Category: Industry

By on November 5, 2013

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AutoSpies’ Big Don has hundreds of photos from the SEMA show. The man has an eye for what you want to see at the show, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. To check it out, click here.

For a couple of my favorite shots, click the jump for “TTAC After Dark” (it’s 10PM in Ohio, dontcha know). Warning: NSFW in most places.

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By on November 5, 2013

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Renault will be returning to the United States, but not with Meganes or Kangoos sold under the diamond brand. Instead, the Renault-derived products will be variants of jointly-developed Renault Samsung cars sold under the Mitsubishi brand, as part of a new alliance between Renault-Nissan and Mitsubishi.

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By on November 5, 2013

02-2014-bmw-i3In lieu of short-term monetary gains over their competitors at Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen (via Audi), BMW is spending its earnings on building up their i sub-brand through the city-focused i3 and the plug-in hybrid supercar i8.

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By on November 5, 2013

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That mysterious sedan spied by Ronnie Schreiber might really be a Ford after all. Numerous sources have told TTAC that the sedan is indeed a Ford, based on certain tell-tale clues.  A TTAC reader from Brazil also sent us this note

 “…it is the sedan version of the new Ford Ka, or Escort, as some are saying it is going to be named.
 
The car will be powered by a 1.0 three cylinder engine. Similar to the 1.0 EcoBoost, but with no boost, or else, with no turbocharger, in order for it to be cheaper. This car will also be sold in India (as Figo), China and other emerging countries. Even Europe will receive it to replace the current Ka and work as a sort of Sandero from Ford. This sedan will have a nice trunk capacity (around 500 litres) and probably a stronger engine, the 1.5 that is currently used in the New Fiesta in Brazil.”
By on November 4, 2013

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If you want to see the future of Holden in Australia, this is it. Yes, it’s the same car that Jack Baruth took to the woodshed in today’s edition of TTAC, but it’s also a harbinger of things to come for the iconic Australian marque, with the announcement that Holden’s Elizabeth, Australia plant will be tooling up to produce the first ever front-wheel drive Commodore. And even that looks doubtful.

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By on November 4, 2013
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1974 Audi photo

The United States was supposed to be an important part of the Volkswagen Group becoming the world’s biggest automaker by 2018, with sales of 800,000 units in the U.S. by then, but it’s finding the U.S. market a tough nut to crack. “We understand Europe, we understand China and we understand Brazil,” VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech told Bloomberg this month. “But we only understand the United States to a certain degree so far.”

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By on November 3, 2013

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It’s been a long time since the Acura Legend or its successors had much mojo. The second-generation model, most notably the six-speed manual-shifted coupe, had a certain amount of street presence and enthusiast credibility, but the two generations that came after that didn’t impress anyone. The current car is perceived by the public as a bigger TL, even if it isn’t one, not totally.

It’s probably safe to say that most buyers in the segment don’t even consider an RL when they’re shopping. But the ones who do like the RL tend to put some serious mileage on them. How serious? Well…

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By on November 1, 2013

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has noted on occasion — as recently as last month — that the price of his company’s stock was overvalued, particularly in the short term. Seems Wall Street got the hint, bestowing upon the automaker the biggest one-month loss of market value in October since the last such occurrence in December of 2010.

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By on October 31, 2013

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Another day, another turnaround strategy from Sergio Marchionne. The plan, which won’t be revealed until April, reportedly includes a rear-wheel drive architecture as a key element, with enough flexibility to be used in everything from Alfa to Dodge vehicles.

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By on October 31, 2013

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A new gold dawn for touring cars is upon us if Subaru is to be believed. Come November, the automaker will unveil the future of the Legacy and Outback at the Tokyo Motor Show: The Levorg.

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By on October 31, 2013

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If reliability is the No. 1 trait your next car must have, you may then opt to visit your nearest Lexus dealership before considering anything from the Ford dealership across the street as far as Consumer Reports is concerned.

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By on October 30, 2013

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Under Indian ownership, Jaguar has descended into the sort of theme-park Engish-esque-ness that was once the exclusive property of MINI. A Britannia-flag F-Type-RS is surely just days away at the point as Tata sweats to polish the brand before the inevitable start of Asian assembly. Today’s Jags are interesting and characterful vehicles after a fashion, but as with many other brands, they are still relying on the glamor of a previous age to move the metal.

So let’s return to that age, when John Egan ruled the roost and the pennies were pinched properly and “heritage” was a concept honored mostly in the breach, not the observance.

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By on October 30, 2013

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2016 will be a pivotal year for Holden’s Commodore-based Ute. Declining sales and shifting production capabilities could mean that the traditional Aussie Ute could become extinct, as both the Commodore and Ford Falcon Utes die off.

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By on October 30, 2013

2014 Toyota RAV4 Exterior, Picture Courtesy pf Alex L Dykes

Toyota remains the number one auto maker by volume, but the gap between it and its main rivals is closing quickly.

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By on October 30, 2013

Nissan e-NV200. Photo courtesy Nissan.The all-electric future creeps upon us all steadily, from Tesla’s luxury offerings more appropriate for New York Fashion Week, to Nissan’s electric blue and white jelly beans moving eco-conscious families to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

Speaking of Nissan, the automaker has decided to unleash the e-Nv200 upon the streets of Europe in 2014, with both fleet and private sales in mind.

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