Car enthusiasts knew ahead of time that they would have their hands full in Chicago dealing with the freezing temperatures, bitter wind, and snow flurries; but add to that a 4.3 earthquake this morning and you will see how truly dedicated these car aficionados are. The 2010 Chicago Auto Show has seriously started off with a bang… even a rumble!

Whatever you are looking for from the Chicago Auto Show, they have you covered. On display at the show are: alternative fuel vehicles, concept cars, family sedans, hybrids, as well as pickups, SUVs, and minivans. For more detailed information on your vehicle of choice, check out the 2010 Chicago Auto Show website.

Beginning Friday, February 12, 2010, the show will be open to the public from 10 AM – 10 PM until Saturday, February 20. On February 21, the show will be open from 10 AM – 8 PM. In addition to admittance to the general public, many special events will be taking place at the show.

• First Look for Charity will be kicking off the event on Thursday, February 11, from 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM.
• Tuesday, February 16, is Women’s Day and women are admitted all day for a discount price.
• Chrysler will be the host of the Chicago Auto Show Food Drive taking place Wednesday, February 17 through Friday, February 19.
• School and Group discounts are available for purchase as well.

Media coverage of the event is just getting under way and although information and photos are sparse, here’s some pictures to get you started…

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Check back for more news and photos of the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.

All photos courtesy of AutoSpies

Okay, so things didn’t go too well when GM tried to sell Saturn. Or Opel. Or, so far, HUMMER. And Saab itself has gone through its share of unsuccessful suitors, too. But it looks like General Motors has finally gotten lucky, putting together a deal that sells its Saab division to Spyker Cars, N.V.

Here’s the lowdown: General Motors gets about $74 million from Spyker, along with some $326 million in preferred shares of the new company—Saab Spyker—with everyone quick to point out that this translates into only 1 percent of the voting rights in the new entity. On the other hand, the stock deal is essentially payback for GM agreeing to remain a “partner” with Saab through the end of 2016. It’s not clear exactly what this “partnership” will entail, but the net result is that the General will have some sort of voice in Saab’s new plans for a while yet.

For Spyker, the deal will give less-expensive access to some of the resources that go into its current C8 exoticar and future models, more outlets at which to sell such vehicles and a steadier stream of revenue from Saab products. Speaking of which, the initial lineup looks like it will include the current Saab 9-3, the much-anticipated and completely redesigned Saab 9-5, and the nifty-looking Saab 9-4X crossover. Notably, even though the latter two vehicles didn’t make it into production before GM initially decided to wind Saab down, prototype testing continued anyway. As a result, it shouldn’t take much in terms of either time or money to restart production come this April, which is when Saab Spyker hopes to restart the factories.

As long as that date isn’t narrowed down to, say, April 1, I think this will be one Saab story that gets a happy ending.

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Grand Theft Auto is a series of video games that became popular upon its release in October of 1997.  It has grown into nine stand-alone games with two expansion packs for the original game and two expansion packs for the latest game, Grand Theft Auto IV.  Due to popularity, Chinatown Wars has been released on the PlayStation Portable, the Nintendo DS, and even the iPhone OS.  Chinatown Wars is the 13th game released in the series, whether stand-alone or in an expansion pack; it’s the first of the games to be released for the iPhone OS.

The game for the iPhone OS can be downloaded from the Apple Store for a set price.  Allowing the gamer to play it on their touch screen iPhone OS, without using a controller.  The new Independence FM and the new radio station allow users to download tracks or playlists from their iTunes system, while playing the game.  Other new features include: an enhanced 480 by 320 resolution, multi-touch user interface controls, adjusted difficulty levels, and much more.

Booming in popularity.  The Grand Theft Auto video game series has the ability to drive various different vehicles in the game.  The vehicles in the game are not real, even though some cars are modeled off of real-life vehicles.  The name of the series is taken from the real-life crime of grand theft auto, which is the theft of motor vehicles and an intricate part of the game itself.

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Keep up with new automotive games here on our blog.

Auto thefts have become a major problem in the area of Dallas, Texas.  But, local law enforcement agencies will be getting major help, in the form of DNA testing. A federal grant of $500,000 has been given to Dallas County, which will be used by police officers, prosecutors, and the Dallas County crime lab for DNA testing. The program is called the Forensic Evidence Auto Recovery program (FEAR).  Dallas officers will be able to swab areas of the vehicles where thieves may have touched. This is a crucial process in order to track down thieves and possible chop shops that sell salvaged parts.

Sergeant David Landry stated, “Convictions and longer sentences are the results that Dallas County is looking for.  If I can link one person with one car, you may be able to explain it away for whatever reason.  But, it’s harder to explain several.”

The DNA retrieval program could begin as early as the month of March within Dallas County. Running a chop shop, stealing vehicles, or selling these cars to a chop shop are considered a charge that is part of organized crime.   If the person convicted has a prior felony conviction, the charge of organized crime is a sentence of 20 years or more in prison.  If the person involved in the crime only stole a vehicle, he or she can be punished with a prison term of up to 10 years. The grant was awarded from the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice. Law enforcement officials feel this program will be a success because hot-wiring the fuse box to steal a car requires the gloves of the thief to be removed.  This is done because the items are so very intricate, causing the thieves to leave their fingerprints on the vehicle.

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Read more updated reports about auto thefts on our blog.

Auto insurance is one of the most important types of insurance a person can have these days. It’s right behind health insurance, life insurance, and home insurance.  Today, automotive insurance is required by law by certain state minimums to legally drive a vehicle in the United States.  If you are pulled over while driving, show either your proof of insurance or insurance policy. Otherise, your vehicle will be impounded, the driver will be issued a ticket, and possibly even arrested.   The owner of a new vehicle should purchase automotive insurance as soon as the vehicle leaves the sales lot.

If you already have automotive insurance, your policy can be transfered from one car to another.  If the car title is in the name of the insurance holder, no problems should occur during the policy transfer.  Automotive insurance can be costly for people with a poor driving record or a bad credit score.  But, most people without traffic tickets or accidents will pay significantly less than other drivers.  Finding an automotive insurance company and policy that fits your needs can be done with one click of the mouse.  Type your location into a search engine, along with -automotive insurance companies- and you will see thousands of results in return.

Automotive insurance policies can be for single drivers, a married couple, or a family with more than two drivers who need to be insured.  Many automotive insurance companies will give discounts to student drivers who have attained good grades in school and have a clean driving record.  Some automotive insurance companies will also reward drivers who do not get into an accident for an entire year.

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Read more about Automotive Insurance companies here soon.

Last year was rough for General Motors. After emerging from bankruptcy and receiving bailout loans from the government, GM may not seem like it would considered the most innovative company by any measure. But as the Washington Auto Show gets underway, GM has announced that it will be the first major US automaker to manufacture electric motors.

GM is designing and building electric motors for upcoming hybrid and all-electric vehicles within their own facilities, which should make their debut in 2013 on new rear-wheel drive two-mode hybrids.

Vice Chairman Tom Stephens acknowledges that electric motors may become as crucial in the the future as traditional combustion engines are today. By starting to develop this technology now in-house, GM is hoping to make highly-efficient motors that will someday overcome the limitations and challenges of batteries used in today’s hybrids.

Perhaps to no one’s surprise, Uncle Sam has helped GM in developing its electric motor facilities. The US Department of Energy has provided a $105 million grant to GM for improving the automaker’s electric-motor and electric drive component manufacturing capabilities. According to Stephens, this grant will help GM rapidly speed up its R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and hopefully help the “New GM” become more of an innovator than the GM we’ve witnessed in recent years.

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More on General Motors vehicles coming soon.

As we approach the end of January, advertisers and companies are gearing up for the launch of their brand new commercials. Viewers will be watching these commercials during  the most watched football game of the year.  The Super Bowl will be shown on February 7th and air on CBS this year.  One automotive company that will not be running ads during the Super Bowl is Mazda.  There are still plans to increase their advertising campaign for the Mazda 2 small car.

While at the Detroit auto show, Mazda North American Chief, Jim O’Sullivan, released the following statement:

“You’re never going to see us on Super Bowl.  We’re not going to spend that kind of money on that kind of property because yeah, you get a lot of impressions and stuff out there, but the fact of the matter is, do you really get to the target you really wanted?  That’s more of a feel-good ad for a lot of people.  The one thing about the Super Bowl too, if you’re going to go and do ads at the Super Bowl, you better make sure you got some very good creative because you’ll get criticized for your ads if you don’t have very strong creative.  So, is it about selling cars or is this an agency’s competition? They’re memorable in some cases, but that’s a very expensive property.  I would rather take those resources and go where our customers are and focus on what our brand is.”

Many vehicle manufacturers are using the Super Bowl to advertise their new models on the market.  Overseas advertisements include Kia, Volkswagen, and Hyundai.  The traditional advertisements from the United States include Chevy, Ford, and General Motors.  CBS has already sold almost 90 percent of the slots available for ads, at almost $3 million per 30 second ad.

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Catch up on more Automotive Super Bowl advertisements on our blog.

Technology has exploded over the past decade to the point where we have iPod phones, the iPod Touch, MP3 players, Blackberry phones, blue-ray discs, video conferencing, and much more.  Over the past 15 years, one of the most innovative technologies to hit the automotive industry is the navigation device. The navigation device can be purchased as a single unit from an auto shop or electronic store.  It can be carried into your car as you begin driving on the road.  With the purchase of a brand new car, navigation systems come installed in the center console.   As technology continues to expand, one will think about the next automotive innovation for the new decade.

Many automotive industry experts feel that Google will release the next great car.  That is right!  We might be talking about a Google car within the next couple of years.  Google has recently released a phone, why not take the next step and release a car too?  What would the Google car bring to the table?  While driving towards or away from someone, it would keep you connected with everyone in your life.  Being able to use email, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, instant messaging, and many other social media outlets provide major benefits.

Even though this might sound dangerous, everything would be voice activated and backed by Google. Cell phones are no longer necessary.  Now, both hands can be on the wheel and eyes focused on the road at all times.  Even though, technology has hurt the automotive industry with talking while driving, this innovation would improve the safety of everyone on the roads.

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Look for more Google Car information here soon.

Car lovers come to the North American International Auto Show to see the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. In fact, there is some exclusivity to these events as some of these news models are not available outside of the auto show. They are put on display to show what a future model may look like, and if the attendees show enough interest, some of these models may indeed see the light of day.

GMC Granite

The GMC Granite is emblematic of the new direction GMC vehicles are headed. This “urban utility vehicle” is a bit boxy. By targeting a younger crowd with its sporty look, the small sized Granite combines an SUV, a wagon, and a sedan all into one, serving as an all-purpose vehicle. However, these boxy cars have not been known to sell well. So with history against the Granite, only time will tell as to how the GMC performs once it hits the marketplace.

Toyota FT-CH

Toyota is known for their high-quality vehicles. Although they have had a few pitfalls over the past few years, they are ready to get back in the game. The compact hybrid FT-CH was on display at this year’s auto show, showing off its very futuristic look. Will this turn off consumers? We will have to see how it is received. In the meantime, there are some very exciting things taking place in the car industry!

Toyota FT-CH

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Read more about concept cars.

GMAC has been struggling mightily during the recession affecting not only the United States but also the entire world. GMAC is reporting that it lost $5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009 alone. GMAC is an auto lender that has faced large struggles in its mortgage division. The $5 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2009 is largely blamed on a $3.8 billion pre-tax charge that has reflected the decline in the value of the company’s mortgage investments, which it plans to sell.

GMAC is based in Detroit and recently received an additional $3.8 billion in federal aid. GMAC has tried, time and again, to raise the money it needs to rid themselves of their debt from private investors. With the latest $3.8 billion payment in federal aide, GMAC has now received up to $16.3 billion in federal aide over the past couple of years. The Treasury Department has a stake in GMAC, which stood at 35 percent, until the department announced that it would increase its stake to 56 percent.

GMAC provides the majority of its loans to General Motors, Chrysler dealerships, and to the customers of both General Motors and Chrysler. The company used to be owned by GM but also had a stake in the mortgage industry when the housing boom took effect some years ago.  GMAC lost a total of $13 billion over the past three years as its borrowers defaulted on their loans.  The company that bought GMAC from GM in 2006 is Cerberus.  Cerberus still owns a 15 percent stake in the company.  Cerberus might benefit from the latest federal aid provided to GMAC if that aid helps, GMAC will turn it around in terms of its bottom line.

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Read more updates about GMAC .