Product and Design

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

2 million extra doors was the best call Daimler made during 'marriage of equals'

12:35 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
It's easy to criticize the way Daimler AG ran and ultimately left Chrysler during the disastrous "marriage of equals" era. I know because I've done it on a regular basis. But even the worst marriages can produce spectacular kids -- or in this case, products.... Read More »

 

BRADFORD WERNLE

In the Land of Many Buicks, one in particular stood out

3:59 pm U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
If you were an alien from another world and your spaceship landed in Shanghai, you would immediately conclude that Buick is a planetary titan among automotive brands.... Read More »

 

Cadillac to offer new twin-turbo V-6 on XTS for 2014

8:11 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
Cadillac is adding a new 410-hp, twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 engine as an option on the XTS sedan for 2014.... Read More »

 

Audi Q7 will shed weight

May 17, 2013 06:01 CET
The redesigned Audi Q7 that debuts next summer in Europe will weigh about 363kg less than the current model, company insiders said, adding that Audi is also planning a hybrid version of the next-generation large SUV.... Read More »

 

DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC

Is the S in the new Mercedes S class for Shanghai?

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
The new Mercedes-Benz S class made its world premiere today in Hamburg, Germany, but Shanghai might have been more appropriate. Why? China accounted for nearly half of all S-class sales from 2010-2012.... Read More »

 

Revamped Mercedes S class strives to set new luxury mark

2:00 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
Mercedes-Benz is heralding the redesigned 2014 S class as a flagship that will set new benchmarks for luxury sedans with its packaging of technology, safety gear and opulence.... Read More »

 

Survey: Consumers are ready for new tech ideas in cars

10:29 am U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
A new survey about what vehicle consumers want and don't want suggests that the auto industry is lagging consumers when it comes to technology ideas.... Read More »

 

Peugeot pushes 308 upscale to catch VW Golf

May 15, 2013 10:15 CET
Peugeot hopes more upscale features and an innovative design will help the new 308 gain market share in Europe's overcrowded compact segment against competitors including the Volkswagen Golf.... Read More »

 

DIANA T. KURYLKO

Can battery rental reduce consumer jitters with EVs? Smart thinks so

2:02 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
Consumers have a lot of gripes about the battery life in high-tech products. Batteries seem to conk out way before the products do. Small wonder there's even more anxiety about electric vehicle batteries.... Read More »

 

GM to rebadge Nissan's small commercial vans for Chevy

10:42 am U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
General Motors has turned to Nissan to put Chevrolet dealers into the small cargo van market. GM, in a statement today, said it will rebadge Nissan's new four-cylinder NV200 commercial van as the Chevrolet City Express in the fall of 2014.... Read More »

 

Honda to convert Ohio seat plant for Acura NSX output

11:00 am U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
Honda said today it will invest $70 million to convert a former seat plant here to assemble the next-generation Acura NSX. The plant will be staffed with about 100 specially trained production workers and equipped with robots to build the gasoline-electric hybrid sports car, Honda said.... Read More »

 

Infiniti to add new halo car, more crossovers

May 14, 2013 13:11 CET
Nissan's premium Infiniti marque plans to add a new top-tier halo nameplate above its Q70 flagship sedan and expand its crossover offerings to build the brand and fuel sales, President Johan de Nysschen said.... Read More »

 

Infiniti to add new halo car, more crossovers

7:11 am U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
Nissan's premium Infiniti marque plans to add a new top-tier halo nameplate above its Q70 flagship sedan and expand its crossover offerings to build the brand and fuel sales, President Johan de Nysschen said.... Read More »

 

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE

Nissan plans potentially polarizing changes to top-selling Qashqai

May 14, 2013 06:01 CET
Nissan promises an innovative new look for the next Qashqai – the automaker's top-selling model in Europe – when the replacement debuts early next year.... Read More »

 

Domestic brands score well in owner-perception survey

8:00 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Volkswagen Group and Ford fared well among automakers in an annual study released today measuring quality and how deeply consumers feel about a new car or light-truck purchase after several months of ownership.... Read More »

 

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 »