Automotive News (Page 1115)

Ford is investing $100 million globally in robotic plant laser inspection to enhance the accurate fit of parts and reduce wind noise beginning with the highly popular 2012 Ford Focus and Explorer models. Their highest volume facilities, including the Chicago and Michigan Assembly Plants along with the Saarlouis, Germany Ford plant, will use the technology to fabricate a more accurate door panel fit. The laser vision technology is part of an effort to achieve leadership in customer satisfaction.

Winnebago Industries, the manufacturer of Winnebago and Itasca motor homes from Forest City, Iowa, has handed out its Circle of Excellence awards for 2011. The awards reward dealerships for having the most satisfied customers in the U.S. and Canada.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is the largest one-day automotive event; and this year Chevrolet will celebrate its own centennial by sponsoring the event.

May 2011 was not a month of great sales as nearly every major automotive group showed a decline compared to May of 2010 but the Chrysler Group was among those showing growth – making them the only American manufacturer to show positive growth in May.

Potential buyers can't keep their eyes off of the 2011 MINI Countryman, which was chosen Thursday as NADAguides' Car of the Month for June. The vehicle pricing and information guide chose the Countryman because of its growing popularity with the public as well as for its fuel efficiency, sportiness, roominess, bucket-seat styling and safety features.

Ford Motor Company has made it very clear that EcoBoost technology is a major part of their drivetrain future and today, the newest member of the EcoBoost family was announced with the news that Ford would soon offer a global 1.0L, 3-cylinder engine along with an 8-speed transmission.

The numbers from the major players in the rear wheel drive performance segment and even though numbers are down across the board, for the fifth straight month the Chevrolet Camaro has posted a comfortable lead in the segment over the Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger and the Nissan 370Z.

Sales figures from around the industry are trickling in and it looks as though the 2011 Nissan Leaf has outsold the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as the battle of the electric vehicles rages on.

The Obama Administration reported Chrysler has repaid all of its loans, and General Motors has paid back approximately half.

General Motors has big plans for the next Chevrolet Impala – including a new engine, new home and evidently, a new platform that will offer more room accompanied by a more upscale feel as Chevrolet works to put some distance in the lineup between the Impala and the (barely) smaller Malibu.

A jury comprised of members of the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA) and staff from WheelsTV.net has selected the 2006-2009 Ford Fusion as the best used car on the market.

President Obama will be in Toledo for about five hours on Friday to meet auto workers and to talk about the importance of keeping the auto industry strong. His itinerary includes a 1:05 p.m. tour of the Chrysler Group LLC’s Toledo Supplier Park and an opportunity to talk with the people who assemble the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro.

A chart of the Dow Jones US Autos and Parts ($DWCAUP) shows major segments of the auto stock sector following the general market’s downward direction today; in this case, just 37 points from its 200 day moving average.

It would seem our search for new and sustainable sources of fuel is paying off in more ways than we’d ever thought possible. Enerkem, A Montreal-based company is getting set to produce up to 1.3 million gallons of ethanol from recycled phone poles and garbage over the next year.

German businesses magazine WirtschaftsWoche has reported that Volkswagen will soon be making a decision to produce the Tiguan in North America.

As more choices of electric vehicles hit dealer showrooms in Georgia this fall, the potential buyers of those cars will have already contacted their local power provider via a website and know what kind of charger they need and roughly how much it will cost to drive. The answer may surprise you.

Toyota sold 108,387 vehicles in May, a 27.9% decline over year-ago numbers, the Japanese carmaker reported Wednesday. One bright spot: The Tacoma pickup truck (pictured) beat the trend and posted sales of 9,091 units, up 14.1 percent compared to last May.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into problems with the Jeep Wrangler that could cause the driver’s side airbag not to open in the event of a collision.

We reported two months ago the first electric Roll Royce would charge wirelessly. Now it appears, even before the first of those is available, the common electric vehicle may do the same thing thanks to a joint venture announced today by the developer of the wireless vehicle recharging system Evatran, and Yazaki, the leading developer of electric vehicle distribution systems.

Since the new Lamborghini Aventador was revealed as the replacement for the long-popular Murciélago there have been rumors of an upcoming topless model but thanks to an unlikely source – the US government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – it looks like we may have our first confirmation of the upcoming 2012 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.

According to multiple sources, cyber criminals have hacked into the Honda Canada customer database, giving the hackers access to the personal information of over 283,000 Canadian Honda owners.

ROUSH CleanTech, which has deployed propane autogas vehicles across the United States in Alabama, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, is praising legislators who support the pending 2011 Propane Gas Act in Congress.

The Cadillac Club of North Jersey and Montclair Art Museum are inviting fans of Andy Warhol and fine Cadillacs to stop by the weekend of June 11-12 to take a look at his works as well as a stylish collection of classic Caddys from various eras that will dot the museum's grounds.

Just when Toyota’s problems centering around “unintended acceleration” seemed to be fading, a Birmingham, Michigan car dealership specializing in European exotics had a late model Toyota Camry slam through their front windows – damaging a limited edition Lotus and doing extensive damage to the business.

Unlike the pre-bankruptcy days, General Motors (NYSE: GM) must be careful not to rearrange the corporate deck chairs just for the sake of rearranging. Any change has to be cognizant of global markets; and Bryan Nesbitt has the confidence of GM’s management.

Don't turn the steering wheel too hard if you own a 2001 through 2003 Toyota Prius because you could loosen the nuts in the steering gear box according to a volunteer safety recall announced for the first hybrids to hit the United States.

Michigan and Ohio voters in two new Mellman Group polls for Ceres say they'd like their vehicles to give them 60 mpg as early as 2025. They also want major inroads made to dramatically cut carbon-dioxide pollution from cars and trucks.

As the Big Three’s market share improves as a result of the popularity of new models, and Japanese imports are impacted by the national disaster there, Detroit has rehired many workers laid off during the recent downturn. Further they are preparing for a massive hiring blitz – but something has changed significantly for these new hires – their rate of compensation.

As a result of the “bailout loans” of 2008 and a variety of previous dealings, the Canadian government was left with a 1.7% stake in the Chrysler Group after the Fiat-run Chrysler paid off the balance of those loans but depending on how much Fiat pays for the last chunk of Chrysler owned by the US government, the Canadian government may be willing to sell their final 1.7% to Fiat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into select Nissan Altima sedans over concerns that a master cylinder leak could be causing brake failure issues.