Wixom plant will get new life as renewable energy park | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Two out-of-state renewable energy firms have selected Ford's shuttered Wixom plant for an ambitious $725 million redevelopment project, creating what officials are calling the nation's largest renewable energy park, company officials said Thursday. The companies, Xtreme Power of Austin, Texas, and Clairvoyant Energy of Santa Barbara, Calif., plan to retool the aging factory, which once built such icons as the Lincoln Town Car and Ford Thunderbird, to manufacture solar panels and utility-scale...

Gadgets in race to keep drivers safe, multitasking | detnews.com | The Detroit News
It's shaping up to be a shootout to manage and balance human behavior, convenience and public safety. But will it be the smart handheld device or the intelligent car that crosses the finish line first? The race to seamlessly synchronize car and driver, easing traffic congestion, enhancing safety while still allowing us to multitask is falling short even as cars adopt more high-tech devices. For now, lawmakers are forcing motorists to choose between driving and texting. One in four motorists admit to...

Horn kids add new language to cars' vocabularies | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Is the roar of a finely tuned engine or that very particular exhaust note the only aural signature of your customized vehicle? If so, consider this statement from Drew Hoffman, an automotive aftermarket parts producer: "A horn is your audio statement to the world." Also consider a friend who recently bought a used Mazda Miata. He didn't find the tone of its standard horn as satisfactory as the car's driving dynamics, so he went to the aftermarket. Now, his car sounds just like a Ferrari -- at least from...

Ad blitz targets diesel fuel's noisy, smelly image | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Imagine trying to market a product that most Americans regard as old and obsolete, that is remembered -- if at all -- as low-class and low-tech, noisy and noisome, and whose most notable advocates are truck drivers with prominent trouser cleavage. CB radio? An excellent guess, but no. Diesel, the oilier cousin of gasoline, dominates the European auto market, where fuel prices hover around $7 per gallon. Diesel is about 25 percent to 40 percent more fuel-efficient than gasoline, with commensurate...

Consumer Reports Tells about American Automakers
Consumer Reports magazine has made it very clear that Ford has excellent reputation among customers while Chrysler needs to get back on its feet and fight for the shoppers’ trust all over. The research was done under “buy American” motto. The results have come rather positive: 81% consumers are ready to shop for a vehicle made by the native manufacturers and Ford is the leader in this group. Consumer Reports claims Ford’s success was built on the company’s aversion to accepting any federal...

Rapper Ludacris gives away cars to contest winners | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Talk about a one-man stimulus package: Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris has given away 20 cars to people who wrote about their struggles to keep their jobs for a lack of wheels of their own. Ludacris said he was taken aback after reading thousands of essays by people struggling or unable to buy cars needed to get to and from work or find jobs. The 31-year-old rapper felt he could step in and move them ahead, partnering with a suburban Atlanta dealership for Sunday's giveaway. "People are getting laid...

No chaos emerges as Samoa changes driving side | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- Car horns and sirens sounded, church bells rang out and roads were crowded with vehicles and smiling drivers Monday as Samoa became the first country in decades to officially switch from right-side to left-side driving. Hundreds lined streets in the capital, Apia, to witness the early-morning switch on the country's highways as police manned scores of checkpoints and warned drivers to keep their speed down. The government is bringing Samoa in line with Australia and New Zealand to encourage some of...

Obama fuel rules may tilt field | detnews.com | The Detroit News
-- The Obama administration's long-awaited proposed regulation setting fuel efficiency standards at 35.5 miles per gallon by the 2016 model year will be rolled out as early as this week. But the rules may give some automakers a competitive advantage. The regulation is expected to mirror a California provision that gives less-stringent tailpipe emissions requirements to automakers with annual U.S. sales of no more than 400,000 vehicles, mainly German and Asian manufacturers. Reducing emissions is best...

Ban on Texting while Driving
The laws against using cell phones while driving are getting strict. Governors Highway Safety Association has signed a new policy which calls all the states to ban texting behind the wheel. This new policy came right before the summit on distracted driving which will take place in the U.S. Department of Transportation on September, 30 and October, 1. It will be available live by Webcast and anybody is allowed to submit questions for the discussion at the summit. Mainly the talkers will be considering...

Mustang Is the Best Sport Car Again
The 2010 Ford Mustang won the new test of sporty cars and coupes held by Consumer Reports. It showed to be better than Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. The Mustang was qualified as “an even more balanced and satisfying driver's car than ever before.” The pony car was rated “very good” by scoring 78 points at the overall road test. It was praised for “strong suspension, communicative steering and the most agile handling”, according to the senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test...