July 2011

Toyota turns on the sun in UK plant

(July 31, 2011) Toyota and British Gas threw the switch to launch an industry-leading initiative in sustainable energy generation at Toyota’s Burnaston car plant this past week.

A vast solar power system — the largest installed by any UK vehicle manufacturer — has officially come on stream at the Derbyshire site, ready to help meet the factory’s electricity demand and reduce its carbon footprint.

Ford Fiesta celebrates 35th birthday, 15 million sales

(July 31, 2011) COLOGNE, Germany — The Ford Fiesta is celebrating two milestones in the summer of 2011, reaching its 35th birthday with a total of 15 million cars produced worldwide.

The Ford Fiesta reached the 15 million production landmark in July, a figure boosted by the popularity of the latest generation model. Ford has built a million of the current model since it debuted 28 months ago.

Chevrolet celebrates 100 years in song

(July 31, 2011) DETROIT — Chevrolet is celebrating its 100th anniversary with Pandora by creating a dedicated Chevrolet station playing the Top 100 songs mentioning the brand.  Among them are “American Pie” by Don McLean, “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John, “Little Red Corvette” by Prince and “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift.

Ford, Tech Shop collaborate to help inventors create and sell

(July 30, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford and TechShop have announced that Allen Park, Mich., is the home of TechShop Detroit, the communal fabrication studio where everyday inventors, from backyard tinkerers to tech-savvy engineers, can come and create their very-own homegrown innovations.
 
Set to open in Allen Park, Mich., TechShop Detroit is the culmination of a year’s worth of collaboration between Ford and TechShop, the world’s first and largest membership-based do-it-yourself (DIY) workshop enterprise that also has locations in California and North Carolina.

BMW shows electric i and i-hybrid concepts

(July 30, 2011) FRANKFURT/MUNICH — The BMW Group unveiled its vision of future mobility with the introduction of the BMW i3 Concept and BMW i8 Concept studies. The concept vehicles provide a glimpse of the first electrically powered production cars from the new BMW i sub-brand, due to be launched as the BMW i3 in 2013 and the BMW i8 in 2014.

Sixteen RV manufacturers win Quality Circle Awards from RVDA

(July 29, 2011) The Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) will honor 32 RV brands built by 16 manufacturers with its Quality Circle Award during the RV Dealers International Convention/Expo on Oct. 5 in Las Vegas.

New Hyundai Azera to debut in Los Angeles

(July 29, 2011) FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA — The all but forgotten Azera is set to make a comeback in 2012 as Hyundai will debut a U.S. version of its home market Grandeur at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November according to a tweet sent by John Krafcik. Krafcik, the chief executive for Hyundai in the U.S. says the new Azera fits nicely into Hyundai’s expanding line-up.

Ninth generation European Civic hatchback to make world debut in September

(July 29, 2011) A new Honda Civic hatchback will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The ninth generation Civic hatchback will offer class-leading space for passengers and luggage.

The newest generation 2012 Civic was introduced in the U.S. this spring and is now on sale. It includes six model lines including a four-door sedan, coupe and hybrid. But the U.S. market will not get the hatchback that will be unveiled in a couple of months in Germany.

Los Angeles pulls plug on red light cameras

(July 29, 2011) At least one major U.S. city disagrees with the recent statements of a couple of national organizations over the effectiveness of red light cameras at busy intersections throughout the nation.

The Los Angeles city council earlier this week voted 13-0 to pull the plug on the red-light cameras at 32 busy intersections that snap photos of unsuspecting motorists and mail them a ticket for $480. They will be switched off for good on Sunday.

Now there's even 150 more ways to customize Fiat 500

(July 29, 2011) There's already more than 500,000 ways to customize your FIAT 500 between paint colors, graphics, and seat colors but now, Mopar is adding more than 150 different way to accessorize the car as well. No one wants to drive an ordinary car, here's a way to make sure your Fiat 500 stands out among the crowd.