January 2013

2014 Silverado rolls through Detroit skyline

(January 8, 2013) DETROIT — The Detroit People Mover is taking on the persona of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado during the 2013 North American International Auto Show.

Two People Mover trains are wrapped to look like the new Silverado towing a horse trailer while the People Mover station in the General Motors headquarters at the Renaissance Center features images showcasing the Silverado’s design cues, inside and out.

Audiovox enters in-vehicle wireless charging market

(January 7, 2012) LAS VEGAS — Audiovox Electronics Corporation announced today that it has entered a new product category introducing its first automotive wireless charging cradle with embedded Qi (pronounced Chi) technology. The new automotive wireless charging cradle delivers more freedom of positioning a Qi equipped smartphone in the cradle to maximize charge to the device and retain typical "wired charging" rates.

Toledo builds two millionth General Motors rear-drive transmission

(January 7, 2013) TOLEDO, Ohio — Just 21 months after building the one millionth rear-wheel-drive six-speed transmission, Toledo Transmission Operations produced the two millionth unit. 

The RWD6 transmission is built into the Chevrolet Corvette, Camaro, Silverado HD, Tahoe, Suburban and Express, GMC Sierra HD, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Savana and Cadillac Escalade.

Nevada grants Audi permit to operate autonomous vehicles

(January 7, 2013) Nevada has issued to Audi only the second license allowing the testing of autonomous vehicles on the state’s public roads. This makes Audi the first automotive original equipment manufacturer to obtain this special permit. The first license went to technology giant Google.

Ford records 36th straight year of sales leadership in UK

(January 7, 2013) BRENTWOOD, Essex, UK — Ford extended its UK market lead in 2012 making it 36 consecutive years of car sales leadership and 47 years of UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales leadership. Ford's full-year car sales beat overall UK market growth, increasing by 6.0 per cent in 2012, compared with 2011. 

Ford China posts record October sales of 93,969 units

(November 7, 2013) Ford China continued to expand sales in October, with 93,969 wholesale units sold, up 55 percent from October 2012. Following a record third quarter, year-to-date sales also remain strong with 741,818 wholesale units sold, up 52 percent compared to the same period last year.

Chevy takes TuneIn for a spin at CES

(January 7, 2013) LAS VEGAS — They may be small cars, but future Chevrolet Sparks and Sonics will pack a world of infotainment choices with the addition of streaming audio powerhouse TuneIn and its global network of 70,000 stations. Today for the first time, Chevrolet will demonstrate TuneIn capability — in a 2014 Spark EV — at the Consumer Electronics Show.

New app offers Ford drivers latest news from their favorite paper

(January 7, 2013) LAS VEGAS — Thanks to Kaliki Audio Newsstand and Ford SYNC AppLink, commuting time can now be put to better use by consuming some of the compelling newspaper and magazine content that we want to get to, but just never seem to find the time to read. 

All-new Dodge Dart: A far cry from 'Big Green'

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(January 7, 2013) When I was a kid, you might get a punch in the nose if you made a disparaging remark about a Ford or a Chevy. Boys were fiercely loyal to either Roy Rogers or Gene Autry, and to either Fords or Chevys. There were a few Mopar loyalists out there as well; but, for the most part, they either kept their heads down or were in such small numbers that they barely registered on the playground radar.

Honda's 2012 sales up 24 percent over 2011

(January 6, 2012) TORRANCE, Calif. — Buoyed by strong December sales of 132,774 units, an increase of 26.2 percent compared with December 2011, American Honda posted annual vehicle sales of 1,422,785 units in 2012, up 24 percent compared with 2011. This makes 2012 American Honda's fourth-best sales year ever, and its best sales result since 2008.