May 2013

Bentley celebrates two significant milestones with heritage models

(May 13, 2013) HERNDON, Va. — Bentley has announced six new Le Mans Limited Edition specifications available on the flagship Mulsanne and the Continental family, exclusively available in North America. Each model is inspired by a driver from Bentley’s six victories at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Buick turns 110: M18 Hellcat remembered on V-E Day

(May 13, 2013) DETROIT — Buick production lines have been rolling for 110 consecutive years, but for a short period during World War II, the vehicles produced looked decidedly different. In February of 1942, the last civilian car left a Buick facility before full attention was placed on engineering and producing aircraft engines, ammunition and the M18 tank destroyer, better known as the Hellcat.

Chrysler recalls 532 Ram trucks over window defrosting issue

(May 12, 2013) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler said Saturday that it will recall 532 Ram 1500 pickups to inspect components that accommodate windshield defrosting and defogging. Chrysler engineers observed a fault code linked to coolant-system function.

Investigation revealed one component had evidence of corrosion that compromised system performance.

More than 30,000 motorcyclists expected for BMW celebration

(May 12, 2013) MUNICH, Germany — "Ninety years of BMW Motorrad" is the motto of the 13th BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. This year the world's biggest BMW Motorrad meeting will take place from July 5-7. Once again, the organizers are expecting more than 30,000 motorcyclists from all over the world to meet at the Hausberg.

Jaguar Land Rover opens test center in Dubai

(May 12, 2013) DUBAI — Jaguar Land Rover has further enhanced its Middle East test program by opening a new engineering test center in Dubai, UAE, to conduct extreme hot weather vehicle research, development and testing.

It's downtown — VW, Audi open new Manhattan dealerships

(May 11, 2013) Audi and Volkswagen have announced the grand opening of two new flagship dealerships in New York City. The $135 million financing is Audi and Volkswagen’s largest investment in a dealership real estate project, and is part of the company’s continued growth strategy and operations expansion in the United States.

Jaguar F-TYPE comes off line; generates $4.3 billion in supplier contracts

(May 11, 2013) CASTLE BROMWICH, UK — The first Jaguar F-TYPE customer cars left Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility on May 10. The all new sportscar has resulted in contracts worth £2.8 billion ($4.3 billion) being placed with companies internationally, with in excess of £1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) placed with companies in the UK. 

Nissan plant in Mexico powered 50 percent by renewable energy

(May 11, 2013) AGUASCALIENTES, Mexico — Today, 50 percent of the energy used by the Nissan plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, comes from renewable sources. This is the first manufacturing facility out of the entire Renault-Nissan Alliance to achieve this milestone.

Aluminum, structural adhesive help boost Cadillac performance, quietness

(May 10, 2013) DETROIT — Greater use of structural adhesive and aluminum is helping Cadillac reduce overall weight of the ATS and all-new CTS sedans, contributing to better ride and handling and reduced cabin noise in both models. The new CTS uses 387 feet of structural adhesive – more than the length of a football field – as a bonding agent that holds together and stiffens load-bearing parts and components.

Despite Chinese problems, Nissan posts $1.1 billion quarterly profit

(May 10, 2013) Nissan posted a 46.1 percent rise in its quarterly net profit, as the weakening yen helped Japanese carmakers repatriate overseas earnings at a more favorable rate than previously.

Between January and March, Japan's second biggest automaker by sales volume posted net profit of 110 billion yen ($1.11 billion), compared with 75.3 billion yen in the same period last year. The fourth-quarter figure was above an average forecast of 100.8 billion yen net profit made by five analysts.