Inside the Industry

Getting down and dirty — Subaru drives into the mud

(March 9, 2011) AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (PRNewswire) — MESP, Inc. and Subaru of America have announced a multi-year partnership as sponsors of the Merrell Down & Dirty National Mud Run Series, held annually in nine cities across the nation.

Isuzu pickup sales soaring in Europe

(March 9, 2011) While Isuzu sales have all but ended in the United States, the Japanese company is finding growing success with its pickup truck in Europe. Isuzu has reported a solid start to the year, with sales of its Rodeo model up by 111 percent at the end of February compared with the same time last year.

Right to repair bill introduced in Oregon legislature

(March 8, 2011) BETHESDA, Md. (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — A Right to Repair Act (HB 3243) has been introduced into the Oregon legislature to ensure that the state's motorists who use independent repair facilities have equal access to the same non-proprietary repair codes and service information as the new car dealerships.

Ford celebrates 100 years in Britain

(March 8, 2011) BRENTWOOD, Essex — Today is Ford of Britain's 100th birthday and this year also sees Ford marking 100 years of vehicle manufacturing in the UK.

As it recognizes these centenary landmarks in the UK, Ford is confirming its commitment to a country which has made it the market leader in car sales for 34 consecutive years and the commercial vehicle sales leader for 45.

Ram unveils new cargo van

(March 8, 2011) INDIANAPOLIS — The Ram truck brand today unveiled its new 2012 Ram Cargo Van.

The Ram Cargo Van — or Ram C/V — is built on the Dodge minivan platform features solid sliding door, rear quarter window and backlight privacy panels in place of clear glass windows.

Honda fuel cell electric vehicle to pace Honda Grand Prix

(March 8, 2011) TORRANCE, Calif. — The Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell-electric vehicle will serve as the pace car for the 2011 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 25-27.

This is the first-time a hydrogen-powered vehicle will pace an IZOD IndyCar Series race in the United States.

Cars talk to traffic lights and to each other

(March 8, 2011) While the all-new Ford Focus is impressing the media and customers alike with its class-leading autonomous driver assistance systems, the engineers at Ford are not resting on their laurels.

The future of vehicle safety will build upon the innovative features now found in the Focus, but there will also be an increasing use of vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, something that Ford is already demonstrating with its "smart intersection," established near Ford’s Research & Innovation Center in Dearborn, Mich.

Global sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles reach 3 million

(March 8, 2011) TOYOTA CITY, Japan — Global sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles have topped the 3-million mark, with more than 3.03 million units sold worldwide as of Feb. 28, Toyota reported today.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) launched the "Coaster Hybrid EV" in August 1997 in Japan, and launched the Prius — the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle — in December. Sales of the Prius began in North America, Europe and elsewhere in 2000.

Jaguar XK wins 'most stylish' award in Geneva

(March 7, 2011) The Jaguar XK has won the "Most Stylish" honor in the inaugural CarBuyer Awards presented by the carbuyer.co.uk web site.

On-hand to collect the award, presented at the Geneva Motor Show by Motoring and Digital Editor Dan Strong was Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars and Ian Callum, Design Director, Jaguar Cars.

Chrysler celebrates launch of Fiat 500 at Mexican plant

(March 7, 2011) MEXICO CITY — Together with Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon, Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne celebrated the launch of the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 today at Los Pinos, the official residence and office of Mexico’s President.

The Fiat 500 is one of 16 all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles and one of two new nameplates Chrysler Group launched in 2010.