As GM launches its plug in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan releases its all electric Leaf, Mercedes Benz will also be releasing it hydrogen powered vehicles to California residents. Mercedes is leasing the vehicles to a small groups of people in order to study the vehicles performance in real life conditions. This information will be provided to the Department of Energy to help them in their effort to meet stringent mileage and emission regulations.

Powered by an electric motor delivering 134 horsepower, the Mercedes F-Cell B-Class offers the advantages of a gas-powered conventional car, while using half the fuel and emitting only water. “We believe this is a great addition to our fast-growing portfolio of alternative fuel vehicles.” said Sascha Simon, head of advanced product planning at Mercedes-Benz USA. The information gathered by this study will help the effort in transforming the U.S. into a country that is fueled entirely by domestically produced energy

A seat belt problem found in some GM crossovers has lead the automaker to issue a recall that could affect almost 100,000 vehicles. GM reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that during component testing, it was found that some crossover vehicles may have seat belt anchors that could break during a high impact situation. The problem, which could affect both the driver and passenger front seats is being blamed on an unauthorized change to the anchoring tooling. The vehicles affected by this recall are:

  • 2011 Cadillac SRX
  • 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  • 2011 GMC Terrain

Owners can contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 with questions or concerns. They can also consult the GM owner center website at www.gmownercenter.com.

fan blade separation investigation into GMC trucksThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into General Motors 2006 medium duty commercial trucks which include the Chevrolet Kodiak W4500 and W5500, GMC TopKick C4500 and C5500 and Isuzu 4500 and 5000 Series. There have been no injuries to date, but several complaints of fan blades separating from the vehicle have been reported. The problem is being blamed on flexible fan blades that may develop cracks over time. If the investigation should lead to a recall, almost 60,000 medium duty trucks could be affected.

2010 LA Auto Show
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The Los Angeles Auto Show is the last major auto show of the year. This year turned out to be one of the biggest and best seen in a while. Over 1,000 cars, trucks and SUVs were displayed, consisting of electric vehicles, hybrids, high performance super cars, and one of a kind concept cars.

The 2010 show was especially successful with a record number of debuts: 20 world and 30 North American debuts. Many of the car manufacturers debuts showed environmentally friendly and fuel efficient electric and hybrid vehicles. The Chevrolet Volt received much attention, winning the 2011 Green Car of the Year award.

No injuries have been reported, but after concerns were raised by Transport Canada, GM has decided to recall almost 200,000 pickup trucks for an inadequate child restraint system in trucks without rear seats. The vehicles involved in the recall are:

  • 2004-2011 Chevrolet Colorado
  • 2004-2011 GMC Canyon regular cab
  • 2004-2011 GMC Canyon extended cab
  • 2007-2008 Isuzu I-290/I-370
  • 2006 Isuzu I-280/I-350

According to GM, “The child restraint top tether anchor for the front center seat position is not accessible for installing a child seat”, so the child restraint may not be properly secured.”

Customers will be mailed an owner’s manual supplement that describes how to install a child restraint using a top tether in the center position. Dealers will modify the back panel trim cover to allow access to the top tether anchor, if requested by the customer.

General Motors has announced that it will be recalling over 300,000 2009-2010 Chevy Impala automobiles because of a problem with the front seat belts. GM said that the front safety belt webbing may have not been properly attached to the lap belt anchor pretensioner during assembly. There have been no reports of injuries related to the problem, but the company felt a recall was needed after receiving 32 warranty reports. Dealers will inspect how the belts are anchored, and will reinstall the anchors if needed at no cost to the owners. GM will start sending out letters to owners October 26.

Chevrolet and OnStar unveiled the first working smartphone application that will allow owners 24/7 connection and control of vehicle functions and OnStar features remotely. The first to receive this new technology will be the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle which is scheduled to hit the show rooms later this year.

The Chevrolet Volt OnStar smartphone application is designed to enhance the Volt ownership experience with interaction and control never offered before.

  • With this application, owners will be able to remotely monitor and charge their vehicle and can be sent an e-mail informing them of the status.
  • Traditional OnStar features such as door lock, unlock and remote horn and lights – which have typically been accessible only through a call into the OnStar call center – will now be available via the application.
  • Volt drivers can also view and manage vehicle systems and commands from the vehicle, the internet or through a monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics e-mail.
  • The new services, including the ability to read text messages aloud, play music from the Internet-based provider Pandora and post updates to Facebook, won’t be available for a few months, but these and other apps are in the testing phase.
  • Additional upgrades that OnStar is planning include hardware to turn the cars into roving Wi-Fi hotspots. This will allow passengers to share the wireless Internet connection using other devices, like laptops and tablet computers, in the car. The Wi-Fi option won’t appear in 2011 models, but they could be upgraded with U.S.B. attached Wi-Fi routers in the future.

Chris Preuss, president of OnStar said that OnStar is taking a measured approach and is sensitive to the issue of driver distractions. “There’s the issue of what you can do, and then there’s the issue of what you should do,” he said. “We are going to be extremely vigilant on this issue. Just because something is possible, doesn’t always mean we should do it.”

It is no secret that Toyota and Tesla have joined forces to develop an all electric Rav4 that they hope will shake up the electric vehicle market. Tesla has already delivered a working RAV4 EV to Toyota earlier this summer and will debut it to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The vehicle is likely to be one of the stars of the Auto Show, which traditionally hosts “green” vehicle debuts. GM’s Chevy Volt and Nissans Leaf will also be there, but Toyota’s Rav4 hopes to attract the consumer who wants an electric vehicle, but wants something bigger than a compact car.