Automakers: Page
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First FCX Clarity Rolls Out; Actress Curtis One of First Lessees
Honda announces first five customers for its next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell car, which will be delivered to customers in the Los Angeles-area next month.
By Ward's Staff • June 16, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hofu Production Reaches Milestone
Demand for the Mazda Axela small car, known as the Mazda3 outside Japan, is credited with helping Hofu record its fastest-ever million-unit increment.
By Ward's Staff • June 13, 2008 -
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
Jaguar, Land Rover to Move North American Headquarters
The auto maker, which on June 2 was sold by Ford to India’s Tata, says the move has been in the works for some time.
By Ward's Staff • June 10, 2008 -
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Porsche Introduces Direct Injection, 7-Speed DCT for ’09 911
The new 911s are distinguished by minor interior and exterior tweaks and sport improved drivetrains for faster acceleration and better fuel economy.
By Mike Sutton • June 10, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Cadillac XLR Gets Fresh Look for ’09
The lineup includes a new Platinum edition and the V-Series performance model, both of which receive CTS-inspired design cues and updated infotainment technology.
By Mike Sutton • June 9, 2008 -
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Mazda Designers Draw Inspiration From Nature, Fashion
Mazda designers are given the freedom to use a myriad of materials and draw inspiration from unconventional sources.
By Byron Pope • June 6, 2008 -
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‘One Ford’ Strategy Streamlines Purchasing Operations
To further reduce complexity and eliminate redundant engineering, Ford assigned each region specific responsibilities.
By Byron Pope • June 6, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Xterra, Frontier Receive Upgrades for ’09
The ’09 Nissan Frontier gets a restyled front fascia and grille, as well as new headlights.
By Ward's Staff • June 5, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Porsche Places First in Initial Quality Study for Third Straight Year
Four GM brands ranked above the industry average this year, including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick, all of which leaped ahead of prior-year’s survey.
By Christie Schweinsberg • June 4, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
C30 Uniquely Volvo
With a push from Ford design executive Peter Horbury, Volvo has set out to honor the brand’s Scandanavian roots. Marked by simplicity, grace and functionality, the C30’s interior exemplifies this heritage.
By Eric Mayne • June 4, 2008 -
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Nissan Around View Monitor
The Nissan Around View Monitor is one electronic system that – for once – is practical, simple to use and works extremely well.
By Drew Winter • June 4, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Finalizes Sale of Jaguar, Land Rover
Ford will supply Tata with engines, stampings and technology, including a range of environmental technologies.
By Ward's Staff • June 2, 2008 -
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Alfa Romeo to Re-Enter U.S. Market with Super-Coupe
After an absence of 13 years, Fiat SpA's Italian sports brand Alfa Romeo will return to the U.S. market this summer as an added product for the 45 Maserati dealers. The re-entry vehicle will be the 8C Competizione coupe, a 450 horsepower V-8 whose suggested list price will be above $250,000, says an Alfa Romeo spokesman. Only 90 Competiziones will be available for the U.S. this year, says the Milan-based
June 2, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealers: We Want a Heads-Up
San Francisco Auto dealers want fair warning when lenders change standards and practices in response to tougher credit market conditions. Dealers are big boys, we understand change, says Jeff Hodge, operating partner at Honda World in Downey, CA. What hurts most is when a lender makes a structural change without communicating it. More such changes could be forthcoming as financial institutions deal
By Steve Finlay • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer’s In-Store Diner Helps Center
Another example of an auto dealer helping the community: Dan Quirk's Quirk Chevrolet Buick in Manchester, NH, includes a new 1950s-style diner that operates through a partnership between the dealer and the Moore Center Services, which helps people with developmental disabilities. Moore clients staff the eatery that features chrome fixtures, neon lights and a breakfast and lunch menu for the dealership's
June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Beijing Hyundai’s New Plant Vital to Success in China
At the Recent Beijing International Motor Show, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. made it clear its new ultramodern plant is key to its game plan in China. Our new plant will produce 100,000 Elantra Yuedong models in its first year, and in 2009 it will begin producing the i30 that is now being made in Ulsan, (South) Korea, and at a new plant in Czech Republic, President Noh Jae-man says. The Chinese
By Vince Courtenay • June 1, 2008 -
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Why Ford Won’t Kill Mercury
Is Ford Motor Co. killing off its Mercury Division? That's the $64,000 question as rumors persist that the Mercury brand is in a death rattle or should be sold off, as proposed by Kirk Kerkorian's right-hand auto man, Jerry York. My answer to the hot question, based on more than 50 years of writing about cars plus 25 years as an at Ford, is: No, not in the foreseeable future. Let me tell you why I
By Mike Davis • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler’s Time Machine
Chrysler's '08 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is a retro-themed time warp back to the simpler times of the 1960s and early 1970s, before political correctness and the green movement sucked the swagger out of the much-loved, yet uncouth, muscle car. And with our troops once again far away fighting an unpopular war, a pending energy crisis looming on the horizon and performance cars nearing their horsepower
By Mike Sutton • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Oldest Auto Plant to Make Newest V-6
In 1902, Thomas B. Jeffery and His son switched from making bicycles to building cars in Kenosha, WI, propelling the then-small town of 22,000 located between Milwaukee and Chicago, into the automotive age. Over the next 105 years, Kenosha has grown to a population of nearly 100,000 and has clung to its automotive heritage, despite some turbulent times featuring storied names such as Chrysler, Dodge,
By David C. Smith • June 1, 2008 -
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Chrysler Targets 25% Cost Reduction From Suppliers
Chrysler LLC Expects a 25% Cost reduction from suppliers over the next three years, but not before the OEM gets its own house in order, says John Campi, executive vice president-procurement. But in so doing, I do not want to negatively impact $1 or a percent of profitability out of the supply base, Campi vows. And Chrysler will impose harsh penalties on itself if it fails to live up to its end of
By Eric Mayne • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bentley Motors Opens Dealerships in Minnesota, Hawaii
Bentley Motors Ltd. maintains a relatively small dealership network, but it is growing. Bentley dealerships in the U.S. now stand at 46, with the addition of two new outlets: Bentley Minneapolis and Bentley Honolulu. The U.K. maker of ultra-luxury vehicles has seen its global sales increase from 1,000 cars five years ago to more than 10,000 last year. Annual sales won't go much higher than that, because
By Steve Finlay • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota’s Twofold Strategy
The Ward's 10 Best Engines competition celebrates 14 years of recognizing outstanding powertrain development. In the fifth of our 2008 series, Ward's looks at the design philosophy behind Toyota's 3.5L DOHC V-6.
By Gary Witzenburg • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
OnStar Boss Plugs Portable Nav Boom
OnStar President Chet Huber Says the boom in portable navigation systems is good for his business too, but he downplays chances of Internet programs, such as email, working their way into General Motors Corp. vehicles anytime soon. (In) the used-vehicles market, where the alternatives are very limited(a portable system) is a wonderful next step for somebody who wants to move beyond paper maps, Huber
By James M. Amend • June 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda Hit With Higher U.S. Steel Prices
Honda’s CEO says the auto maker likely will have to pay the increased costs, despite having stood its ground against similar tactics earlier in the decade.
By Ward's Staff • May 29, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Set to Break Ground on Russian Plant
The planned $400 million plant will be a freestanding facility capable of producing 100,000 vehicles annually.
By Vince Courtenay • May 29, 2008
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