Design

Ford charity commits $1 million gift to CCS programs

3:29 pm U.S. ET | April 26, 2013
The Ford Motor Company Fund, the charitable arm of Ford Motor, said today it will be donating $1 million to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit over the next five years.... Read More »

 

Mercedes GLA concept previews compact crossover

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013
Mercedes-Benz will enter the growing compact crossover segment next year with the GLA, a five-door that was scheduled to debut as a concept model at the Shanghai auto show this past weekend.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Report: Daimler is thinking small

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013
A German press report last week revived speculation that Daimler is thinking small, planning to position a Mercedes model above the Smart in 2016, with technology to be based on the flexible A-class architecture and with engines from Renault.... Read More »

 

Ford targets Chinese buyers with Focus-based concept

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013
Ford Motor Co. was to have unveiled a Focus-based concept car last week at the Shanghai auto show that targets local tastes with a stretched wheelbase and larger rear doors.... Read More »

 

Jeep dilemma: Keep SUV guts, add comfort

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
With the help of key suppliers -- ZF Friedrichshafen and American Axle & Manufacturing -- that developed two major innovations, the Cherokee is Jeep's best hope to compete with today's Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape.... Read More »

 

SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW PREVIEW

Crossovers and SUVs will take center stage in Shanghai

April 15, 2013 06:01 CET
Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions at the Shanghai auto show. Acura, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen plan world debuts for compact crossovers, while Jeep -- which arguably started the SUV craze -- will roll out its new Cherokee.... Read More »

 

SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW PREVIEW

A bevy of crossovers and SUVs will take center stage at China's auto extravaganza

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions this week at the Shanghai auto show. Acura, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen plan world debuts for compact crossovers, while Jeep -- which arguably started the SUV craze -- will roll out its new Cherokee.... Read More »

 

Bigger C-class line to challenge BMW 3 series

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Mercedes-Benz will add a convertible and diesel- and hybrid-powered sedans to its C-class lineup after the car is redesigned next year.... Read More »

 

Poll: Deal trumps tech for shopper

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
For all the effort automakers lavish on new sheet metal and technology, 79 percent of U.S. car shoppers would rather get a good deal on an older model than wait a few months for a redesign, according to a new survey.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

An errant Caddy badge foils GM's bid to be sneaky

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
How do you hide a behemoth like the 2015 Cadillac Escalade? For General Motors engineers, the answer is to make it look like a Ford.... Read More »

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Social media aid Visteon design

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Visteon Corp. is using social media-style software to share part designs with potential customers and employees, a process it says will help speed new products to market.... Read More »

 

Lexus plans rival to Q3, X1

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Lexus plans to show a production-ready premium compact crossover to rival the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 at next year's Geneva auto show, a company source said.... Read More »

 

Refining the Hyundai-Kia brand plan

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Only two months into his new job as the first joint global design chief of Hyundai and Kia, Peter Schreyer is guarded about his burgeoning makeover plans. But this much, he says, is clear: The sibling brands need more distinct identities.... Read More »

 

BMW expands 4-series lineup

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
The BMW X4 concept crossover with coupe styling debuts this month at the Shanghai auto show and will be built in Spartanburg, S.C.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Crunching numbers on the Z28: Zoom tops price

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Even though automakers are straining to reach ever-rising fuel-economy standards, speed still counts -- a lot. Witness the Chevrolet Camaro Z28.... Read More »

 

Panamera gets a plug-in hybrid

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Porsche dealers will get their first plug-in hybrid to sell by the end of this year. The plug-in hybrid is part of the restyled -- and bigger -- Panamera family of sedans.... Read More »

 

NICK BUNKLEY

In the computer age, it's time to analog-off

3:04 pm U.S. ET | April 5, 2013
My 2-year-old son recently started asking about the clock hanging on the wall of his bedroom. What does learning how to tell time have to do with cars? Ideally, nothing, because analog clocks have no reason to be in cars anymore.... Read More »

 

Kia eyes BMW, Audi; aims to add technology

April 5, 2013 06:01 CET
Not only is Kia benchmarking BMW and Audi; it is crawling out of the shadow of its bigger corporate sibling, Hyundai. Its new goal: model its own brand identity after Volkswagen's as it seeks to be mass-market yet one notch above the pack in terms of quality and flair.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Z28 revs Chevy's performance line

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Chevy's performance division is on a roll. And GM plans an advertising campaign to spread the word.... Read More »

 

Kia aims to add technology, protect quality

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Not only is Kia benchmarking BMW and Audi; it is crawling out of the shadow of its bigger corporate sibling, Hyundai. Its new goal: model its own brand identity after Volkswagen's as it seeks to be mass-market yet one notch above the pack in terms of quality and flair.... Read More »

 

Cherokee moves upscale and over rocks

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The 2014 Cherokee, the first Fiat-based Jeep, offers a long list of conveniences, such as automatic parking and an 8.4-inch center-stack screen, but it also has four-wheel drive available for off-roading Jeep loyalists.... Read More »

 

Scion weighs a move to entry-lux

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Toyota is weighing a major shift in positioning for its struggling Scion brand: moving upscale to target entry-level luxury models coming from European makes.... Read More »

 

Hyundai exec: We're studying pickup for U.S.

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Hyundai Motor Co. is looking into launching a pickup in the United States, Hyundai's sales boss says. Product planners and engineers at headquarters in South Korea are studying what size truck would be best.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Some dazzled N.Y.; some blew their noses

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
As West Coast Editor Mark Rechtin considered the vehicles unveiled at the New York auto show, he encountered a design trait we're destined to see more of: Sleek, sloping hoods are being replaced with bulkier snouts and corners.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

GM's new product cycle: Fix problems now

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
General Motors' speedy revision of the slow-selling Chevrolet Malibu reflects the company's new determination to fix problems quickly when they arise, rather than letting them linger until the next scheduled change.... Read More »