Product and Design

CARS & CONCEPTS

Audi Q7 will shed weight

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The redesigned Audi Q7 that debuts next summer in Europe will weigh about 800 pounds less than the current model, company insiders tell German sibling publication Automobilwoche.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Next Corolla gets CVT, 2 engine choices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla that debuts here on June 6 will have a continuously variable transmission and will be offered with a choice of two engines, company officials have told dealers.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Albaisa leads Infiniti design

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Alfonso Albaisa, the Cuban-American designer who has led Nissan's worldwide passenger car design strategy for a year, has been named global design chief for Infiniti.... Read More »

 

'14 Silverado: More brawn, quieter ride

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Chevrolet packs more power and torque, better fuel economy and a much improved interior into the first redesign of its Silverado full-sized pickup in seven years.... Read More »

 

Tesla Model S wins high praise from Consumer Reports

6:00 am U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
The all-electric Tesla Model S sports car received the highest score in Consumer Reports' ratings -- a 99 out of 100 -- along with widespread plaudits from the magazine's automotive testing staff.... Read More »

 

Jaguar positions F-Type roadster with historic 'baddest boy' bloodline

2:51 pm U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
Jaguar is launching its first two-seat roadster since Steve McQueen tooled around Hollywood in his E-Type in the 1960s. And the luxury carmaker is looking to tap into that old-school auto attitude with a $20 million campaign that plays up the 2014 F-Type's historic bloodline to Jaguar roadsters of the past.... Read More »

 

MIKE COLIAS

Silverado hand-wringers should relax -- for now

12:15 pm U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
There was hand-wringing, even some flat out panic, when General Motors unwrapped its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado in December. Many dealers, enthusiasts and writers questioned whether the pickup's design went far enough. Did GM whiff on its most critical vehicle launch since its 2009 bankruptcy? No.... Read More »

 

Infiniti picks veteran Nissan stylist Albaisa for new global design post

May 9, 2013 06:01 CET
Infiniti has named a global design chief as part of the luxury brand's ongoing effort to distance itself from parent company Nissan's mass-market Nissan marque.... Read More »

 

Infiniti picks veteran Nissan stylist Albaisa for new global design post

4:01 pm U.S. ET | May 8, 2013
Infiniti has named a global design chief as part of the luxury brand's ongoing effort to distance itself from parent company Nissan's mass-market Nissan marque.... Read More »

 

JAMES B. TREECE

Is Akio Toyoda cut from the Steve Jobs mold?

12:48 pm U.S. ET | May 8, 2013
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda wants to take personal responsibility for injecting design and performance pizazz into the Lexus brand.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Ram photo shoot goes horribly, horribly wrong

12:00 pm U.S. ET | May 7, 2013
I love puns, so when photos arrived of the big blue Pacific crashing against a floundering Ram heavy-duty pickup during a beach-photo-shoot-gone-wrong, my mind just raced.... Read More »

 

Reuss: Buick earns product pizazz

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
There's little chance that the flashy Buick Riviera concept will ever grace a Buick showroom. But dealers should view the Riviera as a signal that GM is serious about adding pizazz to the Buick lineup.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Reuss wants a volume rwd Chevy

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Atop Mark Reuss' wish list for Chevrolet's lineup is a modestly priced, rear-wheel-drive sporty car to appeal to young drivers.... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE

The making of LaFerrari

May 6, 2013 06:01 CET
Ferrari's limited-edition supercars are special. Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo says the new LaFerrari is no exception because of features such as the supercar's gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, F1-inspired carbon fiber cockpit and a state-of-the-art aerodynamics.... Read More »

 

AKIO TAKES THE WHEEL

Toyota's car-buff president makes Lexus his pet project

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
By Akio Toyoda's own admission, his beloved Lexus luxury brand has a big problem. Unlike its German rivals, Lexus has no heritage, no narrative. Now the Toyota Motor Corp. president is investing himself personally in the brand by taking direct control of all things Lexus.... Read More »

 

Ford's latest high-tech twist: Granddad's old-school knobs

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Joe Hinrichs, Ford Motor Co.'s president of the Americas, won't say directly how the company plans to fix its troubled MyFord Touch control system, which has hurt Ford's ratings in quality surveys. But here's a hint: knobs.... Read More »

 

New LaFerrari blends speed, technology

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Here is an in-depth look at some of the challenges faced en route to delivering the LaFerrari, the company's fastest, most technologically advanced road car.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Back from the grave

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Frank Stranah, co-founder of Champion Spark Plugs, once owned this 1940 Packard Super 8 Formal sedan -- which spent 44 years welded inside an old gasoline storage tank before it was liberated in 2011.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

For VW, new turbo brings more power, fuel economy for key models

8:00 am U.S. ET | May 3, 2013
A new crop of turbocharged Volkswagen Jettas and Beetles will start to show up in U.S. dealerships this month.... Read More »

 

Audi and Cadillac target young Chinese buyers

May 3, 2013 06:01 CET
Audi is fueling its growth in China with a range of less pricey compact crossovers and sedans -- such as the A3 sedan introduced this month in Shanghai -- to expand its appeal to retail customers.... Read More »

 

Lexus prices base 2014 IS at $36,845, up $885

12:10 pm U.S. ET | May 1, 2013
Lexus has set the base price of the 2014 IS compact sport sedan at $36,845, including shipping, an increase of $885 from its predecessor, Lexus said.... Read More »

 

BMW studies China for hints on global trends

May 1, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW is studying ways to meet the fast-changing demands of China's car buyers to determine whether trends such as tele-dining and a heavy reliance on voice messaging will expand globally.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

Why the auto industry needs to slow down

2:55 pm U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
I'd like to offer a bit of counterintuitive thinking, at least in terms of technology. Here it is: The auto industry needs to slow down. We have arrived at a point where the pace of technological advancement -- how fast automakers and suppliers can make their products better -- has vastly outstripped their own manufacturing abilities to keep up.... Read More »

 

Nissan pushes chargers to boost sales of Leaf EV

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
To attract a bigger audience to electric cars, Nissan officials say they must get more public EV chargers in place -- particularly the more powerful and expensive fast-charging stations. Nissan has assigned a five-person "infrastructure" team to spur charger-station installations.... Read More »

 

ATS coupe is on the way, Cadillac tells its dealers

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
General Motors plans to introduce a coupe version of its Cadillac ATS compact next year, one in a spate of vehicle introductions for the luxury brand. Several dealers told Automotive News they were shown an ATS coupe at a national dealer meeting in Las Vegas this month.... Read More »