The second generation of the Ford Edge sporty crossover utility vehicle makes a midyear debut, delivering a superior overall package than the earlier model. Ford introduces two new engines, makes all-wheel drive available across all four trim levels, and holds pricing in place while offering a bevy of new technologies. … Read more
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray finished tops in the luxury sport car segment. Behind the scenes at the North American International Auto Show a number of side events are held. The Automotive News World Congress is one such occasion, the place where automotive executives opine about the very industry they represent. … Read more
Ford’s F-Series brings in huge profits. Shop for a luxury vehicle and your eyes may feast upon the Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan, BMW’s X5 xDrive35i crossover or the Lexus RCF sports car. Each high-end model sells for more than $50,000, a price point that demonstrates mass-produced luxury at its finest. The … Read more
GM, Ford and Chrysler Embrace Fuel Saving Innovation. Fuel prices are continuing to fall, dropping below $2.50 per gallon for regular grade gasoline in some areas. That’s just the kind of move that has some shoppers looking at larger and less efficient vehicles, perhaps advancing certain auto trends not yet … Read more
October 2014 sales remain in positive territory. The US auto industry continues to record strong sales even as the overall economy shows only modest gains. Sales this year should top 16.5 million units with analysts forecasting at least 17 million units sold for 2015. And if October 2014 auto sales … Read more
The Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Reliability Survey is out, what paints a highly critical and negative picture of in-car technologies, particularly infotainment systems. Such systems typically provide audio, information and navigation access, but often do not deliver as promised. Instead, users may find these systems confusing, unreliable or simply unworkable, … Read more
New EcoBoost engine makes the power grade. The 2015 model year will bring yet another new engine to the Ford product line, a 2.7-liter V-6. That engine follows four-cylinder engines displacing at 1.5- and 2.3-liters, being utilized in the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKC respectively, as well as in other … Read more
New 2015 models on the way. The Big Three automakers continue to fight back in a wide open US market. GM remains the market leader, but Ford and Fiat Chrysler continue to boost market share in various segments, sometimes at the expense of each other. For 2015, all three automakers … Read more
And don’t touch our smartphones! American consumers are not about to give up their cars despite the rise in popularity of car sharing services such as Zipcar. A Jan. 2014 study conducted by MRY with Whitman Insight Strategies and released this month surveyed 1,000 people across the United States, evenly … Read more
Whether you love it or hate, the Lincoln MKZ is a sales hit for Ford’s luxury brand. One of five Lincoln models available, the MKZ is also the brands best seller with 9,218 units sold in the US through March 2014. That represents an increase of 145.3 percent year to … Read more
For the fourth consecutive year the Ford Motor Company has finished on top of the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards as presented by IHS Automotive at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit this week. Polk recognized 33 winner across a variety of categories including eight featured categories and 25 segment-level … Read more
Mary Barra’s appointment as GM CEO surprised some industry analysts when Dan Akerson announced his retirement last month. But for close observers Barra was already one of a handful of possible Akerson replacements, with Dan hinting as much last summer. Barra’s ascendancy, as significant as it is, may be rivaled … Read more
The Honda Ridgeline will live on. All six of the largest car manufacturers in the US have at least one pickup truck model to offer. Pickups are profitable and if you want to maintain a strong overall presence in the market, you need to be in the game. The Weakest … Read more
Making a case for federal auto industry bailouts. The U.S. auto industry was careening toward disaster when the executives of the General Motors Company, the Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler met with legislators in Washington, DC, in late 2008 to ask for federal assistance. Barack Obama had just been elected … Read more
It has been more than a decade since light-duty pickup truck buyers have had access to diesel engines. GM, Ford and Chrysler offer diesel engines for their respective heavy-duty lines, but not for the standard full-size pickup trucks that most people buy. But, that is about to change as the … Read more
This June, General Motors will release the 2014 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, the newest generation of its large pickup truck lines. The trucks have been receiving a lot of attention during the run up for the release, representing perhaps one of the most important new products this year for … Read more
Domestic car manufacturers score well in latest TQI study. About Strategic Vision Strategic Vision, the California consultancy group that measures consumer buying behaviors and trends, has released the results of its 18th annual Total Quality Index™ (TQI) study. This years study has revealed that domestic car manufacturers the General Motors … Read more
The global auto industry is collaborating as never before. This week, GM and Ford announced that they are once again teaming up to develop transmissions. Toyota and BMW are building fuel cells together. Ford and Toyota are working on hybrid systems for large vehicles including pickup trucks. Collaboration on special … Read more
Niche 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor introduced. The Ford F-150 is the best selling pickup truck on the planet, harnessing volume sales to keep ahead of the competition. But, it isn’t the volume models that define this truck for many buyers, rather the many and varied sub-models that have been … Read more
Chevy, Ford pickup truck battle. From the 1950s through the 2000s Chevy vs. Ford was the brand battle for the ages. The two best-selling makes for General Motors and the Ford Motor Company have long fought for the top position among car brands, with Toyota jumping in more recently in … Read more
When the second generation Toyota Tundra made its debut for the 2007 model year, Toyota served notice to Ford, General Motors and Chrysler that it was serious about the large pickup truck segment. Nissan, too, was in Toyotas crosshairs as it had brought its own Titan truck to this highly … Read more
Fuel cell partnership to yield vehicles from each company. The move to deeper and more significant collaboration between global automakers took yet another turn this week when Daimler AG, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and the Ford Motor Company signed a three-way agreement to jointly develop a common fuel cell system. … Read more
They’re out there. And you may have heard some buzz about them. What am I talking about? New car deals for college grads. It is true that car manufacturers are interested in getting the business of recent college grads. Grads typically are just launching their careers and some are shopping for their … Read more
Younger readers probably won’t remember Steve McQueen, the Hollywood actor who died in 1980 from mesothelioma. Avid car enthusiasts know who McQueen is, at least they recognize him as the Lt. Frank Bullitt in the 1968 classic car chase movie, Bullitt. That movie featured what is perhaps the best car chase … Read more
We automotive writers will sometimes use language most everyday folks don’t understand. That’s a problem, because when you’re attempting to explain something in simple language, automotive jargon can creep in and leave the reader wondering what you are talking about. Big Six Auto Trends Magazine attempts to keep the language … Read more
Based on an article from the July 26th edition of Automotive News, it seems that start-up automaker Tesla plans is to sell cars the same way that Apple sells iPods. Tesla won’t have dealer showrooms – they’ll have manufacturer-owned “galleries.” Tesla won’t have service departments – they have field technicians called … Read more