Automakers

Brake Override System Operation Explained

TORRANCE, Calif., March 4, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., has received verifiable information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about some vehicles whose owners have reported unintended acceleration after receiving the accelerator pedal recall remedies. As soon as Toyota received the vehicle owner information from NHTSA, it moved quickly to evaluate the vehicles and interview the owners.

Although most of these reports have yet to be verified, Toyota has been and remains committed to investigating all reported incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles quickly. Toyota wants to hear directly from its customers about any problems they are experiencing with their vehicles.    » read more »

Ford Motor Company and Progress Energy are expanding their plug-in vehicle research partnership to include the utility company’s Florida operations

ORLANDO, Fla., March 2, 2010 – Ford Motor Company is expanding the range of its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) research program as one of its regional utility partners, Progress Energy, expands its role by adding a Ford Escape PHEV to its Florida operations. Ford and Progress Energy made the announcement today at the University of Central Florida’s Solar Smart Grid in Orlando.    » read more »

Second-Quarter Production Up 144,000 Vehicles Versus Year Ago

DEARBORN, Mich., March 2, 2010 – Higher sales for every brand and in every product category propelled Ford Motor Company to a 43 percent sales increase in February versus a year ago. Compared with January, Ford’s February sales are up 22 percent.

“The strength of our new products and Ford’s leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing Sales and Service. “The good news is we have even more new products and fuel-efficient powertrains coming this year, and we expect our progress to continue.”    » read more »

DEARBORN, Mich., March 5, 2010 – The 2010 Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid, fresh off a sales record and a string of awards in 2009, are attracting more buyers who are new to the Ford brand than ever before.

The Fusion, redesigned in 2009, saw “conquest sales,” or sales to customers new to Ford, increase to 60 percent of total Fusion sales in February, up 6 percentage points from January and up 11 percentage points from the 2009 calendar year. The percentage of customers new to Ford purchasing the Fusion Hybrid reached 82 percent last month, up 12 points from January and 19 points from 2009.    » read more »

2010-03-02 -- DETROIT – General Motors today announced a restructured North American organization with a number of key leadership changes.

“It’s become extremely clear to me since taking this role that there is a better way to structure this organization,” said Mark Reuss, GM North America president. “The premise of the structure is simple -- a clearer marketing focus to sell more vehicles, and freeing our sales and service experts to focus on customers and dealers.

“In order to be successful in North America, we need the right mix of product, people and structure,” Reuss continued, “We’ve worked with a small group of executives to align this model and appoint the best candidates for each job.”

All appointments are effective immediately.    » read more »

Information could provide answers to cause of fatal Washington state accident involving a Toyota vehicle subject to recall for unintended acceleration problem

March 02,2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) secured a commitment from Toyota executives to turn over ‘black box’ data that could provide answers to the cause of a fatal 2007 car accident in Washington state that may have involved unintended acceleration.    » read more »

Toyota Owners Advised of Actions to Take Regarding Two Separate Recalls

February 1, 2010 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today informed owners of certain Toyota, Lexus and Pontiac Vibe vehicles about the actions they should take if their accelerator gets stuck or is slow to return under certain conditions.

Today’s advisory is precipitated by continued reports of consumer concern and confusion about two separate safety recalls Toyota announced over the past week involving accelerator pedals. Each recall has a different root cause – pedal entrapment and sticky pedal.    » read more »

Automakers Deliver on Hybrid Technology, But Too Often Inflate Cost with Luxury Options

WASHINGTON (January 28, 2010) — Many automakers are selling hybrid vehicles with significantly enhanced environmental performance and fuel economy at a reasonable cost, but too often they are inflating prices by including unnecessary luxury features, such as DVD players, keyless entry systems and leather interiors, according to a new “Hybrid Scorecard” guide from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).    » read more »

Toyota Announces Comprehensive Plan to Fix Accelerator Pedals on Recalled Vehicles and Ensure Customer Safety; Toyota Answers Customer Questions About the Solution for Sticking Accelerator Pedals

TORRANCE, Calif., February 1, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc., today announced it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles this week. Toyota’s engineers have developed and rigorously tested a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in rare instances. In addition, Toyota has developed an effective solution for vehicles in production.    » read more »

Fourth Quarter 2009 Net Income Of $868 Million

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 28, 2010 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] today reported a full year 2009 pre-tax operating profit, excluding special items, of $454 million, a $7.3 billion improvement over a year ago.

The company said it now expects to be profitable for full year 2010 on a pre-tax basis excluding special items, for North America, total Automotive and total company, with positive Automotive operating-related cash flow.    » read more »

Electric traction motors are ‘engines’ for electric vehicles and hybrids

2010-01-26 -- WASHINGTON – GM will expand its in-house electric vehicle development capabilities by becoming the first major U.S. automaker to design and manufacture electric motors, a core technology for hybrids and electric vehicles.

By doing so, GM will lower costs and improve performance, quality, reliability and manufacturability of electric motors by controlling design, materials selection and production processes. The first GM-designed and built electric motors are scheduled to debut in 2013 in next-generation, rear-wheel-drive Two-mode Hybrid technology.    » read more »

2010-01-29 -- "Amid the media attention over the Toyota recalls for possible unintended acceleration that include the Pontiac Vibe, many customers are wondering whether it is safe to drive their 2009 and 2010 models of the Vibe.

Based on GM’s experience, the Vibe is safe to drive.

Prior to the Toyota accelerator pedal recall of Jan. 21 and the inclusion of the Vibe in the October 2009 recall for floor mat entrapment, GM had not received any relevant customer complaints in the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. Nor were there any complaints found in a search of U.S. and Canadian databases.    » read more »

Los Angeles-based Station to Re-fuel Honda Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

January 27 2010 -- Honda today began operation of a next generation solar hydrogen station prototype at the Los Angeles Center of Honda R&D Americas, Inc., intended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles.

Designed as a single, integrated unit to fit in the user's garage, Honda's next generation Solar Hydrogen Station reduces the size of the system, while producing enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via an 8-hour overnight fill for daily commuting (10,000 miles per year) for a fuel cell electric vehicle.    » read more »

Congratulates Whitacre on Permanent CEO Role

January 25, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, General Motors committed to repaying all government loans by June of this year. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Automotive Caucus and a native of Flint, MI, the birthplace of G.M., Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) has worked tirelessly to return the company to productivity and profitability and welcomed this encouraging news.

He also congratulated Edward E. Whitacre, Jr. on his new permanent role as CEO of G.M. Congressman Kildee released the following statement:    » read more »

Says Auto Industry Has Turned the Corner

January 26, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Congressional Automotive Caucus attended the Washington Auto Show where he test drove a Chevy Volt. The Congressman praised the innovation he saw at the show and said it demonstrated the promising future of the industry.

“Last year, there was a feeling of uncertainty surrounding the auto industry. Today, there is a feeling of confidence, accomplishment and energy about the future of our auto makers – and electric cars are leading the charge.    » read more »