August 2010
Toyota to Emphasize Its Leadership in Hybrid Technology at Paris Auto Show
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010Toyota announced today that it will make its Hybrid Synergy Drive technology the focus of its stand at the Paris Auto Show late next month, reflecting the recent launch of the British-built Auris HSD and European Prius sales passing the 200,000 mark. The modularity of HSD makes it readily adaptable to make use of different power sources. This is reflected in Prius Plug-in Hybrid, 200 of which are now on the road around the world in selective lease programs, paving the way for being marketed globally in 2012. Toyota's presentation at Paris will include the Hybrid Synergy Drive Gallery, more
Nissan North America to Start Taking Orders for 2011 Leaf Over Next Few Weeks
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010Nissan North America today announced the upcoming start of order specifications for the 2011 Leaf battery-electric vehicle for those customers who have placed a reservation online. Reservation holders will soon be able to choose the color and trim level of their Leaf, with ordering conducted on a first-come, first-served basis based on when the reservation was submitted online. Over the next several weeks, reservation holders will begin to receive emails informing them how to submit an order. Among the instructions: Contact a dealer to negotiate a price and finalize the order for purchase or lease. Once a consumer's order more
Over Life of Vehicle, Some Diesels May Be 'Greener' Than Electrics - Swiss Study
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010Green-minded Americans may be licking their chops waiting for the debut of the Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle later this year, but on the other side of the Atlantic, some folks are questioning whether BEVs pose all that much of an advantage for people looking to save some money - or the Earth. Some fuel-sipping combustion-engine-powered cars have a smaller environmental impact than battery-electric cars because of both the metals and chemical process required to produce lithium-ion batteries and the electricity required to recharge the cars, according to a report by Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, or more
GM Announces Price of CNG Option for Chevy Express and GMC Savana Vans
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010General Motors today announced that the optional compressed-natural-gas components for the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans will carry a suggested retail price of $15,910 when they become available in the U.S. this fall. Pricing for the all-inclusive CNG option includes a dedicated CNG system ($14,590), a natural gas-capable Vortec 6.0-liter V8 engine ($1,295), and heavy-duty trailering equipment ($265). A $240 credit for deleting the spare tire brings the package price to $15,910. So the total cost of either a 2011 Chevrolet Express or 2011 GMC Savana Cargo model, which starts at $25,980, would be $41,890 or more more
North American Diesel Vehicle Sales to Triple by 2016, Research Firm Says
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010By Danny King, Contributor North American diesel-vehicle unit sales will triple over the next six years as German automakers such as Volkswagen and BMW boost the number of so-called "clean diesel" cars they import to the U.S. in an effort to meet more stringent federal fuel-economy standards, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. Automakers will sell about 545,000 diesel-powered light vehicles to North America in 2016, up from 167,000 in 2009, Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Hariher Balasubramanian said on a Webcast earlier today. VW will have about a third of the U.S. diesel market in 2016, up more
Infiniti's Emmy Ads Boost QX56 Shopping Consideration, Edmunds.com Reports
By Michelle Krebs August 31, 2010Commercials that aired during Sunday night's Emmy awards and starred the cast of NBC's comedy series Community riding in an Infiniti QX56 boosted shopping consideration for the recently revamped full-size SUV, according to Edmunds.com. Shopping consideration for the QX56 rose 51 percent after the airing of the commercials to its highest daily level in three months, according to Edmunds.com's calculations. more
Chevy Volt Arrives in China; Hybrid to Go on Sale There in Second Half of Next Year
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010General Motors celebrated the arrival of the first drivable Chevrolet Volt in China today, the automaker said in a statement. ----------The first drivable Volt in China, outside the China Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai.---------- China is one of the initial markets outside the United States to receive the Volt. GM's extended-range plug-in hybrid will go on sale in China next year. Kevin Wale, president of GM China, said the launch of the Volt, expected in the second half of next year, is key to the carmaker's broader strategy to grow its electric car business in China. China recently more
Chevy Cruze Eco With Automatic Gearbox Gets EPA-Rated 36 Highway MPG - GM
By Scott Doggett August 31, 2010General Motors executives told Edmunds' AutoObserver.com this morning that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given the Chevrolet Cruze Eco version, equipped with an automatic transmission, a fuel-economy rating of 36 miles per gallon in highway driving. The Cruze Eco with a manual transmission has not been certified yet by the EPA, but GM executives have consistently said they expect it to achieve 40 mpg. They had hoped for 36 mpg in highway driving with the automatic transmission. The Cruze Eco models are slated to enter production this December and go on sale in the U.S. after the first more
Chevrolet Cruze App Allows Owners to Connect by Remote
By Michelle Krebs August 31, 2010The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which goes on sale next week, will feature a Smartphone application through General Motors' OnStar that allows the owner to check the fuel gauge, lock and unlock the car, set off the horn and lights alarm and perform onboard diagnostics, such as checking tire pressure, by remote. The Chevy Connect feature will be available at the end of September, company executives told reporters during a test drive of their new compact car in Birmingham, Mich., today. Company executives also reported that they had received word from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within the past 24 hours that more
Toyota Gets 9,600 Apps for Jobs at Restarted Mississippi Plant
By Bill Visnic August 31, 2010In a signal not only that jobs in the current economy are precious but that auto manufacturing jobs apparently still carry weight, in the first week after announcing it was accepting applications for hourly workers at its restarted assembly plant in Blue Springs, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi Inc. has been inundated with about 9,500 applications for the approximately 1,350 hourly jobs at the site. Construction of the Blue Springs plant, started in 2007 but suspended in 2008 when the economy soured, recently was restarted in order to build the Corolla compact car starting next year. The plant originally was more