Car Fact of the Day

Lincoln was founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland. Leland was one of the founders of Cadillac, originally Henry Ford Company. Leland left General Motors to form the Lincoln Motor Company to build Liberty aircraft engines. After World War I the company was retooled to produce luxury automobiles. Quickly the company fell into financial trouble and was quickly purchased by Henry Ford, and the Ford Motor Company, on February 4, 1922.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: 1978 Lincoln Town Car)

Mercedes-Benz Downsize Engines and Add Turbos

It appears that Mercedes-Benz is downsizing all V8 engines in its lineup for the 2011 model year. Mercedes is following BMW by moving towards smaller turbocharged V8 engines to increase fuel efficiency. In its AMG division, Mercedes is replacing the 6.2L v8 with a 5.5L turbocharged V8. Though Mercedes has yet to reveal the exact sizes of the new engines, expect displacement to run between 4.5L and 5.0L for its passenger cars.

-Anthony Alaniz
(Photo: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG from drivebullitin.com)

2010 NAIAS Car and Truck of the Year Nominees

Forty-nine veteran automotive journalists have released their candidates for the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year.

2010 North American Car of the Year Nominees
BMW 335d
Buick LaCrosse
Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Fusion
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
Honda Insight
Kia Soul
Mazda3/MazdaSpeed3
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Porsche Panamera
Subaru Legacy
Suzuki Kizashi
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI

2010 North American Truck of the Year
Acura ZDX
Audi Q5
Cadillac SRX
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Transit Connect
Honda Accord Crosstour
Land Rover LR4
Lincoln MKT
Subaru Outback
Volvo XC60

The winners will be announced at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January.

-Anthony Alaniz

Term of the Day

Catalytic Converter - An emission control device that is part of the exhaust system. It contains platinum and palladium as a catalyst for chemical reactions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The converter turns vapours into water, carbon dioxide, and other less dangerous toxins.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: Catalytic Converter from aaicar.com)

Geely Expected to Aquire Volvo in Early 2010

Sources are saying that theZhejianj Geely Holding Group has set a goal of purchasing Volvo by February 14th, 2010, the Chinesse New Year. The deal currently between Ford and Geely would be worth an estimated $1.8 billion. Geely would have full control over Volvo's technologies. Though Volvo would continue to have access to Ford technologies that are needed for Volvo's future development.

-Anthony Alaniz

(Photo: Geely and Volvo logo)

Justin Timberlake and Audi

Justin Timberlake was announced as the new spokesperson for Audi's new Internet campaign. Timberlake will be promoting the new Audi A1, Audi's small car concept and production vehicle. Expect the campaign to be launched in the spring of 2010.

-Anthony Alaniz

Ford's European Sale Highest Since 1999

Ford reported a 19.8 percent increase last month in its European market share compared to the same time last year. Ford sold 63 percent of its cars to retail customers including the Fiesta, Kuga, Ka, and the midsized sedan, the Fusion. Ford's increase in sales was in part due to a similar "cash for clunkers" program in Germany, France and England. Last month Ford was the top selling automaker in England and Ireland, and the top imported brand in France and Italy.

-Anthony Alaniz

Video of the Day: Supercuda vs. Enzo