Former CEO of General Motors, Robert C Stempel, better known as Bob Stempel died on Saturday at the age of 77. Bob Stempel joined General Motors as an engineer in 1958 and worked his way up. He was CEO of General Motors from 1990-1992 and the president of the company from 1987 to 1990. He quit the company in 1992 after a boardroom argument. His latest work involved electric cars and high technology batteries amongst other automobile engineering interests.

“The General Motors family mourns the passing of Bob Stempel, who admirably led the company during very difficult times in the early 1990s,” a statement released by the company on Monday read. “Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history.”

“His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992,” the statement adds. Stempel is attributed to developing the front-wheel-drive Toronado at Olds.

Apart from his work as an automobile engineer, Stempel is widely known for the 1975 incident when his son Timothy was kidnapped. Though he was unharmed as was rescued after two days from the trunk of a car, the Stempel family came to the public limelight. After his stint with General Motors, he became an adviser to Energy Conversion Devices.

Though Stempel’s cause of death is unclear, unconfirmed reports reveal that he was hospitalized recently in West Palm Beach, close to where his family home is. Along with his wife, Pat, Bob Stempel also owned a horse farm in Oxford, Michigan and a second home in Loxahatchee.

Chrysler, in a press statement has announced the launch of eight custom grilles and six wheel design packaged for the 2011 Chrysler 300. The company’s flagship sedan owners will have the options to choose from the customizable and personalized car additions. The parts will be manufactured by Mopar, which distributed approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries, which include parts for Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat apart from Chrysler.

The release elucidates that while the biller aluminum made grilles will cost owners anywhere in between $310 and $710, the wheels, which will be available in 18-inch, 19-inch and 20-inch designs will cost owners $265 to $610.

“Mopar is offering a full menu of grilles and wheels for those looking to customize and personalize their all-new Chrysler 300,” said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC. “By itself, the Chrysler 300 makes a statement. Our grilles and wheels provide exclamation points. And unlike other aftermarket offerings, our grilles are specifically tested for aero, cooling and thermal, and our wheels are specifically designed and tested for durability and impact.”

Though being manufactured by Mopar, the designs for the grilles have been made by Chrysler to ensure perfect fit. The press release lists out the grille options: “The selection includes a 13-bar grille and a diamond-pattern grille, both constructed of billet aluminum. Both grilles are chrome-plated and polished to a high luster. The 13-bar grille features narrow horizontal, 5mm blades patterned within the traditional Chrysler 300 grille shape that first defined the model more than 55 years ago. The diamond-pattern grille features 154 individual diamond shapes and has a high-chrome polish.”

Owners of the 2011 Chrysler 300 can now choose from the custom range of grilles and wheels to make their cars stand out from the crowd.

Photo by M 93

American Honda Motor Company has announced an increase of 5.7 per cent in sales in 2011. While the total car sales for Honda went up from 113,697 (April 2010) to 124,799 (April 2011), the sales numbers for trucks went up from 66,547 to 73,709 (an increase of 6.7 per cent).

Amongst details, the Honda press release details the numbers. “Record-breaking April sales of the CR-V, Fit and Insight pushed April sales of the Honda Division monthly sales to 113,195, an increase of 5.9 percent versus April 2010. The CR-V crossover utility vehicle was up 25.3 percent for the month to an April record of 21,683. Sales of the sub-compact Fit increased by 66.3 percent to an April record of 8,116 and the Insight hybrid increased by 35.4 percent to an April record of 2,644 units. Sales of Honda cars increased 6.7 percent overall for the month to 67,536, with Accord and Civic selling 30,310 and 26,777, respectively, for April,” it read.

“Acura Division April 2011 sales increased 4.2 percent to 11,604 compared to April 2010. The MDX luxury sport utility vehicle led the division with sales of 3,912, an increase of 1.4 percent over April 2010.”

“Honda had another very strong month led by Accord, Civic and CR-V. In fact, sales of the versatile and refined Honda CR-V, America’s best-selling SUV, broke records for the third consecutive month,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda.

“While our current dealer supply of vehicles remains adequate, we know that production constraints may start to affect sales into the summer months. However, we are working closely with our dealers, and together we are committed to continue our focus to support the needs of our customers,” he added.

Photo by Tabercil

The American Honda Motor Company, in a press release has announced a lineup of vehicles that will be part of the 2012 model year. “These 2012 models emphasize the far-ranging options that Honda brings to customers and this broad array of machines also underscores another exciting new season for Honda,” the release reads. The lineup includes vehicles like dual-sport and off-road motorcycles, ATVs and the Big Red™ MUVs amongst others.

“Over the years, riding enthusiasts have come to know, appreciate and trust the wide diversity of machines that Honda offers,” said Powersports Press Manager Bill Savino in the release. “This extensive release of 2012 models serves as a perfect example of how we strive to meet the many needs of today’s riding enthusiasts. This latest new-model release will fulfill the needs of many riders, but I’m excited to add that in addition to these models, we have even more new releases to follow later this year.”

Along with new models, the American Honda Motor Company has also announced a lineup of 2012 Honda Genuine Accessories. As the release lists out, “2012 models includes: the CRF450R, CRF250R and CRF150R/RB motocross machines; the dual-sport XR650L; Honda’s popular selection of small-displacement recreational off-road bikes, the CRF100F, CRF80F, CRF70F and CRF50F; a host of ATVs including the FourTrax® Rancher® family, the FourTrax® Recon®, TRX400X and TRX90X; plus the versatile Big Red.”

Most of the products are expected to hit the market by end of June to August. The details of the product are available on the Honda website.

Nissan NV200 has been chosen as by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) as the new fleet of taxis. TLC, in a press announcement at the City Hall made the announcement. The new fleet of taxis will hit the road at the beginning to 2013.

“The city’s Taxi of Tomorrow is the Nissan NV200 – and it’s going to be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient cab the city has ever had,” said Mayor Bloomberg, who was present at the announcement. “We started this process to leverage our taxi industry’s purchasing power to get the highest quality taxi, one that that can expand and redefine the legendary image of New York City taxicabs. The new taxis will be custom-designed to meet the specific demands of carrying 600,000 passengers a day in New York City traffic and the vehicle meets the top priorities identified by the public in our on-line survey.”

The NV200 taxi, which won the “Taxi for Tomorrow” selection process, will be produced at Nissan’s North America facility at Cuernavaca, Mexico. The standard model of the vehicle has a suggested retail price (MSRP) of around $29,000.

“Nissan is proud to provide the next generation of taxis for the City of New York,” said Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares. “The NV200 taxi will give Nissan the opportunity to showcase our dedication to vehicle quality and urban mobility to more than 600,000 passengers every day.”

The entire taxi selection process took about 2 years. It was in 2009 that TLC had issues a “request for proposals”, where automobile companies could send in their designs and proposal for the new fleet of taxis.

Honda Power Equipment, in a press release has announced the launch of its official NASCAR® Skinit® Kit- an accessory for the Honda EU2000i Super Quiet Series portable generator.

“The new NASCAR® Skinit Kits allow racing enthusiasts all over the country to proudly display their allegiance to their favorite race team while using their Honda EU2000i generators,” said Rock Reed, assistant vice president, Honda Power Equipment. “Because Honda generators already are a big part of the race tailgating and camping experience, these kits will be right at home with race fans.”

The kit, which is being manufactured by Skinkit consists of “a line of thin, flexible generator covers, each imprinted with official race graphics from one of three exciting racing teams”, according to the press release. The teams are JRM (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.), Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray. “These new kits follow last year’s successful launch of the company’s popular Collegiate Skinit Kit program,” the release adds.

“We are thrilled to offer Honda generator owners a chance to show their racing spirit with NASCAR® inspired designs, along with Skinit’s ability to infuse individual style to make their Honda generator unique,” said Laura Christine, Executive Vice President of Skinit.

The Honda EU2000i Super Quiet Series generators are widely used in outdoor events where it can run multiple electrical equipments at the same time. According to the company, it can run for 9.6 hours using 1.1 gallon of gasoline and weighs only 46 pounds (dry weight). According to Honda, the generator is used in racing events, job sites, campsites, picnics, tailgating events and more and can be used to power “fans, TVs, radios, blenders, coffee pots, small power tools and notebook computers”.

Hyundai Sonata has been declared the best family car by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazines. All the shortlisted cars selected by the magazine were below $35,000 with a certain level of fuel efficiency. Sonata is one of the top nine which were selected by the magazine’s evaluation team.

The company has shared its joy on their official website, where it quotes Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “The 2011 Sonata is a smart buy for families looking for class-leading comfort, an EPA designated large volume interior and advanced standard safety technologies,” he said, “Couple that with a four-cylinder engine lineup producing impressive fuel economy with the power of a V6, and the Sonata is the perfect midsize sedan choice for parents and their kids.”

Kiplinger, to bring together the list performed road tests on the cars and checked for cargo space. They also interviewed owners, especially parents about strollers and gear space. The vehicles listed “also received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick designation — meaning they get the top rating not only for front, side and rear crash tests but also for roof-strength rollover tests, and they have standard stability control. Traction control and six airbags are also standard on each,” explains the magazine.

“Hyundai’s Sonata beat out the midsize sedan competition to earn Kiplinger’s Best New Car award this year for an innovative redesign that’s parent and kid-friendly,” said Jessica Anderson, associate editor, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “The turbocharged Sonata SE 2.0T has the most horsepower in the segment and nimble handling for Mom or Dad. The back seat fits two child car seats easily, plus it has decent legroom and cup holders in the rear armrest.”

Other cars that made the list include Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI, Subaru Outback, Toyota Highlander, Kia Sorento, Ford Flex, Chevrolet Traverse and Honda Odyssey.

According to statistics released by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), more than 50 per cent of Canadians believe that the country’s roads and highways are getting worse, while only 12 per cent believe they are getting better.

The survey statistics are eye opening for the federal conservative government as they showcase the opinions of 5,000 Canadian citizens which include 4,000 member of the CAA alone. Of the people asked, 45 per cent said that they didn’t see any improvement in the condition of roads from the infrastructure investments made in the last couple of years. Only 42 per cent said they noticed improvement.

Over the last 5 years, 24 per cent Canadians said that their average commute time has actually increased than the 11 per cent who said it had decreased. “Infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy and transportation system, and Canadians know there remains a substantial infrastructure deficit across the country”, said Jeff Walker, VP public affairs for the CAA.

“Now is the time for political leaders to embrace this challenge in a cohesive, innovative way. We need a long-term plan, inclusive of roads and highways, transit, cyclist and pedestrian needs, and one that will integrate state-of-the-art technological systems and practices into Canada’s infrastructure,” he added.

Road conditions and the quality of commutation also determine the environment, economic situation and lifestyle of a country. With most Canadians not being able to see positive impact in their country, the country can only be affected negatively, though the government has made substantial efforts to match the infrastructural needs of the country.

Chevrolet Volt has been declared as the Green Car of the year for 2011. The award was hosted by Bridgestone Corporation at the New York International Auto Show where Chevrolet became the seventh car to win the prestigious award since the awards’ inception in 2004.

“The selection of the Volt as the World Green Car is a further proof point of the fuel efficient technologies that are now being offered by the Chevrolet brand around the world,” said Rick Schiedt, Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing in a statement. “This award, and the others that have preceded it, validate the efforts of the development team to build a truly remarkable vehicle with the potential to transform transportation around the globe.”

To be eligible for the award, the cars had to be newly created or “substantially revised” and must have been in production or at least introduced for sale to the public between January 1, 2010 and May 30, 2011. The three experts (Phil Berg, Dean Slavnich and Tadashi Tateuchi) appointed by the World Car Awards Steering Committee, who were given the duty to judge the cars unanimously chose the Volt.

The press release explains that “tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle’s environmental responsibility, were all taken into consideration.”

Previous World Green Car winners include the Volkswagen BlueMotion (2010), Honda FCX Clarity (2009), BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics (2008), Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (2007) and Honda Civic Hybrid (2006).

Photo by Tom Raftery

Nissan Leaf has been declared the Car of the Year 2011. The first full electric vehicle beat the other two top three contenders- Alfa Romeo Guilietta (248 points) and the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva (244 points). The Jury members voted the Nissan Leaf the winner with 257 points.

A review on the Car of the Year website explains why Nissan Leaf won the award. “In spite of the lack of a large recharging network and the limited range, the Leaf represents a technical and commercial bet that might otherwise satisfy many potential consumers, especially where public incentives will come to reduce the paying price,” it reads.

Nissan is the second Japanese model to win the Car of the Year. The first one was won by Nissan Micra in 1993 with 338 points. Last year’s Car of the Year was won by the Volkswagen Polo with 347 points.

The “no gas, no tailpipe” 5 door Nissan Leaf was introduced in the US and Japan in December 2010. Apart from being the Car of the Year 2011, the Nissan Leaf has also won 2010 Green Car Vision Award and the 2011 European Car of the Year award.

Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc, in the Nissan Leaf press release recognizes the need for green cars like Leaf. “There’s little debate on the need to reduce vehicle emissions in the future. Nissan is taking an aggressive approach to establishing leadership in zero-emission vehicles, with the LEAF being our first effort,” he says adding that the car they have created is “a vehicle that is totally electric, produces zero carbon emissions while driving and has 100 miles of range.”