April 2013

Teen Vogue, Toyota partner on safe driving campaign for teenage girls

(April 5, 2013) NEW YORK — In conjunction with Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Teen Vogue and Toyota announced today "Arrive in Style," a safe driving campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving among teenage girls and inspire them to make a mutual commitment with their mothers to drive safely.

Nissan to unveil 'Friend-ME' four-seat concept in Shanghai

(April 5, 2013) HONG KONG  — Nissan says it will excite Auto Shanghai 2013 with the global unveiling April 20 of its new concept car, Friend-ME. Chinese designers working at Nissan Design China in Beijing were fully engaged in the design and development process of Friend-ME, which features an unique center console that allows "Four Seats, One Mind Connectivity" — equal information sharing among all aboard.

Volvo worldwide sales off 7.6 percent in 2013; XC60 top seller

(April 5, 2013) Volvo reports global retail sales of 40,576 cars for March. For the first quarter of 2013 retail sales were down 7.6 per cent. The Volvo XC60 model had its best first quarter ever. The new Volvo V40 was the second best-selling Volvo model.

BMW shows sporty X4 Sports Activity Coupe that will join lineup in 2014

(April 5, 2013) With the BMW Concept X4, the BMW Group offers a preview of the future of the BMW X family. The concept shows how smoothly the qualities of a BMW X model can blend with the genes of a BMW Coupe. Images of the new Sports Activity Coupe concept have been released and BMW will introduce the vehicle at the Shanghai auto show later this month.

Volt owners exceeding EPA electric-driving estimate

(April 4, 2013) DETROIT — Chevrolet Volt owners are consistently achieving the published EPA-estimated mileage of 98 MPGe gasoline-free miles, and many are even exceeding it.  Their experience contributes to a total of 150 million electric-powered Volt driving miles — roughly the distance from Earth to Mars.

GM Invests $332 million for new fuel-efficient powertrains

(April 4, 20103) DETROIT — General Motors will invest nearly $332 million in four manufacturing sites to produce more fuel-efficient engines and transmissions, demonstrating GM's commitment to deliver what customers want: technology-driven performance and fewer trips to the pump.

The investments — announced today at GM plants in Flint and Bay City, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio, and Bedford, Ind. — will support production of a new Ecotec small gas engine, a new V6 engine, 8-speed transmission, and tooling for an existing 6-speed transmission.

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.