Category Archives: results

Finalists in for 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year

Cars selected were the 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Hyundai Elantra and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. Last year the Chevrolet Volt was the car winner. In the misleadingly named ‘truck’ category, the 2012 BMW X3, 2012 Honda CR-V and the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque made the final cut. Continue reading

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New 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Revealed after Press Leaks

Press leaks about the new Mercedes-Benz SL have apparently prompted an extensive official release of the all-aluminum sports car ahead of its official introduction at the North American International Auto Show next month. Continue reading

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Ford Employees to Beta Test Latest My Ford Touch Patch

Ford Motor Company will beta test new software designed to ease myriad consumer complaints about the My Ford Touch infotainment system, which caused Ford and Lincoln vehicles to sink to below average in Consumer Reports quality ratings.

Ford’s overall reliability rank among 28 major car makes slipped from the 10th to the 20th spot this year—the biggest drop for any major nameplate in Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The badly needed software upgrade is coming for 2013 models – and to owners of existing My Ford Touch equipped vehicles. Continue reading

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News Bits – Carbon Fiber, Chinese Leaf, Rolls-Royce, Thailand Floods and Impending Goodyear Airline Tire Shortage?

General Motors and Teijin Limited, Japanese company with roots as a textile maker will co-develop advanced carbon fiber composite technologies for potential high-volume use globally in GM cars, trucks and crossovers.

Nissan Motor and Dongfeng Motor delivered 15 Nissan Leaf EVs to the Guangzhou Municipal Government in China.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that it will enter the South American market for the first time in the company’s history.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company says that as a result of the Thailand flooding commercial airlines are facing a potential global shortage of bias aviation tires

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Toyota Cuts 2012 Forecast as Yen and Thailand Floods Hurt

Toyota Motor Corporation today drastically cut its fiscal year 2012 forecast based on the ongoing negative effects of the strong Yen and the production disruptions caused by the Thailand floods. As a result, Toyota has revised down its 2012 full year profit forecast by -¥250 billion to ¥200 billion. Continue reading

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The Secret of Future Success for Ex Auto Plants is Location

The study is the latest example of how devastating the collapse of the automobile industry is to the economies of local communities, many of them now with grim futures. Simply put, the best outcome for a community is to keep auto plants operating. The lack of a U.S. industrial policy – alone among all other industrialized nations and clearly a problem in the view of critics of multinational corporations – is not addressed in the study. Continue reading

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Ford Family and Other Shareholders to Receive Dividends

Ford still remains heavily in debt – at $12.7 billion. However, Ford decreased automotive debt by $1.3 billion in the third quarter of this year, including payment of the remaining $1.8 billion balance of secured Term Loan debt, which was offset partially by an increase in controversial taxpayer-subsidized low-cost loans from the Department of Energy to support advanced technology under the guise of retooling existing plants. Continue reading

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U.S. Auto Fatalities Drop to Lowest level in More than 60 Years

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – NHTSA – today released 2010 fatality and injury data showing highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level for auto fatalities since 1949. What was termed a record-breaking decline in traffic deaths occurred as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6% compared to 2009. Continue reading

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Tidbits – Leaf, Marchionne, Volt, Politics, Rust, Electronics

Nissan has re-opened “reservations” for the 2012 Nissan Leaf electric vehicle in Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Deliveries will begin next spring. Nissan LEAF is now available for order in 30 states, including Washington, D.C. National … Continue reading

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Camry Gets Top NHTSA Safety Rating. Accord Still Leads

Starting with 2011 models, NHTSA introduced tougher tests and more rigorous requirements for its five-star safety ratings that provide more information about safety performance and crash-avoidance technologies. Safety rating changes include a new side barrier test and a new side pole test simulating a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side. New overall safety ratings, which combine the results from the various tests, are now provided. Continue reading

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New Vehicle Sales Satisfaction Improves from 2010

Satisfaction with the new-vehicle sales process has improved from 2010, according to a new study released today. All sales satisfaction measures improved “notably” from 2010, with the greatest increase in the delivery process, despite the fact that the average length of time to complete the delivery portion of a new-vehicle sale has increased by four minutes to an average of 32 minutes in 2011. Continue reading

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Toyota Motor November Sales Up 7% as Inventories Build

Toyota Motor has now returned near the sales levels it had in Q1 before the tragic Japan earthquake disrupted production for months. With the auto industry monthly sales running at the highest rates since August of 2009 when taxpayer subsidies boosted sales under the Cash for Clunkers program, Toyota seems ideally positioned top be back to full strength by early next year. As it is now Toyota has about a 14% market share in the U.S. even though year-to-date total sales are off a whopping 20%, at 1,384,558 vehicles. Continue reading

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Ford Motor November U.S. Sales Up 13%

Overall, ytd Ford Motor has sold 1,938,666 vehicles, more than 500,000 vehicles ahead of Toyota Motor Sales. Continue reading

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GM U.S. Sales Up 7% in November – SAAR Booming

Increased sales of pickup trucks and full size vans dominated GM’s results. GM deliveries y-o-y showed a 34% increase in Chevrolet Silverado pickuo truck sales (34,251) and a 22% increase in GMC Sierra pickup sales at 11,971 Continue reading

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Volkswagen Cross Coupe Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled at Tokyo

Cross Coupe is the latest regulation driven foray into plug-in technology, with the 9.8 kWh lithium ion battery onboard costing at least $5,000. Whether buyers will exist for the growing number of plug-in hybrids is a matter of debate by auto industry insiders. By the end of 2016, it’s predicted that 159 hybrid and electric vehicle models available for purchase in the U.S. market. This is a significant increase from only 31 hybrid and electric models in 2009. Continue reading

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