Vehicles: Page 188

Mechanics Sound Off On Oil Changes, More

Is it all right to put 5,000 miles on a car before changing the oil? Yes, say some in the industry. They wave off the long-time conventional recommendation that engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. But 60% of surveyed National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified master technicians stick with 3,000-mile standard. Twenty-nine percent of them say up to 5,000 miles before

Sept. 1, 2006

Collaborate, Consolidate

The new spokesman for the Autosar consortium knows a thing or two about vehicle electrical architectures and the benefits of standardization. Helmut Fennel, vice president-control systems software at German supplier Continental Automotive Systems, gets credit for a mammoth technical breakthrough in the 1980s that ushered in widespread use of antilock braking systems (ABS) in vehicles around the world.

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2006

Study Shows U.S. Consumers Open to E85, PHEVs

While interest is strong, many consumers are not familiar with the specific benefits and drawbacks of new powertrain technologies.

By Mike Sutton • Aug. 17, 2006

CVT Applications Still Increasing, Supplier Says

With fuel economy a top industry concern, CVT developer Jatco appears positioned to seize the advantage.

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 11, 2006

Saturn Exploring Clean Diesel Engines

Diesel engines could find a place within Saturn's lineup, as GM considers a number of energy-efficient powertrain technologies.

By Scott Anderson • Aug. 11, 2006

ZAP Imports First Chinese-Made Electric Minicar

The 3-wheel, pod-like Xebra is designed for U.S. roads and will sell for less than $10,000.

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 10, 2006

Hyundai Engineering Starts with ‘Layman’s’ Approach

Hyundai is obsessed with the idea of having the customer drive engineering discipline.

By Drew Winter • Aug. 8, 2006

Cherry Bomb and Mopar to Build Charger Show Car

Cherry Bomb, the iconic glass-pack muffler manufacturer, is teaming up with Chrysler Group's Mopar Performance division to build a custom '06 Dodge Charger show car for display at the Specialty Equipment Market Assn. show in Las Vegas this fall. The project is one of the first elements of Cherry Bomb's effort to capitalize on the automotive industry's renewed passion for muscle cars and vehicle personalization,

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 1, 2006

LMT Opens Auburn Hills Center

Germany's LMT-Fette, part of Leitz Metalworking Technologies Group, opens a new Automotive Support Center in Auburn Hills, MI. The company produces tooling for transmission and engine components, with major customers in Europe. The center's role is to help U.S. customers with service and support for tooling located in North America. Employment at the facility is expected to increase from nine workers

Aug. 1, 2006

7% Better Fuel Economy

Baseball sometimes is referred to as a game of inches. Rising fuel prices are turning the automotive business into a similar battle over small increments. Already, General Motors Corp. appears to be winning sales with the 1- or 2-mpg advantage its new Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon enjoy over their closest rivals in the fullsize SUV segment. The competition likely will get even more intense going forward,

By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 2006

Automotive, Electronic Worlds Meet at Convergence 2006

Convergence 2006 will be held at the Cobo Conference Center in downtown Detroit, October 16-18.

July 12, 2006

Advanced Cooling System Makes Hybrids More Efficient

Researchers are developing a more effective cooling system for hybrid-electric vehicles.

By Herb Shuldiner • July 11, 2006

Toyota Interior Supplier to Locate in Woodstock

Toyota Boshoku says it will provide seats, door trim and carpet for the RAV4, investing C$65 million ($57.8 million) and creating 330 jobs in the process.

By Ward's Staff • July 10, 2006

Sonic Picks Exclusive Menu-Selling System Provider

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.Sonic Automotive dealership chain, which has had irregularities at some of its dealerships' finance and insurance departments, picked MenuVa...

July 1, 2006

Airbags Going New Places

Although airbags have been around for more than 20 years, installation rates in North American vehicles will continue to grow, as auto makers strive to pack more safety systems into vehicle interiors. Driving the movement will be an increase in government safety regulations, the growing interest in vehicle safety by consumers and the continued advancement of airbag technology, says Theresa Marcantonio,

By Mike Sutton • July 1, 2006

High on High-End Lists

Appealing to the high-end automotive consumer used to mean filling a car's interior with enough leather and wood to resemble an Edwardian sitting room. Today's upscale car owners prefer interior amenities of the high-tech kind, from sophisticated navigation systems to rear-seat TVs. There is a continuous demand for the introduction of new technologies from luxury car buyers and the auto companies

By Steve Finlay • July 1, 2006

Simplify the HMI

In automotive electronics, the issue is not innovation. It is how much innovation we all can stand. One of the biggest revelations to come out of last month's Ward's Auto Interiors Show is that there can, indeed, be too much of a good thing when it comes to in-vehicle electronics: too many channels; too many varieties of information and entertainment beamed into our vehicles; too many methods for

By Drew Winter • July 1, 2006

Hybrid Gut Check

As a relatively new and complex form of automotive technology, hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) have created several uncertainties and misconceptions among the car-buying public. In an effort to separate hybrid perception from reality, Toyota Motor Corp., the epicenter of the technology with five Toyota- and Lexus-brand HEVs currently on sale, is looking to unravel the mysteries and set the facts straight

By Mike Sutton • July 1, 2006

Winning Interiors

Domestic auto makers make an impressive showing at the seventh annual automotive Interior of the Year awards, presented at the Ward's Auto Interiors Show. DaimerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. take home the lion's share of the awards, given in 12 categories broadly defined by cars, trucks and cross/utility vehicles (CUVs). Winners in each category were based separately on votes

By Bill Visnic • July 1, 2006

Reinventing the Automobile

It started out more than 30 years ago as a humble event, a response to stricter government mandates related to automotive safety, fuel and emissions standards. Now the biennual Convergence conference and exhibition is talking about reinventing the automobile. With the exponential growth of the world's population and vehicle ownership rates, advanced electronics along with advanced propulsion, materials,

July 1, 2006

Hail CESAR

Siemens VDO Automotive Corp. says aspects of its modular cockpit structure likely will appear in production vehicles in Europe as early as next year. The supplier displayed a BMW 5-Series sedan equipped with its fully operational CESAR at the Ward's Auto Interiors show. The Cockpit Electromechanical System Architecture represents a revolutionary change in the way instrument panels are designed and

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2006

U.S. Vehicle Population Grows Larger, Cars Grow Older, Scrappage Rate Falls

U.S. roads grew more congested in 2004 and the age of cars on the road increased to an all-time high as the scrappage rate fell.

By Al Binder • June 29, 2006

Cherry Bomb, Mopar to Build Charger Show Car

The '06 Charger will feature numerous Mopar performance parts and debut at the 2006 Specialty Equipment Market Assn. show in Las Vegas.

By Ward's Staff • June 28, 2006

Asian Small Cars Gain as Fuel Prices Soar in 2005

Countries such as Australia and India turned their attention to smaller vehicles to serve growing demand for fuel-efficient passenger cars.

By Christie Schweinsberg • June 26, 2006

World Vehicle Output Hit New Record in 2005, But Developing Countries Led Gains

Despite soaring energy prices, rising interest rates and economic and social difficulties, 2005 world vehicle production reached a record 65.8 million units.

By Al Binder • June 26, 2006