Dodge Grand Caravan Spot Belittles GM's Deceased Pontiac and Saturn Brands

While General Motors may be taking a swipe at Chrysler with its announcement on the recovery of a stolen 300 sedan equipped with its aftermarket OnStar FMV system, the Auburn Hills-based carmaker had its own moment of Zen with a new commercial on the Dodge Grand Caravan.

The 30-second ad is called "The Right Tool for the Job" and it's part of a new campaign for the Dodge Grand Caravan that will be followed by four more spots in the first quarter of 2012.

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The Company Formerly Known as “Old GM” is Dead at Age 103

It was long overdue, but it was bound to happen: the company lawyers named Motors Liquidation Co. but which we came to know as "old GM" during the 2009 government bailout period, died on Thursday, December 15.

Though it had a very long lifespan of 103 years, no one really noticed its demise. After all, this was just U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerbert signing the death certificate. Giving birth to the “new GM” two years ago was a very painful process – and one that most of those involved would like to forget.

It meant the sacrifice of three of its brands (Pontiac, Hummer and Saturn) and getting rid of another (Saab, which ironically is now in a similar position), closing 13 plants along with 900 dealerships. GM also had to reduce its U.S. workforce from 91,000 to 68,500 employees, which either way, is a far cry from the 525,000 workers it had in the States and another 100,000 outside the country in 1955.

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Surprise, Surprise: Canada's Most Stolen Vehicle is the 2009 Toyota Venza, Pontiac Aztec Makes Top 10

Who would have ever guessed that car thieves in Canada have a thing for the Toyota Venza? Yet, the 2009 model year version of Toyota's crossover topped the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s [IBC] top 10 most frequently stolen vehicles this year.

The 2009 Venza takes the crown from the 2000 Honda Civic SiR Coupe that was last year’s number one stolen vehicle but dropped to third place in 2011, just below the 1999 Honda Civic SiR Coupe.

The Japanese carmaker's models prove to be very popular among Canadian thieves as the 1998 and 1999 Acura Integra Coupe also made the list taking the 9th and 10th spot respectively.

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It Came from eBay Hell: The Meadowsa XP8

It's no exaggeration to say that there are more Pontiac Fieros posing as something else than there are original models, which goes to show you how much respect buyers have for GM's ill-fated sports car.

Over the years, we've brought you all sorts of Fiero-based replicas from a pretty amazing Lamborghini Miura clone to a Porsche Carrera GT and a funny-looking Ferrari F40, but this latest find on eBay, called the Meadowsa XP8, is trying to be something of its own.

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Feds Investigate Transmission Cable Problems in at Least Three GM Models

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said on Monday that it is widening a preliminary investigation that began with 23 complaints about the Saturn Aura sedan from the 2007 and 2008 model years, over a transmission cable issue that may deteriorate over time and fail. If this happens, the shift lever position may not match the car's actual gear.

The safety agency said it is also looking to see if the same problem exists in at least two more GM models equipped with similar cable installations used on four-speed automatic transmissions, the 2004-2008MY Chevrolet Malibu and 2005-2008MY Pontiac G6.

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