Automakers: Page 288
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Marshall Working OnStar From Inside Out
A Michigan native, OnStar’s president drives a Cadillac SRX, has subscribed to the telematics service for 12 years, likes sports cars and hails from telecommunications sector.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 3, 2011 -
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Toyota RAV4 EV Assembly Set for Ontario
The RAV4 EV production site had been a source of conjecture, with initial speculation suggesting Toyota might assemble the model in Fremont, CA, with Tesla.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 3, 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 -
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On Road to MBS, Kia Optima Hybrid Barely Beats Standard Sibling
As Ward’s editors arrive in Traverse City, 34.5 mpg shows on the hybrid’s trip computer. It isn’t the advertised 40 mpg, but was 0.6 mpg ahead of a standard Optima. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid manages 18.5 mpg.
By Drew Winter • Aug. 3, 2011 -
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Daihatsu Concept Car Could Trigger Bigger Industry Role for Indonesia
The A-Concept is the first production-focused concept vehicle to be designed and built in Indonesia and is unashamedly being pitched as the car that will “motorize” the nation.
By Edd Ellison • Aug. 3, 2011 -
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Hydraulic Hybrid Prototype Bound for Ford Van
NRG Dynamix converted a Ford Ranger pickup that gets 38 mpg (6.1 L/100 km) in city driving, thanks to its 2.3L gasoline engine’s stop/start system.
By William Diem • Aug. 2, 2011 -
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GM Likes Certainty of 2025 CAFE Rules
The auto maker remains committed to hydrogen fuel-cell technology as a potential game-changer that could remove vehicles from the entire energy debate.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 2, 2011 -
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Chrysler Takes Validation From Latest APEAL Results
“For every car that we intervened on, we saw a significant improvement,” says Doug Betts, senior vice president-quality.
By Eric Mayne • Aug. 2, 2011 -
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GM Sees More N.A.-Sourced Parts Ahead for Asia-Born Chevy Sonic
Manufacturing executive Ken Knight offers an optimistic evaluation of the global parts-supply base, which like the auto makers downsized during the recession.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Hyundai BlueLink Covers All Bases
HYUNDAI BELIEVES IT HAS ALL ITS BASES covered with its new BlueLink telematics system debuting in the '12 Sonata sedan, arriving now at U.S. dealers. BlueLink's many features range from a vehicle-diagnostic information system to a feature that allows owners to set alerts if their teen-ager drives outside a set geographic boundary to locating a casual Japanese restaurant. We're hoping these features
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Service Departments SHINE
Resembling a 5-star hotel's lobby, the opulent showroom section of Newport Lexus includes a cafe, grand piano and leather chairs in front of a fireplace. But in planning the $75 million facility in Newport Beach, CA, the David Wilson Automotive Group also paid particular attention to a less public part of the dealership: the service department. It's a vast area with 77 bays and 103 lifts. The bays
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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BMW’s Newest I-6 Better, Not Bigger
IF AN AUTO MAKER HAS A DELIGHTFULLY SMOOTH AND POWERFUL gasoline direct-injection, twin-turbocharged I-6 that has won three straight Ward's 10 Best Engines awards, why would you redesign a masterpiece? And if you did, wouldn't a bump in displacement and output be in order? Yet, BMW's new 3.0L N55 I-6 is the same size and pumps out exactly the same power as its N54 predecessor: 300 hp and 300 lb.-ft
By Gary Witzenburg • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Ford Combats Perceived PowerShift Problems
Ford is addressing reported problems with its PowerShift dual-clutch transmission by better communicating with consumers about the technology. Ford recently sent dealers a memo with instructions to help sales and service personnel enlighten consumers about the nuances of the fuel-saving 6-speed automatic gearbox, Ward's learns. The move comes after the Blue Oval brand's Fiesta and Focus drew fire
By Byron Pope • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Ford Mitigates Paint Shortages
FORD COLOR SPECIALISTS ARE HARD at work conjuring up the palette for the '15 model year, and the paint-additive Xirallic will be on the menu, a chief designer says. Xirallic, which adds a metallic, glittery look to paint, is a core ingredient in five Ford colors, including Tuxedo Black and Royal Red. Other auto makers also use the ingredient in their paints. The additive caused a stir in the auto
By Byron Pope • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Honda Workers Eliminate Landfill Waste
THE SIGHT OF AUTO WORKERS CRAWLING through dumpsters suggests tough times in the auto industry, but Honda of America Mfg. employees have been doing it for years to ferret out waste. The auto maker says 10 of its 14 manufacturing plants in North America now send zero waste to landfills, and the remaining four dump only small amounts of paper and plastic trash from their cafeterias in landfills. Considering
By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Dump the Assembly Line
The moving assembly line made mass production possible and changed the world. But what if it turned out it really wasn't that good of an idea after all? That's the premise of a book titled What Is Good For General Motors? by Thomas Crumm, who spent his career at GM. Crumm's thesis is that the decline in American manufacturing actually started when Henry Ford introduced the assembly line to automotive
By John McElroy • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Fiat in the Heart of Texas
CHELSEA, MI Laura Soave has made so many right calls for Chrysler, she likely could make a second living as a handicapper. When the Fiat 500 product program was being drafted, Soave, the brand's top executive in North America, dismissed doubters within the company and insisted on adding a high-performance Abarth version of the minicar that has been on sale for five months in the U.S. The change was
By Eric Mayne • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde and Ford
Editor's Note: This is Jim Ziegler's debut column in Ward's Dealer Business. He's frank, sometimes irreverent and always interesting. We welcome your feedback on his commentary or anything else on your mind. Send comments to Editor Steve Finlay at [email protected]. Include name, city and state. Published comments may be edited for clarity and length. I've been writing for auto-industry publications
By Jim Ziegler • Aug. 1, 2011 -
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Chrysler Looks to Go Mainstream With New SRT Technologies
Paddles allow direct control of the vehicles’ automatic transmission, allowing for “spirited shifting on the road and racetrack,” Chrysler says.
By Byron Pope • July 29, 2011 -
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Marchionne Risking Burnout With New Organization?
“We have now reached the right moment to step on the accelerator of the Fiat-Chrysler integration,” Sergio Marchionne says.
By Eric Mayne • July 28, 2011 -
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UAW Seeks GM Board Seat, Sees Successful Talks as Bargaining Chip at Transplants
A direct seat would give the UAW a voice on everyday operations at GM, including the future product allocations so important to its membership.
By James M. Amend • July 27, 2011 -
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U.S. Key Element of Nissan’s Global-Growth Plans
One of the most notable goals outlined in the auto maker’s Power 88 strategic plan, recently announced by CEO Carlos Ghosn, is the intention to launch a new model globally every six weeks, for the next six years.
By Christie Schweinsberg • July 25, 2011 -
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Chrysler Adds Cylinder Deactivation to SRT8 Lineup
The latest fuel-saver technology shuts down half the cylinders in the 470-hp 6.4L V-8 Hemi more often than earlier systems, but the new active-valve exhaust maintains the engine’s throaty exhaust note.
By Byron Pope • July 22, 2011 -
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GM, UAW Negotiate for First Time Against Specter of Arbitration
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement by the Sept. 14 deadline, the fate of the auto maker’s massive post-bankruptcy restructuring and thousands of union jobs could be left in the hands of a third party.
By James M. Amend • July 21, 2011 -
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Nissan Launches New CVT in ’12 Versa
The new continuously variable transmission has an auxiliary gearbox with a sub-planetary gear for a broad ratio of 7.3:1. It also is smaller and lighter than the unit it replaces.
By Christie Schweinsberg • July 19, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler C-Car Candidate for SRT Treatment
New SRT chief Ralph Gilles fondly recalls being lured into the automotive world by small performance cars such as the VW GTI that offered performance at a reasonable price, opening the door to young enthusiasts.
By Byron Pope • July 19, 2011
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