Vehicles: Page 119
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mopar Fires Up Crate of Motors
SEMA brings out the beast and whimsy in FCA’s Mopar designers and engineers – and this year’s concepts are no exception. But the big news is under the hood.
By Bob Gritzinger • Nov. 1, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
SEAT Touts Ateca Compact SUV With 4-Day Test Drives
Under the latest initiative from the Volkswagen Group-owned Spanish brand, Ateca models will be made available through SEAT’s network of business centers in the U.K. until year’s end.
By Paul Myles • Nov. 1, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Upgraded Mileage Adds to Mustang’s U.K. Street Cred
The annual MPG Marathon saw the 5.0L V-8 Mustang Fastback achieve an average 30.5 mpg compared with its official homologated economy figure of 17.4 mpg. The marathon’s previous improvement record was 39% set in 2014.
By Paul Myles • Nov. 1, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Clean-Gasoline Proposals Fuel Environmentalists’ Ire
The latest proposed controls “are paving the way for a future ‘petrolgate’ air-pollution scandal,” an environmental-advocacy group says of the European Commission rules under discussion.
By Liz Newmark • Nov. 1, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW Scandal Won’t Kill Diesels
Even though cheap gas and bad publicity might be suppressing demand, it’s very possible diesel sales will perk up in the coming year.
By D. Winter • Oct. 31, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fossils Could Be Key to Future Li-ion EV Batteries
“To improve the adoption of EVs, we need much better batteries,” says researcher Mihri Ozkan of the University of California-Riverside. “We believe diatomaceous earth, which is abundant and inexpensive, could be another sustainable source of silicon for battery anodes.”
By Alan Harman • Oct. 31, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
U.K. Analysts Say Hybrid Sales Belie Dark Future
The news comes as the British government announces another £10 million investment into EV charging infrastructure.
By Paul Myles • Oct. 31, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Cruze Hatch Smart, Sporty Step Forward
Form follows function, so the Cruze Hatch should appeal to buyers with active lifestyles. Folding the second-row seats opens up 47.2 cu.-ft. of cargo space.
By James M. Amend • Oct. 31, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Wheego Retooled as EV-, Autonomous-Tech Supplier
The former electric-car maker now is focused on developing products for autonomous vehicles that use machine learning and artificial intelligence.
By Alysha Webb • Oct. 27, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bolt EV Bound for Korean Market, GM Korea Exec Says
GM Korea President and CEO James Kim says Korean customers had expected the Bolt to be offered locally, although a spokesman for the automaker earlier this week said GM only was “studying” whether to offer the EV there.
By Vince Courtenay • Oct. 26, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Makes Trax More Upscale
Previously, the midgrade LT trim level was the most popular with Trax buyers, but GM executives expect the mix to richen due to the addition of a number of active safety features on the new Premier trim. Overall, the interior is much improved.
Oct. 26, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Artificial Intelligence Next Big Thing for Cars
Key takeaways from a diverse panel of experts at the recent WardsAuto User Experience Conference discussing how AI will recast our time behind the wheel.
Oct. 25, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
No Incentives for Hybrids, Thailand Says
Toyota argues the Thai government should include hybrid vehicles in its promotion policy to keep them close in price to pure internal-combustion-engine vehicles.
By Alan Harman • Oct. 21, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota’s Powertrain Strategy Extending Beyond Hybrids
To date, the Japanese automaker, the world’s leader in gas-electric hybrids, has introduced three new engines with forced induction – two gasoline and one diesel – on 11 Toyota and Lexus cars.
By Roger Schreffler • Oct. 21, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Report Touts Bigger Oz Role in Intelligent Mobility
The Australian Driverless Vehicle initiative is proposing a 5-year funding and incentive package focused on research, development, demonstration and deployment similar to the U.K.’s £100 million Intelligent Mobility Fund.
By Alan Harman • Oct. 20, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Right Time for Prime
Toyota’s latest plug-in version of its venerable Prius hybrid has great bang-for-the-buck, and comes at a time when plug-ins are the hottest green-car segment.
Oct. 20, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lear Innovation Center Targets More than Automotive
Some 25 full-time Lear designers and engineers are moving into the Innovation Center to collaborate with students from the nearby College for Creative Studies and Wayne State University School of Engineering.
Oct. 19, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW’s Near-Perfect I-6 Gets Even Better
Why not go to an easier-to-package V-6 like everyone else? BMW’s head of inline gasoline engines reminds us the I-6 not only is inherently smoother, but it also is significantly lighter.
By Gary Witzenburg • Oct. 19, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Porsche’s Reality: More Speed, Fewer Pistons
The new 2.0L and 2.5L engines represent the first time Porsche, which has a rich legacy of horizontally opposed piston engines, has developed one that combines turbocharging and only four cylinders.
Oct. 18, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi Names First Production EV e-tron
The e-tron name will be carried without any specific model designation, a move evoking the naming of Audi’s original quattro launched back in 1980.
By Greg Kable • Oct. 18, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Courts Jilted VW Diesel Buyers
Although the Detroit automaker put a new diesel in its U.S. product plan several years ago, it is doubling down on the technology by adding it to the Cruze Hatch and Equinox.
By James M. Amend • Oct. 17, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Singapore Car-Sharing Program to Deploy Fleet of EVs
The Economic Development Board says by 2020, drivers will be able to share 1,000 EVs and 2,000 charging points across the island state.
By Alan Harman • Oct. 14, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GMʼs Opel Opens Propulsion-Systems R&D Center
Opel’s Global Propulsion Systems Center employs more than 800 engineers and technicians to develop future propulsion systems using state-of-the-art technology.
By Paul Myles • Oct. 13, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
2016 Wards 10 Best UX Quick Hits
A summation of all 29 vehicles evaluated as part of the inaugural Wards 10 Best User Experiences competition. Many of these comments are taken directly from score sheets submitted by WardsAuto editors. Prices listed are sticker, as tested.
Oct. 13, 2016 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Technology, Engine Lineup Distinguish New 5-Series
Headlined by a 4-wheel-drive M550i xDrive M Performance model, the latest incarnation of the 5-Series follows an evolutionary path with an appearance less distinctly removed from its predecessor as 5-Series models have been in the recent past.
By Greg Kable • Oct. 12, 2016
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