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Latest Stories

Toyota Recalls Spark Frenzy
Feb 9, 2010 3:06 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Eric Mayne
Inclement weather forces postponement of House hearing while Toyota recalls Camry sedans to prevent brake-fluid leaks.

Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang Loses Weight, Gains Power
Feb 9, 2010 9:08 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
The Shelby GT500 is available in both coupe and convertible body styles, with the latter undergoing structural improvements to reduce the chassis shake typical of drop-tops.

Fans Doubt EVs to Debut in High-Level Race Cars Anytime Soon
Feb 9, 2010 9:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
In a poll of visitors to the Birmingham Autosport International show in the U.K., fewer than 10% think electric motors will power top-level racing cars in the near future.

Ford Unveils Transit Connect EV, Taxi in Chicago
Feb 9, 2010 12:01 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
Azure Dynamics is sourcing the lithium-ion batteries for the Transit Connect EV from Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions.

BMW Thailand to No Longer Service Gray-Market Vehicles
Feb 8, 2010 9:07 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Alan Harman
The auto maker’s decision is part of a new global warranty and services policy, in which BMW warranties only will be valid in the vehicle’s country of origin.

Europe Studying Pinpoint Satellite Navigation for Vehicle Tracking
Feb 8, 2010 9:05 AM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
Despite invasion of privacy issues being raised by auto industry watchers, the Intelligent Transportation System movement continues to gain traction in Europe.

NHTSA Asking Other OEMs for Accelerator, Floor-Mat Information
Feb 5, 2010 3:19 PM, WardsAuto.com, By James M. Amend
“We’re providing whatever the government asks for according to the TREAD Act,” GM’s chief truck engineer tells Ward’s.

Nissan Back on Chicago Show Floor
Feb 5, 2010 1:15 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Jim Mateja
The Japanese auto maker now is planning a 20,000-sq.-ft. exhibit for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles.

VWA Chief Says EVs Not Ready for Prime Time
Feb 5, 2010 8:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Herb Shuldiner
Participating in a recent Green Car Summit in Washington, Stefan Jacoby says auto makers have to depend on internal-combustion engines until alternative-power systems are fully developed.

Ford Hybrid Brakes Being Fixed, Magazine Says
Feb 4, 2010 5:00 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Consumer Reports magazine says it experienced a failure of its Fusion Hybrid tester’s brake-by-wire system, which may be the result of electric interference.

Toyota Q3 Financials Improve; Sees 100,000 Unit Loss Due to Recalls
Feb 4, 2010 9:41 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
The auto maker is estimating the cost of the recalls to have a negative ¥100 billion impact on its full-year earnings, as well as a loss of 100,000 units in the period, 80,000 of which are seen in North America.

Renault to Showcase Wind Roadster at Geneva
Feb 4, 2010 9:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
The car features an electrically powered glass hardtop that pivots back into an area above the trunk in 12 seconds.

Dealership Reductions Set Record
Feb 4, 2010 8:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Steve Finlay
Not all markets experienced declines. Some even saw a net increase in dealerships, however slight.

Toyota Blames Overly Sensitive ABS for Prius Brake Problems
Feb 3, 2010 4:31 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
The software code that will allow the brakes to override the throttle in the Camry is ready to be added.

Feds Say LaHood Comments Misconstrued; Prius Brakes Investigated
Feb 3, 2010 1:50 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
The U.S. transportation secretary also says Toyota was forced into staging its most recent recalls, a change of tone from comments last week that he was satisfied with the auto maker’s response to sticky pedals and floor-mat entrapment.

Chrysler Extends Diesel Deal With Cummins
Feb 3, 2010 10:37 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Cummins says it has built 1.7 million engines for the auto maker since 1989.

Nissan’s Flexible Manufacturing Moves to India, Other JVs
Feb 3, 2010 9:05 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Roger Schreffler
Nissan has lowered its breakeven point to 60%-70% of capacity in Japan, or less than 1 million vehicles annually, the auto maker’s top manufacturing executive says.

Toyota January Sales Dragged Down; Lowest January Volume Since 1999
Feb 2, 2010 5:26 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Some of the auto maker’s models taking the biggest sales hits in January were not on the call-back list. Toyota says it has no way of knowing yet how big a factor the recall played for models whose sales did fall.

Toyota Residual Values Likely to Take Temporary Hit
Feb 2, 2010 10:12 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Byron Pope
Toyota vehicles currently have the highest residual values, followed by Honda, according to Kelley Blue Book.

Hybrids Too Pricey for Scion Buyers
Feb 2, 2010 8:30 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Scion aims to keep base prices below the $20,000 mark for its models, making hybrids a difficult equation.

Toyota ‘Truly Sorry;’ Production to Restart Next Week
Feb 1, 2010 2:29 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Toyota says the pedal fixes being rolled out at dealers this week should stop instances of unintended acceleration.

History Indicates High-Profile Defects Don’t Always Sink Sales
Feb 1, 2010 12:49 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
In 2001, with the Ford/Firestone issue still front-and-center in the media, Ford sales fell 5.6% overall, but the Explorer remained the best-selling SUV in the U.S. for 11 years running.

Toyota’s Pedal Problem Impacts PSA
Feb 1, 2010 11:26 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Peter Homola
While Toyota’s recall is covering all Aygo cars made through last August, PSA is calling back only selected versions that represent less than 10% of total production.

Chevrolet Targeting 1 Million Sales Annually in Europe by 2015
Feb 1, 2010 9:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
Thanks to sales outside North America, Chevrolet remained the fourth best-selling global brand in 2009, with 3.5 million units. Of these, 425,874 were delivered in Europe.

New York Touts Auto Heritage
Feb 1, 2010 8:30 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Steve Finlay
An upcoming museum exhibit highlights the role the city has played in the ongoing relationship between America and the automobile.