Car news and headlines for the week of September 5, 2010. Tim Allen, Chevy, Ferrari, Toyota, & more

Let's take a look at some of the more interesting automotive headlines throughout the industry over the past week.

Actor/Comedian Tim Allen the new voice of Chevrolet

Chevrolet launched their latest advertising campaign on Tuesday for the new Cruze compact sedan. “Get used to more” is the tagline, as the campaign aims directly at Toyota Corolla intenders. The new Cruze spots also mark the debut of the new voice of Chevrolet, actor/comedian Tim Allen. Allen, a Detroit native, was chosen because of his blue collar roots and popularity among those who would consider purchasing a Chevrolet. So listen for the voice of Buzz Lightyear the next time you see a Chevy commercial on the tube. Production of the Chevrolet Cruze started Wednesday in Lordstown, Ohio.

On-Star celebrates 15-years

General Motors’ global positioning tool On-Star celebrated their 15th birthday Thursday. Since that time, they have responded to more than one million emergency calls, they have delivered 59 million Turn-by-Turn navigation instructions, and they have unlocked 4.7 million car doors via satellite. It’s hard to believe this technology has been around that long. Over the years, many features have been added to this subscription-based service. Today, On-Star is available in more than 30 different 2010 GM vehicles.

Kia co-CEO quits

Chung Sung-eun, co-CEO of Kia Motors, resigned his position after taking responsibility for the recall of nearly 86,000 vehicles. The recalls were to repair faulty wiring that could cause heat damage in the interiors of certain vehicles, including the Kia Soul. 86,000 doesn’t seem like a lot of vehicles in the grand scheme of things, and even the nature of the recall doesn’t resonate as something that would make a CEO step down, but in light of Toyota’s massive recalls throughout the year, this is becoming more of a hot button than it ever has in history.

Ferrari recalls 458 Italia

Late last week, Ferrari announced a recall of their new 458 Italia sports car due to a faulty heat shield that could come in contact with the exhaust, causing the $230,000 vehicle to burst into flames. Since Ferraris by nature are limited production vehicles anyway, it stands to reason that this recall only affects 303 cars. Still, a number of them have caught fire already, and it probably isn’t something that most people would be anxious to deal with.

Mitsubishi Supply Chain Chief resigns. Will Mitsubishis continue to be sold in America?

On September 1, Sandra Gillespie retired from Mitsubishi Motors North America. She was the senior VP of procurement and supply, and had been with the company for 21 years. Mitsubishi announced that she will not be replaced, which casts some doubt on the company’s future in the U.S. Mitsubishi sales in the U.S. have been significantly down in recent years, and he way this retirement went down, as well as some other less obvious factors, is sparking some serious questions among automotive analysts.

August auto sales down. Are hybrids really the answer?

Auto sales are significantly down over this time last year. That’s not to be unexpected, as the Cash-for-Clunkers program was in full-swing 365 days ago. But what is a little troubling is that in spite of the push for smaller, gas-friendly hybrid vehicles, these are not the ones that are selling in great numbers. Autoblog says Toyota Prius sales dropped 37.5-percent between August 2009 and August 2010. Hybrid vehicles tend to cost more than their gasoline-powered counterparts, and with steady, relatively low fuel prices, the incentive for consumers to choose them doesn’t seem to be there. Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to develop and bring new hybrid vehicles to market.

Kyle Busch to wear pink fire suit and drive pink car

For months, Toyota has run advertisements featuring the “design your own car” campaign during NASCAR television broadcasts. In them, a little girl named “Kimmy” gets her dad to design an over-the-top pink Camry race car complete with kittens, bunnies, and little baby seals. And, as NASCAR sponsors are wont to do, this scheme will make it to the track this weekend in the Nationwide Series event at Richmond International Raceway. The hard-driving, controversial driver appeared today at a press conference wearing his eye-searing bright pink uniform with Lennon Wynn, the actress who plays Kimmy in the advertisements.

If you like my articles on the Examiner, you may also enjoy my automotive blog at www.hovermotorco.com.