October 2012

Seventh-generation VW Golf goes on sale in Europe in January

(October 21, 2012) Volkswagen started taking orders in Europe Friday for the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf with prices starting below those of the previous model, at just £16,285 ($26,000) and rising to £24,880.

The latest Golf is lighter, safer, more advanced, more spacious, more efficient and better equipped than previous generations of Europe’s best-seller, of which over 29 million have been sold — some 1.6 million of these in the UK. 

Ford Fiesta continues to be best-selling car in Europe

(October 21, 2012) COLOGNE, Germany — The Ford Fiesta again was Europe's best-selling small car in September, the third quarter and for the first nine months of 2012, according to the latest figures from the world's leading provider of automotive data intelligence, JATO Dynamics.

Chevrolet Film Night highlights brand's tie to film

(October 21, 2012) Chevrolet hosted an exclusive Hollywood event on Oct.19 to celebrate a lesser-known part of the iconic brand's 100-year history — its role in American film and television. Chevrolet Film Night convened top names in film making and a select group of international students for an evening of insight into the film industry and Chevrolet's unique place within it.

Some Pappy Van Winkle — and a redesigned Sentra and Pathfinder

CLANGING BELL
By Russ Heaps

(October 21, 2012) You may find it odd that I often don't know exactly where I am going to end up when embarking on one of my auto events. This is particularly true when they follow one another in machine-gun succession as they have this past month or so. I tend to be more concerned about departure times and departure airports — am I leaving from Atlanta or Greenville/Spartanburg? — than I am about exactly where I will end up.

Prius best-selling vehicle in California in 2012

(October 20, 2012) LOS ANGELES — Toyota's expanded Prius hybrid lineup has surged past the Honda Accord and Civic, and Toyota Camry, to become the best-selling vehicle line this year in California, the biggest U.S. auto market, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

Ford's F-Series pickup, followed by the Camry, is the perennial U.S. sales leader among light vehicles.

Nissan to add third vehicle shift to Smyrna plant

(October 20, 2012) FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Nissan announced Friday the addition of 810 new Nissan manufacturing jobs in Tennessee in support of the company's aggressive growth and demand for its products in the marketplace. The new workforce will support a recently added third shift at the Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant — the first time the plant has had a third vehicle assembly shift in its nearly 30-year history.

MINI creates a sea-worthy convertible for the Head of the Charles Regatta

(October 20, 2012)  — This weekend, attendees at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) in Cambridge, Mass., will be in for a sight that they weren’t expecting… a Chili Red MINI Convertible boat motoring along on the Charles River during the races.

The vessel was built as part of the MINI USA’s annual Motor-Tober activities, where MINI takes over the month of October to celebrate all that is fun about the brand. This year’s program is called the Not Normal Sales Event, and this one-of-a-kind boat was the MINI USA Eastern Region’s interpretation of Not Normal.

Chevrolet's small car momentum drives SEMA concepts

(October 20, 2012) DETROIT — Chevrolet’s small cars are racking up big sales in 2012 and the bowtie brand will explore their wilder sides at the SEMA Show this year with a stable of stylized Spark, Sonic and Cruze concepts. The cars demonstrate the possibilities for customers who want a more personalized driving experience.

AM General to exhibit new blast resistant vehicle

(October 19, 2012) WASHINGTON — AM General, America's most experienced designer and builder of light tactical military vehicles — including the iconic HMMWV — will showcase its innovation, global reach and diversification at the 2012 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C., Oct. 22-24.

Lincoln Design Center opening marks milestone in brand's reinvention

(October 19, 2012) DEARBORN, Mich. —Lincoln celebrates another element of its reinvention journey today with the formal opening of the new Lincoln Design Studio in Dearborn, the brand's first new fully dedicated design center in four decades.

This major facility, located on the campus of Ford Motor Company's Product Development Center, is home to a skilled, co-located global team of designers, sculptors, math sculptors and modelers representing a dozen nationalities – and with experience in just as many design centers around the world.