Tag Archives: autoinformed

New responsibilities at BMW. MINI Position Vacant?

Starting in 2013 Mackensen was initially in charge of global sales and marketing for MINI, before assuming overall responsibility for the brand in 2015. His successor will be named later. Continue reading

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California Officials Testify Against Trump’s Decree to Slash Cleaner Car Standards and Increase CO2 Emissions

Leading California policymakers testified today in strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposed rule that rolls back back existing cleaner cars standards. Speaking at a hearing in Fresno, representatives from four state agencies involved in climate and public health policy told … Continue reading

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Pew: American Middle-Class Losing Financially to Upper-Income Families

A recent Pew Research Center analysis also found that the wealth gaps between upper-income families and lower- and middle-income families in 2016 were at the highest levels recorded. Although the wealth of upper-income families has more than recovered from the losses experienced during the Great Recession, the wealth of lower- and middle-income families in 2016 was comparable to 1989 levels. Thus, even as the American middle class appears not to be shrinking (for now), it continues to fall further behind upper-income households financially, mirroring the long-running rise in income inequality in the U.S. overall. Continue reading

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Genesis 2019 G70 – $48,000 Four Cylinder?

G70s equipped with the 2.0T four-cylinder engine are available in six semi-confusing trim levels, including a special manual transmission Sport package, with a starting price of ~$36,000. The G70s equipped with the 3.3T engine are available in four trim levels, plus two limited production – either by sparse sales or maker decree – Special Edition models, with a starting price of more than $44,000. You can spend roughly $55,000 on a plush Genesis model. Sales numbers will decide if the pricing strategy is too ambitious. Continue reading

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Saudi’s to Finance Lucid EV

The deal claims to represent a major milestone for Lucid. It will provide it with the necessary funding to commercially launch its first electric vehicle, the Lucid Air in 2020. Continue reading

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2019 Lexus UX – Another Compact Crossover

The 2019 UX is available in two versions: the front-wheel-drive UX 200 introduces a new high-efficiency 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine coupled with a new 10-speed Direct Shift Continuously Variable Transmission (DCVT). The all-wheel-drive UX 250h pairs an even higher-efficiency version of the 2.0-liter gas engine with a new fourth-generation hybrid drive system engineered specifically for this platform. It’s a soccer moms’ special. Continue reading

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Joys of Crossover Trucking? Largest Subaru Ever

Ascent, with a 113.8-in. wheelbase, is the largest Subaru ever built. With 153.5 cubic feet of passenger volume, plus cargo space, the Ascent provides room for every passenger and their gear. Continue reading

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Off-Road Cruise Control on 2019 F-150 Raptor and Ranger

While this is old news – see AutoInformed.com on Active Damping Controls Ride on 2019 Ford Raptor – the suddenly super competitive performance truck market (oxymoron?) has makers scrambling for publicity. Continue reading

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Fix! IMSA Takes Pro Wrestling Approach to Mollify Owners

Welcome to the politics of racing – not one where racing improves the breed, but rather racing improves the IMSA pocketbook. Continue reading

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Experienced Pro Corvette Drivers Garcia and Magnussen Maintain Lead in the IMSA GTLM Driver Championship

Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, drivers of the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, take a 3rd place finish in the GTLM class Sunday, 9 September during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s America’s Tire 250 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. They won together in Monterey in 2013 and 2014. Continue reading

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Lexus LY 650 Luxury Yacht Revealed

Now, Lexus returns to the water with its next expression of a Lexus yacht in the form of the LY 650. Said to be the most contemporary expression of Lexus design language, L-finesse, applied beyond the world of automobiles, the production LY 650 picks up where a Lexus Sport Yacht Concept left off This one floats… Continue reading

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Schuler and Porsche Start Joint Venture for Car Body Parts

The purpose of the joint venture between Schuler and Porsche is to build a Smart Press Shop. The intention is for the new, highly flexible press shop to produce complex body parts using pioneering technologies; the focus will be on aluminum outer skin panels, as well as the production of smaller batch sizes. Continue reading

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More Trucks – Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison

In consecutive years, Colorado introduced the segment’s first diesel engine (ignores other GM vehicles), an all-new V6 gas engine/eight-speed transmission combo, the ZR2 “segment of one” off-roader and now the Bison. The 2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison goes on sale in January 2019, modified for extreme off-road use and backed by a full factory limited warranty. Pricing? Not yet – just assume it will be more than the $42,000 ZR2 or similarly priced Tacoma TRD Pro. Continue reading

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Hack Attacks – Connected Vehicle Cyber Security Lags

Then the payoff comes, but not for the car owners who have lost the rights to their own data, Smart mobility unlocks myriad selling opportunities for both the OEMs as well as so-called value-added service creators. It also brings with it a range of cybersecurity risk that never existed before. Continue reading

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U.S. Diversity-Visa Lottery Requests Near Record

Under a different, centuries old – and now thoroughly politicized program President Trump is and has been using rages against “chain migration” to feed his base (both the political sense and the moral sense). Trump apparently now wants to end family-preference immigration visas, after his his in-laws Viktor and Amalija Knavs were granted U.S. citizenship through the first lady’s sponsorship. Continue reading

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