Inside the Industry

Hyundai, Kia recalling 1.7 million vehicles for faulty brake switch

(April 4, 2013) Hyundai and Kia have announced that they are recalling about 1.7 million vehicles in the United States to replace a faulty switch that can prevent brake lights from illuminating and trigger other problems.

It is the second major recall involving the stop lamp switch, following the recall of more than 500,000 Hyundai vehicles in 2009.

Ford expands environmentally friendly 3-Wet paint capacity

(April 4, 2013) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford is expanding its industry-leading 3-Wet paint capacity by 50 percent this year, adding the environmentally friendly process to four more plants on three continents. The actions will reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 15-25 percent at those facilities.
 

Nissan gives its GT-R supercar a romp in the snow

(April 4, 2013) RIKUBETSU, Japan — Nissan's 2013 GT-R supercar is a monster on pavement, but how does it handle on snow? At the Nissan testing ground in Hokkaido, Japan, we find out. Watch the video in which Nissan tests the acceleration, braking, hill start and skid pad performance of its halo sports car in snowy northern Japan.

Detroit Electric unveils world's fastest electric sports car

(April 4, 2013) DETROIT — Emissions-free motoring has a new high-performance champion following the unveiling on Wednesday of the Detroit Electric SP:01, a limited-edition, two-seat pure-electric sports car that sets new standards for performance and handling in the electric vehicle (EV) segment.

General Motors sets March and first quarter sales records in China

(April 3, 2013) SHANGHAI — General Motors and its joint ventures reached all-time highs for sales in China during March and the first quarter of 2013. Sales in March increased 12.6 percent on an annual basis to 290,538 units. It was the second-highest monthly sales total in GM’s history in China.

Chrysler has 40th consecutive month of sales growth in Canada

(April 3, 2013) WINDSOR, Ontario — Chrysler Canada on Tuesday announced its 40th consecutive month of year-over-year sales growth, representing the longest sales streak in the company’s history and the longest current streak in the industry. March 2013 sales were 24,173 compared with 22,703 vehicles sold in March, 2012, which represents a 6 per cent increase.

Toyota reports 4.8 percent sales gain in March

(April 3, 2013) TORRANCE, Calif. — Led by the resurgence in Avalon sales, Toyota reported March 2013 sales results of 205,342 units, an increase of 4.8 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis over March 2012. Sales of the all-new flagship Avalon were up 109.9 percent year over year with sakes if 6,982 units.

416-horsepower plug-in hybrid added to Porsche Panamera range

(April 3, 2013) ATLANTA — Porsche is introducing its first plug-in hybrid and two new extended wheelbase variants with the second generation of the Panamera. The new 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid produces 416 total system horsepower and is joined by Panamera 4S Executive and Panamera Turbo Executive models in the revised Panamera lineup.

220 clean diesel bus order is Greyhound’s largest in 20 years

(April 3, 2013) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Greyhound’s announcement that it has placed orders for 220 new clean diesel, low emission buses highlights the major advancements in diesel fuel efficiency and environmental gains, according to Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

New Accord drives big Honda sales gains in March

(April 3, 2013) TORRANCE, Calif. — American Honda has reported March 2013 U.S. sales of 136,038 units, an increase of 7.1 percent compared with March 2012. The Honda brand posted March 2013 sales of 121,938 units, an increase of 5.3 percent compared with March 2012.  Acura U.S. March sales of 14,100 units increased 26.3 percent compared with March 2012.