2014corvetterCOY DETROIT (AP) – The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been named North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show. The truck of the year is the Chevrolet Silverado.
 
     The press preview days for the North American International Auto Show kick off with the awards.  The announcements came Monday morning at Cobo Center in Detroit. 
 
     The Chevy sweep came after General Motors made the most appearances on this year’s list finalists. Others included the Cadillac CTS and Mazda3. Truck/utility finalists included the Acura MDX and Jeep Cherokee.
 
     Forty-eight automotive journalists vote on winners from the list of finalists.  
 
     A vehicle must be all new or substantially changed for eligibility. 
 
     This is the 21st year for the awards.
 
     The Cadillac ATS took top car honors last year.

 ford f-1502014 DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – Ford has unveiled its new F-150 pickup — and it’s lost a lot of weight.
 
     The body of the new 2015  F-150 is made almost entirely of aluminum.

 Ford says, the four-door crew-cab models of the 2015 F-150 will weigh as much as 700 pounds less than the current pickup, making it the lightest full-size truck in the segment.
 
     It’s Ford’s response to a desire by small business owners for a truck that is more fuel-efficient and nimble — and to stricter government requirements on fuel economy.
 
     Ford’s F-series trucks have been the best-selling vehicles in the United States for the past 32 years. Last year, Ford sold an F-series every 41 seconds.
 
     Dealers who have seen the new F-150 say they expect to run into some skepticism. But they say the change had to be made.
 http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/13/autos/car-and-truck-of-the-year/

DETROIT (AP) – Chrysler Group is close to deciding on the style of its new minivan, which is expected to go on sale in about two years, CEO Sergio Marchionne said.
 
     Marchionne said the new minivan is a “huge tremendous step forward” in terms of its styling. He expects the company to finalize its plans in the first three months of this year. Marchionne spoke Monday at the Detroit auto show, where Chrysler unveiled its new 200 sedan.
 
     Chrysler will have to spend more than $1 billion to upgrade its Windsor, Ontario, plant to make the new minivan, Marchionne said. The company is talking to the federal and provincial governments about an incentive package that will help offset higher wages in Canada.

 DETROIT (AP) – Fiat’s chairman says CEO Sergio Marchionne will lead a merged Chrysler and Fiat at least for the next three more years.
 
     John Elkann told reporters at the Detroit auto show that he has a deal with Marchionne to stay at least through 2016.
 
     Italian automaker Fiat SpA announced Jan. 1 that it reached a deal to acquire the remaining shares of Chrysler for $3.65 billion from a union trust fund.
 
     Elkann says Marchionne built the two companies into one and will forge them into a strong company together.
 
     Marchionne says the Fiat board will discuss where to locate the new company at its meeting on Jan. 29. Fiat SpA is headquarted in Turin, Italy, while Chrysler is in Auburn Hills, Mich.

 DETROIT (AP) – Mary Barra, the first woman to lead a major global automaker, has a press corps following like no other executive.
 
     Barra, who officially becomes General Motors’ CEO on Wednesday, was pursued by about 100 reporters and photographers after GM swept car and truck of the year awards at the Detroit auto show Monday.
 
     Two large bodyguards and public relations handlers fended off the throng that chased her to the Cadillac exhibit, where she did a television interview. During the pursuit, one cameraman tripped over a couch and another ran into a post.
 
     A security guard said he hadn’t seen as large of a gaggle since former CEO Rick Wagoner was pursued as GM was headed toward bankruptcy in 2009.