by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Mitsubishi
Believe it or not, Mitsubishi sales in the U.S. are up in 2011 – by a whopping 53 percent. But while the automaker’s sales are climbing out of the doldrums, its executive count is dropping. Automotive News reports that two key executives have resigned effective October 31, and those vacancies apparently won’t be filled any time soon.
Gregory Adams, Vice President of Marketing in North America and Mike Krebs, Vice President of Planning and Incentives have left the company to pursue other opportunities. Adams leaves Mitsubishi in the early stages of the launch of the electric i minicar. He also oversaw the launch of the Outlander Sport, a linchpin model in the Japanese automaker’s revamping plan. Adams began working at Mitsubishi in June of last year.
Krebs has been with Mitsubishi for more than a decade, and he was recently designated Vice President of Product Strategy. Mitsubishi spokesperson Dan Irvin tells AN that the remaining personnel will handle day-to-day operations and that the automaker doesn’t “anticipate any disruption in those departments.”
Mitsubishi says pair of key U.S. execs have resigned originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Minivan/Van, Chrysler, Dodge, Toyota
We know minivans aren’t all that exciting, but automakers take the sliding door segment very seriously. Chrysler takes special pride in its minivans, which makes sense because Team Pentastar all but invented the segment. Toyota takes just as much pride in the Sienna, which continues to sell well in the face of months of parts shortages due to the Japanese earthquake.
Right now, the two minivans are duking it out for sales supremacy, and Dodge is winning by a nose. Automotive News reports that Dodge has sold 92,930 Grand Caravan models so far in 2011, but the Sienna is down less than 1,000 units with 91,955 copies sold to date. And don’t count out the Honda Odyssey. The Odyssey is a close third with 86,436 units sold, beating out the Chrysler Town & Country by 8,000 units. Chrysler can boast a combined 171,185 minivan sales so far in 2011, with 200,000 total 2011 sales within the realm of possibility.
With the Grand Caravan versus Sienna sales battle so close, we’re guessing minivan buyers could turn out to be the biggest winners. It’s a fair bet that one or both automakers will add incentives to the vans in an effort to secure the sales title, which will mean lower prices for buyers.
Dodge, Toyota duking it out for minivan sales title originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Etc., Technology, Rumormill
In the midst of a longer piece on the top-secret Google X lab, The New York Times drops this bomb: “Google may turn one of the ideas – the driverless cars that it unleashed on California’s roads last year – into a new business.”
It was just over a year ago when the world first heard of Google’s experiments, deploying Toyota Prius hatchbacks in California to rack up test miles of its self-driving vehicle system. Google launched the program in secret, but has since given presentations on the technology and the company’s goals for its deployment. Currently, the cars must have a human behind the wheel to act as a potential override to the system, but Google has indicated that it would like the system to get to the point that it operates free of human intervention. Google is currently working towards racking up over a million driverless miles.
While the Times report says that Google is considering building these autonomous cars in the U.S., we’ve got to believe that this is nothing more than conjecture. Even for a company as large and well-funded as Google, deciding to go into the carmaking business is not something you just jump into, especially not when your sales strategy involves a bleeding edge technology and you haven’t shown any desire or aptitude for designing or building nearly any other aspect of an automobile. Autonomous driving tech could be a truly transformative feature, but developing it and selling it to the industry as a supplier would seem to make much more sense, and it would doubtlessly hasten its arrival to the market.
Check out the TED Talks video after the jump to get up to speed on Google’s efforts.
Continue reading Google to build driverless cars in the U.S.?
Google to build driverless cars in the U.S.? originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Ford
Ford is set to reveal its updated 2013 Mustang at the 2011 LA Auto Show on Tuesday, but the automaker has released a teaser image via the company’s Facebook page depicting a handful of the changes to the model. Those include new head- and taillights, as well as the Track App display. The spy shots we’ve seen so far have indicate that the 2013 Ford Mustang GT will borrow plenty of aesthetic cues from the current Shelby GT500 model, which means buyers should be able to look forward to more aggressive styling all around.
Some of those exterior tweaks likely have aerodynamic origins, including a new chin splitter and rear spoiler. We like what we’ve seen so far, and we can’t wait to hear what Ford has planned for the 2013 GT500 when that vehicle bows. With the arrival of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the top-dog Mustang finally has some muscle car competition, which is always good news for fans of the pony car genre.
2013 Ford Mustang teaser leaked originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Etc., Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Racing
We love the Mk2 Volkswagen Golf as much as anyone, but the vehicle has never exactly proffered up baskets of horsepower or straight-line speed. One owner has set out to change all that by building a 1.8-liter LZ diesel block to suck down E85 gasoline. Boba Motoring has thrown in a billet steel crank shaft, Pauter connecting rods, forged pistons and a 16-valve cylinder head. A Garrett GTX420R turbo shoves a stack of boost down the engine’s throat and the finished product is said to be good for around 900 horsepower. The muscle gets dropped to the pavement via a six-speed manual transmission and a 4MOTION all-wheel drive system.
The monster Golf can hit 62 mph in a scant 2.7 seconds – quicker than the Bugatti Veyron – and the quarter mile dashes by in just 9.34 seconds. Those numbers sound impressive, but they fall short of actually watching the German econobox launch hard off the line. Hit the jump to check out a couple of videos of this Mk2 laying waste to the strip.
Continue reading 900-horsepower VW Golf is quicker than Bugatti Veyron
900-horsepower VW Golf is quicker than Bugatti Veyron originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford, New Car Reviews
The Pony Car’s Best Ambassador
Despite extolling their many carnal virtues for years, we know that there’s still a sizable group of enthusiasts who have never managed to wrap their heads around the idea of owning a pony car. We’ve heard all the excuses before, from complaints about refinement, Jurassic underpinnings and muscle-straining inputs to shopworn stereotypes about the people who drive them. Thing is, if we’re being honest, many of these same notions have troubled us as well – even those of us who have triumphed over our prejudices and actually bought one of the things.
Well, boys and girls, Ford finally has a four-wheeled answer for the naysayers and skeptics: The Mustang Boss 302. Just as bacon is the gateway meat for wayward vegetarians, the orange crush seen here is the four-wheeled, applewood-smoked come-on for pony car doubters. Better still, unlike that tasty bit of swine dining, it’s nearly guilt-free.
The 2012 Boss 302 may carry the namesake of Ford’s legendary 1969 competition car, and it might work a treat on racetracks, but Ford has made sure it’s an honest-to-Detroit everyday proposition, not just a weekend warrior for waxing overconfident BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG preeners.
Continue reading 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Lexus, Luxury
Lexus may stop production of the HS 250h. Reports have emerged that the model is suffering from flagging sales and that the luxury automaker may seek to replace the vehicle with a less-expensive, more youth-oriented product in the near future. Last month, Lexus managed to sell just 250 HS 250h units, which is a decline of 72.8 percent compared to the same (already low) period last year. Originally envisioned as a more upscale version of the Toyota Prius, the awkwardly styled HS 250h carries a substantial price tag that has likely done much to scare off would-be buyers. At over $37,000, the vehicle hasn’t done a good job of convincing consumers of its merits. The modelhas only been on sale since late 2009 as a 2010 model, so if the reports are true, the HS 250h would lead a very brief life.
Should Lexus decide to kick the hybrid four-door off the team, the company will likely replace it with something more accessible for buyers. Reports suggest that the newcomer will likely cost somewhere around $30,000 and follow a marketing path similar to what’s seen with the current CT 200h hatchback, a model that’s been much more successful. That sounds nice, but we have to wonder if Lexus really needs two compact hybrids in the same price range.
Slow-selling Lexus HS 250h already getting the axe? originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Performance, SUV, Mercedes-Benz
We’ve seen a lot of action from Mercedes-Benz and its AMG performance division this year, most of which concerns replacing the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 with the company’s new, more powerful, more efficient twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8. The 5.5 is a great engine, but we’ve lamented the death of the 6.2 for a while now (though Merc is still putting it to good use in the C63 AMG), and the next vehicle to get the 5.5-liter swap is the all-new 2012 ML63 AMG, which makes its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this week.
In standard guise, the ML63 AMG puts down 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, though an optional AMG Performance Package raises those numbers to 550 and 560, respectively. This power is put to the ground via Merc’s AMG Speedshift Plus seven-speed transmission, driving all four wheels in the case of the ML63. The Performance Pack also raises the SUV’s top speed from 155 miles per hour to 174, and the extra grunt reduces the ML63′s 0-to-60-mph time from 4.7 seconds to 4.6.
We like how the AMG design has been grafted onto the new M-Class shape, as the previous model was a bit too bulgy and brash for our tastes. Inside, there’s a standard Designo leather interior, along with a whole slate of high-tech gizmos to keep you safe, comfortable and entertained.
Stay tuned for live impressions direct from Los Angeles later this week. In the meantime, have a look through our attached high-res image gallery, and hit the jump for the official press blast as well as some B-roll video of Merc’s new AMG crossover.
Continue reading Mercedes-Benz reveals 518-hp ML63 AMG ahead of Los Angeles debut w/video
Mercedes-Benz reveals 518-hp ML63 AMG ahead of Los Angeles debut w/video originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: Hybrid, Safety, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Electric
In the aftermath of a Chevrolet Volt catching fire at a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test facility, NHTSA may move to require electric vehicle batteries to be drained after major wrecks. The Detroit Free Press reports that the agency is contemplating issuing a ruling, but a decision has yet to be made.
General Motors‘ position on the fire is that the battery should have been drained after NHTSA crash-tested the car, a preventative measure the automaker says it recommends.
NHTSA’s inquiry involves other carmakers who use lithium-ion battery packs, not just GM. According to the report, the agency is reviewing the automaker’s responses, which likely pertain to the feasibility of requiring first-responders to drain battery packs. The Detroit Free Press says GM must currently deploy a team to drain Volt batteries, though a GM spokesman says a tool to drain batteries may become available to dealerships next year.
The safety of electric vehicle batteries and the unique dangers they pose to first responders have been an ongoing concern since the first hybrids hit the market over a decade ago. The market’s shift toward lithium-ion batteries and an increase in the size of battery packs have only drawn the issue into starker focus.
Chevy Volt fire to prompt new safety procedures? originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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by admin on November 14, 2011
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Design/Style
On Wednesday, the 2013 Chevrolet Spark will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The small hatchback has been tweaked for the North American market, and the hope is that the Spark takes off like wildfire with buyers. Chevrolet thinks the Spark will find favor with buyers living in cities, as well as first-time purchasers.
To that end, the entry-level Spark has been designed carefully. Obvious forethought went into the packaging of the virtually hidden rear passenger doors (not unlike its larger cousin, the five-door Sonic), and color choices with names like Salsa, Jalapeno, Denim, Lemonade, and Techno Pink are clearly aimed at a customer looking for something imaginative. Unique to our Spark will be a redesigned front fascia with distinct foglamp housings and airdam. The grille stretches further down the nose, too, and out back there are taillamps and bumper designs specific to the United States and Canadian markets.
Beyond the aesthetic alterations, important Spark details include a 1.2-liter dual-overhead cam four cylinder that spins 15-inch alloy wheels with 85 hp through a standard five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic. Chevrolet MyLink is available in the Spark with a seven-inch touchscreen. Mylink features Bluetooth phone integration, and Pandora or Stitcher can be piped through your smartphone and directly into Mylink. Standard air conditioning and power windows, along with a motorcycle-inspired gauge cluster (there’s that Sonic influence again) and color coordinated interior serve to spiff things up. It seems the message has sunk in that small cars don’t have to be brutally decontented.
Check out the press release after the jump, and stay tuned to our full-court-press coverage of the LA show, where we’ll get a chance to climb in and around the 2013 Chevrolet Spark and give you our firsthand impressions.
Continue reading U.S. Chevy Spark revealed ahead of Los Angeles show
U.S. Chevy Spark revealed ahead of Los Angeles show originally appeared on WorldCarsNews on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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