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The Gap Between Detroit and Washington
The challenge of meeting the technical and economic costs of building safer vehicles with increasingly tough regulatory targets is not something highly appreciated in Washington circles, a former Ford executive says.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 9, 2012 -
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Product Development Efficiency Gets More Attention
Although manufacturing efficiency will remain important, a recent Oliver Wyman study shows it will become less prominent between now and 2017.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 9, 2012 -
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Brose North America Nurtures Innovation
The supplier’s top U.S. executive credits much of the company’s success to a strategy of nurturing new thinking, but reminds that “innovation is not innovation until it produces sales.”
By David C. Smith • Aug. 8, 2012 -
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Auto Production Soaring in Southern U.S.
BMW's Spartanburg County plant became the largest exporter in the U.S. last year, enabling South Carolina to surpass Michigan for No.1 export status.
Aug. 8, 2012 -
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Automotive Among Best-Performing Sectors
The U.S. will turn in the third consecutive year of double-digit sales gains to more than 14 million vehicles this year, Ford’s chief economist says, and “the long-term outlook is good.”
By David C. Smith • Aug. 7, 2012 -
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Road to MBS: 250 Miles in Chevy Volt a Breeze
The Volt’s extended-range propulsion system is superb; it just needs a sexier wrapper to fetch the price tag it requires.
Aug. 7, 2012 -
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Road to MBS: Cruze Eco Delivers
Even with golf clubs, travel gear and an unexpected passenger and his stuff, the car exceeds its 42-mpg highway rating.
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 7, 2012 -
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‘Skyactiv’ Meaning Cloudy
Mazda uses the branding to denote its effort to go after “grams” to reduce vehicle weight, improve fuel economy and lower emissions.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 6, 2012 -
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Chevy Sees Different Buyers for Spark, Sonic
The bowtie brand's new minicar has a younger, more urban slant than the year-old, slightly bigger and more-expensive Sonic.
Aug. 3, 2012 -
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Consumer Anxieties Stall EV, Plug-in Hybrid Sales
The overall hybrid market share in the U.S. is about 2%. For all-electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i, shares are fractionally “very, very small,” says Scott Miller, president of Vision Critical, a consumer-information and technology firm.
By Lillie Guyer • Aug. 3, 2012 -
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North American Auto Makers Trim Q3 Production
The cut results from industry adjustments that saw 56,200 builds pulled forward into June, more than offsetting the 50,100 that were pared from rosters in July, while August and September slates increased by 14,100 and 17,900, respectively.
By Al Binder • Aug. 3, 2012 -
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Getting ‘The Kids’ Interested in Cars
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.When I was 16 years old, getting a drivers license was practically a rite of passage. It meant a lot to be able to drive a car. Not anymore....
By John McElroy 1 • July 30, 2012 -
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At Halfway Point, 2012 World Vehicle Sales Up 5.9%
Global auto sales through June reached 41.5 million units, up nearly 6% over year-ago, with the growth pace expected to gain further momentum throughout the year’s second half.
By John Sousanis • July 27, 2012 -
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Crossroads China: From Rickshaws to Range Rovers
China’s standard of living, at least in the cities, has improved dramatically. Households are enjoying cars and other modern amenities as incomes rise. But traffic, stress and inflation detract from the quality of life.
July 27, 2012 -
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Dearborn Goes Geek-Town
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.Henry Ford was an innovator of grand proportion, so it’s fitting the cultural gem of a museum named in his honor will host its third-annual ...
By Tom Murphy • July 26, 2012 -
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Maruti Suzuki Facing Another Summer of Labor Strife
Despite its commitment to expanding its Manesar operations, the auto maker is building an assembly plant in Gujarat. It is among several car companies drawn to the western state by its peaceable and productive industrial climate.
By Sudhakar Shah • July 26, 2012 -
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Mexico Output, Sales Rise in June
Total light-vehicle sales in Mexico in June jumped 10.6% vs. like-2011 to 78,357, with car deliveries rising 9.0% to 50,287 and light-truck sales climbing 13.7% to 28,070.
By Byron Pope • July 24, 2012 -
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MR Dampers Bound for High Volume, Expert Says at China Conference
Adaptive suspension dampers using magnetorheological fluid are several times more expensive than hydraulic units, but a Virginia Tech professor who has studied the fluid extensively sees that gap closing.
July 19, 2012 -
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Chinese Industry Needs to Close Technology Gap, Officials Say
“We have learned a lot from joint ventures, but China must be able to develop its own core technologies,” Guo Konghui, a Jilin University professor, says as Changchun hosts its auto show and VTI technology conference here.
July 17, 2012 -
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Future Car Telematics Would Allow Access to Customers
Modern vehicle infotainment features are cutting-edge, but even more so are impending in-vehicle diagnostics systems.
By Steve Finlay • July 16, 2012 -
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Riding Record Growth, Panasonic Automotive Opens New Facility
Panasonic Automotive enjoys the enviable position of supplying technologies in hot demand, as auto makers seek to differentiate their cars and trucks from the competition.
By James M. Amend • July 13, 2012 -
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How to Motivate Service Technicians
As most service managers can attest, maintaining a positive work environment in the shop is necessary but difficult at times.
By James Clausen • July 13, 2012 -
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Smart Headlights Improve Visibility in Rain
The system designed by Carnegie Mellon researchers employs a camera to predict where raindrops will fall within milliseconds and then deactivates light beams that otherwise would bounce off the precipitation and impair driver visibility.
By Herb Shuldiner 1 • July 12, 2012 -
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How to Respond to ‘I Want to Think About It’
Here is some thoughtful advice on how to handle one of the biggest and oft-heard customer objections at a car dealership.
By Darin George • July 11, 2012 -
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Russia Seeking New Auto Industry Training Standards as Foreign Investment Grows
PSA, Mitsubishi and VW see Kaluga as their doorway to a fast-expanding Russian market, where the local skilled labor offers them the opportunity to design their own workforce through training programs that are likely to go national.
By Nick Holdsworth • July 11, 2012
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