Vehicles: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Death to 4-Banger Moniker
Naturally Aspirated 4-Cyl. Engines have made the Ward's 10 Best Engines list about as often as a 2-cycle Briggs and Stratton. In 14 years, we've honored 60 engines, and only two have been naturally aspirated inline-4s not arrayed as hybrids. Heck, 4-cyl. engines, in general, have been grossly under-represented, as only 12 have made the list over the previous 14 years. Ward's judges shunning I-4s for
By Tom Murphy • Jan. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Down Side of Low Gas Prices
The service station near me on Route 9 in upstate New York recently was selling gasoline at about $2 per gallon and diesel at $3 when I filled up. In much of the U.S., folks are paying a lot less. There even is talk of gasoline falling below $1 per gallon. Of course, we all expect prices will climb again, maybe to $3 or $4 per gallon. But what if they don't? What if the global recession and falling
By Jerry Flint • Jan. 1, 2009 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota Motor North America
TrendlineTop 5 stories from WardsAuto
Automakers are evaluating their long-term strategies, revisiting their product mix, and approach to both retail and manufacturing approach along the way.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Take a Seat, If You Like Mitsubishi’s Evo X
What it lacks in polished manners, the Evo makes up with raw street cred. It takes little spurring for this all-wheel driver to go all out.
By Steve Finlay • Dec. 19, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
IIHS: Small-Car Crashworthiness Improving, But ESC Still Lacking
The IIHS says the Focus was the only vehicle in the latest test to earn a good rating for its seat/head restraints in a rear crash.
By Ward's Staff • Dec. 17, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ward’s Announces 2009 10 Best Engines Winners
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.SOUTHFIELD, MI – Amid plummeting vehicle sales, thousands of job losses, an economy officially in recession and pleas for federal assistance...
Dec. 8, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mitsubishi U.S. Exec Says Any EV Success Good for All Auto Makers
MMNA is placing i-MiEV prototypes into electric-utility company fleets in Southern California to learn to service them before offering the electric cars to U.S. car buyers.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Dec. 5, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Euro 5 Accelerates Delphi Diesel Work
Delphi Corp.'s Delphi Diesel Systems unit is looking to double its injector volume over the next three years as Euro 5 emissions controls come into play. Overall, Diesel System revenues of E1.6 billion ($2 billion) in 2008 will rise to E2.4 billion ($3 billion), the company says, as some older diesel technology programs go out of production. Delphi's solenoid-injector technology gets credit for most
By William Diem • Dec. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
CarMax Slashes Inventory as Profits Tank
CarMax Inc. sustained one of the largest revenue and net income declines in its 15-year history during the second quarter of its fiscal year, prompting the Richmond, VA-based used-car superstore network to slash its pre-owned inventory by more than 13,300 units. CarMax Chairman and CEO Tom Folliard attributed the downswing to the weak U.S. economy and spiking gasoline prices. The inventory cutback,
Dec. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Life Boat Is Getting Crowded
As domestic auto makers and banks position for seats on the life boat, dealers don't even have a lifeline. American auto companies don't believe their survival is through its current dealer network. Each of them thinks its long-term success is based on a greatly reduced domestic dealer body. Rather than focusing on tax and confidence measures to incentivize consumers into the showrooms (an effort
By Phil Villegas • Dec. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW X5 Diesel Balances Performance With Economy
Diesel option stands out as most rational choice when alternative engines are an overmatched I-6 gasoline engine or a potent-but-thirsty 4.8L V-8.
By Drew Winter • Nov. 21, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
’09 VW Jetta Diesel Named Green Car of the Year
The Jetta beat out a number of green-leaning competitors, including two hybrid-electric vehicles, a clean-diesel sport sedan and a fuel-efficient microcar.
By Drew Winter • Nov. 20, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Z Gets Bigger Engine, Shorter Wheelbase for ’09
The auto maker is focused on cutting the fat from its well-regarded sports car, reducing weight in everything from the Z’s body to its fuel tank and wheels.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Nov. 19, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Study Finds Asian Companies Leading in Li-ion Battery Development
Research is still under way to develop safer, more efficient lithium cells, although CLSA notes the primary bottleneck to Li-ion battery usage in vehicles is material costs.
By Mack Chrysler • Nov. 5, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New BMW iDrive Proof Electronics Engineers are Evolving
User-friendliness, not the number of features, is where the real competitive advantage lies in human/machine interface design.
By Drew Winter • Nov. 5, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
The People’s Diesel
Although Volkswagen of America Inc. has sold more than 800,000 diesel vehicles in the U.S. in the past 30 years, this latest '09 Jetta TDI model is by far the most significant. Not only must this unassuming sedan (and 5-door SportWagen) confront the latest wave of super-efficient conventional and hybrid-electric vehicles, it must convince a skittish consumer base that diesels are an affordable and
By Mike Sutton • Nov. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Eaton’s Supercharger Prospects Boosted
Thanks to This Year's Launch of the innovative new Twin Vortices Series supercharger, Eaton Corp. plans to boost its annual production of superchargers globally by 80% over the next two years. The aggressive ramp-up includes seven OEM programs for multiple customers, and five of those contracts are dedicated to TVS production, Joao Faria, president of Eaton's Powertrain and Specialty Controls Business,
By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mercedes Diesel Sets New Standard
The Ward's 10 Best Engines competition has been recognizing outstanding powertrain development for 14 years. In this installment of our 2008 series, Mercedes reveals the technical challenges associated with the deliciously powerful, yet eco-friendly, 3.0L V-6 turbodiesel.
By Gary Witzenburg • Nov. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Electric Car Industry Imminent
For Years, California Regulators have been Dreaming of the kind of headlines that came out of the Paris auto show. Among them: Paris Offers Drivers Electric Cars to Beat Pollution and Electric Cars Shine at Paris Auto Show. More than 30 electric cars were displayed at the show, from six established auto makers as well as 16 new entrants to the transportation market. These were extended-range electric
By William Diem • Nov. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Aims to Exceed Federal Fuel Requirements
Ford's new hybrid system “is 100% Ford technology,” hybrid chief Nancy Gioia says. “It’s all Ford innovation and engineered right here in North America.”
By Byron Pope • Oct. 31, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
NASA’s Kranz Mesmerizes, Inspires Convergence Attendees
The director of mission operations recounts how a team of young engineers and scientists worked together to safely bring the astronauts of Apollo 13 home.
By Drew Winter • Oct. 21, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rapidly Changing Auto Industry Reason for Optimism at KPIT Cummins
Writing software with computer models and then testing the codes virtually has vastly improved reliability.
By James M. Amend • Oct. 21, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Five TVS Programs Boosting Eaton’s Supercharger Prospects
New business has Eaton expanding its supercharger plant in Tczew, Poland, with potential expansions coming in the U.S. and China. Eaton also is moving forward with research into diesel superchargers.
By Tom Murphy • Oct. 21, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lear Tying EVs to Power Grid With New Charging Unit
The scalable charging unit will debut in several 2011 plug-in hybrids and can handle wall-socket outputs up to 440 volts.
By Mike Sutton • Oct. 21, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Loss of GM Business Won’t Hurt Thailand’s Isuzu Engine, Exec Says
Isuzu’s export volume is expected to total 140,000 units this year, up from 130,000 units in 2007.
By Alan Harman • Oct. 6, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Diesel Invasion
Auto makers are planning to introduce more than 20 car and truck models in North America featuring a new type of engine that gets 30% better fuel economy — and is up to 70% better pulling a heavy load.With those kinds of numbers, shouldn't consumers be beating down dealership doors? Why isn't Congress demanding all future vehicles be equipped with this new miracle engine?
By Drew Winter • Oct. 1, 2008
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