Latest Stories | Wards Auto

Latest Stories

Ford Connected Services Organization to Operate as Standalone Unit
Aug 26, 2008 8:12 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
The group’s primary objective is to keep Ford ahead of the curve in cutting-edge technologies, which are viewed as essential in the quest to attract the so-called Millennial Generation.

Ford’s Mulally Warns Oz PM of Industry on Brink
Aug 25, 2008 2:52 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Alan Harman
With Ford Australia’s decision to cut production and jobs, car makers and labor unions are stepping up a campaign calling for the tariff to be frozen and for the government to kick in more financial support.

Artist Dick Mayer Created Unique Brand Identity for Ward’s Publications
Aug 25, 2008 2:38 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Mayer penned scores of original covers for Ward’s AutoWorld, including lively cartoons that became a staple of the magazine and had a major impact on its success.

VW Averts Mexico Plant Strike by Increasing Wages, Benefits
Aug 22, 2008 11:41 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
The annual pay increases demanded by the Mexican workers eventually could affect the country’s status as a desirable place to assemble vehicles, warns a labor expert.

VW Begins U.S. Deliveries of Jetta TDI Sedan and SportWagen
Aug 21, 2008 3:58 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
The auto maker says its Jetta TDI will still deliver the benefits of a diesel passenger car, namely greater fuel efficiency than comparable gasoline engines and more low-end torque.

Russia’s TagAZ Launches Chery Assembly
Aug 21, 2008 9:39 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Peter Homola
Chery Automobile’s A5, which sold as the Chery Fora in Russia up to now, has been renamed the Vortex Estina and will be unveiled at next week’s Moscow auto show.

Ford Escape Tops Insurance Institute Crash Test; Chevy Equinox Poor Performer
Aug 20, 2008 2:00 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
GM says the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent meet or exceed all federal safety standards and have performed very well in other consumer information tests.

Ford of Canada CEO Resigns
Aug 20, 2008 1:43 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Since 1990, Ford has invested more than $10 billion in its Canadian operations, its fourth-largest market worldwide.

Toyota Will Look to Georgetown to Train Mississippi Workers
Aug 20, 2008 9:36 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
The site of Camry Hybrid production in the U.S. will be the “mother plant” for the auto maker’s newest assembly facility, which will build the Prius in 2010.

VW Names Manager for New Chattanooga Plant
Aug 19, 2008 11:29 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
The $1 billion Chattanooga factory is slated to begin production in early 2011, with initial capacity expected to be 150,000 units.

Detroit Playing Catch-Up to Asians, Germans in Customer Satisfaction
Aug 19, 2008 9:07 AM, WardsAuto.com, By James M. Amend
The harsh verdict against GM, Ford and Chrysler flies in the face of recent studies by “Consumer Reports,” J.D Power and other sources.

Ford Forges Global DNA Strategy
Aug 18, 2008 8:49 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
The auto maker’s primary objective is to make its vehicles recognizable to customers in all world markets.

Ford to Build Lincoln MKT CUV
Aug 15, 2008 2:28 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
The Lincoln MKT, which will bow next year, was first shown in concept form at the 2008 Detroit auto show.

Researchers Tout Gore-Tex Coating for Fuel-Cell Breakthrough
Aug 15, 2008 9:52 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Alan Harman
The advancement potentially could slash hydrogen fuel-cell prices by using the water-resistant, plastic coating in place of components made of exotic platinum.

Cadillac Unwraps CTS Sport Wagon, Next-Gen SRX at Pebble Beach
Aug 15, 2008 12:01 AM, WardsAuto.com, By James M. Amend
A ’10 model, the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon arrives next spring, ahead of an all-new SRX cross/utility vehicle.

Ford Begins Fiesta Production
Aug 14, 2008 10:47 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Further European capacity for Fiesta will be added in January 2009, when production begins at Ford’s Valencia, Spain, assembly plant.

Inability to Retain Customers Costs Auto Makers Billions
Aug 14, 2008 10:18 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
A one-percentage-point rise in customer loyalty would produce about $405 million in additional revenues based on an average vehicle sale price of $27,000, an Experian study finds.

Pontiac Says No to El Camino
Aug 14, 2008 12:01 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Jim Mateja
G8 ST won out in a contest in which more than 80,000 people submitted 18,000 names for the car/truck derivative due in late 2009.

Dream Cruise PT Hot Off the Grille
Aug 13, 2008 9:05 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The special-edition ’09 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5, available this fall with a chrome-plated aluminum grille, arrives as the standard PT is selling poorly.

Hyundai Flagship Has Competitors Curious
Aug 12, 2008 8:25 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Jim Mateja
Competitors should stay tuned, as Hyundai says it will detail its future plans for alternative-fuel vehicles in the U.S. by year’s end.

Five Chrysler Plants Subject of 4-Day Work Week Discussion
Aug 11, 2008 6:07 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Instead of performing maintenance on Saturdays, when skilled trades personnel would qualify for time-and-a-half pay, those duties would be performed on a Friday at straight time.

GM Prices Cadillac Escalade Hybrid at $71,685
Aug 11, 2008 12:05 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
The Escalade Hybrid includes nearly all the features of its traditionally propelled stablemates, with the exception of a 6.0L V-8 in place of the standard 6.2L.

BMW Begins Changeover for Next-Gen Mini Convertible
Aug 8, 2008 11:34 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Alan Harman
Since production began in 2001, the plant in Oxford has built more than 1 million Minis, with more than 80% of them exported to almost 80 countries.

Saturn Revitalization Working, Defiant Brand Chief Insists; Dealerships Get New Look
Aug 8, 2008 8:19 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Herb Shuldiner
Saturn achieved a 20% improvement in market share in 2007, Jill Lajdziak says, and this year’s sales of new products, including the Aura, Vue and Outlook, have climbed 3.4% through July 31.

EPA Denies Texas Request to Trim Biofuels Production
Aug 7, 2008 3:38 PM, WardsAuto.com, By James M. Amend
General Motors, a major supporter of biofuels use for transportation, supports the agency’s decision.