Inside the Industry

German luxury automakers get early jump on Lexus

(February 2, 2011) Mercedes and BMW got a faster U.S. sales start on the new year with their Mercedes-Benz and BMW brands than Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, which has been the annual leader among luxury brands for 11 years, Bloomberg News reports.

Mercedes' January U.S. sales rose 11 percent from a year ago to 16,398 and BMW reported a 21 percent gain to 15,905, while Lexus said Tuesday sales declined 17 percent to 12,860.

Subaru continues where it left off in 2010

(February 2, 2011) CHERRY HILL, N.J. (PRNewswire) — There appears to be no let up in Subaru's surging 2010 sales. On the back of record-breaking year, Subaru on Tuesday reported record January sales of 18,858, up 21 percent versus January 2010.

Ford off to best start ever in India

(February 2, 2011) NEW DELHI, India — Ford India has started the New Year with its best monthly sales performance ever, with 10,026 units sold in the first month of 2011 a more than four-fold increase, against 2,453 units sold over the same period last year. By reaching the 10,000-unit monthly sales milestone, Ford has surpassed its previous monthly record of 9,478, set in March 2010.

Production begins on Chevrolet Camaro convertible

(February 2, 2011) OSHAWA, Ontario — Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Tuesday visited the Oshawa Assembly Plant to mark the start of regular production for the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, which will arrive at U.S. dealerships beginning in this month.

U.S. January sales up 17 percent

(February 2, 2011) The automotive industry recovery continued in January with sales up 17 percent over January 2010.

The U.S. Big Three were all up — General Motors by 22 percent, Ford by 9 percent and Chrysler by 23 percent.

Ford Motor Credit reports $2 billion net income in 2010

(February 1, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Credit Company reported net income of $2 billion in 2010, an improvement of $0.7 billion from earnings of $1.3 billion a year earlier.  On a pre-tax basis, Ford Credit earned $3.1 billion in 2010, compared with $2 billion in the previous year. 

Ford EcoBoost 'Hero' engine disassembled before live audience

(February 1, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — The block, pistons, turbos, crankshaft, valves and other internal parts of the 3.5-liter F-150 EcoBoost “hero” engine are still within rigid factory specifications after enduring testing that simulated 10 years of wear or about 160,000 miles.

Jaguar celebrates 50 years of the iconic E-Type

(February 1, 2011) This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous and desirable cars in automotive history — the Jaguar E-Type — and Jaguar will be celebrating the anniversary year at high-profile motoring events throughout 2011.

Volvo to reveal turbodiesel hybrid in Geneva

(January 31, 2011) Volvo Cars will unveil the V60 Plug-in Turbodiesel Hybrid — a virtually production-ready car — at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show on March 1.

In 2012, Volvo Cars will be the first manufacturer on the market with this new breed of hybrid — which is the result of close cooperation with the Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall.

Ford Focus Electric permanently plugs in at Peterson Automotive Museum

(January, 31, 2011) LOS ANGELES — You might remember seeing the bright orange Ford Focus Electric prototype running around a track and being driven by your favorite celebrities during the Green Car Challenge on “The Jay Leno Show” last year. Now, you will be able to see the same vehicle permanently plugged in at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.