William Maley

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 14, 2012 Back in 2008, then Presidential candidate Barack Obama made a pledge to have a million electric vehicles on the nation’s roadways by 2015. Obama reiterated that pledge during his 2011 State of Union address. But a new report from the White House called the “One Year Progress Report” of the President’s “Blueprint For A Secure Energy Agenda” shows the goal won't be reached. President Obama stated last year that “with more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” The plan assumed electric vehicle production capacity would stand at 1.2 million units through 2015 and that his 1 million unit EV target would “not likely to be constrained by production capacity.” Well, President Obama was correct in assuming in assuming capacity wouldn’t be the limiting factor in EV sales. It would be the demand that would be the downfall of this plan.The Chevrolet Volt is selling at about a tenth of the Department of Energy’s projected 120,000 units per year rate, and the Nissan Leaf isn’t expected to hit annual sales of 100,000 units until two years from now. So is the White House admitting defeat? No. What they're doing instead is changing the words. Instead of a 1 million EVs by 2015 goal, the report now says "by 2015, the United States will be able to produce enough batteries and components to support one million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.” Source: Left Lane News View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 14, 2012 Volkswagen is planning on bringing a electric vehicle over to the states sometime late next year. Volkswagen of America President, Jonathan Browning told Automotive News the company is planning on bringing a electric version of the Golf. Volkswagen will follow the same path as other automakers wherein they will only sell the Golf electric in certain markets before rolling it out nationwide. Browning says Volkswagen wants to offer a variety of alternatives for buyers, including diesels, compressed natural gas, and hybrids. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 14, 2012 Back in August, we reported that Mini approved the Paceman concept shown at Detroit Auto Show. Now, we have learned a new name will be appearing. Car & Driver reports the new car will wear the Countryman Coupe nameplate when it comes out next year. The reason is due to the design of the Countryman Coupe being about 95% the same as the regular Countryman. Source: Car & Driver View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 13, 2012 Even after its release, Fisker has been having their share of problems with the new Karma; battery defects, software problems, and Consumer Reports having their Karma die during their testing. A former Fisker employee isn't surprised. The employee told GigaOM that Fisker pushed the Karma before it was production ready to try and meet its milestones from the Department of Energy for its $529 million loan. Unfortunately, the report and the source didn't go into details. When asked for comment, a Fisker spokesperson said, “Quality and customer satisfaction are the top priority for Fisker Automotive. With any new technology there will be unanticipated bugs and we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis. In addition, Fisker’s 24 hour VIP call centers and comprehensive vehicle warranty are also designed to give our customers complete peace of mind.” Source: GigaOM View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 13, 2012 If you were thinking about buying a Subaru BRZ, you might want to do it soon. A Subaru dealership tells Car & Driver that the company is planning on bringing only 6,000 BRZs to the states for the 2013 model year. When asked for comment, Subaru wouldn’t confirm the figure. Previously, Subaru said the business case of the BRZ would be around 5,000 to 7,000 at a $25,000 base price. Now, if you want to get your hands on a BRZ, Subaru dealerships are taking pre-orders. Deliveries are expected to begin sometime in May. Source: Car & Driver View full article

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com March 13, 2012 If you been shopping for a Chevrolet Equinox or GMC Terrain with a four-cylinder and been wondering why there is a lack of them on dealer lots, blame a supplier. Automotive News reports that for the past two months, GM has put order limits on the four-cylinder Equinox and Terrain. That's due to a tier 2 supplier having problems with certain parts for the 2.4L four-cylinder engine. GM spokesman Jim Cain said dealers were told by GM the constraint on the four-cylinder is temporary, but didn't say when it would be resolved. So what do you do if you want an Equinox or a Terrain? If you're willing to give up some MPGs, GM is putting $1000 on the hoods of 3.0L V6 Equinox and Terrain. However, if your heart is set on the 2.4L four, Cain says GM is working with with suppliers to get the supply up to meet demand. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article