How quality chief Betts guided Chrysler's dramatic rise in reliability
Posted 3:40 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 25Want a two-word explanation for Chrysler's dramatic improvement in the Consumer Reports annual reliability survey in 2011? A good answer would be: Doug Betts.
Betts is Chrysler's head of quality. Since he was lured to Chrysler in 2007 via a phone call from Cerberus Capital Management, Betts has had a single-minded, relentless focus on driving quality into every aspect of Chrysler operations.
Betts came to Chrysler from Nissan, a perennial front-runner in the magazine's surveys. Unlike some Detroit 3 executives, who had a habit ...
Continue reading "How quality chief Betts guided Chrysler's dramatic rise in reliability" »Marketing mid-sized pickups could be tricky Posted 10:37 am U.S. ET, Oct. 21
Now that General Motors has announced Chevrolet will market a mid-sized pickup, the next step is making it appealing to buyers, especially those who prefer full-sized trucks.
It may require some tough tactics.
Last week GM announced that the Colorado pickup will be redesigned and get bigger. The rumor had been circulating Detroit for months
Specifically, production of today's Colorado, a slow-selling compact pickup, will end in the 2012 model year, and it will be replaced by a wider and longer mid-sized pickup, GM calls it.
Last w ...
Continue reading "Marketing mid-sized pickups could be tricky" » Oct 21, 2011 10:37 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
GM's internal debate: Does Chevy need another crossover?
Posted 3:09 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 19
DETROIT -- The question General Motors executives are debating: Does Chevrolet need another model?
Today, Chevrolet markets the Equinox and the Traverse, both successful crossovers for the bow-tie brand.
Chevrolet also offers the Captiva crossover, which is imported from Mexico. But that compact is sold only to fleets. The first deliveries began late last week. You won’t find a Captiva sitting in a U.S. showroom.
So now the thumbs-up-or-down question is whether Chevrolet needs another crossover in its lineup, specifically a model based on GM’s new subcompa ...
Continue reading "GM's internal debate: Does Chevy need another crossover?" » Oct 19, 2011 3:09 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
GM's Reuss sees room for variety in U.S. pickup market
Posted 8:49 am U.S. ET, Oct. 19DETROIT -- Anyone who's surprised by General Motors' recent decision to remain in the U.S. market for smaller pickups with a redesigned Chevrolet Colorado -- even as competitors flee the segment -- must not have been listening to Mark Reuss.
For awhile now, GM's president of North America has been espousing his view of the U.S. pickup market. And it includes many shades of gray.
Reuss sees ample "bandwidth" within the pickup segment that belies the industry's conventional wisdom: that full-sized pickups can be all things to all people.
The U.S. market for small and mi ...
Continue reading "GM's Reuss sees room for variety in U.S. pickup market" » Oct 19, 2011 8:49 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Scion's iQ surprise: I fit, it's quick
Posted 4:38 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 18
I'm 6-2 and, well, let's just call it above my high school basketball playing weight. So I approach micro-cars with some hesitation. Let's face it: I'm the worst-case scenario for micro-car designers.
There used to be limits: no more than 15 minutes in the original Morris Mini for me and no way in the Renault R-18 – my size 14 shoes always depressed two pedals at once.
Yet in an age of clever design and better materials, I almost always fit in modern micros. I fit in the Smart. I fit in a variety of European-market micros. If I cloned myself, four of me would fit in the Tata Nano. (Forget t ...
Continue reading "Scion's iQ surprise: I fit, it's quick" » Oct 18, 2011 4:38 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
4-door convertible, anyone?
Posted 3:56 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 18Cadillac attracted a lot of attention with its Ciel concept, a stunning four-door convertible that was unveiled in August at the Concours d'Elegance classic car show in Pebble Beach, Calif.
But Cadillac isn't the only auto brand eyeing a four-door ragtop.
In case you missed it, a nugget of ragtop news was mentioned in an Automotive News future product story about Mercedes-Benz. My colleague Diana T. Kurylko reported in the Oct. 10 issue that Mercedes may produce a four-door convertible based on the redesigned S cla ...
Continue reading "4-door convertible, anyone?" » Oct 18, 2011 3:56 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
2012 BMW 3-series: The new features that matter
Posted 11:08 am U.S. ET, Oct. 17
DETROIT -- Those who covet the BMW 3-series probably don't need a lot of reason to buy a new one -- other than that there's a fresh model for 2012. But after a splashy reveal on Friday in Munich, Bimmerphiles and mainstream consumers alike have reason to consider the 2012 BMW 3-series for both practical and enthusiast-oriented pursuits.
Here's why: The sixth-generation BMW 3-series is fitted with a host of the latest technologies both underhood and underskin, which make the 3-series more relevant for the times, yet true to its heritage. Really, the car doesn't look that much different, but other changes might be more significant than what hap ...
Continue reading "2012 BMW 3-series: The new features that matter" » Oct 17, 2011 11:08 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Cadillac aims XTS at luxury import owners
Posted 2:42 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 12
SAN DIEGO -- It is a small niche, but an important one for Cadillac as it prepares to launch the XTS sedan.
The industry calls it the "black car" business.
The Cadillac XTS sedan will hit dealer showrooms next year in late spring or early summer. The car is one part of the product plan to make Cadillac appealing to import luxury car buyers.
The XTS will be the largest and most luxurious car made by Cadillac, aimed at buyers who demand state-of-the-art technology. Cadillac's new CUE infotainment system is a key part of the technology story, along with a reconfigurable ...
Continue reading "Cadillac aims XTS at luxury import owners" » Oct 12, 2011 2:42 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Honda says Ridgeline will remain in the lineup for the 'foreseeable future'
Posted 3:59 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 7
Honda's mid-sized pickup is here to stay. That's what the automaker is saying about the Ridgeline.
"Reports in the media that we have plans to discontinue the Ridgeline pick-up truck are false," Honda said this week on its Web site.
"To the contrary, Ridgeline has a significant role in the Honda line-up and it is expected to continue in the foreseeable future."
In our annual future product series on Aug. 1, we said the Ridgeline would be discontinued in 2013. A month later, I wrote a blog headlined "Why Honda's Ridgeline pickup is driving off into the sunset."
...
Continue reading "Honda says Ridgeline will remain in the lineup for the 'foreseeable future'" » Oct 7, 2011 3:59 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Camaro, Mustang try to outgun each other with high-powered V-8s
Posted 5:06 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 6It's Ford Mustang vs. Chevy Camaro, one more time.
Under the tentative labor pact reached this week between Ford and the UAW, the automaker will retool one of its engine plants to produce a supercharged 5.8-liter V-8.
Until now, the engine fell under the rumor category, the focus of Web site chatter. Now it's official: If the UAW ratifies the contract, the big V-8 will be produced.
The UAW deal doesn't say whether the engine will appear under the hood of a Ford or Lincoln. But the expectation is that the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 will be the lucky recipient.
...
Continue reading "Camaro, Mustang try to outgun each other with high-powered V-8s" » Oct 6, 2011 5:06 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Here, it's head-turning design; at home, Hyundai's Sonata has a problem
Posted 2:33 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 4
Hyundai is learning you can't please everyone.
While the styling for the Sonata has been a home run in the United States, the Korean market initially was turned off by what some buyers might say is the car's audacious design language, which Hyundai calls "fluidic sculpture."
Simply, the Korean market apparently prefers something less radical; judging from Hyundai's past model line, maybe "ultraconservative" is a better term.
Hyundai's design language was the topic of a story writte ...
Continue reading "Here, it's head-turning design; at home, Hyundai's Sonata has a problem" » Oct 4, 2011 2:33 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Ford’s 3-banger challenge: Driving pleasure plus high mpg
Posted 1:57 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 3Are three cylinders better than four?
Ford’s first three-cylinder engine, the upcoming 1.0-liter EcoBoost power plant, will be on sale in Europe early next year and in North America in 2012 or 2013.
The engine will deliver horsepower and torque outputs equivalent to or better than many normally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engines, Ford says, and will have turbocharging, direct injection, twin independent variable camshaft timing and other technology.
The new engine will be offered in the European Focus, C-Max and B-Max and in several unnamed models in North Ame ...
Continue reading "Ford’s 3-banger challenge: Driving pleasure plus high mpg" » Oct 3, 2011 1:57 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
How these pickup drivers will see all the road ahead
Posted 3:58 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 29Off-roaders will appreciate this Ford option.
It’s a grille-mounted camera that gives the driver another set of eyes. The feature is available in the 2012 F-150 SVT Raptor, Ford’s over-the-top pickup.
The camera is positioned down, so the driver can see what is directly in front of the vehicle. This is especially useful when crawling over a log or heading up/down a steep hill. It’s a helpful system for avoiding large rocks or placing a tire on a particular rock. And, maybe more importantly, it could prevent a driver from making a costly mistake and damaging the vehicle.
Continue reading "How these pickup drivers will see all the road ahead" » Sep 29, 2011 3:58 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Will Lincoln chase Europeans in the move toward smaller engines?
Posted 2:10 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 28DETROIT -- Ford execs won't talk about future powertrains -- specifically, whether there is a four-cylinder engine in Lincoln's future.
Ask the question and you don't get a "yes," you don't get a "no."
But there are hints the brand is headed in that direction, other than in hybrid models.
Paul Mascarenas, Ford's chief technical officer and vice president of Ford Research and Innovation, says the success of Ford's V-6 EcoBoost engines shows Ford and Lincoln buyers are willing to accept a smaller-displacement engine with fewer cylinders. They don't miss that bigger engi ...
Continue reading "Will Lincoln chase Europeans in the move toward smaller engines?" » Sep 28, 2011 2:10 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Chevy got the Sonic right
Posted 2:32 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 27
It's finally happened.
Chevrolet's U.S. lineup finally has a solid, refined, competitive and, yes, even fun-to-drive subcompact.
It's called the Sonic, and Chevy is aiming the car at 20-somethings who are eyeing the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa and a few other budget-priced models.
Last week I had the opportunity to drive the 2012 Sonic for 100-plus miles in the San Francisco Bay area. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this car. The Sonic is not a cheap-feeling econobox.
The base model, the Sonic LS, ca ...
Continue reading "Chevy got the Sonic right" » Sep 27, 2011 2:32 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
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