Tag Archives: Automakers
Mercedes-Benz A-Class at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show
Posted on 06. Mar, 2012 by admin.
- Competes with: BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Lexus CT 200h
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Cars.com News Briefs: March 5, 2012
Posted on 05. Mar, 2012 by admin.
Here's what we have our eye on today:
- Starting the week of March 19, GM will idle Chevrolet Volt production at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant for five weeks, Automotive News reports. GM sold just 1,626 Volts through the first two months of the year, with a 223-day supply of Volts (versus the industry's 66-day average) on hand Feb. 1, according to Automotive News data. The automaker will resume production April 23 “to maintain the right inventory levels and continue to meet demand,” a spokesman told the publication. GM originally planned to build some 45,000 Volts in 2012 to sell in the U.S., a figure executives have since backed off. Detroit-Hamtramck's 1,300 employees build the Volt — which has become a political lightning rod in recent weeks — alongside its Opel Ampera sibling.
- Amid rising gas prices and criticism from GOP lawmakers over his energy policy, President Barack Obama defended his administration's higher corporate average fuel economy standards, adding that automakers' adoption of a 54.5-mpg CAFE — which translates into high-30s mpg on EPA window stickers — will save the average family a trip to the pump every two weeks, The Associated Press reports. “What's happening in Detroit will make a difference. But it won't solve everything,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. “There's no silver bullet for avoiding spikes in gas prices every year.”
- GM will offer versions of its heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups that can run on fuel or compressed natural gas for 2013, PickupTrucks.com reports. The trucks, which go on sale late this year, will be able to run on regular fuel from a 36-gallon tank or less-expensive CNG from a 17-gallon tank. Over three years, GM says truck owners could save as much as $10,500.
- February's 15.1-million seasonally adjusted annual sales rate beat expectations by a mile, Automotive News reports. Citing new models, available new-car loans and restocked inventories, upbeat analysts and automakers told Automotive News that February's sales rate — up 16% versus year-ago levels — is sustainable, and American consumers are better-situated to deal with rising gas prices than in recent recession-strapped years.
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Subaru, Mazda Rise, Ford Crashes, in Consumer Reports’ Automaker Report Card
Posted on 28. Feb, 2012 by admin.
Is it April already? No, but in Consumer Reports' world, the heavy downpours of spring are apparently already under way. It also means there's another issue of the consumer union's coveted Annual Auto Issue.
The April issue includes Consumer Reports' top automotive picks, new-car ratings, best and worst used cars and used-car reliability info for cars from 2006 to 2012.
We want to highlight the group's latest automaker rankings, which includes a first-place finish for Subaru.
Subaru, which scored 75 out of 100, moved one spot higher this year — it's the first time the Japanese carmaker has held the top spot. Consumer Reports recommends all of Subaru's models — not to disparage that kudo, but Subaru has only six models.
As for the other 12 automakers, Japanese brands round out the top five spots: Mazda, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, in that order. Consumer Reports points out that the numbers separating the top five from the rest are beginning to shrink.
Mazda did particularly well, too, showing the best improvement, rising from seventh to second place. Honda, which was No. 1 last year, fell two spots to third place, mainly due to poor marks for the redesigned Honda Civic and Odyssey.
Chrysler and GM remain at the bottom of the heap, though Consumer Reports does take note of Chrysler's marked improvement. Chrysler jumped eight points, making it the most improved automaker. Chrysler's reliability has also improved to “Average,” and its road test scores have improved on newer models, like the 2012 Chrysler 300C.
(Overall score out of 100)
1.
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Bentley Expecting To Double Sales, Sell 25,000 SUVs
Posted on 28. Feb, 2012 by admin.
While other luxury automakers are beginning to taper back forecasts for continued growth in the Chinese market, Bentley is taking a more bullish approach. In fact, Volkswagen’s uber-luxury brand sees China overtaking the United States to become the largest market for its vehicles. Last year, Bentley sold some 7,003 vehicles worldwide, but…
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Cars.com News Briefs: Feb. 28, 2012
Posted on 28. Feb, 2012 by admin.
Here's what we have our eye on today:
- California, the nation's largest auto market, has granted carpool-lane access and a $2,500 rebate to the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in, Automotive News reports. The state's Clean Vehicle Rebate Program offers the cash for qualifying plug-in or fuel-cell vehicles, and it comes atop an existing $1,500 rebate Toyota will offer Prius Plug-in buyers for a limited time. Prior to a national rollout in 2013, Toyota is selling the vehicle in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and 10 Northeastern states. The combined rebates knock the car's starting price down to $28,760, or $4,760 over the price of a regular 2012 Prius. The move comes on the heels of California offering carpool-lane access and a $1,500 rebate to the Chevrolet Volt.
- Carmakers are shedding trim-level combinations to simplify the ordering process, but that could mean you'll have fewer choices at the dealership, The Detroit Free Press reports. Citing examples like the Buick Verano, which has just 18 trim combinations, and the Volkswagen Passat, which VW slashed from 148 to just 15, the Free Press says fewer combinations allow automakers to streamline the manufacturing process with less complexity and improved quality, but it can leave consumers stuck with packaged features they don't want. High-end carmakers, plus a few hoi polloi nameplates like the new Dodge Dart, still offer myriad combinations.
- USA Today reports that if car shoppers buy 14 million new vehicles this year — at the top end of analysts' expectations — carmakers and automotive suppliers, which added 38,000 jobs last year, will be running at 90% capacity and could even face shortages.
- Ford executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. says that by 2025, cars will communicate through “a rolling collection of sensors” that could allow for autopilot functions like changing lanes and taking highway exits, The Detroit News reports. Ford, who spoke at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, said he expects some 4 billion cars to populate the world by 2050, versus just 1 billion today.
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What’s the Most Affordable Full-Size Crossover?
Posted on 28. Feb, 2012 by admin.
The full-size, three-row crossover segment is relatively new to the automotive landscape. You need to look back only four or five years to see how quickly the segment has changed from just a handful of models to more than 15 models today.
For folks who find minivans anathema, these large crossovers are the best alternatives. Some — like the Chevrolet Traverse — are roomy enough that there's little tradeoff in terms of passenger room. The unibody architecture of large crossovers makes them generally more maneuverable and fuel efficient compared with three-row, full-size SUVs, like the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition.
Check Out: $37,000 SUV Shootout
Recent converts from SUV to crossover pedigree include the Dodge Durango and Ford Explorer, which are now competing against fairly old stalwarts like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.
The full-size crossover market will expand soon, with the three vehicles on the horizon: the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder (which switches to a crossover platform), the 2013 Infiniti JX35 and the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
To find out who makes the most affordable full-size crossover, we've taken into consideration fuel economy, features and the final cost. For this comparison, these large crossovers needed to have the features listed below:
- Third row of seats
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Land Rover Defender To Star In Upcoming Bond ‘Skyfall’
Posted on 27. Feb, 2012 by admin.
The next James Bond movie, tentatively called Skyfall, isn’t due in theaters until late this year. That hasn’t stopped the automakers tied to its production from pointing out which vehicles will feature prominently in the film, however. We already know that a Range Rover Evoque will be present, although we don’t know who will be…
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Would You Buy It? Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon
Posted on 27. Feb, 2012 by admin.
In advance of the Geneva International Auto Show next month, Chevrolet announced plans to sell a wagon version of its Cruze compact in Europe. This news was followed quickly by a statement that Chevy won’t sell it in the United States. But why not?
In America's ongoing love affair with the automobile, hatchbacks and wagons have often taken the role of jilted paramour. For whatever reason, wagons are not part of the “in crowd” in the U.S., and Americans continually choose coupes and sedans over their trunk-less counterparts. Although many automakers have tried to shift the tide of public opinion, wagons don't usually last long in a vehicle's lineup, especially if that automaker isn't European.
For example, Hyundai recently announced that its Elantra Touring wagon won't live past model-year 2012; a hatchback replaces it for 2013. The Touring trim joined the Elantra family in 2009 and was a perennial slow seller. Through August 2011, Hyundai sold just 10,318 units of the wagon, compared with 123,218 Elantra sedans sold during the same time.
Would the Cruze wagon fare any better here? The car seems popular enough: Chevrolet says it has already sold more than 1 million Cruzes globally since the vehicle debuted in 2009. The U.S. version hit the market as a 2011 model, and 231,732 Cruzes were sold here last year.
To Chevrolet of Europe, offering a Cruze station wagon seems like a no-brainer. “In Europe, the most popular body styles in the compact segment are hatchbacks with around 60 percent, followed by station wagons with around 20 percent of the segment,” Chevrolet Product Communication Manager Cornelia Harodt told us.
Set to hit the stage next month at the Geneva auto show, the Cruze wagon will join sedan and hatchback models in Europe. At 184.1 inches long, the station wagon is slightly longer than the sedan, which is 181 inches long. Cargo room ranges from 17.6 cubic feet with the seats up to 52.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. In comparison, the Cruze sedan offers 15.4 cubic feet of trunk space.
“The Cruze station wagon caters to an important market segment. It ticks all the right boxes for European drivers in terms of distinctive design, dynamic driving, space and economy,” Chevrolet Europe President and Managing Director Susan Docherty said in a statement.
Aren't Americans interested in ticking the same boxes when it comes to what we need in a vehicle? Not really, says Chevrolet Communications Manager Annalisa Esposito Bluhm. She explained to Cars.com that there isn't enough market interest in the U.S. to sustain both a Chevy wagon and a compact crossover, like the Equinox. It's a non-issue in Europe because the Equinox isn't sold there.
A Cruze wagon would likely cannibalize sales of Chevy's popular compact SUV, and the Equinox is a strong seller. According to Automotive News, the bow-tie brand sold 193,274 Equinoxes in the U.S. last year, a 29% increase over the previous year. To Chevrolet, she explained, the Equinox makes more sense in the U.S. because crossovers are much more popular than wagons. The brand simply can't make room for two similar vehicles that meet practically the same consumer need.
Bluhm did say, though, that if gas prices spike, consumer need and market realities will shift in the U.S., prompting a re- evaluation of the Cruze wagon's stateside future.
To us, this means a U.S. Cruze wagon is a long shot. Tell us, would you buy it?
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Another Gas Price Roller Coaster: What to Do
Posted on 24. Feb, 2012 by admin.
Gas prices in California shot up 6 cents overnight to $4.20 for a gallon of regular unleaded. That's the average for the state, according to AAA, and it's up an entire quarter from last week’s price of $3.95. The national average rose 3 cents overnight and 12 cents in a week to $3.64. The picture above was shot in Southern California early this morning by a Cars.com staffer.
Team this rapid rise to never-ending news reports about how prices are shooting up so dramatically, and you have drivers panicking once again about fuel efficiency and household costs.
Memories are short, though. Prices had been steadily declining nationwide since May 2011, when they hovered around the $4 mark. That followed — guess what? — a rapid surge in gas prices from February to March, when gas prices rose nearly 40 cents in a month. The difference this year is that the average price before the rapid rise is much higher, about 20 cents on average.
Despite the higher prices, drivers shouldn't panic.
While prices may hit $4 nationwide by the summer, there are ways to drive more efficiently. We developed a series of tips in 2008 when the national average first breached $4 a gallon. You can find them all below.
Car shoppers should not rush to trade in a gas guzzler for a high-mileage car just because of the high price at the pump. If you were already shopping for a new car, selecting a high-mileage vehicle is a good idea, but trading in a car before it makes financial sense won’t help your household budget.
There are also few deals on new, efficient models like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Prius.
Let's hope the past three years of roller coaster gas prices have hardened drivers to today's prices. Automakers have also upped their mileage during that time.
There are 18 2012 models with 40-mpg highway EPA figures that run on regular gas. That doesn't include eight other EVs and diesel models. In 2008, there were only three.
Gas Saving Tips
- Gas-Saving Moment of the Day: Avoid Using Reverse
- Gas-Saving Moment of the Day: Yes, Really, Check Your Tires
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Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Infiniti G25
Posted on 24. Feb, 2012 by admin.
You don't see many luxury automakers shooting for a more affordable entry price, but that's what Infiniti did with its G Series when it added the G25 model. The G25 comes with a weaker V-6 engine, but everything else is essentially the same as the G37 — except the price, of course. The G25 shaves off nearly $4,000 compared with the G37, yet its performance is still spritely, says Cars.com editor Mike Hanley. That's good, too, considering that the smaller engine doesn't help gas mileage much.
2012 Infiniti G25 Review
