Top News
- Honda Civic named North American Car of the Year; Volvo XC90 takes truck title – Automotive News: The Honda Civic today was named the 2016 North American Car of the Year at the Detroit auto show, while the Volvo XC90 took home top truck honors.
- Aston Martin confirms new 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbocharged engine – Autocar: The British manufacturer is building a new powerplant that could produce around 600bhp and is set to see service in the forthcoming DB11
- Aston Martin considers Macedonia for new car plant – sources – Reuters: The firm declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. … It already builds a range of cars at its existing plant at Gaydon in central England but has…
- Environment drives growth in EV sales in Asia – Just-auto: Rising air pollution in major cities across Asia has forced local governments to impose restrictions on the sale and circulation of vehicles in recent weeks, affecting millions of motorists.
- Toyota is back in the Super Bowl for Prius – Automotive News: Toyota will tout its newly redesigned 2016 Prius in a Super Bowl ad, using advertising’s biggest stage to show off the hybrid car that has appeared in the game just once before.
- Ghosn to Musk: true autonomy is farther away than you claim – Autocar: Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn pours cold water on Elon Musk’s claim that Tesla will have a fully autonomous car on the roads within three years
- Why Renault-Nissan isn’t concerned by Chinese market tremors – Autocar: Despite China’s car market causing upset for some Western car brands, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn remains confident of success in the future
- No-one Told Mercedes About China Crisis – Bloomberg: If China’s financial woes spell doom for Germany’s automakers, somebody forgot to tell Daimler. Its Mercedes-Benz brand recorded a 31 per cent jump…
- Detroit – Daimler rolls out new autonomous vehicle tech with redone E-class – Just-auto: Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has introduced new autonomous driving technology with its new E-class, unveiled on the eve of the Detroit show.
- BYD tops sales on alternative energy vehicles worldwide – Automotive News: Though BYD missed the sales target in 2015, the automaker made itself the top sales in China and all over the world…
- Marchionne Embarks on Final Mission Impossible at Fiat Chrysler – Bloomberg: As Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne starts to look beyond his reign at the carmaker, he’s betting he can silence…
- Audi Introduces Next-Gen A4 in Detroit – Detroit Bureau: The new 2017 Audi A4 making its debut in Detroit and follows a tried-and-true formula of great handling and loads of technology. Get a look at TheDetroitBureau.com.
- VW to expand US diesel compensation program to larger vehicles – Reuters: … diesel emissions compensation program to tens of thousands of owners of larger diesel vehicles, the company’s top U.S. official told Reuters.
- Toyota leads all brands at diversity awards – Automotive News: Toyota and its luxury brand sibling, Lexus, took home 10 of the 20 awards handed out during the first annual Automotive Diversity Volume Leadership Awards put on by the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers and IHS Automotive.
- FCA to keep producing Dodge Grand Caravan – Detroitnews: The Dodge Grand Caravan will live to drive another day, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will let sales decide how long it keeps producing the…
- Ford to launch new customer relations and service model – Reuters: FordPass will be unveiled later on Monday at the Detroit auto show as if it were a new … Consumers will still have to visit Ford dealers to buy cars. Ford Chief Executive Mark Fields told Reuters FordPass is a key part of his strategy to…
- Ford’s Chairman Is on Quest to Reinvent Auto Maker – WSJ: Mr. Ford’s conviction is replicated in the offices of auto executives across … Ford will roll out alternative-mobility announcements in Detroit this week,…
- Auto Veterans Lutz, Fisker Team Up – Detroit Bureau: Henrik Fisker, Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal are partners in the new VLF Automotive, and its new supercar, Force 1.
- Updated 2017 Ford Fusion to Expand Range of Offerings – Detroit Bureau: Ford knows it needs to update the styling on its popular Ford Fusion while staying close to the current look. The results come to NAIAS. Check it out at TheDetroitBureau.com.
- Chrysler makes over mom’s minivan – Automotive News: Chrysler, vowing to shake up a segment it created and dominated for years, is dropping the venerable Town and Country badge and reviving the Pacifica nameplate as part of a sweeping overhaul of its minivan strategy.
- With 2017 E class, Mercedes aims to renew a hit – Automotive News: Mercedes-Benz faces a crucial test when its redesigned 2017 E class goes on sale this summer. Sedan sales are stagnating in a U.S. market increasingly dominated by trucks.
- Ford Fusion update is an inside job – Automotive News: For the most part, Ford Motor Co. didn’t mess with the well-liked, stylish design that vaulted the automaker into serious contention in the cutthroat family sedan segment.
- Ford to launch FordPass parking app and ‘FordHub’ spots in major malls – Automotive News: In addition to space in the garage, Ford wants a spot on consumers’ smartphone screens. And it wants spots in major shopping malls to promote new types of mobility services.
- Good sales numbers, but look a bit closer – Automotive News: The U.S. auto industry’s record 2015 sales total was capped off by a December that seems strong at first glance, but a closer look reveals growing concerns.
- Electrification powers automakers’ broader plans for future mobility – Automotive News: Electrification is fast becoming just one piece of a broader showcase of connectivity and convenience, as automakers try to find the right recipe for the future of urban mobility.
- Panoramic sunroofs aren’t just for luxury – Automotive News: Panoramic sunroofs are catching on, and suppliers such as Webasto, Inalfa and Inteva are poised to profit from the trend.
- Autonomous vehicle architects begin to contemplate the human inside – Automotive News: Automakers and suppliers busily developing hardware and software for autonomous cars are more focused than ever ensuring that humans feel their lives are truly getting better with rising automation.
- Faraday exits shadows, remains an enigma – Automotive News: The 1,000-hp race car concept that Faraday Future unveiled at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show may have swept away some of the mystery surrounding the Chinese-backed electric car startup.
- Is 2016 Jag’s turn to soar? – Automotive News: Jaguar Land Rover North America CEO Joe Eberhardt says that two compacts, the F-Pace crossover and the XE sedan, will boost Jaguar sales dramatically this year.
- What’s ahead for McLaren: Sating fickle elite buyers – Automotive News: McLaren Automotive achieved consistent profitability in less than five years since getting serious about selling retail cars. But can its limited single-platform, single-engine strategy keep attracting high-end customers?
- Shoppers using mobile devices require less hand-holding – Automotive News: A Facebook-commissioned study finds that 76 percent of what it calls “mobile-first” shoppers — those who do most of their research on smartphones and tablets — know the vehicle they want before heading to a dealership.
- Volts fuel Chevy store’s success – Automotive News: Bourgeois Chevrolet in Rawdon, Quebec, stocks every Volt and electric-drive vehicle it can. It draws customers from a wide range because of its dedication and expertise in electric-drive vehicles.
- Some FCA workers get bonus for plant ratings – Automotive News: Two Fiat Chrysler plants in North America earned ‘bronze’ status last month under the automaker’s World Class Manufacturing ratings system – qualifying workers at one plant for a nice bonus, but not the other because of differences in…
- 2016 Fiat 500X shares spotlight with Zoolander in new ad campaign – Automotive News: The flamboyant supermodel Derek Zoolander is getting behind the wheel of the 2016 Fiat 500X in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ latest movie tie-in.
- Volkswagen CEO Says EPA Meeting Outcome Unclear – WSJ: Volkswagen requested the meeting with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, … He reaffirmed investment plans exceeding $1 billion at Volkswagen’s…
- VW CEO says new catalytic converter could fix 430000 US cars – Reuters: DE) will propose to U.S. authorities a new catalytic converter system that could be fitted to about 430,000 cars capable of cheating diesel emissions…
- VW Chief Apologizes for Deception on Trip to ‘Core Market’ – Bloomberg: The relatively easy and cheap technical solution for some 8.5 million affected cars in Europe won’t work for cars in the U.S. due to technical differences…
- VW’s China Partner Plans to Assemble Cars in Pakistan in 2016 – Bloomberg: China FAW Group Corp., a Chinese partner of Volkswagen AG, plans to start assembling cars in Pakistan to tap growing demand as measures to curb…
- GM’s CEO Barra says she believes in growing China market – Reuters: The world’s biggest auto market “is going to be more volatile, but we still believe over the long term the market (will have) substantial growth,” Barra…
- GM Sizing Up Whether Sexy Avista Concept Can Sell as Buick – Bloomberg: Is Buick cool enough for a two-door sports car with a 400-horsepower engine? General Motors Co. may find out with the Avista concept car, shown for…
- Detroit’s auto industry is changed, but not as Washington planned – Reuters: “We said the auto industry would have to truly change, not just pretend that it did,” … The auto show also will lay bare another juggling act for Detroit.
- VW CEO vows to rebuild trust, credibility – Automotive News: Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller said the embattled automaker’s top priority in 2016 is winning back customer trust and credibility in the wake of violations covering diesel emissions in the U.S. and Europe.
- Volkswagen Starts Down Difficult Road of Winning Back Americans – New York Times: DETROIT – Ever since Volkswagen admitted in September to cheating on diesel emissions tests in the United States, its sales and grand plans for…
- The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class can almost drive itself – Freep: Daimler staged the global reveal of the 2017 E-Class in Detroit on Sunday night, the eve of the 2016 North American International Auto Show.
- For 2016, some growth, but watch out – Automotive News: It’s wonderful to be starting an expected seventh straight year of U.S. auto sales growth.
- Buick rekindles performance roots with turbo Avista concept – Automotive News: Buick hinted at possible future styling cues and plans to expand its lineup with a new coupe, the Avista concept, and rekindle its historic performance roots. The 2+2 concept is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.
- Volkswagen Hopes to Electrify with Tiguan GTE Active Concept – Detroit Bureau: Volkswagen debuts Tiguan GTE Active Concept. “Extreme” off-roader shows what maker can do with EV technology. For details, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.
- VW demonstrates versatile MQB platform with off-road hybrid Tiguan – Automotive News: Volkswagen plans to showcase the versatility of its MQB platform with an off-road ready plug-in hybrid variant of the redesigned Tiguan compact crossover Monday at the Detroit auto show.
- Forecasters see U.S. sales up this year, but softer 2017 – Automotive News: Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. are cruising towards a new record in 2016, analysts agree, though they add that sales may then soften in 2017.
- Tesla Adds Software to Let Cars Park Themselves With No Driver – Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc. rolled out new software that will let some of its electric cars park in a garage or in perpendicular spaces without a driver behind the…
- Tesla Autopilot system restricted in residential areas – Autocar: System updated to “perform better in common highway driving scenarios”; other updates include the ability to ‘summon’ vehicle from smartphone
- Tesla curbs autopilot feature, but Musk says better than human driver – Reuters: The function will now be restricted on residential roads or roads without a center divider, meaning the car cannot drive faster than the speed limit…
- Ultra-luxury brands, ‘Bond’ star, shine in intimate Detroit showroom – Automotive News: A ballroom in a downtown Detroit casino was transformed Saturday night into a glitzy showroom for high-end luxury vehicles and supercars worth a combined $8 million.
- 2016 Mercedes-AMG S65 Cabriolet revealed – Autocar: Luxurious four-seat S65 Cabriolet will go on sale in the UK in April following its debut at the Detroit motor show
- Analysis – JLR nudges half a million sales, so what’s next? – Autocar: Doubled annual revenue and PS11 billion worth of investment mark successful times at JLR, but with Jaguar accounting for just 18% of sales, is growth sustainable?
- eral Motors has unveiled the Buick Avista design study and FCA US has shown the replacement for the Town & Country.