Nissan has been teasing us with dark images of the 2011 Nissan Quest for a while now. The model, which is scheduled to make its debut at the 2010 LA Auto Show, made its Japanese debut today badged as the Nissan Elgrand. In Japan, the Nissan Elgrand will be available with either a 3.5 VQ35DE [...]
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has ambitious plans for Alfa Romeo’s return to the United States, a move that has been in the works since 2000, when General Motors and Fiat signed a joint venture that eventually fell apart. Marchionne says the wants to transform Alfa into a “full-line premium” automaker. The brand will make its [...]
According to Larry Nitz, General Motors executive director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering, the Detroit automaker plans to bring back mild hybrids as early as next year. GM got rid of mild hybrids after 2009 when it closed Saturn, leaving it with just one vehicle with the technology, the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. Nitz said [...]
FoMoCo is on pace to bring in approximately 1,975 hourly jobs to be performed by suppliers inside and outside of the U.S. by 2012. this exceeds the company”s original commitment to the UAW by more than 25%. Modern labor agreements have allowed Ford to make its plants more competitive and efficient through union collaboration. “The [...]
Hyundai Motor America announced today that it plans to maintain its leadership and achieve a fleet average fuel economy (CAFE) rating of at least 50 miles per gallon by 2025 for its lineup of passenger cars and light duty trucks. Now we understand that 2025 is still 15 years away but it’s still a bold statement [...]
Diesel-powered cars are finally starting to get some respect in the showrooms, as they do in the rest of the world. When offered with a choice, consumers are opting for diesel in surprisingly high percentages. An R.L. Polk survey of car registration data shows that more than 49% of VW Jetta sedans and wagons sold [...]
ToMoCo claims that it has regained its customer loyalty after the recall crisis, saying that its conquest ratios are back to where they were previously. Typically, 55% of Toyota”s sales have been from consumers captured from competing brands, but in July, 57% of sales were from newcomers. Bob Carter, Toyota Division GM, said that he [...]
Low tire pressure is something that should never be ignored, as the possible ramifications can run from the fairly harmless to the fatal. To make sure drivers are at least kept safe from driving with underinflated tires, the government mandated TPMS”s (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) be put on cars a few years back, indicating to [...]
The 2011 Freelander 2 has been unveiled, and Land Rover says that it will offer customers a 2WD derivative, available in the UK from January 2011. “This will be called the Freelander 2 eD4 and it will be the most efficient Land Rover ever produced, with fuel consumption of 47.2 mpg (39 mpg U.S.) combined, [...]
Contrary to what one might think when looking at the trends in production and development of the modern auto-market, the full-size SUV market is alive and kicking. Despite the small cars and alternative-fuel-technology vehicles in production, the SUV segment is up 19% over last year, while small-car growth is up 14%, and overall industry growth [...]
