW to review marketing, advertising | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Volkswagen of America is reviewing its choice of lead agency handling its U.S. marketing and advertising. Volkswagen AG's U.S. subsidiary announced the review today as part of its strategy to increase its presence in the United States by setting up local production facilities and rolling out models designed for American car buyers. "Our goal of rapidly increasing our volume in a mature market requires the Volkswagen brand to evolve into a more relevant mainstream choice," said Tim Ellis, vice president...

Transportation Department moves to speed 'clunkers' payments to dealers | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- The U.S. Transportation Department is ramping up efforts to speed payments to dealers under the $3 billion "cash for clunkers" program. By the end of the week, the government will have about 1,100 workers processing voucher payment requests of up to $4,500 each, or triple the current number, by tapping the Enterprise Services Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., a Transportation Department center that supports various agencies, officials said. A government contractor, Citi, also has been hiring temporary...