Vehicles: Page 180

Chrysler Upgrades World Engines

After Many Frenzied Months, Which have seen Chrysler LLC reorganize its management ranks while paring its product lineup amid the usual circus that surrounds national contract talks, things are getting a little quieter. At least inside the auto maker's small and midsize vehicles. In a bid to address noise, vibration and harshness issues associated with Chrysler's 4-cyl. World Engines, the auto maker

By Eric Mayne • June 1, 2008

Dealership Hosts Alternative-Fuel Vehicle Exposition

Fitzgerald Auto Malls in Bethesda, MD, hosted an exclusive Alternative Fuel Vehicle Expo that showcased more than 20 of the latest and upcoming alternative fuel vehicles. Vehicles showcasing latest alternative-fuel technologies included Toyota, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volkswagen models. Hybrid, alternative fuel, fuel cell, hydrogen, electric and E85

June 1, 2008

Food vs. Fuel

Some call it the perfect storm. Others refer to a silent tsunami.As the Western world anxiously calls out for relief from soaring gasoline and grocery prices and developing countries riot over food shortages, a growing chorus of critics is questioning the wisdom of government energy policies they say are responsible for destroying precious rainforests, accelerating global warming and driving up the cost and availability of food as farmers divert crops to fuel.

By Barbara McClellan • June 1, 2008

Harry Criswell’s Brave New World: Selling Used Cars

The used-car business is big business these days, with a slumping economy and gasoline prices hovering around $4 a gallon.

By Derek Stark • June 1, 2008

Whatever Its Role in Global Warming, Auto Industry Will Face Consequences

Most professionals consider global warming a natural occurrence the transportation sector will overcome no differently than the floods, fires, ice storms and mudslides already successfully endured, says one environmental engineer.

By James M. Amend • May 27, 2008

Diesel-Led PSA Developing Small Gasoline Engine

Up to now, the French auto maker has emphasized diesel’s contribution to CO2 reduction, so the shift to gasoline is an important signal that it foresees a similar change in the market.

By William Diem • May 19, 2008

Canada Invests Millions in Vancouver’s Fuel-Cell Industry

The Vancouver region already is home to what the National Research Council calls the world’s most sophisticated grouping of companies and organizations focused on fuel-cell and hydrogen technologies.

By Alan Harman • May 15, 2008

Suzuki Announces Free Gas for Summer Event

The Japanese auto maker’s free-fuel program will run for three months, with buyers receiving a pre-paid gas card if they purchase an ’07 or ’08 Suzuki through June 30.

By Ward's Staff • May 6, 2008

Two Plug-In SUVs Coming This Year from FEV, Raser

FEV Inc. and Raser Technologies Inc. say two extended-range plug-in series hybrid-electric fullsize SUVs will be on the road by the end of the year, both capable of achieving fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.3 L/100 km). Pacific Gas & Electric, a West Coast utility company, has agreed to purchase the two fleet SUVs and plans to deploy them this year, as well, says James Spellman, vice president-business

By Tom Murphy • May 1, 2008

Fashion’s Influence

Anthony Prozzi, interior design manager for the upcoming Ford Flex cross/utility vehicle, drew upon his years of experience in the fashion industry, including a stint with DKNY (Donna Karan New York), to craft an interior that is elegant yet functional. While the Flex will maintain the brand's traditional trim designations SE, SEL and Limited when it debuts this summer, Prozzi and his team intentionally

By Byron Pope • May 1, 2008

Mann+Hummel Shows Plastic Oil Pan

German Supplier Mann+hummel GmbH says it will begin production in Queretaro, Mexico, of a plastic oil pan that can be 35% lighter than a conventional pan made of steel or aluminum. While weight reduction is emerging as a top priority for OEMs to boost fuel efficiency, cost remains equally important. Although new technology often carries a premium, Mann+Hummel says the plastic oil pan actually costs

By Tom Murphy • May 1, 2008

Taiwan Consortium Aims to Corner Light-Electric Vehicle Market

Instead of recharging depleted batteries, they could be swapped out at service stations in the same manner that propane tanks are exchanged for the backyard barbecue.

By Byron Pope • May 1, 2008

An Uncommonly Complex but Happy Marriage

The GM 2-mode hybrid is the union of a big V-8 and an electronically variable transmission that marries two electric motors to a 4-speed automatic.

By Gary Witzenburg • April 23, 2008

FEV Concepts Advance Engine Downsizing, Flexibility

The engineering firm’s Spray Guided Turbo engine and variable-compression assembly showcase what might result as auto makers boost R&D spending to improve vehicle efficiency.

By Mike Sutton • April 23, 2008

Ford Flex Interior Designer Leverages Fashion Background

To ensure quality and comfort, a trio of engineers designed the vehicle’s seats in-house using sophisticated computer simulation technology.

By Byron Pope • April 21, 2008

Lear: All Hands on DECS

The supplier’s Dynamic Environmental Comfort System represents a radical new approach to seat construction that drastically reduces weight and improves recyclability.

By Tom Murphy • April 16, 2008

FEV, Raser to Deliver Two Plug-In SUVs This Year

The extended-range PHEVs are able to drive 40 miles in all-electric mode, with near zero emissions. A 4-cyl. engine only runs to charge the lithium-ion battery.

By Tom Murphy • April 15, 2008

Advanced-Powertrain Technology Can Influence Consumers

The benefits of today’s advanced powertrains represent a key 2008 selling feature for dealerships today, a panel of experts tells attendees at the SAE International World Congress.

By Cliff Banks • April 14, 2008

Diesel Tech Considered Strategic Resource in France

Diesel engines are critical to the success of Renault SA and PSA Peugeot-Citroen, and thus they are critical to the French supply base, research laboratories and government. More than a year ago, France created Mov'eo, a regional organization or competitive cluster that encourages cooperative automotive research among small and large industries, government labs and universities in Ile-de-France (the

By William Diem • April 1, 2008

Everyone Tries to Get Lessee To Buy Vehicle

One way to dispense with an off-lease vehicle especially if it has low-residual issues is to try to get the lessee to buy it. That approach took root last decade but is less effective now because just about everyone is trying to mitigate losses that way as an end-of-lease strategy, says Bruce Harris, a vice president at Volkswagen of America Inc.'s captive finance firm, VW Credit Inc. The success

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2008

Better Fuel Economy, Higher Prices?

The cost of new technology needed to meet 2020 U.S. fuel-economy requirements could cause at least a momentary hiccup in new-vehicle demand, General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Robert Lutz predicts. The new rules, which call for the U.S. fleet to average 35 mpg), will add thousands to the price of each vehicle, Lutz says. Customers will have to take it (price increases), because we'll have to meet

By Herb Shuldiner • April 1, 2008

PSA Pursues 2-Pronged Strategy for Diesel Hybrids

It was something of a surprise when Jean-Martin Folz, then CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroen, introduced two diesel hybrid prototypes to the press in January 2006 because Folz and most of the European industry at the time were groaning about hybrids due to cost. But Folz argued if people were willing to pay more for a diesel because it was 20% more fuel efficient than a gasoline engine, people would pay

April 1, 2008

Exatec’s Window of Opportunity

It wasn't that long ago the idea of using nylon instead of metal for engine intake manifolds or clear polycarbonate for headlight lenses was considered a pipe-dream. It took years of hard work to get various auto maker and government specifications changed, but now plastic has taken over both these applications. Vehicle windows, or glazing as they are known to vehicle designers, seem poised at a similar

By Drew Winter • April 1, 2008

France Eyes Burgeoning U.S. Diesel Market

For a generation, light-duty diesels barely have been a blip on the radar screen for most Americans. Diesel-powered Volkswagens and Mercedes-Benzes have been little more than oddities on the U.S. landscape for the past 25 years or so, and they have done little to change the bad impression most American consumers have of compression-ignition engines. Thanks to the recent introduction of ultra-low sulfur

By William Diem and Drew Winter • April 1, 2008

Alternative Fuels to Expand Dealers’ Powertrain Offerings

Although some skeptics question whether such vehicles will sell, dealer group chief Mark Schienberg is optimistic about their chances as gasoline prices rise to unprecedented levels.

By Steve Finlay • March 20, 2008