Analysts Predict U.S. New Cars Sales to Grow to 15 Million Units in 2013, Used Car Prices to Fall

New light-vehicle sales in the States are gradually recovering from the slump that began in 2007 with the global credit crunch and will continue to grow in 2013, albeit at a slower pace than previous years, according to most automotive analysts.

Edmunds.com projects 15 million new car sales in 2013, a four percent increase over 2012, which is expected to end with around 14.5 million units. It will be the first time since 2007 that the U.S. market will surpass the 15 million sales mark.

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Hyundai Elantra Sets New Sales Record in the States, Could Pass 200,000 Units this Year

Now in its fifth generation, the Hyundai Elantra has set another all-time sales record in the States in 2012, exceeding last year’s total of 186,361 units earlier this month. Read more »

Fiat Group Plans to Re-Launch Alfa Romeo…Again, Product Plan Shows 9 New Models

It's a story that we've heard again, and again, and again from the Fiat Group; re-launch and turn the Alfa Romeo brand into a global player in the premium segment.

Whether the Italians will to stick to the program remains to be seen, but given the recent developments with Maserati, including the introduction of the new Quattroprote and sightings of Ghibli prototypes, there's a good chance Fiat means it this time.

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Chevrolet to Offer 2014 Camaro with Corvette Z06's LS7 7.0-liter, 505HP V8?

A General Motors document published in the Camaro5 forums may shed some light on a new engine option being prepared for the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro.

Said document shows the 7.0-liter LS7 V8 engine added to the rest of the Camaro's available powerplants for the 2014 model year. The LS7 is used in the current Corvette Z06, in which it has an output of 505HP and 470 lb-ft (636.5 Nm) of maximum torque.

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Fiat CEO Defiant Amid Analysts’ Dim Predictions, Believes Upscale Products will Save Italian Plants

Politics play a big part as far as large-scale auto manufacturers are concerned. The GM and Chrysler bailout initiated by Republican President George W. Bush and implemented by his Democrat successor in the White House, Barack Obama, was a political decision rather than one based solely on cold, hard facts.

Most European governments are now faced with the same problem due to the debt crisis that has led to a plunging new car market. The French government has already financed PSA Peugeot Citroen; Italians fear that Fiat, whose Italian plants are running way below their minimum capacity, as there is no demand to satisfy, may be forced to close some of them.

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EU Wants to “Drastically” Reduce Vehicle Noise Levels, MEPs Think Suggested Law is Overambitious

The first-ever legislation imposing limits on the level of noise emitted by motor vehicles in Europe was introduced in 1970, when the European Union harmonized its member states’ varying requirements into a uniform rule. It has been updated from time to time since then, of course, with the latest legislation been put into effect in 2007.

Since half of the EU's urban population is exposed to noise levels above 55 db because of ambient road noise and medical research has shown that persistent exposure to high levels of traffic noise may impede one’s health, the EU’s Environmental Committee thought it was about time they took another look at the legislation.

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Land Rover wants New Defender to be More Modern but Tough as Nails

Despite receiving some updates for 2013, which consist mainly of two new colors, new seats and an audio system, the Defender’s replacement is long overdue.

Land Rover, of course, knows this very well; as a matter of fact, it hopes that the next Defender will do for the brand, in terms of image and sales, what the Evoque has done for its Range Rover luxury sub-division: become a sales hit, bring new buyers to the brand and update its image.

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Tesla Model S Lands in Europe, Prices Start From €71,400 in Germany

With U.S. deliveries having started since June, Tesla Motors is now introducing its Model S all-electric luxury saloon in the European market – but only in its higher-end versions.

For the time being, Tesla announced that it will offer only the 60- and 85-kWh battery pack versions, leaving the 40-kWh edition out of the Model S' European range.

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Female Officer Accused of Searching Womens' Private Parts During Routine Traffic Stop [NSFW]

A female state trooper from Texas has been suspended following allegations of an illegal and humiliating “roadside body cavity search” during a routine traffic stop.

According to KVUE news, two Irving women, Angel Dobbs, 38, and her niece, Ashley Dobbs, 24, were driving along Highway 161 on July 13, when they were pulled over by state troopers Kelley Helleson and David Farrell for allegedly throwing a cigarette butt out the window of their car.

In the dascham footage released by the women and their attorney this week, Helleson is seen prepping herself by wearing a latex glove and performing an extensive…cavity search on both females.

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Porsche Fires “Italian Torpedo” Over Failed VW Takeover, Former Execs Charged

Don’t worry, Porsche is not attacking Ferrari or Lamborghini. An "Italian torpedo" is lawyer slang for when someone files a lawsuit in a certain court while the other party does the same in a different country. Italian courts can take years to decide on jurisdiction, so the case stalls; hence the term.

That’s exactly what Porsche has done, filing a lawsuit against the Pendragon fund in the Regional Court of Stuttgart 11 days before Pendragon filed its own lawsuit against the company in London.

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Over 118,000 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon Trucks Recalled for Missing Hood Latches

Oops…it looks like GM may have overlooked to add a secondary hood latch on its 2010-2012MY Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twin pickup trucks, built from November 9, 2009, through August 28, 2012. Read more »

NHTSA Says Black Boxes “Essential” for Vehicle’s Safety, Drivers’ Privacy will be Protected

Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it wants the U.S. government to make black boxes, or event data recorders (EDRs) as is the official term, mandatory in all new vehicles that will be built after September 2014.

According to the NHTSA, almost all new passenger cars and light-duty vehicles (96 percent, to be precise) currently on sale have the EDR capability built in, and 91 percent already have them installed by their manufacturers.

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Hyundai Recalling 2012 Veloster Because Panoramic Sunroof May Shatter and For Parking Brake Issue

For the month of December, Hyundai has issued two separate recalls for its 2012 model year Veloster sports hatch in the States.

The first recall action affects 13,500 Velosters manufactured from November 1, 2011, through April 17, 2012, and equipped with panoramic sunroofs.

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Too Little, Too Late: Suzuki to Import 2,500 Cars from Japan to Meet Increased Demand in the U.S.

In November, Suzuki's automotive division in announced that it would be shutting down its operations in the United States. On Thursday, December 20, American Suzuki Motor Corp successfully filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, in Santa Ana, California, winning permission to close its automotive operations, while re-organizing its motorcycle and boat businesses.

But that's not all that went down in the court as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott Clarkson also approved Suzuki's request to borrow $50 million to import extra cars from Japan. Confused? Well, allow us to explain.

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Lexus' Global Hybrid Sales Cross Half-Million Milestone

Cumulative worldwide sales of Lexus hybrid vehicles broke the half a million mark at the end of November 2012, the company announced today. This milestone was reached seven years after the market introduction of the brand's first hybrid model, the RX 400h in 2005. Read more »

GM and PSA Axe Plans for Mid-Size Models, Narrow Their Partnership

Even though it hasn't been that long since General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citroen announced big plans for an elaborate partnership, the two companies have failed to come to an agreement on a number of projects.

After dropping plans to jointly develop a small car for Latin America and a dual-clutch gearbox earlier this year, we now learn that GM and PSA have also scrapped plans for a joint mid-size car program that would have seen models like the next-generation Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5 sharing parts.

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Fiat Confirms Production of New 500X and Small Jeep CUV at Italy's Melfi Plant

With rumors floating around since October, today it was  finally confirmed that the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance will build the new Fiat 500X and a closely related Jeep-badged small crossover at the company's Melfi assembly plant in Italy beginning in 2014.

The announcement was made on Thursday at the Fiat plant in Melfi with company Chairman John Elkann and CEO Sergio Marchionne presenting the production plans. Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti was also in attendance.

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Honda Gets its Mojo Back: Consumer Reports Puts 2013 Accord on Top of its Class

Despite the (in)famous 2012 Civic episode, there seems to be no bad feelings between Honda and Consumer Reports (CR). The publication may have dropped the 2012 Civic from its recommended list pressuring for a quick redesign, but Honda can relax as far as its U.S. market best-seller is concerned.

In fact, it may even smile as CR has put the 2013 Accord at the top of its class in four-cylinder guise while it notes that the V6 version is “challenging the Toyota Camry for the top spot” in its ratings.

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Maserati Rumored to be Readying a Compact SUV to Rival the Porsche Macan for 2016

Fiat is determined to make Maserati a serious player in the luxury segment. This means expanding its range, which until now, is based on just two models and their variations, considerably in order to attract new customers.

Recently, company CEO Harald Wester said the Modena-based automaker wants to increase its annual sales nearly nine times (!), to 50,000 units, until the end of 2015.

The sixth-generation Quattroporte flagship luxury saloon that has already broken cover and will make its official debut at the 2013 NAIAS next month is just the first step. It will be followed late next year by the smaller Ghibli saloon to compete with models such as the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

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GM to Move Production of Next Camaro from Canada Back to the U.S., CAW Not Happy…

The next iteration of the Chevrolet Camaro won't be built in Canada, as is the case with the current model, but at GM's Lansing Grand River (LGR) Assembly Plant in Lansing, Michigan.

General Motors made the announcement today citing "lower capital investment and improved production efficiencies" as the key factors in its decision to shift production of the car back to the States.

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