 | //08-02-2010 “SMOOTH and quiet as an electric motor” is a phrase that has been used repeatedly to compliment gasoline and diesel engines that are especially well-mannered.
As more hybrid and battery-electric vehicles enter the marketplace, though, the maxim is being transformed. Returning to a role in propelling vehicles that largely disappeared decades ago, electric motors are attracting attention from automakers, who see the need for hybrids and E.V.’s to have personality and character that parallels their brand’s image. |
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 | //08-02-2010 The news couldn't get much worse for Toyota. Or could it? It's day to day for the world's largest automaker, and not getting easier. On Friday, Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corp. and a grandson of the company's founder, offered a “heartfelt apology” for the recent problems.
A recall by Toyota to address problems with a sticking gas pedal now includes more than 8 million vehicles globally. That's equivalent to Toyota's total sales in 2009. Models affected include the Corolla and Camry, the company's sales stalwarts. Now, we learn, Prius, the company's environmental star, may soon be added to the list of recalls. The Japanese government has ordered the company to examine brakes on the 2010 model Prius. |
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| //06-02-2010 Toyota Motor notified dealers it is prepared to unveil a solution to problems with the brake system of the popular Prius hybrid sedan, as well as a public relations campaign to try to repair its battered image.
In a notice sent to dealerships late Friday, the automaker wrote: "We want to assure our dealers that we are moving rapidly to provide a solution for your existing customers. We will share more specific details on this solution early next week." |
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| //06-02-2010 Whereas most people would consider the company's 2009 bankruptcy as the pivotal turning point in the contemporary history of General Motors, I'm willing put my bet behind the 2007 launch of the Chevy Volt extended-range electric car.
No other product from GM had such a systemic effect within the corporation, shifting nearly overnight the idea of what's important for the company and its culture.
And while some of the motivation behind the car's debut might have been founded in a vacuous effort to rebrand the company's image, the Volt was an inherently positive move for the big company. Now, roughly a year before the car will go on sale, GM is making another move that might be as important as the Volt itself: it plans on building most, if not all, of the guts of the hybrid and electric systems within its own facility. |
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| //06-02-2010 Despite the criticism of Toyota over car safety, Japanese citizens still largely view the world's largest automaker with pride -- so much so that some people here wonder whether pressure on Toyota in the U.S. is a ploy to boost American auto producers and undermine Japan Inc.
"I think the Americans are going overboard," said Hiroyuki Komiya, 40, a Tokyo restaurant employee. "Maybe it's Japan-bashing because the trouble at Toyota, which has the world's No. 1 share, is a big opportunity for its American rivals."
That notion may seem far-fetched to the millions of Toyota owners in the United States and around the world whose confidence in the company has made it the world leader -- and are now simply worried about the safety of their cars.
The days of irrational fears of Japanese products that emerged during its economic boom of the 1980s are long gone. Toyota, Honda and Sony are some of the most-trusted brands in America. Toyota makes more of its cars and trucks in the U.S. than it imports there. Last month it had 14 percent of the U.S. market, third behind General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. |
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 | //01-02-2010 The Indian unit of Honda Motor Co. will recall 8,532 units of its City sedans made in 2007 due to defective power-window switches that can cause fire, a top executive said Saturday.
"We are recalling the vehicles to replace the faulty part and are working out the details on by when can we start the process," Jnaneswar Sen, vice president of marketing at Honda Siel Cars India Ltd., told Dow Jones Newswires.
"We haven't heard about these problems" of defective switches causing fire in India, he said. "But we are checking with our dealers about such cases."
The company's step in India is part of a vehicle recall by Honda in North America, Europe, Asia and other regions after three cases of fire were reports in the U.S. and South Africa.
The company is recalling 646,000 units of its Fit compact car--also known as Jazz in some parts of the world, including in India--and the City.
He said the Jazz sold in India isn't affected. The company had launched the model in the country last year.
"Honda currently sells third-generation City and Jazz models in India, which aren't impacted by the recall," Sen added.
"Under some severe operating conditions, water, rain, or other liquid may enter the driver's window and reach the master power window switch, resulting in impaired function of the switch," Honda said in a statement from Japan Friday.
Honda's recall comes three days after Toyota Motor Corp. announced the recall its popular Camry and Corolla models, among others, in the U.S., Europe and China. |
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 | //01-02-2010 The U.S. auto industry was on the brink of collapse last year. While new car sales have been up in recent months, automakers are still faced with challenges from the global recession. The Washington, D.C. Auto Show, with 700 makes and models from 42 domestic and foreign manufacturers, showcases a new strategy the auto industry hopes will help it meet that challenge: new and more environmentally-friendly "green" technologies.
Ford Motor Company president and CEO Alan Mulally officially opened the 2010 Washington Auto Show with a folksy pitch. "I'm Alan. I'm from Ford, and I'm ready to take care of your car needs." |
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 | //31-01-2010 Two automakers are looking to cash in on Toyota's recent gas pedal problems by offering incentives at the 2010 Toledo Auto Show.
Ford dealers are waiting to court drivers like Jim Bowers who own recalled Toyotas.
"I think Toyota's badge has been hit hard, both in profits, not reporting good profits, along with the safety recalls, there are other options out there," said Rob Whitmer of Whitmer Ford.
To sweeten the deal, Whitmer says his sales team is ready to offer $1000 rebates to customers who are willing trade in their Japanese models for a Ford.
"We're going to give them a competitive price to buy from a dealership that's been here for 75 years," Whitmer said. "And we're going to deliver them the superior product."
But Bower says Toyota has never failed him over the years. "I've had a 2009 Rav 4 and I've had that checked. And they've said that's fine." |
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 | //31-01-2010 Automakers are expecting January sales to be up year-over-year, but only because of exceptionally strong fleet sales.
Retail sales are actually expected to be down slightly compared to January 2009 because many customers purchased new cars and trucks in December to take advantage of a federal tax credit for new car purchases that expired at the end of the year.
"There's likely to be some payback in January from that," said George Pipas, head of sales analysis and forecasting at Ford Motor
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100130/AUTO01/1300317/January-sales-to-rise-on-fleets#ixzz0eAeR4qh2 |
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 | //30-01-2010 oyota Motor Corp (7203.T) President Akio Toyoda apologised for the recall of millions of vehicles around the world, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, as the deepening recall crisis threatened to further damage its sales and delay an earnings recovery.
"We're extremely sorry to have made customers uneasy," Toyoda said on Friday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a brief clip on NHK showed.
"We plan to establish the facts and give an explanation that will remove customers' concerns as soon as possible."
Toyoda had been conspicuously silent since the top automaker's recall of cars related to unintended acceleration spread from North America to Europe and China this week.
As of Saturday, the global recalls of Toyota cars and trucks had swollen to about 7.5 million vehicles, almost as many as it sold worldwide in 2009. Toyota has said the defective pedal was not used in any of its cars in Japan, Australia and Asia excluding China.
The total includes repairs for an issue involving floor mats becoming stuck under accelerator pedals.
Toyota has not recalled any cars in Japan, where it uses different suppliers. |
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| //26-01-2010 AcuraTL performance luxury sedan led December sales with 3,167 units sold, closely followed by TSX sports sedan sales of 2,926, up an impressive 17.9 percent. Strong sales of light trucks helped Acura achieve December sales of 10,575 units, a decrease of 8.1 percent based on the daily selling rate*. Acura year-to-date sales** reached 105,723, down 26.8 percent compared to 2008. |
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 | //25-01-2010 Bob Thomas hopes to keep selling GM vehicles; Matt Thomas wants to regain Chrysler, Dodge |
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 | //25-01-2010 If you want to sell cars, you couldn't find a more receptive audience than the mostly middle-aged men prowling the auto auctions in Scottsdale this week. At least that's what Ford and General Motors think.
Both have made big investments in showing off their latest models at the Barrett-Jackson auction, including a test-drive lot. Yesterday alone, Ford gave 400 test drives. And to attract a crowd, Ford had a promotion in which participants could drag race a pair of Mustangs tethered to dynos.
Not to be outdone, GM signed up nearly 2,000 drivers through Friday to test drive one of their new models, like a Chevrolet Equinox or Buick LaCrosse, then take a spin in a Chevrolet Corvette with a driving instructor at their side. |
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 | //23-01-2010 Another day, another study of the potential market for cars with cords. This one is from IHS Global Insight, which says plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles will comprise nearly 20 percent of the global market by 2030.
There’s no doubt the cars will be here. Most of the major automakers are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, and at least two of them — the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf — could be on the road in some areas by year’s end. The question is how well these cars will sell. The Global Insight analysts peering into their crystal balls see an 8.6 percent market share for plug-in hybrids and a 9.9 percent share for electrics within two decades. |
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 | //23-01-2010 These are the most promising emerging markets that hold potential for the automakers for not only making profits but also setting up their R&D facilities. ... |
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| //23-01-2010 Automakers and suppliers believe the road to riches runs through Brazil, Russia, India and China, but some of those countries are growing more smoothly than others, according to a study released today by the Boston Consulting Group. |
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| //04-01-2010 Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. aim to increase sales 17 percent this year helped by new models and a global economic recovery.
South Korea’s largest automakers are targeting combined sales of 5.4 million vehicles worldwide, Chairman Chung Mong Koo said in Seoul today in a New Year’s speech to employees. That compares with an estimated 4.63 million units sold in 2009.
Hyundai and Kia boosted their global market share to a record last year on demand for fuel-efficient small cars, while a weaker won helped them spend more on marketing. Growth will continue as the companies add new models, such as the revamped Sonata sedan, and auto demand recovers, said Sohn Myung Woo, an analyst at Woori Investment & Securities Co. in Seoul. |
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| //03-01-2010 The New Year has opened with a bang for Indian automakers with robust sales growth figures for December. Maruti Suzuki closed the year with 36 per cent growth, selling 71,000 units against 52,029 units in December 2008 with year-end discounts and other goodies thrown in to lure customers as did other carmakers.
The Maruti small car portfolio - Alto, Wagon-R, Zen, Swift, Ritz and A-Star - saw sales soar 42 per cent in the month to 52,236 units against 36,831 units. Sales for April-December 2009 were up 22 per cent at 625,408 units against 510,659 units in the comparable period of the previous year. |
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 | //27-12-2009 During a routine test on its Sienna minivan in April 2003, Toyota Motor Corp. engineers discovered that a plastic panel could come loose and cause the gas pedal to stick, potentially making the vehicle accelerate out of control.
The automaker redesigned the part and by that June, every 2004 model year Sienna off the assembly line came with the new panel. Toyota did not notify tens of thousands of people who had already bought vans with the old panel, however.
It wasn't until U.S. safety officials opened an investigation last year that Toyota acknowledged in a letter to regulators that the part could come loose and "lead to unwanted or sudden acceleration." |
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