Revenue of the Chevrolet Volt dropped sharply in January with GM only promoting 603 units. Blame for the drop in sales goes to the damaging publicity the Volt has received from a government safety investigation.

January 2012 turned out to be the worst month for the Volt considering that August, exactly where it was only delivered to 302 clients. During the fourth quarter of 2011, GM averaged month-to-month sales of one,259 units.

Verify out more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

GM executives say that they are unable to gauge the demand for the Chevrolet Volt until finally Might or June due to the availability staying tight and some dealers still receiving their 1st batch.

In 2011, a complete of 7,671 Volts had been sold, way brief of GM’s 10,000 goal.

Refresher: The 2012 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, ‘T’-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which permits it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The method puts out 149-hp and a optimum torque of 273 lb-ft, making it possible for the Volt to go from -60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of a hundred mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a home outlet and takes four hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hrs on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp one.four 4-clyinder engine that enables the 5-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gasoline will enable the Volt to travel 379   miles. The 2012 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA estimated 93 miles per ’gallon-equivalent’ when driving underneath electrical energy only, 37 mpg when in gasoline mode and more than the extended expression it is estimated to get 60 miles per gallon in combined gasoline-powered and electric-powered driving. Charges for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt begin at $ 39,995 but with a complete federal revenue tax credit (which array from $ to $ 7,500), the Volt can cost a complete of $ 32,495.

Supply: AutoNews

egmCarTech

Right here are the safest autos according to EURO NCAP in 5 diverse categories. The top rated achievements per category are:

•   Small off-road 4×4 category: Audi Q3
•   Supermini category: Chevrolet Aveo
•    Little Household category: Ford Focus
•    Modest MPV category: Mercedes B Class
•    Large Household category: Volvo V60

The runners-up in every category are the Chevrolet Malibu, Mercedes M Class, Toyota Yaris, Lexus CT200h, Opel Zafira Tourer, Hyundai ix20, and BMW X1. Particular mention must be produced of the Ford Ranger, the only pickup tested by Euro NCAP in 2011. The Ranger is the safest pickup nevertheless tested by the organisation and scored hugely in all locations of assessment, most notably in pedestrian protection.

Euro NCAP rewarded a number of car makers for their advanced security functions not but integrated in the rating scheme. The Ford Focus, provided with optional Active City Halt, Driver Alert Forward Alert and Lane Retaining Help, made headlines as the first large volume vehicle getting four rewards. Best achievers Mercedes B Class and Volvo V60 also were rewarded for Collision Prevention Assist and City Security respectively, each are Autonomous Emergency Braking Methods (AEB).

“With Euro NCAP Advanced, we have already acknowledged a quantity of technologies supplying safety benefits to shoppers. The security situation for AEB methods is very sturdy and we are as a result strongly encouraging makers to boost the availability of this kind of systems on new automobiles. We are nicely underway to add the assessment of these methods to the overall rating and to make these methods a requirement for 5 stars in the future.”, commented Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary Standard.

In 2012, Euro NCAP introduces stricter specifications by escalating the minimal score in the pedestrian assessment from 40% to 60%, reflecting the stepwise enhancements introduced by automakers of the last years in this field. While a quantity of carmakers have already demonstrated that cars can be engineered to pass the new limit, the elevated demands will challenge other people to improve the security for vulnerable road consumers.

Source: EuroNCAP through Youtube

Automobiles Review

Lengthy-Phrase Road Check Update

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Date: January 2012
Months in Fleet: 12 months
Latest Mileage: 32,068 miles
Typical Fuel Economic climate: 31 mpg
Typical Array: 350 miles
Service: $ 314.00
Typical Wear: $
Fix: $
Damage and Destruction: $ 448

With fewer than 8000 miles to go before the conclusion of its remain, our Mazda 2 continues to serve primarily as a spunky ’round-town runabout. The car has racked up nearly 10,000 miles considering that September, most of which have been turned within the borders of our house state a sprint to Virginia accounted for the rest.

The logbook continues to fill with praise for the 2’s nimble nature and slick shifter. Drivers keep that clutch experience is even now also numb, requiring us to “get employed to” one thing that must be easy and simple. But 1 prolonged-haul driver was stunned to note that the 2’s ride and interior noise were nowhere near as punishing as expected. The cabin plastics seem to be to be holding up very nicely and the seats continue to receive plaudits, although the bottom cushion’s foam has compressed to the point where some drivers can really feel the side of the seat frame.

Rectifying Issues, Experiencing Others

In our last update, we pointed out that our 2 was suffering from vibrations at highway speeds, which resulted in new anti-roll-bar bushings, a new rear shock, and a new steering intermediate shaft becoming fitted below warranty. Some steering-wheel shudder persisted as we awaited the arrival of 4 new tires that also had been replaced below warranty due to premature put on from the faulty suspension. We’re joyful to report that the new rubber was installed and appears to have entirely resolved the problem, though the front suspension even now groans on occasion, and we haven’t been in a position to track down the supply of the noise. The new all-season tires have been swapped out immediately after 2000 miles for Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires.

An additional unpredicted service quit was created at 25,076 following complaints about potentially warped front-brake rotors began to surface. The dealer confirmed our suspicions and replaced the front discs below warranty. This was the second set to which this has happened the initial set was replaced at only 8676 miles. Even though the automobile was in for its new rotors, the dealer informed us that we had a bent front wheel—replacing it set us back $ 448. The dealer also carried out a 30K service for $ 157, which includes an oil-and-filter modify, a tire rotation, substitute of the cabin- and engine-air filters, and an inspection. The complete to maintain the 2 as a result far has been a very reasonable $ 314.

No Satellite Radio? We’ll Fix That

No factory option for satellite radio, quite frankly, stinks. We briefly explored installing a entirely custom sound method, but in the end made a decision we didn’t want to hack apart the 2’s closely integrated dash. As an alternative, our remedy was to snag the portable XM unit that feeds our garage sound technique and plug it into the Mazda’s AUX input. It has built our garage a tad much less entertaining, but the two much a lot more livable.

That expanded audio assortment need to assist maintain us company for the remainder of the 2’s 40,000-mile stay. We’ll keep the car moving and report back with our findings when we hit the end of the check.

Continued…

Auto and Driver Blog

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• 2011 mazda 2 long term review

 

At very first we have been going to contrast the suspension of this 2011 Porsche 911 GTS to that of our 1985 Porsche 911. But then, just just before the holidays hit, we got our hands on an all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S. Our GTS vs. Black Plague duel would have to wait.

This was fine by me since as soon as the dust settled we would have a three-vehicle 911 suspension comparison. The completion of this GTS walkaround leaves our 1985 Porsche 911 in the on-deck circle.  

Notably, this 911 is fitted with Porsche’s center-lock wheels. You may catch glimpses of them during, but I am saving a thorough description for a separate sidebar that will almost certainly be posted by the time you finish reading this.

But, as typical, this suspension walkaround begins with the wheels off. Let’s see what the final year of the 997 edition of the Porsche 911 looks like underneath.

Categories: Coupes,Porsche,Sports activities Cars,Suspension Walkarounds

Straightline

In just ten short weeks, the Toyota Prius v managed to outsell the Chevrolet Volt that was readily available for all of 2011.

GM sold 7,671 units in 2011, and 7,997 in its first 13 months, although the Prius v hit dealers in October 2011, and by the last week in December eight,399 had rolled off Toyota’s lots.

With a 220,000 unit revenue purpose for all Prius variants, Toyota is seeking to boost its product sales by 60% from last year. Missing its goal by 10,000 units final year, GM struggled with production and availability, along with crash fire investigations. In addition to these concerns, the Prius begins at $ 26,400, while the Volt has a price tag tag of $ 39,145, another contributing issue to the rapid achievement of the Prius.

Total, Hybrid product sales make up just two.2% final year’s car product sales, down from the prior year’s 2.4%. While Nissan missed its sales objective of 10,000 units for final year, 9,674 Leaf designs have been still sold.

Examine out the vehicle’s mentioned in this write-up:

- By: Alexandra Koken

Supply: Cost-free Press

egmCarTech

Last year Chevy sold 4.76 million vehicles worldwide, which set a new sales record and pushed GM’s global sales to more than 9 million vehicles, a 7.6 percent gain compared with 2010.

The U.S. had the highest sales with with total vehicle sales of 1,775,812, up more than 13 percent from 2010. China posted record sales of 595,068, up 9.5 percent from the previous year.

“Chevrolet’s impressive growth in both established and developing markets is the result of a strong new product lineup that meets the diverse needs of consumers around the world,” said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “In addition to Chevrolet’s record-setting sales, the entire lineup of GM vehicles is meeting customer needs for fuel-efficient cars and work vehicles as well as unmatched luxury.”

The Chevy Cruze led Chevy’s global sales with more than 670,000 sold in 2011, with more than 1.13 million sold since its launch in 2009. GM also stated that it will continue to make Chevy a more global brand, with more than 60 percent of its sales outside the U.S. market.

“Without doubt the new Chevrolet portfolio has been a catalyst for our success around the world,” said Tim Lee, president of GM International Operations.

The Torque Report

Product sales of the Toyota Camry in 2011: 308,510
Product sales of all Mazdas in 2011: 250,426
Revenue of all BMWs in 2011: 247,907
Date of Tōhoku earthquake: March 11, 2011
Date flooding began in Thailand: July 31, 2011
Minimum range of months Toyota operated beneath 100% creation capability in North America: six
Auto product sales rank of Camry in 2011: 1

What the numbers reveal: Earthquake be damned, the Camry was a juggernaut in 2011. One generation ended and a new Camry was just lately launched. Yes, the organization relied on incentives—what automaker doesn’t in the mid-size section?—but even crippled by organic disaster, the Camry outsold each automobile in the States and each vehicle conserve the Chevy Silverado and the Ford F-150.

Product sales of the Fiat 500 in 2011: 19,769
Product sales of Mini autos, excluding Countryman, in 2011: 40,828
Fiat’s original 2011 U.S. product sales aim for the 500: 50,000
Date Fiat’s CEO affirmed that it was “still on track” to meet that target: August 24, 2011
Date Vehicle and Driver mentioned Fiat was falling woefully brief of its revenue target: July six, 2011
Date Marchionne admitted the 500’s U.S. product sales target was “incredibly naïve”: January 9, 2012

What the numbers reveal: It is extremely challenging to launch a new auto brand in the U.S., and more difficult still to do it with a item that is not appropriate for this industry. The 500, although sometimes enjoyable to drive, is just as well modest for American consumers. Its celebration trick is an ability to park in small spaces, a requirement for vehicles only in a couple of higher-density American cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco. Fiat’s execs insisted every thing was fine throughout 2011, and said their unique goal of 50,000 units had nothing to do with Mini’s 2010 revenue complete of a little more than 45,000 cars. Now Marchionne has admitted each that the target was absurd and that the Mini complete was the basis of the original aim. We count on that in a year or two Fiat will give up on attaining any meaningful volume for the 500 and as a substitute will just refer to it as a halo item, displaying the company’s Italian flair.

Percentage of Jeep designs marketed that weren’t a Grand Cherokee or Wrangler in 2011: 40
Percentage of Volkswagens offered that weren’t a Jetta in 2011: 45

What the numbers reveal: Even although the U.S. industry has turn into increasingly niche-ified, in which every single automaker feels the require to construct models as crossovers, hybrids, and crossover hybrids, volume nevertheless comes from core merchandise. For Jeep, it is the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler—both of which can be described as unqualified, runaway successes. Ditto the Jetta, which still doesn’t excuse VW for cheapening it. (Luckily, some fixes are on the way.) Both manufacturers are making use of strategic platform sharing to develop new designs with these sales kings: VW already has the new Beetle, and Jeep is developing a new Grand Wagoneer to sit above the GC.

Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen product sales in 2011: 1191
Year the G-Wagen was initially introduced: 1979
Base value of 2011 G-Wagen: $ 107,975
Mercedes-Benz’s minimum gross revenue from 2011 G-Wagen sales: $ 128.6 million

What the numbers reveal: With above 30 many years of world-wide production, the G-Wagen’s investment has been a lot more than paid back. The profit margins are as gargantuan as the car and its character. Is it any wonder the business is revising it yet again?

Revenue of the Volvo S80 in 2011: 4735
Month in 2011 during which Mercedes-Benz E-class revenue surpassed 4735: January
Month in 2011 throughout which Hyundai Genesis product sales surpassed 4735: March

What the numbers reveal: Volvo is getting killed in this country. Its 4 core merchandise sell nicely adequate, but every little thing else is in dire straits. (The keepers are the S60 sedan, the XC70 wagon, and the XC60 and XC90 crossovers.) The V40 hatchback, which will debut at up coming month’s Geneva display, probably is not coming right here. We realize Volvo’s need to focus on its much better-offering autos, but it’ll require new goods if it’s going to offer a credible substitute to shoppers at present getting into Mercedes-Benz—and even Hyundai—showrooms.

Vehicle and Driver Blog

 

Why a Lexus? Nicely, the 2011 Lexus GX 460 is primarily based on the Land Cruiser Prado, a smaller edition of the Land Cruiser we know that Toyota sells elsewhere in the planet. Furthermore, it comes with some thing called a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS,) a prolonged way of saying it has front and rear stabilizer bars that automatically decouple to strengthen off-road articulation.

Standard on the GX because 2010 (and optional considering that 2004), KDSS is also found in the US on the Land Cruiser (2008-present) and the 4Runner Trail Edition (2010-present.)

Everyday driving rewards drastically because this kind of a program makes it possible for the GX to be fitted with considerably bigger stabilizer bars than any off-road car could otherwise tolerate. Indeed this Lexus GX460 corners far flatter than other SUVs of related dimension and configuration.

KDSS is a hydaulic method that is fully automated — there are no switches on the dash simply because there is no need to turn it on or off. Rather, the front and rear stabilizer bars feature hydraulic cylinders on their left-hand sides, with piping connecting the two and a valve in between.

In a corner, the two cylinders are squeezed (correct turns) or stretched (left turns) in the exact same direction. This kind of “in-phase” loading produces front and rear pressures that are far more or significantly less equal, which holds the valve closed to preserve those cylinders definitely rigid so the stabilizer bars can provide their full roll-resisting effects.

But frame twist off-road conditions — and our RTI ramp — produce optimistic pressure in the cylinder that’s being compressed and negative pressure in the one becoming stretched. This kind of “out-of-phase” axle articulation causes the valve to pop open, which makes the cylinders go limp and take the stabilizer bars out of the picture.

Categories: Lexus,SUVs

Straightline

The Common apparently loved a very sturdy 2011 moving much more than 9 million automobiles on a international scale, a acquire of seven.six % when compared with 2010. Of program, Chevrolet was GM’s pride and pleasure with the brand moving four.76 million units about the world in 2011.

The jump in sales assisted the Detroit automaker get 4-tenths of a point of industry share to 11.9 percent of the world-wide automobile market.

The U.S. certainly led the way for Chevy with complete car revenue coming in at 1,775,812, up far more than 13 percent from 2010. China posted record revenue of 595,068, up 9.5 % from the earlier year.

“Chevrolet’s extraordinary growth in the two established and creating markets is the end result of a sturdy new product lineup that meets the varied requirements of shoppers all around the globe,” explained GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “In addition to Chevrolet’s record-setting revenue, the total lineup of GM cars is meeting client requirements for fuel-efficient cars and operate vehicles as well as unmatched luxury.”

The Chevrolet Cruze highlighted most of the brand’s product sales figures with more than 670,000 becoming marketed in 2011, creating it the best-promoting Chevy model around the planet with much more than one.13 million sold given that its launch four years ago.

egmCarTech

BMW Motorrad marketed a lot more motorcycles in 2011 than ever just before in its virtually 90-year historical past with a complete of 104,286 units marketed (prior year: 98,047 units). This is an improve of six.4% over the outcome of the prior year, which was itself outstanding. For twelve months in succession in 2011, a lot more motorcycles were sold than in 2010.

This puts the 2011 sales outcome well above the earlier all-time higher which dates back to the year 2007 (102,467 units).

In the relevant marketplace section of capability classes over 500 cc, BMW was in a position to expand its globe market place share to over 12%, thereby almost doubling it inside of just four many years.

Hendrik von Kuenheim, Basic Director of BMW Motorrad: “This outstanding revenue end result shows that we are on the proper track in terms of our product and market place strategy. We have reached but an additional revenue record inside a persistently demanding industry environment. At the identical time we have been ready to take on market leadership and strengthen our industry position in more than 15 nations. In business overall performance terms we anticipate an all-time higher in fiscal 2011 for each turnover and revenue. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our buyers throughout the world most sincerely for the trust they have placed in BMW Motorrad.”

Robust growth in Germany, France and overseas.

BMW Motorrad product sales developed in distinct techniques globally based on the varying economic condition of the individual markets.

Germany was once yet again the biggest marketplace as well as exhibiting the most potent growth in revenue. The total figure was 20,002 autos – in other words two,846 motorcycles or 16.6 % more than in 2010. BMW Motorrad as a result asserted its marketplace leadership in the section more than 500 cc. The industry share of newly registered motorcycles was extended by one.seven % to 24.9 %. This implies that one in 4 newly registered motorcycles more than 500 cc in Germany came from the BMW Motorrad plant in Berlin.

As in the previous year, Italy was the 2nd strongest market place. Right here revenue amounted to 13,600 motorcycles (preceding year: 14,234 units/ – four.five %) units. With the Italian motorcycle industry in decline general, BMW Motorrad offered 634 fewer motorcycles than in the prior year but was nonetheless capable to substantially extend its industry place and take above volume leadership. The BMW Motorrad market share in the segment more than 500 cc rose to 19.9 % (prior year: 18.4 %).

The other key sales markets in order of dimension had been USA (ten,203 units / +7.four%) and France (9,850 units / +15. %).

Following Germany, BMW Motorrad achieved its greatest sales boost in Brazil (five,442 units / + 55.two %). Inside just a handful of years, this market has developed into 1 of the most significant for BMW Motorrad. In order to do justice to the increasing significance of Brazil, BMW Motorrad now generates the G 650 GS, the F 800 R and the F 800 GS in Manaus for the regional marketplace.

Virtually all the other Latin American markets formulated really positively for BMW Motorrad overall, as did the markets of Eastern Europe and Asia.

R 1200 GS nevertheless the most successful BMW motorcycle.

The huge travel enduro BMW R 1200 GS was after yet again the most successful model in 2011 with 18,413 units offered (previous year: 18,768 units), followed by its sibling model the R 1200 GS Adventure, with 10,453 units (preceding year: 11,648 units).

The medium category enduro F 800 GS finishes 3rd with 9,829 units, followed closely by the touring traditional BMW R 1200 RT (9,540 units) and the supersports bike S 1000 RR (9,044 units). The super touring models K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL launched in the spring of 2011 were sold to a total of eight,019 buyers throughout the world. Excellent sales figures had been also reached by the roadster designs F 800 R (seven,986 units), R 1200 R (seven,310 unit) as nicely as the enduro F 650 GS (6,145 units).

BMW Motorrad – a appear ahead to 2012.

With the new G 650 GS Sertao, the revised S 1000 RR, the specific boxer model R 1200 GS Rallye and the particular designs K 1300 R and K 1300 S, BMW Motorrad has after once more enhanced its in depth item portfolio for the 2012 motorcycling season. What is a lot more, the initial BMW maxi-scooters C 600 Sport and C 650 GT are due to line up for launch this spring. With these scooter designs, BMW Motorrad is expanding its range to contain the facet of Urban Mobility.

Primarily based on this ongoing product offensive, BMW Motorrad looks confidently ahead to the upcoming season in spite of financial developments in some countries.

Husqvarna Motorcycles achieves strong retail result.

The capacity section of 51 to 750 cc relevant to Husqvarna Motorcycles when once again declined heavily in 2011. In this challenging market surroundings, Husqvarna Motorcycles supplied a total of 9,286 motorcycles (previous year: 12,066 units / -23. %) to its dealer network. Due to the structural measures initiated inside the throughout the world Husqvarna revenue network in 2011, however, real retail figures for the past season drastically exceed factory supplies. A total of 11,243 Husqvarna bikes have been delivered to buyers.

The most common models from the conventional single-cylinder sports activities area (enduro, supermoto, motocross) were the 250/310 cc and the 449/511 cc single-cylinder four-stroke designs.

The new Husqvarna 2-cylinder road models NUDA 900 and NUDA 900R had been launched in autumn 2011 to a extremely positive media response. They mark a milestone in Husqvarna’s business history. They are the 1st totally new motorcycles to be formulated in collaboration with BMW Motorrad, at the exact same time marking the comeback of the Husqvarna brand in market place for road motorcycles.

The new however characteristic Husqvarna automobile concept in between supermoto and naked bike is now producing a really pleasing level of consumer demand. The marketplace launch was in December 2011. 605 automobiles have been supplied to the dealer network by the finish of 2011.

With the presentation of the near-to-series Notion Strada at the motorcycle exhibition in Paris in November 2011, Husqvarna sent out one more clear signal to mark the continuation of its model offensive. With upcoming new goods and further restructuring and extension of its throughout the world sales network, the Italian producer is anticipating perceptible growth in this year’s motorcycle season.

[Supply: BMW]

BMW Blog