After falling behind Ram in the pickup sales race, Chevrolet has begun upping the ante with a new special edition model. The Silverado Realtree edition might seem kind of odd, but remember, especially in southern states, many people modify their pickups with camouflage accents, so offering this from the factory will be a good way […]
GM has shown a trailer-braking concept system that can stop a truck and trailer in the same distance as the truck on its own—at half its gross vehicle weight rating. Possibly the best part of the system is that it can use existing components. The system uses GM’s “eBoost” system, with a trailer that is […]
Lucid Motors will show off its first production vehicle in April at the New York Auto Show. The new automaker, based on Silicon Valley, is using its internal technologies, and is building a factory in Arizona; the first cars built for sale will appear around the end fo the year. Though most people today are […]
A new FCA press release clarified what Jeeps will be made at the new Mack Avenue (Detroit) factory, as well as their range of old and obsolete engines and transmissions. The Jeep Grand Commander is a Cherokee-based car made in and for China, but may provide some clues as to the styling of the next […]
In April, the Hyperion Company, an aerospace R&D firm, will officially show off its new division, Hyperion Motors. The company claims its products were developed with NASA; Hyperion’s past work has been on electrolyzers, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell systems. Hydrogen cars were a popular idea when George W. Bush was President, but since then […]
GM is making two relatively minor investments in the United States, according to today’s releases. First, the Spring Hill plant will get $40 million to push out more 5.3 liter V8s for full size trucks and truck-based SUVs, showing high hopes for both. The engine is used with ten-speed automatic transmissions. Spring Hill makes three […]
Way back when, Renault bought a controlling interest in American Motors (AMC). Since the government did not allow foreign companies to control military contractors, AMC had to spin off its military supply group, which became AM General. The most visible product of AM General was the HMMWV (“Humvee”), which spawned the civilian Hummer. Because it was […]
Sedans were supposed to be a dying breed in American showrooms, but like minivans, they just keep on keeping on. Toyota sold well over 600,000 Camrys and Corollas (combined), GM sold over 140,000 Malibus, and Dodge sold nearly a hundred thousand Chargers—two hundred thousand of their big cars, if you throw in the 300 and Challenger. […]
Tesla is once again the center of attention. This time, Musk enthusiastically danced on the stage at the launch of the Model Y electric sports utility vehicle program in China. The company delivered new cars in just 357 days out of its new Shanghai factory, which cost about $2 billion to build. The first 10 […]
How well did American automakers do against Japan’s best in 2019? First, let’s look at totals. Toyota reported 2,383,348 sales, entirely from two (Toyota and Lexus) brands. The vast majority of sales were from just five cars and trucks: RAV4 (448,071) Camry (336,978) Corolla (304,850) Tacoma (248,801) Highlander (239,438) Toyota did poorly in the one […]