Automotive
Lamborghini Unveils $3.9M Car
March 5, 2013 12:04 pm | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe latest in its tradition of bespoke cars, the Veneno is the fastest, most powerful Lamborghini ever built. At the Geneva Motor Show, where it was revealed Monday night, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann made sure to rev the engine as he drove the car out on stage.
Hyundai Exec: Europe Needs To Close Plants
March 5, 2013 9:47 am | News | CommentsIn addition to the difficult economy, idle factory floors are weighing on European manufacturers. But stringent labor protections have meant few factories have closed in recent years. Hyundai Motor Europe's chief operating officer, Allan Rushforth, says the outlook is murky.
Court Rejects Tesla Lawsuit Against BBC
March 5, 2013 8:23 am | News | CommentsThe company sued the broadcaster for libel over a 2008 episode of the popular "Top Gear" show. Host Jeremy Clarkson claimed the car would only run for 55 miles between chargings, far less than billed. He called the car "an astonishing technical achievement ... It's just a shame that in the real world it doesn't seem to work."
Toyota Europe Seeks Profits Through Efficiency
March 5, 2013 7:47 am | by Colleen Barry, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsToyota Europe will post for the first time in five years a profit from just its car business for the 2012 fiscal year thanks to cost-cutting and improved efficiency, the head of the regional division said on the eve of the Geneva Auto Show on Monday.
Volkswagen's Golf Named Europe's Car Of The Year
March 4, 2013 12:30 pm | News | CommentsThe Volkswagen Golf has been named Europe's Car of the Year by automotive journalists from more than 20 countries. Introduced in 1974 and recently redesigned, the hatchback is the company's mass-market flagship — and a key element in its ambition to overtake Toyota as the world's biggest carmaker.
Can The New Corvette Save GM?
March 4, 2013 10:28 am | by Brad Schmitt, The Nashville Ledger | News | CommentsAuto industry analysts and mainstream media predict the 2014 Corvette Stingray will have all sorts of extraordinary, megastar powers. One of them could be the power to revive a parent company that, less than four years ago, had the fourth-largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.
European Automakers To Get Serious At Geneva Show
March 4, 2013 7:52 am | by Sarah DiLorenzo, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe Geneva Motor Show has long had a reputation as one of the glitziest stops on the global auto show circuit — the place to unveil luxury models and out-of-this-world fantasy concept cars. But this year the dire state of the European auto industry will hang over the exhibition halls.
Chrysler, VW, GM Report Sales Growth In February
March 1, 2013 11:23 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin and Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers | News | CommentsTax increases. Rising gas prices. Political dysfunction in Washington. Auto industry analysts say that higher Social Security taxes, rising gas prices and debate in Washington over government spending cuts weren't enough to keep buyers away from showrooms.
Chrysler To Add Jobs, Invest $374M In Indiana
February 28, 2013 1:26 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsChrysler said Thursday it will invest nearly $400 million and create 1,250 new jobs at transmission and metal casting factories in the Kokomo, Indiana, area. CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Chrysler will spend $162 million and add 850 new jobs at a former Getrag Transmission plant in nearby Tipton.
Porsche Recalls Carrera Sports Cars
February 28, 2013 11:15 am | News | CommentsPorsche AG is recalling more than 2,200 of the 911 Carrera sports cars from the 2012 and 2013 model years because their exhaust pipes can fall off. The recall involves 2,263 Carrera and Carrera 4 vehicles built between March and November of last year.
Opel, Employees Seal Deal On German Plant
February 28, 2013 11:11 am | News | CommentsA month ago, GM pressed for agreement in long-running negotiations by the end of February — warning if there was no deal, car production at the Bochum plant would end two years earlier than previously planned, at the beginning of 2015. Opel said Thursday Bochum can keep producing cars until the current Zafira model is phased out at the end of 2016.
Speedometer Top Speed Often Exceeds Reality
February 28, 2013 11:06 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThe automakers' marketing departments are happy to give people the illusion that their family car can travel at speeds rivaling a NASCAR racer. And companies often use one speedometer type in various models across the world, saving them money.
Ford To Sell Vehicles In Myanmar
February 28, 2013 7:56 am | by Erika Kinetz, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsKhin Tun, the director of Capital Automotive, said Ford's first showroom, in Yangon, will sell cars and pickup trucks and could open as early as May. Ford spokesman Neal McCarthy said the company is "gearing up for market entry" and has a local distributor, but declined to discuss details.
Hyundai Adds To Recall For Shattering Sunroofs
February 27, 2013 10:53 am | News | CommentsHyundai is adding more thousands more Veloster hatchbacks to a recall in the U.S. and Canada to fix panoramic sunroofs that can shatter and cause injuries. In December, the automaker recalled about 13,500 of the funky cars from the 2012 model year in the U.S. and just under 1,600 in Canada.
Tesla Vows To Pay Off U.S. Loan Early
February 27, 2013 8:24 am | by Matthew Daly, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Motors says his company plans to pay back an Energy Department loan in half the time required by the U.S. government. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla plans to pay off the $465 million federal loan in five years, rather than 10 years.
Lexus Tops Magazine's Auto Rankings
February 26, 2013 1:48 pm | News | CommentsLexus topped all automotive brands in Consumer Reports magazine's 2013 brand report card. Japanese automakers again dominated the rankings, taking eight of the top 10 spots. Lexus vehicles are rarely sporty, but they earned the top score of 79 points out of 100 because of plush and reliable vehicles, the magazine said.
Hercules Recalls Light Truck Tires
February 26, 2013 10:20 am | News | CommentsHercules Tire is recalling some light-duty truck tires in the U.S. because the belts and treads can separate from the tires. The recall covers 10-ply Load Range E tires in the company's All Trac line. All the recalled tires are 16- or 17-inches (40.5 or 43-centimeters) in diameter. They are used mainly on commercial trucks.
SSLs See Bright Future In Automotive Platforms
February 26, 2013 8:07 am | by Chris A. Ciufo, Mouser Electronics | Articles | CommentsAutomotive SSLs have other benefits including: low current means light-weight alternators in concert with regenerative breaking charging, plus reduced gauge wire weight - possibly satisfied by on-board digital networks such as PoE, CANbus, or Ethernet AVB.
Lab Asks Gov't To Investigate Toyota Prius
February 25, 2013 1:47 pm | News | CommentsU.S. safety regulators are deciding if they'll investigate a complaint that the steering can fail on the Toyota Prius. The government says in documents that an automotive laboratory in Virginia asked for the investigation after evaluating a client's car. The probe could affect about 561,000 of the gas-electric hybrids from the 2004 through 2009 model years.
GM Taps VW Exec To Market Chevrolet
February 25, 2013 1:45 pm | News | CommentsGeneral Motors has hired a new Chevrolet marketing chief from German rival Volkswagen. Tim Mahoney starts work at GM on April 1. He had been VW's chief product and marketing officer since 2011. GM says in a statement that he'll be responsible for overall coordination of GM's global marketing as well as the Chevy brand.
Government Starts To Sell Remaining Stake In GM
February 25, 2013 12:16 pm | News | CommentsThe U.S. government has started selling its remaining General Motors stock as it moves to end four years of partial ownership of the Detroit automaker. The Treasury Department said in its January report to Congress that it sold $156.4 million worth of GM common stock last month.
Feds Probe Ford Vehicles For Stalling
February 25, 2013 10:32 am | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it will investigate problems with stalling or surging engines in nearly 725,000 Ford cars and SUVs. The probe affects Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs and Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans from the 2009 through 2011 model years.
Honda Moving North American Leadership To Ohio
February 25, 2013 7:37 am | News | CommentsThe Japanese automaker said Friday that about 50 leadership and support jobs will move to Marysville, Ohio, near Columbus. But the company says its American headquarters and about 2,500 workers will remain in Torrance, Calif., near Los Angeles.
SRNL, Ford Study Powering Cars With Natural Gas
February 22, 2013 11:14 am | News | CommentsScientists at a lab at the Savannah River Site are studying ways to power vehicles using natural gas. The Savannah River National Laboratory is partnering with Ford Motor Co., the University of California-Berkeley and BASF. The project is funded by a $5.5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Yamaha Building Motorcycle Plant In Pakistan
February 22, 2013 7:51 am | News | CommentsYamaha Motor Co. will build a motorcycle plant in Pakistan with the aim of starting production in 2015, in an attempt to expand its business in an untapped emerging market, company President Hiroyuki Yanagi said Friday in an interview with Kyodo News.
