Automakers: Page
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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 -
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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 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota Motor North America
TrendlineTop 5 stories from WardsAuto
Automakers are evaluating their long-term strategies, revisiting their product mix, and approach to both retail and manufacturing approach along the way.
By WardsAuto staff -
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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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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
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 -
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Ford Motor Co.’s 2.5L DOHC I-4 HEV: Great Fuel Economy
Placing a hybrid-electric vehicle on the 10 Best Engines list is always a charged affair. Only three auto makers have managed to crack the list this decade, amid questions from internal-combustion purists who want this competition to be only about engines, not tag-team systems that need electric motors. This year, a fourth OEM joins that short list as Ford Motor Co. collects a trophy for its second-generation
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 -
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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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Volkswagen AG’s 2.0L SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel: Affordable Diesel
The last time an affordable diesel landed on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list, in 1997, a gallon of regular unleaded cost less than $1.25 and Americans were discovering the functionality of gas-guzzling SUVs and personal-use pickups. At the time, diesels were as relevant as hybrids, which hadn't even arrived yet in the U.S. True, VW diesels of the day were capable of 45 mpg (5.2 L/100 km) when the
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Motor Corp.’s 3.5L DOHC V-6: Premium Engineering
Laying claim to its fourth-consecutive slot on the Ward's 10 Best Engines roster, Toyota Motor Corp.'s 3.5L Lexus V-6 once again emerges as the engine to beat among a field of excellent V-6 competitors. With a delectable balance of power, grace and technology, the engine powering the Lexus IS 350 is a favorite of several judges and impresses all with its class-leading horsepower, torque and fuel economy.
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Taps LG Chem for Chevy Volt Battery
General Motors Corp. selects South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. and its Compact Power Inc. subsidiary in Troy, MI, to supply lithium-ion cells for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle. GM also will locate a plant in Michigan to assemble the cells into the t-shaped battery pack for the Volt, pending the approval of state incentives. GM is back in the battery business, says GM Chairman and CEO
By James M. Amend • Feb. 1, 2009 -
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BMW AG’s 3.0L DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel: Clean Engineering
To say BMW AG's new 3.0L inline-6-cyl. turbodiesel checks all the boxes for greatness would be putting it lightly. Introduced in the '09 335d sedan, as well as the X5 xDrive 35d cross/utility vehicle, no other engine this year captivated our seasoned panel of Ward's 10 Best Engines judges the way BMW's clean-burning diesel did. From its ability to lay down a gutsy 425 lb.-ft. (576 Nm) of torque at
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Year of E-Car at North American International Auto Show
It could be called the year of the electric vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. E-vehicle unveilings were plentiful although none quite ready for prime time. They do indicate the direction the auto industry is headed. Here are show highlights: Chrysler Hints at Future Electric-Range Technology The unveiled Chrysler 200C EV electric-drive sedan represents a coming-out
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW AG’s 3.0L DOHC Turbocharged I-6: Powerful, Efficient, Stimulating
Adding another pair of turbochargers, as well as six cylinders to this year's rankings, BMW AG's 3.0L twin-turbocharged I-6 achieves its third-consecutive spot on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list. Arguably one of the best volume internal-combustion engines ever produced, the wonderful straight-6 turbo, along with BMW's 10 Best Engines-winning 3.0L clean diesel, support the auto maker's new direction
Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW’s Black Sheep
Encircled in blue, the overlapping and that constitute Volkswagen's brand logo is one of the world's most recognizable symbols. It suggests high-quality craftsmanship, sportiness and above all value. So the buying public can be forgiven for expecting such attributes from vehicles adorned with the time-honored insignia. Even a minivan. But VW nails just one of these three targets with the Routan, the
By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Tells Dealers to Sell Those Vehicles or Pay a Fee
Chrysler LLC, pressing to whittle down an inventory of unsold 2008 and 2009 models, handed its dealers a bitter pill fees on new cars over a year old and revival of the detested sales bank that had supposedly died in 2006. The new batch of inventory fees was like a last straw, says Paul Cleaver, owner of Freedom Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Lexington, KY. He counted 18 vehicles in his inventory over a year
By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2009
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