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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Elio Motors Sets Sights High With 3-Wheel Car
The start-up auto maker says its unique purchase plan will allow it to sell 250,000 vehicles annually.
By Byron Pope • May 9, 2013 -
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Auto Makers Need to Fess Up on Fleet Sales
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.After the 2009 bankruptcy filings of General Motors and Chrysler, the Detroit Three promised to change their ways and focus on moving more o...
By Christie Schweinsberg Blogger • May 8, 2013 -
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Trying Times Continue for European Auto Makers
Until the economic picture brightens, auto makers must continue innovating and dissuading regulators from passing laws that would raise their production costs, Ivan Hodac of the ACEA says.
By Carmen Paun • May 8, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Record First-Quarter North American Capacity Utilization; 12-Month Average to Climb
Ford and Nissan are the two biggest reasons industry capacity utilization is running at 100% or more, but they are getting a lot of help from manufacturers with only one or two facilities, nearly all of them on 3-shift/crew schedules.
By Haig Stoddard • May 7, 2013 -
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April U.S. Inventory in Line With Rising Demand
Inventory levels usually fall from March to April, but the increase is not a red flag because month-end days’ supply of 64 is slightly below average for this time of year, indicating demand is growing.
By Haig Stoddard • May 3, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fisker Woes Won’t Dash Destino Plans
Bob Lutz tells WardsAuto VL has received hundreds of inquiries from Karma owners who may have an interest in converting their cars to V-8 power.
By David C. Smith • May 3, 2013 -
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Shortcuts Can Short Circuit Car Deals
Complying with auto retailing’s rules and regulations means not cutting corners.
By Gil Van Over • May 3, 2013 -
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Optimism, Attendance Run High at Auto Steel Conference
While mostly a love fest, carbon-dioxide emissions are a sore spot. Steel makers insist their material is superior because steel manufacturing produces less CO2 than the competition. Pragmatic engineers say the benefit is useless.
May 2, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Jaguar’s Ian Callum on Fighting to Save Salsa Red
The battle to keep Salsa Red in the color palette for the all-new Jaguar F-Type roadster nearly got bloody, but Design Director Ian Callum prevailed.
May 2, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Holden Tweaks High-Performance Model Range Naming
HSV is abandoning a series nomenclature to overcome potential legal and marketing clashes over the use of F Series, a monicker evocative of the F1 name already used by Grand Prix racing.
By Alan Harman • May 1, 2013 -
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Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn Redefines Premium Pickups
With saddle-brown leather and burled walnut trim, the up-level pickup is one of a handful of entries to receive near-perfect scores from WardsAuto jurors.
By Aaron Foley • April 30, 2013 -
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Chevy Spark Bright Light in Entry Market
The minicar marks the third consecutive year GM has won Ward’s 10 Best Interiors honors for a passenger car at the entry end of the market.
By James M. Amend • April 30, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lutz Expounds on New No-Holds-Barred Book, Future Auto Technology
Lutz discredits the impact of short-time boss Ed Whitacre at GM, and says broomed CEO Rick Wagoner was intelligent but lacked “the killer instinct and sometimes ruthlessness a CEO must have.”
By Jim Mateja • April 29, 2013 -
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Lead Providers Should Offer More Transparency
Dealers need to know how serious lead submitters are about buying from them.
By David Kain • April 24, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Don’t Get Burned When Offering Skin in the Game
A written contract is a must if a dealer chooses to sell a stake in the business to a manager.
By Michael Charapp • April 23, 2013 -
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WardsAuto Flashback – April 2013
Bel Air in short supply; future of automatic transmissions debated; union compared to racketeers - and more April news from the WardsAuto archives.
By Al Binder • April 22, 2013 -
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Torino Design Behind New Chery QQ
The studio took its inspiration from cartoon characters, creating a smiling front end surrounded by smooth and rounded features for the second-generation car.
By Giancarlo Perini • April 18, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Steel Makers Ready for 54.5 MPG and Beyond
Steel continues to thrive because critics and competitors underestimate the material’s and steel industry’s ability to evolve, an executive says.
April 17, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Stop-Start Technology Faces Uphill Battle in North America
Americans are slow to embrace the fuel-saving technology because of perceived noise, vibration and harshness issues and the fact that systems originally designed for Europe shut down the air conditioner during stops.
By Byron Pope • April 16, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Execs Say Predicting Customer Needs a Challenge
Auto makers differ on techniques to anticipate buyers' needs, but agree technology and exterior design are keys to winning and keeping their attention.
By Aaron Foley • April 16, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
In Race for Lighter Cars, Consumers and Environment Win
The fact is, aluminum, steel, plastics and magnesium not only need to co-exist, they need to work together in vehicle design, because all of them are here to stay.
By Roland Harings • April 16, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Slippery Slope: Production Cars Making Jaw-Dropping Aerodynamic Gains
A new trend sweeping the industry is aerodynamic vehicles that look fashionable, rather than like science projects.
April 9, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Plush Viper GTS Sales Surprise for SRT
Orders for the upscale model, which pays closer attention to interior detail than the base version, are exceeding expectations for Chrysler’s high-performance brand.
By Aaron Foley • April 9, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
WardsAuto e-Dealer 100 Sales Keep Growing
Internet-savvy dealers are honing their skills, as evidenced by this year’s industry ranking.
By Tom Beaman • April 8, 2013 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lean U.S. Inventory Could Mean More Production in Second Quarter
March ended with a 62 days’ supply of domestic vehicles, well below the 70 days’ best for this time of year and considering the current pace of market growth.
By Haig Stoddard • April 5, 2013
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