Operations: Page 159
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Autoliv Sees Wider Use of Night-Vision Technology
Currently available only in a handful of imported premium models, Autoliv believes the take rate on the technology will increase significantly. Only 80,000 units were sold globally in 2014, primarily in the U.S., Europe and China.
By Herb Shuldiner 1 • April 8, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New York Auto Show Shows Its Stuff
Once basically a modest European-car show, the Big Apple’s event has become an automotive extravaganza.
By Steve Finlay • April 7, 2015 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota
TrendlineAutomotive Manufacturing
Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
German Makes Top EU List of Possibly Dangerous Cars
The consumer watchdog received only two complaints about vehicles from China in 2014, which is noteworthy, given Chinese-made products’ reputation for consumer safety is not high.
By Keith Nuthall • April 7, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
University Researchers Say Low-Cost Hydrogen Production Possible
Unlike other hydrogen-fuel production methods that rely on highly processed sugars, the Virginia Tech team is using dirty biomass – the husks and stalks of corn plants – to create the fuel.
By Alan Harman • April 6, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Redesigned Chevy Spark’s Assignment Unchanged: Lure New Buyers
The Spark, along with the somewhat larger Sonic subcompact, feeds 25% of Cruze and Malibu midsize buyers. The Spark alone draws first-time Chevy buyers at a rate of 21%.
By James M. Amend • April 1, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Is UAW Willing to Give or Just Take?
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.UAW delegates were in Detroit last month to plot their strategy for a new labor contract later this year with General Motors, Ford and FCA. ...
By John McElroy 1 • April 1, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
All-New Scion iA, iM Break Cover in New York
Both cars go on sale this fall in the U.S. and are the first new Scions since the FR-S sports car debuted in spring 2012.
March 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Land Rover Discovery Sport Seen Complementing Evoque
Company executives think of the two luxury CUVs as a ham-and-eggs combination, satisfying the tastes of distinctly different buyers at the entry end of the market for the toney British brand.
By James M. Amend • March 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Green Not Fading as Fisker Fulfills Need for Speed
It’s anybody’s guess whether Henrik Fisker – acclaimed for his designs of the Aston Martin DB9 and V-8 Vantage, BMW Z8 and his own Fisker Karma hybrid-electric vehicle – will put his new effort into a traditional combustion-based product or again pick up the green baton.
By Erik Derr 1 • March 30, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Oil-Patch Native Tells What’s Behind Low Pump Prices
It’s no surprise when a cartel such as OPEC acts like a cartel.
By David Ruggles • March 30, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Politics, Economy Stall Thailand’s Eco-Car Program
The country’s prime minister says the government must ensure the eco-car program’s second phase does not repeat the failure of the first-time new-car-buyer incentive, which created artificial demand that contributed to raising household debt.
By Alan Harman • March 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Payback Due for Sacrifices, UAW Tells Detroit Three
With sales and profits rising, tensions between the UAW and domestic automakers also are rising as the union pushes to regain some of the power it lost during the industry’s financial crisis that began even before the Great Recession of 2008-2009.
By Joseph R. Szczesny • March 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
EC Ruling Leaves Key TRW Assets Ripe for Taking
Acquisition of major elements of TRW following its merger with ZF, including design, manufacturing and intellectual property, could offer the buyer “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to expand globally, industry analyst Peter Cooke says.
By Alan Osborn • March 26, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Skills Needed for Today’s Auto Dealership Sales
The Internet has changed cars shopping. That means changing how cars are sold.
By Mark Rikess • March 23, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Tivoli Key Piece of Ssangyong’s Turnaround Plan
The CUV, launched in January, is off to a solid start in Korea, despite limited availability as production ramps up. Sales accounted for 30% of the automaker’s global volume in February.
By Vince Courtenay • March 23, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Car Dealership Salespeople Should Lose the Bicycle Helmet
Failing to properly close a deal is as bad today as it was in pre-Internet days.
By Darin George 1 • March 20, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Paying to Fill the Potholes on the Oregon Trail
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.Peter and Nance are relaxing in their Craftsman bungalow in Mellow Heights, OR. Nance is checking her iPhone 7 beta, a gift from her brother...
By Jim Irwin • March 19, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
JLR Sets 2017 Target for Opening of New R&D Center
The joint-venture advanced research center ultimately is expected to house 600 JLR employees. The project comes at a time when the automaker is riding high, with 50 product actions planned over the next five years.
By Alan Harman • March 18, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
WardsAuto Flashback – March 2015
Big Three at World's Fair; Skilled Trades Shortage; Ward's Reader Service; Car makers Worried; Dealer Profits Slump; Rambler Cheapest '55; Cars to Stay; 1965 Inventory Low; New Ford Escort; Chrysler Fiat talk; Saturn Drive-off Seen
March 18, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Scion iM, iA on Tap for New York Show
Scion, suffering from a lack of new models, has seen sales slide in recent years. The last all-new Scion was the niche FR-S sports car, which debuted in spring 2012.
March 18, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Popular Cars See Inventories Bloat
Honda’s Civic and Hyundai’s Elantra and Sonata used to fly off dealer lots, but this year the models are lingering, with days’ supply of the Civic and Sonata exceeding 100.
March 16, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Aussie Motorists Chasing Glamor Look North to Japan
Roy Morgan Research finds four of the five most popular makes of sports cars, coupes and 2-door convertibles in the country are Japanese. Among their 326,000 owners, 11.1% drive a Mitsubishi, followed by Toyota, BMW, Nissan and Mazda.
By Alan Harman • March 13, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lotus Eyes Increased Production, Rolls Out New Evora 400
The sports coupe is said to be faster and better handling, with 0-60 mph acceleration that’s a full 6 seconds faster than the previous-generation model.
By David Zoia Editor • March 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Harry Wilson’s Money Grab
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.Uh-oh, here we go again. If there is one lesson we learned from the Great Recession it’s to beware of financial wizards promoting get-rich-q...
By John McElroy 1 • March 2, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Of Humvees and Heroes: Aluminum, Steel Do Battle
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.Ford had been kicking around the idea for 20 years or so when it announced its ’15 F-150 pickup would be built primarily not of steel but of...
By Jim Irwin • Feb. 27, 2015
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