AppId is over the quota
By AutoObserver Staff September 26, 2011
The U.S. Senate has rejected a bill sent to it by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that would have slashed the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program. Congress originally set aside $7.5 billion in subsidized credit funding for a total of $25 billion in loans to be administered by the DOE, but the latest bill would have cut $1.5 billion from the remaining $4 billion and re-assigned much of it to disaster-relief funding. The Senate voted mostly along party lines to kill the bill, triggering a showdown that may threaten the federal government's operation, which runs out of its current approved funding late this week. Democrats sharply opposed the idea of gutting the remaining ATVM funding, claiming that nearly 50,000 jobs had already been saved or created by the loans already given out, 33,000 at Ford Motor Co. alone.
As automotive analysts at IHS Global Insight said in an email to AutoObserver that the loan program has had mixed success, and Chrysler, GM, and nearly 100 other applicants have been waiting for word on their own loan applications for over two years. To date, the program has dispensed $9.2 billion of the $25 billion it has for loans. The AVTM loans came under scrutiny after a solar-panel manufacturer in California declared bankruptcy after receiving a half-billion dollars from a federal loan program to advance environmental technology.
AutoObserver Staff: The best in the business.
View the original article here
OnStar recently sent e-mails to customers telling them that effective Dec. 1, their service would change so that data from a customer vehicle would continue to be transmitted to OnStar after service was canceled – unless the customer asked for it to be shut off. “We realize that our proposed amendments did not satisfy our subscribers,” OnStar President Linda Marshall said in Tuesday’s press release. “This is why we are leaving the decision in our customers’ hands. We listened, we responded and we hope to maintain the trust of our more than 6 million customers.”
The tough new CAFE rules would establish 2025 fuel economy standards equal to about 40 miles per gallon on the EPA window sticker that consumers use to calculate fuel economy. It was agreed to by most major automakers in July. The voluminous implementing rules include numerous credits for new fuel efficiency technologies. That will give most car companies “wiggle room” to miss hitting the 54.5 mpg standard by several miles per gallon. Once the proposed rules are released there will be a public comment period and then the agencies will draft a set of final regulations. Those are due to be issued in July 2012 and to be phased in for 2025 model-year vehicles beginning in the 2017 model year.
The Chrysler Town & Country was recently ranked as the cheapest vehicle to insure (Chrysler).It's a new year on the calendar this month, but the 2011 model-year has been in full-swing for a while now, enough time for the data compilers to tell us how much we can expect to lay out for auto insurance if we're in the market for a new vehicle. 
The 1994 Honda Accord leads the pack as the most stolen car for 2009 (Honda).
Do these products really improve fuel economy? (Petro-Mag, YouTube).With gas prices above $3.50 a gallon, companies which manufacture "fuel saving" devices are thriving. These companies are vying for the motoring public's dollars and preying on their ignorance. 
One of the most popular is the Tornado Fuel Saver. That device claims to increase fuel economy from 7% to 28%, and also boasts of increasing horsepower by 4 hp to 13 hp. And they claim it takes 2 to 5 minutes to install.
Click on the image above to watch the cell phone video at WSBTV.com (WSBTV).A local news outlet in Atlanta, Ga., obtained a cell phone video of what appears to be a flagrant abuse of power by local police officers. 
The Hyundai Elantra is one example of how automakers can improve on a car's safety rating. (Hyundai)Americans often cite safety concerns for their decision to buy bigger cars, but a recent safety test showed some small cars perform better in crash tests than larger vehicles. 
Cadillac dealers were ranked among the best in customer satisfaction (GM).It's Spring. Time to buy a new car. You pull up to the dealership driving your trade-in on a Saturday morning. You are met by an anxious, eager sales person whom you know is trained to try and close the sale that day. But you, the consumer, want to shop around and take your time. The more you resist an immediate deal, though, the deeper the salesperson digs into their toolbar to "close you." 
The 2011 Cadillac Escalade topped the list as the vehicle with the highest average insurance claim for theft (GM).
New York City bus driver Michael Sanua offers safe driving tips.If you're planning a trip to the New York City any time soon and want to keep safe as you make your way about, you couldn't do better than riding with NYC Transit bus operator Michael Sanua, who's been transporting New Yorkers and tourists through rain, snow, sleet and traffic since 1988 without a single smash-up. 
