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
Latest edition Toyota Avalon hits all the right marks. After three consecutive weeks of driving hybrid electric vehicles, little did I know that the best one would be saved for last. While the Toyota Prius and the Lexus CT 200h both have a place among hybrids — the Prius for … Read more
Lexus has taken its own approach to the premium/luxury segment. Its model line is composed mostly of a variety of sedans and utility vehicles, each powered by a gasoline engine. There is nary a diesel found in its North American lineup. Instead, Lexus serves up five hybrid models to demonstrate … Read more
US introduction planned for summer 2015. Toyota’s plans to bring a mass produced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) to the market continues to unfold. Today, the world’s largest automaker supplied photos of the vehicle’s exterior and announced pricing for the Japanese market. At 7 million yen, Japanese consumers would pay … 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
Toyota moves deep into the heart of Texas. Toyota: From California to Texas Toyota already has a strong presence in Texas including in San Antonio where its truck plant produces its full-size Tundra and smaller Tacoma pickup trucks. Toyota’s presence in the Lone Star State is about to boom with … 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
With 2013 now behind us, it is time to look ahead to 2014. Four consecutive year-over-year sales increases has the auto industry brimming with confidence and US sales are now approaching pre-recessionary levels. Still, more than $17 trillion in national debt and a terrible roll out of Obamacare will continue … Read more
The Japanese automotive brands have long held the attention of Consumer Reports (CR), the independent magazine owned by the non-profit Consumers Union of Yonkers, NY. In its latest annual auto reliability rankings Toyota, Lexus and Acura garnered the top three spots. But, this year Audi, Volvo and GMC moved into … Read more
Be forewarned: if you have yet to see the all-new Toyota Corolla you may be in for a surprise. Or two. Or more. The Corolla is Toyota’s top-selling model after the Camry, a compact sedan that rolled out stateside in summer 1968. More than 40 million Corollas have been built … Read more
Ask what should seem to be a fairly straightforward question and you would hope for similarly worded answers. That wasn’t the case when I made a query to auto industry and public relations professionals about branding. That query asked: Are sub-brands the way to go? By sub-brands, that would represent … 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
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
Toyota Hybrid Sales Pass a Milestone Say what you want about hybrid electric vehicles, but there is one thing you cannot deny: Toyota’s leadership in this emerging segment. Indeed, Toyota sells more hybrids than all other competitors combined, just this week passing the 5 million HEV mark. Of those, nearly … Read more
Scion tC breaks cover in Manhattan. The Scion brand is now in its second decade of existence, a Toyota marque initially aimed at Generation Y new car buyers in the United States. In 2010, Scion was introduced to Canada, but the brands reach goes no further. Thats intentional, too, as … Read more
The Volkswagen Group is made up of 12 brands, going beyond its eponymous Volkswagen moniker to include such makes as Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Skoda. Not every brand is fully owned and, in the case of Suzuki, VW’s relationship with this Japanese make is a strained one. The Volkswagen Collective … 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
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
Hyundai continues to challenge the market. The medium size sedan market, or D-segment, is a crowded field. The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are the two biggest sellers, but both Ford and Chevrolet have enjoyed success in recent years with their Fusion and Malibu models respectively. Every automaker fields at … Read more