los angeles auto showL.A. AUTO SHOW Porsche ponders sports car; no decision yet on small sedan 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Porsche will add at least four new vehicles by 2018, including the Macan mid-sized crossover and 918 Spyder hybrid sports car due next year. Under discussion are a sports car slotted between the 911 and 918 Spyder and a sedan smaller than the Panamera.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Mercedes plans big changes for '14 E class 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  With the rapid pace of technology, Mercedes-Benz says it no longer can rely on relatively minor midcycle changes for key models. So the E-class freshening planned for next year will be more extensive than usual, with major sheet metal and interior changes.... Read More »
Porsche ponders sports car; no decision yet on small sedanDec. 3, 2012 06:01 CET  Porsche will add at least four new vehicles by 2018, including the Macan mid-sized crossover and 918 Spyder hybrid sports car due next year. Under discussion are a sports car slotted between the 911 and 918 Spyder and a sedan smaller than the Panamera.... Read More »
Mazda, Fiat study more joint vehiclesDec. 3, 2012 06:01 CET  As Mazda and Fiat work to finalize their deal to make roadsters together, the companies are looking at other possible joint projects, Mazda's CEO said.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Reports of EV death premature 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids were just a fad, right? A now-faded dream from 2009. So why did so many executives at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week sound so optimistic (OK, some guardedly optimistic) about prospects for EVs? Toyota may be hedging its bets, but most rivals say their EV plans remain in high gear.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Ford takes new tack in latest software update 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012 Determined to show that its infotainment systems are up to date and easy to use, Ford Motor Co. is launching another software improvement for MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch. But this time, the task is bigger.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Audi expects diesel surge; equips more models, boosts ads 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012 Audi expects to significantly boost diesel sales in North America within four years as it broadens its lineup of diesel-powered vehicles. Diesels now account for less than 10 percent of the brand's sales on the continent.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Mazda, Fiat study more joint vehicles 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  As Mazda and Fiat work to finalize their deal to make roadsters together, the companies are looking at other possible joint projects, Mazda's CEO said.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Subaru will get more BRZs to sell 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Subaru of America will get 2,000 extra BRZs over the next four months as it tries to keep up with demand for the new coupe.... Read More »
L.A. AUTO SHOW Looming fiscal cliff troubles auto execs 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  The uncertainty and emotional fallout from the game of chicken in Washington could take a toll beyond the dollars in consumers' pockets, some executives suggest.... Read More »
Nissan updates '14 GT-R for performance 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Nissan Motor Co. has re-engineered the 2014 GT-R in a bid to re-stoke U.S. sales of the high-end sports car -- and with an eye toward improving its lap times at Germany's Nurburgring racetrack next spring.... Read More »
Toyota aims at segment leaders with new RAV4 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  The original Toyota RAV4 arrived in 1996 and was quickly established as the compact crossover king. But other automakers have improved the recipe and passed the RAV4 in sales. Toyota expects the redesigned 2013 RAV4 to make a run at its rivals, but it has a long way to go.... Read More »
Freshened Fiesta gets more options, refinement 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  Ford has loaded the freshened 2014 Fiesta with big-car features, believing that customers increasingly want sophistication even in the smallest cars.... Read More »
BRADFORD WERNLE Ford bets Transit Connect Wagon, like a snowflake, is one of a kind 7:00 am U.S. ET | Dec. 1, 2012  In England, they call vehicles like the Ford Transit Connect Wagon “cheap and cheerful” basic family transportation. Over in Europe, where it was conceived and designed, the Transit Connect competes with the likes of the Renault Kangoo, Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner as inexpensive and versatile haulers of people and goods.... Read More »
Sprint targets automakers with in-car communications system 8:26 am U.S. ET | Nov. 30, 2012  Sprint unveiled on Thursday an in-vehicle communications and entertainment system it hopes automakers will adopt as they seek to attract younger, more connected consumers.... Read More »
2012 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Auto industry worries about more inflated fuel economy claims 11:28 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Hyundai's admission that it overstated fuel economy claims on several of its top-selling cars has the industry worried, with speculation rife among executives and analysts at the Los Angeles Auto Show that more automakers may have to do the same. Hyundai and its affiliate Kia conceded earlier this month that they overstated the fuel economy by at least a mile per gallon on more than 1 million recently sold vehicles.... Read More »
MARK RECHTIN Honda saves the Civic 3:36 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  The interior treatment of Honda's current Civic was so panned by critics that the company went on a crash course to fix it. Rather than wait the traditional three model years to give the car a midcycle change, Honda made wholesale changes to the Civic just 19 months into its product cycle.... Read More »
2012 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Ford Fusion wins 2013 Green Car of Year award 3:15 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Ford, which has emphasized improving the fuel efficiency of its lineup, won a top "green car" award for its Fusion mid-sized sedan, which is offered in gas-powered, hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.... Read More »
2012 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Revamped Mazda6 to offer optional diesel engine 2:50 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Mazda will become the only Asian automaker to sell a diesel engine in the United States when it adds a 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel to the 2014 Mazda6 lineup in the second half of 2013.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Tapping supermodels and sex, again, to sell Fiat's expanding line 11:25 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Most everyone agrees that sex sells. Chrysler Group will soon find out whether sex tinged with bawdy humor sells Fiats.... Read More »
2102 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Honda taps downtown L.A. for advanced design studio 11:51 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  Honda R&D Americas has opened a design studio in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, replacing its advanced design center in suburban Pasadena. The location -- a hip neighborhood in the heart of downtown L.A. -- will expose employees and designers to more youthful influences than old-money Pasadena, said Dave Marek, Honda director of design.... Read More »
BRADFORD WERNLE For 1 day in L.A., Lincoln salutes its glorious past 11:31 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  While other automakers were showing off their latest 21st century creations on the first day of the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday, the Lincoln stand stood apart, filled with restored classics from the brand's glory days. Those grand days were many years ago.... Read More »
LUCA CIFERRI In LA, SUVs take inspiration from BMW 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  At this year's Los Angeles auto show, it seems that BMW X1s are everywhere. A cute blue vehicle I passed looked just like an X1 SUV. Actually, it was a Mazda CX-5 that resembled an X1 from the side, but had a nose and tail different than the X1.... Read More »
2012 LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW Fiat sees potential in U.S. for SUV-styled 500LNov. 29, 2012 10:30 CET  Fiat says the 500L Trekking, an SUV-styled variant of its 500L small minivan, could account for half of overall 500L sales in the U.S. market.... Read More »
LUCA CIFERRI In LA, SUVs take inspiration from BMW 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  At this year's Los Angeles auto show, it seems that BMW X1s are everywhere. A cute blue vehicle I passed looked just like an X1 SUV. Actually, it was a Mazda CX-5 that resembled an X1 from the side, but had a nose and tail different than the X1.... Read More »
|
