News By Topic: Automobile Manufacturers

VW Denies Report That US Debut Of Phaeton Model Delayed

Feb 19, 2003

Tuesday , 2:07 pm ET FRANKFURT February 18, 2003; Dow Jones reported that Volkswagen AG Tuesday denied a report which claimed the company has postponed the U.S. debut of its high-end Phaeton sedan. The German carmaker plans to launch the car in the U.S. shortly after the International Auto Show in Frankfurt in Septembe ... Continue reading

Mitsubishi To Use German Engine in Car Sold in Japan

Feb 19, 2003

TOKYO, Feb 19, 2003; Reuters reported that Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp will begin using German-made engines for its popular Colt subcompact sold in Japan starting around 2005, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported on Wednesday. The engines will be produced at a factory being built jointly by Mitsubi ... Continue reading

Kia Motors Plans To Launch New Luxury Sedan In March

Feb 19, 2003

SEOUL February 19, 2003; Dow Jones reported that South Korea's Kia Motors Corp. will launch a new luxury sedan, Opirus, in the domestic market in March and plans to export to Europe and the U.S. later this year, said the company in a disclosure to the Korea Stock Exchange Wednesday. It plans to introduce the model in E ... Continue reading

MI Appeals Court Affirms GM Defense Verdict in Seat Belt Buckle Case

Feb 19, 2003

DETROIT--Feb. 18, 2003--On remand from the Michigan Supreme Court, the State of Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed a jury's defense verdict in Emmett Chastain v. General Motors Corporation in a published opinion. Plaintiff Chastain alleged the 1988 Chevrolet C/K pickup he was driving had a defective seatbelt buckle ... Continue reading

Study Indicates Air Hybrid Could Improve Fuel Economy 64 Percent in City Driving Conditions

Feb 19, 2003

WARRENDALE, Pa., Feb. 18 -- A soon-to-be-released study projects that an air hybrid engine could improve fuel economy 64 percent in city driving and 12 percent in highway driving. Scientists from the University of California, Ford Motor Company and consultant Michael M. Schechter will present their findings during the ... Continue reading

PROFNET GOVERNMENT LEADS: Bush's Hydrogen Initiative / Making Space Pay February 18, 2003

Feb 19, 2003

SUMMARY ROUND-UPS: President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative 1. Bush's Hydrogen Initiative is Nothing New 2. Fuels Cells Do not Address Current Problems 3. Energy, Automaker Industry Would Benefit Most 4. The Source of Hydrogen is Just as Important 5. ... Continue reading

Compete, Inc. Predicts February Rebound In Mid-Sized SUV Sales; Forecasted 31 Percent Recovery Reverses Worrisome Drop in January

Feb 19, 2003

BOSTON--Feb. 18, 2003--Compete, Inc. predicts that demand for domestic, mid-sized Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) will rebound 31 percent to 104,000 vehicles in February. Compete's forecast of February strength represents a significant turnaround from the worrisome results in January when SUV sales dropped a precipitous ... Continue reading

GM Suffers First Setback in Lawsuit Over Studebaker XUV

Feb 19, 2003

CHICAGO, Feb. 18 -- Avanti Motor Corp. had their first victory in the case recently filed against them by General Motors. A U.S. District Court judge delayed the hearing in which GM was seeking a temporary injunction against Avanti Motor Corp. until February 26, 2003 because of jurisdictional concerns. Avanti Motor Cor ... Continue reading

The GM Announces Partnership with No. 30

Feb 19, 2003

Asset Caption: NASCAR legend Richard Childress, owner of the #30 AOL car, and driver Jeff Green sign autographs for racing fans at the 2003 Chicago Auto Show. Childress and Green were in Chicago to help The GM Card announce its sponsorship of the AOL car. Asset Caption: Web-ready logo Asset Caption: Press releaseAsset ... Continue reading

Suzuki, Kawasaki Heavy To Jointly Sell Motorcycles

Feb 18, 2003

TOKYO -February 18,2003; Dow Jones reported Kyodo News said that Suzuki Motor Corp. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. will put their first jointly developed motorcycles on sale worldwide in September. Kawasaki Heavy will produce the 250-cc off-road motorcycles and the two companies will sell them under their respectiv ... Continue reading

Ford May Launch New F-150 With Discounts

Feb 18, 2003

NEW YORK, Feb 18, 2003; Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co. said it may offer discounts on its redesigned F-150 pickup when it launches the important new truck this summer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The company might have dealer incentives, a leasing program or some APR, the Journal quoted Steve Lyo ... Continue reading

REMINDER/Forrester Research Automotive Summit

Feb 18, 2003

--Forrester Research, WHAT: Forrester Research Automotive Summit, "Between Push And Pull: The New Demand-Driven Auto Industry" Faced with well-informed consumers, fierce competition, and chronic vehicle surpluses, the pressure is on OEMs to change the way they do business. Becoming responsive to real end-customer deman ... Continue reading

Korea Renault Samsung To Voluntarily Recall 40,515 Cars

Feb 18, 2003

SEOUL February 18, 2003; Dow Jones reported that- Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will recall a total of 40,515 units of the mid-sized sedan SM5, after discovering some vehicles had cracks in fuel filler hoses. "There haven't been any claims made by clients. We found the cracks during a regular internal in ... Continue reading

Survey: SUVs need better mileage

Feb 17, 2003

February 17, 2003; Reuters reports that most Americans support better gas-mileage standards for sport-utility vehicles but reject activist claims that SUV drivers unwittingly support violence through their fuel consumption, a poll released Sunday showed. About 70 percent of those polled Saturday and Sundayby CNN/Time m ... Continue reading

Avanti Responds to GM Lawsuit Over Studebaker XUV

Feb 17, 2003

CHICAGO, Feb. 17 -- Today, Avanti Motor Corp. announced that plans to roll out the 2004 Studebaker Xtreme Utility Vehicle (XUV) will move forward, despite a recent lawsuit filed by General Motors Corp. General Motors' suit contends that Avanti's Studebaker XUV "knocks off" the shape of GM's Hummer H2 and will confuse t ... Continue reading