Automakers: Page 217
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Looks to Grow Prius Sales, Customer Base
Toyota sold 181,221 liftbacks, the original Prius body style, in 2007 in the U.S., but last year liftback and V wagon deliveries combined totaled 166,802.
Sept. 9, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bentley Seeks New Terrain With Bentayga
Bentley’s new SUV carries over some of the 2012 concept’s themes, namely the prominent haunches and steeply raked backlight. But there the similarities end. The headlights and grille are smaller, and the whole front end leans backward, adding a sporty flair.
Sept. 8, 2015 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Kia Corporation
TrendlineArtificial Intelligence
Automakers and dealers alike are increasingly seeing the use case for AI within their operations. Explore some use cases in this trendline.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rolls-Royce Pulls Cover Off Dawn Drophead
The hand-built car will cost $325,000, a conservative estimate from the company since most customers will add thousands of dollars of bespoke options.
By James M. Amend • Sept. 8, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s Russian JV Takes New-Gen Chevy Niva Off Shelf
Despite GM’s shutdown of Chevrolet and Opel assembly and sales operations in Russia, and limiting its imports to Cadillac and a handful of Chevy products, the Niva is one of the country’s best-selling CUVs.
By Eugene Gerden • Sept. 8, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Raises Korea Stakes With Launch of Trax Diesel
Combined with strong sales of the just-released Chevrolet Impala that is imported from parent General Motors’ Hamtramck, MI, plant in the U.S., GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha is confident of capturing 10% of the Korean market this year.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 8, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai’s Korean Workers’ Union Seeks Arbitration
During the requested 10-day arbitration period the union will ask its members to vote on approving strike action.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 4, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Renault-Nissan and Daimler Break Ground on Mexico Manufacturing Plant
The automakers are investing $1 billion in the COMPAS JV, which will have an initial production capacity of more than 230,000 vehicles annually.
Sept. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Spark a Conquest for GM India Over GM Korea
Winning the lion’s share of Spark production underscores GM India’s growing role as an export hub. Besides labor costs that are lower than GM Korea’s, the automaker’s Indian subsidiary also has more unused plant capacity.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lexus Targets German Brands With New RX F Sport
Performance enhancements for the fourth-generation CUV boost the F Sport trim level beyond just an appearance package.
Sept. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda HR-V Outrunning Sales, Conquest Projections
The HR-V is important because it was designed as a conquest vehicle to draw new buyers to Honda, truck planning chief James Jenkins says: ‟The goal was conquest and about 50% percent of the buyers are conquests.”
By Jim Mateja • Sept. 2, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Assigns Compact Opel Astra Sizable Task
To underscore the importance of the new Astra to Opel’s fortunes, General Motors CEO Mary Barra is expected to join Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann for its premiere at the Frankfurt auto show.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Thailand Suspends Prius Output in Tax Tiff
The dispute stems from a Finance Ministry investigation into whether the hybrid is a completely knocked-down vehicle totally assembled in Thailand, or is an imported car subject to a 187.8% duty.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia Releases Photos of Frankfurt-Bound ’16 Sportage
The Kia tiger grille positively identifies the Sportage front end but headlights no longer are integrated. The new frontal look is prompting comparisons to the Porsche Macan, a strong seller in Korea.
By Vince Courtenay • Aug. 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Dealerships Go From Orange and Green to Black and White
“Retail Evolution embodies the spirit and direction of the Mazda brand,” says the head of Mazda North American Operations.
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Making Foray Into High-Performance Arena
Hyundai sources say the vehicle won’t go into production but was developed to show features that could wind up in future performance cars and perhaps even in production vehicles.
By Vince Courtenay • Aug. 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Advances D4S With Self-Cleaning Feature on Tacoma
Drivers may hear the self-cleaning taking place during a hot idle, and the process could last from 10 seconds to as long as 10 minutes, depending on driving patterns and the amount of build-up on the injectors.
Aug. 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mitsubishi Puts Aging Plant on Tech’s Cutting Edge
The Okazaki plant produces Outlander, Outlander plug-in hybrid and RVR midsized CUVs . The RVR is sold in Europe as the ASX. More than 90% of output is exported, with Europe accounting for more than half of the total.
By Roger Schreffler • Aug. 26, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Fights Russia Slump on Product, Price Fronts
The automaker is cutting prices and expanding its product range in an effort to pull out of a tailspin that saw July sales drop 21.3% from like-2014 and 52% for the year’s first seven months, according to WardsAuto data.
By Eugene Gerden • Aug. 26, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Prepping Mustang for November Arrival in U.K.
Some 80% of U.K. customers are opting for the fastback body style over the convertible and 70% want the 416-hp 5.0L V-8 over the more fuel-efficient 317-hp 2.3L EcoBoost engine.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 26, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda Reveals BR-V Prototype at Indonesia Show
The BR-V is scheduled to be marketed first in Indonesia early next year and then in other countries. Production starts in January.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 26, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota SUV Tops Chinese Model in Safety Tests
Of the seven SUVs crash-tested by ASEAN NCAP, the Rush is the first Toyota model. The vehicle tested is built in Indonesia, and although electronic stability control was not available, antilock braking is standard across all variants.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 25, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lexus Targets German Rivals With 4-Cyl. GS
Both Audi and BMW have reached 4-cyl. penetration rates as high as 40% in their A6 and 5-Series sedans, so Lexus hopes to gain ground in the segment by offering a 241-hp 2.0L turbo-4 in the midsize sedan in ’16.
Aug. 24, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s 3-Cyl. Gutsy, Efficient and Fun to Drive
Ford says the 999cc I-3 is not only its smallest EcoBoost engine but also its most advanced.
By Gary Witzenburg • Aug. 24, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chinese Automakers Retrench as Iran’s Market Reopens
With the lifting of sanctions against Iran in exchange for curtailing its nuclear program, Chinese automakers will face more competition as other foreign companies step up production in the country, increase imports, or both.
By Peter Homola • Aug. 21, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Teases Sixth-Gen Elantra Ahead of LA Show
Debuting in November at the Los Angeles auto show as a ’17-model precursor, the new Elantra’s design is tweaked to present an upscale appearance, but no details of any drivetrain changes are being revealed.
By Vince Courtenay • Aug. 20, 2015
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