Automakers: Page 321
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Australian-Designed Toyota Camry Hybrid Concept to Premiere at Melbourne Show
The new Camry Hybrid will play “a key role” in Australia’s automotive manufacturing sector, says Toyota Australia President and CEO Max Yasuda.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 24, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Hemi Continues to Evolve
The new ’09 version can cruise in fuel-saving 4-cyl. mode up to 70 mph and as much as 40% of the time, both major improvements over the ’08 Hemi.
By Gary Witzenburg • Feb. 23, 2009 -
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
Cayenne Hybrid to Employ Audi’s Supercharged V-6
Porsche says the hybrid CUV can run at speeds up to 86 mph without using the internal-combustion engine.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Quietly Cuts Dealerships
The auto maker has gone from 900 to 640 U.S. stores.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 18, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Changes Lutz Implemented at GM Will Endure, Chief Designer Vows
Design has become the “great differentiator” within the auto industry, Ed Welburn says, noting technology advances often are fleeting and cost pressures intense.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 12, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acura TSX V-6 to Put Brand on Par With Top Competitors
The TSX V-6 model fills a niche between the current 4-cyl. TSX and the upscale TL, says Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 12, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
CEO Pitches ‘Revolutionary’ Ideas to Change Auto Industry
While no other industry has had a greater impact than automotive on the health of the U.S. economy, “there is no other business with a bigger perception problem,” says Hyundai’s John Krafcik.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 11, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Gets Through First Step of U.S. Loan Process
No other Japanese OEMs have indicated an interest in tapping into the $25 billion in DOE loans earmarked for retooling plants to build fuel-efficient vehicles.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Feb. 10, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai to Debut Three Vehicles at Geneva
The new HED-6 concept SUV features a hexagonal grille, angular styling lines, back-swept light-emitting diode front headlamps and 21-in. mirror-polished alloy wheels.
By Vince Courtenay • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s Bob Lutz to Retire; VP Tom Stephens Takes Product-Development Responsibility
The auto maker also takes the opportunity to restructure its powertrain operations.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealers Wonder About Chrysler, Not GM
“Being privately held, it is very difficult to know actually what Chrysler’s business strategy is,” Texas dealer Manuel Gonzalez says.
By Lillie Guyer • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s Gran Torino Relives Muscle-Car Heyday
In the Clint Eastwood film “Gran Torino,” Ford retiree Walt Kowalski’s cherished muscle car represents a time that has passed him by.
By David C. Smith • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Geely Would Need China’s Aid to Buy Volvo
Ford bought Volvo for $6.4 billion in 1999 and since then the Swedish auto maker has struggled to turn a profit.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Leader in Technology Patents, Study Shows
The study, which focused on patents issued in fourth-quarter 2008, measures the significance and impact of a company’s patent portfolio across the industry.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Taps Battery Supplier for PHEVs
The Li-ion battery system Johnson Controls-Saft is designing and manufacturing for Ford includes cells, mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 3, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo XC60 Builds on Safety Tradition
Dubbed the “safest Volvo ever,” the XC60 is chocked full of the Swedish auto maker’s signature safety technology.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 2, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
China’s BYD Promises EVs in U.S. by 2011
Chinese battery-maker-turned-auto maker BYD Auto Co. Ltd. showed off a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle that can travel up to 62 miles (100 km) on battery power and a pure-electric concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, boldly declaring it would sell both in North America by 2011. Chairman Wang Chua-fu says BYD's proprietary lithium-iron battery technology will enable it
By Drew Winter • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Financing Firm Free to Roam as GM Ends Its Long-Time Exclusive Ties with GMAC
General Motors Corp. ends its exclusive decades-long ties with GMAC as a condition of the bailout loans extended by the U.S. Treasury Department. The first-of-its-kind agreement includes Federal mandates that GM can access third-party lenders in addition to GMAC, while freeing the once-captive lender from its obligation to finance GMAC leases exclusively. The addition of non-GMAC lessors extends a
By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer on Dodge Ram: It’s Just Been a Nightmare Launch
The suspense is over for doubters of the new Dodge Ram's radical rear suspension. If I get someone to drive it, and they've driven a Ford or a Chevy, they're blown away, says Brad Johnson, general sales manager at Bob Hoss Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Kansas City, KS. I've never had anyone that didn't come away pretty amazed at how it rides and handles. If only the '09 truck's breakthrough coil-spring setup
By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford, Getrag Partner for Dual-Clutch Transmission
Ford Motor Co. and German supplier Getrag GmbH & Cie KG are teaming up to produce a new dual-clutch 6-speed transmission dubbed that will be used next year in North America in the auto maker's B- and C-segment cars. The transmission is being designed and developed by Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH, a joint venture that produces both manual and automated manual transmissions, a top Ford engineer says.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi AG’s 2.0L TFSI DOHC Turbocharged I-4: Four Times a Winner
Audi AG's 2.0L TFSI turbocharged 4-cyl. has had little trouble in the past winning over Ward's 10 Best Engines judges, garnering a spot on the list each of the last three years. However, with the introduction of the all-new '09 A4 range, the auto maker tempted fate by trying to improve upon what already is one of the best I-4s in production. Fear not, as the revised TFSI turbo-4 once again fortifies
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.’s 4.6L DOHC V-8: A First for South Korean Auto Maker
It's a bold move by Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. to roll out a new V-8 in a time of economic downturn and fuel conservation. Yet, the new Tau 4.6L DOHC V-8 scores a first-time Ward's 10 Best Engines appearance for the South Korean auto maker with an impressive mix of power, efficiency and affordability. Unanimously praised for being a ton of engine for the V-8 Genesis sedan's sub-$40,000 asking price, the
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Exec: We Never Finished Job with Saturn
General Motors Corp. built one of the industry's greatest brands with its Saturn division, but never properly cultivated it to where it could earn its own way, the auto maker's head of North American operations acknowledges. We created a heck of a brand, GM North America President Troy Clarke tells journalists during a roundtable discussion at the North American International Auto Show here. We created
By James M. Amend • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s 3.5L SOHC V-6: Superior Performance
The word rocket ship is rarely proffered on behalf of the Honda Accord, a fine car, to be sure, but known for reliability and practicality rather than sweaty-palm titillation. Yet, more than one Ward's judge used that supercharged term to describe the 3.5L SOHC V-6 that powers the Accord coupe to its second-consecutive 10 Best Engines award. This 271-hp V-6 does so many things well. Its steady road
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
AIADA Head Darrow Wants Bank Oversight
Russ Darrow's first store was a Chrysler dealership he purchased in 1965 when he was 25 years old in West Bend, WI. Now he is the incoming chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Assn. Out of his 15 dealerships, 11 are import stores. The Darrow group ranked 85th on last year's Ward's Megadealer 100 with $410 million in total revenue. His focus the next few months, at least, is less
By Cliff Banks • Feb. 1, 2009
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