Inside the Industry

GM offers 60-day, cash-back guarantee

(September 13, 2009) DETROIT — General Motors Co., trying to woo consumers after a trip through bankruptcy, will launch a new advertising campaign Monday touting a 60-day money-back guarantee featuring GM Chairman Ed Whitacre.

Honda Accord Crosstour will be built in the East Liberty, Ohio, manufacturing plant

(September 11, 2009) MARYSVILLE, Ohio — Honda announced on Thursday that the all-new Accord Crosstour crossover utility vehicle will be built in the East Liberty Auto Plant.

The East Liberty plant recently earned the J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Gold Plant Award for having the highest quality of any auto plant in North America. Going on sale this fall, the Accord Crosstour will be positioned at the top of the Accord lineup.

Ford teams up with Jay Leno for new show's 'Green Car Challenge'

(September 9, 2009) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Company is teaming up with "The Jay Leno Show" and providing an all-new battery electric Ford Focus that celebrities will drive as a way to showcase Ford's leadership on fuel efficiency and electrified vehicles.

Ford's electric Focus will be the exclusive vehicle for The Jay Leno Show in a segment the host calls the "Green Car Challenge." The battery electric vehicle, specially made for the show, foreshadows elements of the electric Focus that Ford will begin selling in North America in 2011.

McLaren announces new supercar, the MP4-12C, that will make 600 horsepower

(Septembr 9, 2009) After years of speculation, McLaren Automotive has unveiled its latest supercar, the MP4-12C.

McLaren says the new model follows a tradition that has made McLaren one of the world's premier builder of supercars. The MP4-12C follows arguably the world’s most critically acclaimed supercar, the McLaren F1 (1993-1998), and the world’s best-selling luxury supercar, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009).

McLaren officials say the MP4-12C will be the first of a new lineup of revolutionary sports cars.

Ghosn optimistic over gradual automotive recovery

(September 9, 2009)  Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault and Nissan, says "the financial crisis is clearly behind us," but added that the recovery would be gradual and take several years.

Banking activity is returning to normal, it is possible to borrow at more favorable interest rates, people are beginning to invest again and stock markets are rising, Ghosn told Le Figaro newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.

Volvo recalling late-model vehicles for fuel pump problem

(September 9, 2009) Volvo is recalling S80 models for the 2008-2010 model year, XC70 models for the 2009-2010 model year, and 2010 XC60 vehicles. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration says that under some conditions the software within the central electronic module may not send a signal to the fuel pump electronic
module.

This missing signal prevents the start of the electronic fuel pump.

Toyota hits 2 million mark in worldwide hybrid sales

(September 4, 2009) Lead by the Prius, Toyota surpassed the 2 million mark in worldwide hybrid vehicle sales last month.

Toyota has announced that on Aug. 9 it reached 2.017 million hybrids sold since their debut in 1997. North American sales accounted for 1.15 million of the total and Japanese customers purchased 615,800.

Good news for GM comes out of China

(September 3, 2009) Good news for General Motors comes from half a world away. General Motors Co. has reported that its China vehicles sales in August jumped 112.7 percent from a year earlier, paving the way for a more than 40 percent rise in sales for the full year.

And, a bit of good news from Chrysler — Dodge Caliber production increases

(September 3, 2009) Chrysler Group will start a second shift in Belvidere, Ill., to make more Dodge Calibers, the company said this week.

The second shift, which will add 850 workers at the plant starting Oct. 5, will enable the company to make an additional 10,000 Calibers this year. The Caliber was a popular Chrysler purchase in the cash-for-clunkers program, trade paper Automotive News reported.

Audi refreshes its logo

(September 3, 2009) Word from Germany is that Audi will introduce a new and modernized logo when the Volkswagen unit takes time to celebrate its upcoming 100th anniversary. It will be the first change since the current look was introduced in 1990.