Automakers: Page 286
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford to Offer 1.0L EcoBoost in European Models
Installed in the Focus, the 1.0L 3-cyl. delivers more power than the current 1.6L 4-cyl. gasoline engine, while emitting less than 120 g/km of carbon dioxide, the auto maker says.
By Ward's Staff • Sept. 12, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New VW Beetle Woos Male Buyers
VW touts the finished product as a “reinvented” car, a modern interpretation of a venerable model that dates to 1938.
By Steve Finlay • Sept. 12, 2011 -
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
Kia Soul Likely to Surpass 100,000 Units This Year; ’12 Model Launching
The South Korean brand’s boxy compact, which gets new engines and transmissions for ’12, already has surpassed its 2010 sales and is headed toward 106,000 units for 2011, according to WardsAuto data.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 9, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM China Names Design Director for New Studio
Former BAIC and Mercedes designer Wulin Gaowa will be the first to run the new GM China Advanced Studio in Shanghai.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 8, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo to Feature Swedish Styling Flair, Interactive Tech
Although public perception is that Volvo is closely aligned with safety, a strength in which the auto maker takes pride, having safe cars is not enough to distinguish the brand from other luxury competitors, its global marketing chief says.
By Byron Pope • Sept. 8, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Boosts ’12 Camry’s Strength; Cuts Noise, Weight
“We created the new Camry with a lightweight design, which contributes to better fuel economy, as well as improved handling, acceleration and enhanced braking performance,” Chief Engineer Yukihiro Okane says.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Stop/Start Coming to U.S., But Not Yet
The auto maker’s top North American executive says i-stop could be across the lineup within five years. But the soon-to-launch ’12 Mazda3 and CX-5 will not have it in the U.S.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM to Hike Chevrolet Output in Kazakhstan
While Asia Avto built 468 Chevrolet vehicles from semi-knocked-down kits in the first half of the year, plans call for the assembly of up to 10,000 Chevrolets in 2012.
By Peter Homola • Sept. 6, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mercedes SLK Technologically Advanced, But Stays True to Roadster Formula
The ’12 Mercedes SLK350’s exterior styling takes many cues from iconic Mercedes models of the past, most noticeably the 190SL of the 1950s.
By Byron Pope • Sept. 6, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Flooded Showrooms Overshadow Brisk Mazda Sales
Vehicle deliveries in North America are up for the Japanese auto maker, but East Coast flooding will cause some vehicles to be scrapped in the near-term.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 6, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s Chief Marketer Unfazed by Popularity of Ford’s EcoBoost
Chris Perry says the Silverado and GMC Sierra boast competitive fuel economy, and next-generation models could leverage a suite of performance enhancers.
By James M. Amend • Sept. 6, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Optima Production Begins at Kia’s U.S. Plant
The South Korean auto maker’s hot-selling midsize sedan is being built in the U.S. after Kia invests $100 million in its Georgia plant.
By Ward's Staff • Sept. 2, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia Working on Next-Gen Telematics System for Global Application
The South Korean brand’s AVN touch-screen technology features a screen that, like a tablet computer, lets the user choose from a series of icons and change screens by swiping a fingertip.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 2, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Scrambles to Meet Camry Demand
Toyota’s U.S. light-vehicle sales totaled 129,482 last month, 16.1% less than like-2010 and 106 units fewer than Chrysler’s August tally. Toyota’s result improves on its 19.7% slide in July.
By Eric Mayne and James M. Amend • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler 8-Speed AT Promises 4-MPG Gain; DDCT Delayed
The auto maker does not fully explain the delay. A spokesman hints that Chrysler was not satisfied with the DDCT’s performance. “It’s got to be something that customers are happy with,” Vince Muniga tells WardsAuto.
By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Marchionne No Fan of Union Seats on Corporate Boards
THE HEADS OF CHRYSLER AND THE United Auto Workers union get along, but Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne rejects the idea of The German method of union-management relations, where union members sit on company supervisory boards, has UAW President Bob King's support. Marchionne rejects it on principle. The best intervention that the unions or labor or organized labor can bring to the party is
By Willian Diem • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Confirms RAV4 Production in Woodstock update from September 2011
TOYOTA CONFIRMS THE UPCOMING RAV4 electric vehicle will be fully assembled at its Woodstock, ON, Canada, plant, with output beginning next year. Ward's first reported the news Aug. 3. The RAV4 EV will go down the same line as the gas-engine RAV4, already built at Woodstock. It originally was thought that final assembly of the electrified RAV4 would occur at upstart EV-maker Tesla's Fremont, CA, plant,
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hybrid Battery Durability Stuns Ford
WHEN IT COMES TO BATTERY TECHNOLOGY, the automotive industry beats aerospace hands down, a top Ford researcher says. Bob Taenaka, Ford battery technical lead, spent more than a decade designing batteries for spacecraft while working for Hughes Aerospace. After moving to Ford 10 years ago, he found it much harder to design batteries for automobiles than for rocket ships. There's a better-controlled
By Byron Pope • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Even Car Purists Can Appreciate It
MANY YEARS BEFORE THE TERM warned of an epic traffic jam in southern California, it could have referred to a trend that was sweeping through the ranks of luxury auto makers. Purists figured the end was near when BMW, Lexus, Audi, Lincoln, Cadillac, Volvo and later on Porsche decided their car-only portfolios needed something more in the way of utility and off-road capability. It all started with Mercedes
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
It’s Wilde, But Far From Crazy
When crunch time hit the domestic auto industry in 2008 and 2009, dealer Mark Wilde and his partners at Wilde Automotive Group relied on the basic principles that founder Harold Wilde had instilled in them. In 2009, as much of the domestic industry crashed, the group constructed an all-new facility for its Chrysler-brand franchises in its base city of Waukesha, WI, in the Milwaukee market. We were
By Lillie Guyer • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi A4 Sales Eclipse 600,000 Units
Lack of A4 inventory is “one of the biggest limiting factors to our sales volumes,” Product Planning Manager Barry Hoch says. Audi is expected to announce plans for a North American plant within nine months.
By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Pentastar Reshaped for ’12 Wrangler
Chrysler leveraged the engine’s adaptable design to improve the SUV’s on-road performance, while also accommodating the Jeep brand’s rugged off-road requirements.
By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Sexy Concepts Seduce Car Lovers With Premium Promise
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts. Can’t wait for industry reaction to Ford’s Evos concept car at the Frankfurt auto show next month. From the photos, it’s brilliant. I, for ...
By Barbara McClellan 2 • Aug. 31, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda SkyActiv Strategy Gives Edge to Upcoming CX-5
Hand-built prototypes driven by journalists here in advance of the CX-5’s worldwide debut at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show suggest the SkyActiv suite of technologies is more than a clever marketing ploy.
By Tom Murphy • Aug. 31, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM on Brink of Breakthroughs in Aerodynamics
Based on pre-production models, the next Malibu will post a coefficient of drag value of 0.29. That’s comparable with the Corvette and on par with the Volt extended-range electric vehicle at 0.28.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 31, 2011
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