All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Op-Ed Asks, “Do Car Buyers Care About Made in America?”
Ever since the 2012 Cars.com survey of the top made in America car came out, it has been criticized. The latest criticism comes from an Op-Ed that wonders if consumers really care about the survey.
An Op-Ed asks an interesting question, "do car buyers care about the Made in America sticker anymore?
Toyota June 2012 Sales Boom – Continuing Trend
Another month has passed in 2012 and another big month for Toyota that saw total sales grow by 60.3 percent versus June 2011.
Toyota's June 2012 sales were up 60% continuing a sales growth trend.
Toyota Hybrid Italian Advertisement
Toyota has released a new advertisement pushing its innovation in hybrid technology. It is a fun take on how advanced our everyday lives will be in the future in contrast to our vehicles. While we don’t generally put up advertisements, it is always interesting to see what advertisements look like abroad. Enjoy.
The advertisement was produced by Saatchi & Saatchi’s Italian arm according to Autoevolution.com.
F150 Finally Manages to Win A “Most America” Truck Award
In 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Toyota Tundra was recognized by Cars.com as either the most “American” truck on the market or the 2nd most American truck, meaning that the Tundra was built in the USA using the highest percentage of domestic parts compared to any other pickup. Ford, GM, and Ram (aka Chrysler-Fiat) didn’t always have a truck that qualified in these years because at least 30% – and sometimes 50% – of many F-series, Ram, and GM trucks used parts that came from outside the USA.
UPDATE – I over-reached here and made a mistake in the paragraph above (corrections are in green). The F150 was the most American truck in 2008 and 2009, but it fell off the list in 2010 and 2011. The Ram was “most American” in 2010, but that’s a bit of a misnomer, as Cars.com excluded regular cab Ram trucks that year (which are built in Mexico) for reasons that just aren’t logical to me. The Ram never deserved to win this award considering they build trucks in Mexico.
Still, this post is factually mistaken and generally wrong. My apologies.
However, in 2012, Ford won the Cars.com Most American Truck award. For the first time since 2007, the F-150 has 75% domestic content, which is the minimum threshold for consideration. The Tundra (which also has 75% domestic content), is the 2nd most American truck on the market in 2012 because it doesn’t sell as well as the F150.
Considering that Ford is an American company, and considering that every 2012 F150 is assembled in either Dearborn, Michigan or Missouri, it’s about damn time that Ford won this award. The question is, where are GM and Ram?
EPA Gives Final Approval for E15 Blend
The Environmental Protection Agency has given its final approval for 15-percent ethanol blends for sale at all consumer gas stations nationwide effective immediately. Sounds like good news for flex-fuel drivers, yet there are still some roadblocks and industry criticism.
While E85 has been out for a while, the EPA has given its final approval to E15.
