On Thursday, Ford declared that it will produce an automobile with inflatable seat belts. It would be the world’s first automobile with this technology. This technology was originally designed almost a decade ago in a conceptual form. But Ford would be the first automotive company to install this concept in its vehicles. The Ford Explorer would be the first vehicle that would be equipped with this system. It would be available in the market by the year 2011.

The inflatable seat belts have been designed to safeguard the passengers in the rear seats. As these passengers lack the protection cover of the full scale airbags, they are prone to get seriously affected if the vehicle gets hit or any other similar mishap occurs. Initially, they would be used for the rear seats only, but it is possible that it might be used to protect the passengers sitting at the front also, after some period of time. Though no such declaration has been made as of now by Ford. (more…)

Fuel-efficiency has always been one of the major concerns of car ownership. Most buyers consider fuel-efficiency as the top determining factor in owning a vehicle. Have a look at North America’s most fuel-efficient vehicles in their respective classes, as suggested by the United Sates Department of Energy: (more…)

Parents are always concerned about their children’s, especially teens’ conduct on the road as car drivers! It is very important to be careful while driving. But, all parents out there, do you know that you can ensure a bit more safety of your teen drivers by suggesting them the latest safest cars. Yes, you can get your child one of the safest cars available in the market.

The 2009 sees some of the best car models in terms of safety. Mitsubishi Outlander, Volvo XC90, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Saturn Vue and Audi Q7 are a few to name! The 2009 Audi Q7 would obviously be a nice pick. The full-size sport utility vehicle  earned five stars in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA’s crash-test ratings, as well as it has been rated as “Good” in front, rear and side impact crash testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (more…)

It was being said that if Barack Obama wins the U.S. presidential election, he would enter the White House during the most difficult period in America’s financial history. However, this would not deter him anymore, as the reality is that he won and became the new president of the U.S. It seems that the U.S auto industry might have played a vital role in electing their new prez, since Obama’s victory has been strongly endorsed by the struggling industry.

It has been expected that Obama’s victory would help the automakers to seek federal aid in order to survive the recession. In a very effective speech Obama said, “We started the auto industry. (more…)

Here is the clarification from Tata Motors in response to the grapevine that the India’s  top auto maker is going to buy Ford’s stake in Japan’s Mazda Motor Co. Lately, the company’s spokesman Debasis Ray denied such reports.

“There have been reports in the media that Tata Motors is among potential buyers for shares in Mazda Motors. Tata Motors clarifies that the report is incorrect,” said Ray. (more…)

A brutal and cruel environment of sales in the United States has caused another key industry forecaster to curtail the projections the sale of vehicles in the U.S.

Earlier, Global Insight (USA) Inc. said U.S. light-vehicle sales probably will fall to 13.8 million units this year and then fall even more, to around 13.4 million, in 2009.

The generation of 16.15 million U.S. vehicle sales was done in the year 2007. It was down by 2.5 percent from sales that were generated in the previous year. The exact number was 16.56 million in the year 2006 (more…)

President Bush today signed the $700 billion dollar “financial rescue deal” for the nation’s financial system.

He signed the deal just after the House of Representatives voted 263-171 for the measure. The deal was done in order to give an all together new start to the stalled credit markets and estimated to cost more than 700 billion dollars.

”By coming together on this legislation, we have acted boldly to help prevent the crisis on Wall Street from becoming a crisis in communities across our country,” Bush said this in the White House Rose Garden (more…)

Here comes the Orange County Auto Show, the ultimate destination for manufacturers over the globe, as well as passionate consumers. This indoor exhibit of will be held for four days at the Anaheim Convention Center, California, starting October 2. More than 500 new-model vehicles from more than 40 domestic and foreign manufacturers will be on display under one roof. Really, a great place to be in!

The Orange County Auto Show is presented by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southern Motor Car Dealers Association. (more…)

The House of Representatives on Wednesday finally approved funding for a $25 billion loan program, to help the auto industry in retooling plants to produce  more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Senate is expected to approve funding for the loans next week and President George Bush is expected to sign the bill into law.

The bill that would continue to fund the federal government in the new fiscal year starts on October 1, including a $7.5 billion to start the loan program. The loan program is an another step of the government into its involvement in auto industry operations, after it had guaranteed loans to Chrysler Corp. in 1979. (more…)

It’s good to know that the Bush administration has finally widened the plan to buy as much as $700 billion worth of bad mortgages and other problem assets, such as debt student loans, home equity loans and credit cards, held by banks, Wall Street firms and other financial institutions.

But, here the question rises, if bad car loans are going to be included in the proposed bailout? However, a financial trade association said “Yes” to its answer. (more…)