Category Archives: WardsAuto

Report: Audi confirms plans for North American plant, likely in Mexico

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , Audi , Luxury Audi will begin construction of a new manufacturing facility in North America, according to Ward’s Auto . While the German luxury manufacturer hasn’t chosen a specific location as of yet, early whispers hint to a location in Mexico . Previously, Audi parent company Volkswagen had investigated the possibility of producing Audi models alongside its Passat sedan at the automaker’s new facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but that options now appears to be off the table. Instead, Audi could be headed south of the border thanks to Mexico’s labor flexibility and lower wages.

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Report: Audi confirms plans for North American plant, likely in Mexico

Followup: Airbag recall forces Honda past Toyota in total recalls for 2012

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Filed under: Recalls , Safety , Acura , Honda , Toyota Honda has surpassed Toyota for the largest number of recalled vehicles in 2011. Wards Auto reports that Honda expanded an airbag recall to encompass a total of 2.5 million million vehicles last year, pushing the total number of recalled units to 3.9 million vehicles over 17 campaigns. Previous estimates put Toyota at the head of the recall pile with 13 campaigns covering 3.5 million vehicles.

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Followup: Airbag recall forces Honda past Toyota in total recalls for 2012

Report: Toyota tops recall list again in 2011, overall number of U.S. recalls down

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Filed under: Recalls , Safety , Ford , GM , Toyota Toyota launched a total of 13 recall campaigns in 2011 covering over 3.5 million vehicles. Those figures put the Japanese automaker at the top of the most-recalled list for the third year in a row, according to Ward’s Auto . Between 2009 and 2010, Toyota recalled nearly 11.5 million vehicles in North America for a variety of reasons, including troublesome floor mats and sticky accelerators tied to the company’s unintended acceleration woes.

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Report: Toyota tops recall list again in 2011, overall number of U.S. recalls down

European automakers irked over proposed noise standards

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Filed under: Europe , Government/Legal Ward’s Auto reports the European Commission is pushing new measures that could burden automakers with stiff noise regulations for cars, buses and trucks. Under the proposed legislation, automakers would need to curb vehicle noise levels by two decibels two years after the legislation’s wording is agreed upon by EC member countries. Another two decibel reduction would occur three years after the first installment. Trucks, meanwhile, would be forced to reduce noise by one decibel in the first wave of reductions and two decibels in the second wave.

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European automakers irked over proposed noise standards

Report: Tight used car supply has dealers looking in their own service bays

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Filed under: Car Buying Used vehicle prices have been on a tear for over a year now, as slow new vehicle sales during the financial meltdown of 2009 have created a dearth of available used models today. Yet the sluggish economy means demand for used vehicles is high, so dealers are going to ever-increasing lengths to acquire inventory. According to Ward’s Auto , the latest tactic is buying vehicles from service customers. Dealers are appraising customer cars and trucks before they pay their repair bills, then offering to buy the vehicles rather than charge the owners for the service visit.

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Report: Tight used car supply has dealers looking in their own service bays