Vehicles: Page 175
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Delphi Exits Bankruptcy as Shell of Former Self
The former parts maker Delphi Corp. exits bankruptcy as Delphi Holdings LLP a comparatively leaner, more-focused and globally competitive company. The new Delphi's portfolio will center on electronics and safety; powertrain; thermal; electrical and electronic systems; OE service and the aftermarket. What's left of Delphi mainly resides now overseas, and its executive chairman, Robert Miller, who agitated
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
What Consumers Want Now
Four years ago, vehicle shoppers were more concerned about the number of cupholders in a vehicle than its fuel economy, says auto analyst Anthony Pratt, citing a consumer survey. Times have changed. People are really concerned about fuel economy today, Pratt, a senior analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says here during an industry panel discussion that is part of Northwood University's annual student-run
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Das Hybrid
The Volkswagen L1 concept is an important car not so much for what it is than what it represents: a dramatic change in how the German auto maker views the midterm future of the automobile.VW, the largest auto maker in Europe, with aspirations to be No.1 globally, introduced the L1 at the recent Frankfurt auto show. It is a sleek carbon-fiber concept that has an astonishing combined fuel-economy rating of 170 mpg (1.38 L/100 km) and carbon-dioxide emissions of a mere 36 g/km.
By Drew Winter • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acceleration’s New Measure
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER PILOTING the '10 Tesla Roadster Sport along undulating ribbons of blacktop that wind through Bay-area forests of aromatic California Laurel near Menlo Park, the disappointment lingers. Not because the electric vehicle's interior, despite an inspired upgrade, smacks of an aftermarket refit. Or that its $128,000-plus price tag is an affront to the segment. Disillusionment festers
By Eric Mayne • Oct. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Plane Crash Kills Dealer William Beck
Auto dealer William Beck died Sept. 11, when his Cirrus SR22 airplane crashed at the Rock Hill/York County Airport in North Carolina. Beck was the only one on board. The plane apparently had engine trouble at takeoff, prompting Beck to return to the airport but not avoid the crash. Beck, 49, was a longtime car dealer whose Beck Automotive Group appeared on the Ward's Megadealer 100 ranking for several
Oct. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Designers in Charge
As Ford Motor Co.'s J Mays ponders the way designers are perceived within the auto industry, his sarcasm is as subtle as the bumper bullets on a '56 Coupe de Ville.Ward's: Are designers stereotyped?Mays: C'mon, everyone knows that designers only wear black and sport German designer spectacles, and they all have terrifyingly geometric haircuts.
By Eric Mayne • Oct. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Student-Designed EV Eliminates Axles, Mechanical Brakes
By placing motors in each wheel, the weight and complexity of gearboxes, differentials, axles and shafts are eliminated and replaced with electronics controlled by a small computer and software.
By Alan Harman • Sept. 29, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
August Light-Vehicle Sales Achieve Record Fuel-Efficiency Rating
Toyota finished atop the Ward’s fuel-economy index in each of the last two months, setting an industry record in July with a rating of 26.9.
By John Sousanis • Sept. 25, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
France Says Orders for 50,000 Electric Vehicles on Way
Public fleets, alone, will buy 100,000 EVs over the next five years, a government official says.
By William Diem • Sept. 24, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Wilbur Ross Proposes Lobby to Push for EU Vehicle-Scrappage Scheme
The billionaire founder and chairman of International Automotive Components Group warns Europe’s sales could decline by more than 1 million units next year, compared with 2009.
By Eric Mayne • Sept. 17, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW Turbo I-6 Epitomizes ‘EfficientDynamics’ Engineering Vision
With such a wide variety of applications, BMW’s I-6 could be today’s Teutonic equivalent of the iconic Chevrolet small-block V-8.
By Gary Witzenburg • Sept. 15, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
MathWorks Touts Early Verification
Today, New Safety and Propulsion systems are creating culture clashes within the engineering community. Functional engineering groups that don't know each other are being forced to work together. Electronics engineers have to communicate with body and chassis engineers; hybrid-electric-vehicle development means electrical engineers have to collaborate with folks in powertrain engineering. Communication
By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s 23-Vehicle Product Blitz
The reconstituted General Motors Co. pulls back the curtain on its future products, revealing plans for 23 new or redesigned cars and cross/utility vehicles over the next 24 months. It will nearly double Buick's portfolio, add an entry-level sports car and big sedan at Cadillac, grow the number of low-cost, fuel-efficient products at Chevrolet and inject youth into GMC. GM President and CEO Fritz
By James M. Amend • Sept. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Might Not Meet Obama’s Plug-in Hybrid Goals
President Obama's goal of having 1 million plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015 may be too lofty, says a top Toyota official. It's a big, big challenge, Josephine Cooper, group vice president-government affairs for Toyota Motor North America Inc., says at the Management Briefing Seminars, an annual industry gathering in Traverse City, MI. Cooper notes standard HEVs have been available
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Targets Honda, Toyota With New CX-7 Engine
With the ’10 CX-7 just arriving at dealerships, it remains unclear whether the addition of the 2.5L mill can help it compete with the CR-V and RAV4.
By Byron Pope • Sept. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Thai Decision to Switch to B5 Biofuel Wins Industry Backing
B5 demand now is 6.3 million gallons a day, about 50% of all diesel sold in Thailand.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 26, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler to Make Fiat 500 in Mexico; May Produce Engine in Trenton
The U.S. auto maker plans to build Fiat’s popular subcompact car in Toluca, The Wall Street Journal reports, based on unnamed sources.
By Ward's Staff From Wires • Aug. 17, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Harbour Report Goes Private This Year
The Harbour Report, Which Gaugesthe productivity of North American assembly, stamping and powertrain plants, will be kept private this year following a vote by participating auto makers. We've had success with the European and South American reports being private, so we made the decision to make (North America) private, spokeswoman Michelle Hill tells Ward's. We've discussed the possibility (of making
By Byron Pope • Aug. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
California Adopts Reflective-Glass Rule
Auto Makers, Environmentalists and the Obama White House reached an historic agreement two months ago, raising U.S. fuel economy rules and putting to rest years of bickering over California's right to set its own emissions standards. But the state regulator in the nation's largest new-vehicle market continues to flex its administrative muscle. The California Air Resources Board recently adopted a
By James M. Amend • Aug. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Reengineer GM’s Culture
Everyone Talks About Changing the Culture at What's left of General Motors. I suppose that means less talk and more action, fewer committee meetings and more decisions, less wasted time. Bah. I'll tell you the real cultural change that's needed. Break the control of the finance types who have run GM into the dirt. Give power to the car guys, the people who understand the business. Half a century ago,
By Jerry Flint • Aug. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Reengineer GM’s Culture
Throughout its history, GM’s great successes have come from car guys and inventions such as the automatic transmission and catalytic converter, not financial wizards.
By Jerry Flint • July 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Riversimple Urban Fuel-Cell Vehicle Introduced in London
The major investor is Sebastian Piech, great-grandson of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche and nephew of Volkswagen Supervisory Board Chairman Ferdinand Piech.
By Herb Shuldiner • July 13, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Researchers Look to Supercapacitors for Future Mild Hybrids
Valeo already has plans to deliver a supercapacitor mild-hybrid system to another auto maker in 2011, but the PSA project is targeted at reducing costs for high-volume production.
By William Diem • July 2, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Good Hybrid, Lacks Sex Appeal
In a January Appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Clint Eastwood, in talking about the problems of the Detroit Three auto makers, veers off on a tangent about the lack of sexy hybrid-electric vehicles in the market. One of the problems with hybrids and stuff is nobody ever made a sexy one, Eastwood tells Letterman. The audience applauds, perhaps suggesting many people would be inclined
By Christie Schweinsberg • July 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
India’s Mahindra Steps Up Effort to Recruit U.S. Dealers
Looking for a U.S. sales debut this fall, Indian diesel pickup truck and SUV manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has stepped up its dealer recruiting efforts to reach a goal of about 300 by rollout time. We've named over 250 dealers already and are negotiating with 50 more in spec points, says Casey McGraw, sales vice-president for Mahindra importer Global Vehicles USA, which is based in the Atlanta
By Mac Gordon • July 1, 2009
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