Category Archives: rwd

Study: Global auto execs don’t see electric cars making big inroads for at least a decade

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Filed under: Car Buying , Hybrid , Marketing/Advertising , Technology , Electric A new survey by audit powerhouse KPMG suggests auto executives don’t see electrified car sales passing 15 percent of global sales until at least 2025. Yet despite the slowly developing market, these same execs foresee substantial increased investment in electric and hybrid car production along with research and development. Given very limited consumer acceptance of hybrid cars since their U.S.

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Study: Global auto execs don’t see electric cars making big inroads for at least a decade

Report: Ex-car czar Rattner says Auto Task Force should have pushed for more cuts

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Filed under: Government/Legal , Chrysler , GM , UAW/Unions The government’s Auto Task Force was given the difficult task of saving General Motors and Chrysler at a time when the credit markets were frozen and the economy was in chaos. The team ultimately got the job done by ushering the two iconic companies through extraordinarily short bankruptcies. Former car czar Steven Rattner headed the Task Force through those tough times, and though he characterizes the bailouts as a success , he feels the United Auto Workers could have given more. The Detroit News reports that Rattner told the Detroit Economic Club that the Task Force should have insisted on UAW wage cuts

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Report: Ex-car czar Rattner says Auto Task Force should have pushed for more cuts

Rumormill: BMW X6 M550d specs supposedly leak, hits 60 mph in under 5 seconds

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Filed under: Performance , Europe , Crossover , BMW , Rumormill When the official source of a rumor calls it a rumor, the grain of salt grows proportionately. But according to the crew at BMWBlog , the recently teased BMW X6 M550d will come packing 381 horsepower and a pavement ripping 545 pound-feet of torque. The news comes courtesy of unnamed sources that say the first diesel from the M division will supposedly pack a tri-turbo, six-cylinder diesel nestled beneath a modified hood. Two versions are rumored to be available: a traditional RWD variant badged the M550D and an all-wheel-drive version that appends the xDrive moniker to the end.

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Rumormill: BMW X6 M550d specs supposedly leak, hits 60 mph in under 5 seconds

Video: In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

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Filed under: Coupe , Performance , Japan , Videos , Tokyo Motor Show , Scion , Subaru , Toyota , UK Badge engineering is the ironic label for when a company replaces the badge or branding of a product with that of another and considers it something new. Domestic automakers like Ford , General Motors and Chrysler have been vilified for their overuse of this practice. Then again, they weren’t often badge engineering rear-wheel-drive sports cars (though they’ve done that, too). This week, Toyota and Subaru both revealed their own versions of a RWD sports car jointly developed between the two companies: the GT 86 and BRZ

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Video: In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

Video: In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

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Filed under: Coupe , Performance , Japan , Videos , Tokyo Motor Show , Scion , Subaru , Toyota , UK Badge engineering is the ironic label for when a company replaces the badge or branding of a product with that of another and considers it something new. Domestic automakers like Ford , General Motors and Chrysler have been vilified for their overuse of this practice. Then again, they weren’t often badge engineering rear-wheel-drive sports cars (though they’ve done that, too). This week, Toyota and Subaru both revealed their own versions of a RWD sports car jointly developed between the two companies: the GT 86 and BRZ

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Video: In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

Report: Toyota, BMW may build green cars together

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Filed under: Hybrid , BMW , Toyota , Diesel Toyota and BMW have reportedly begun discussions on swapping their signature green technologies. The Japanese automaker would open up its hybrid tech to BMW, while the Germans would provide diesel engines for Toyotas. This is a little different than the recent memorandum of understanding signed between Ford and Toyota , since that partnership – if it comes to fruition – would see both companies jointly developing a hybrid system for trucks. The BMW and Toyota talks are about swapping tech to save money on “core technologies.” BMW’s gain would be in the U.S., where hybrids are still much more in vogue than in Europe, while Toyota’s interest is in shoring up its diesel position in Europe, where hybrids aren’t yet the thing and the company posted a loss through the first half of the year.

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Report: Toyota, BMW may build green cars together