DETROIT (AP) — A car that once was America’s top-seller is about to die — for a second time. Ford Taurus, may you rest in peace at the salvage yard. Blame the full-size sedan’s slow demise on the national obsession with SUVs and Ford Motor Co.’s need to slash costs and remake itself for a new era of self-driving cars and shuttles. Ford announced the car’s passing this week as part of major restructuring plan aimed at focusing capital spending on more popular SUVs and technology needed to morph Ford into a mobility company. The 114-year-old automaker said it would stop selling all car models in North America but two: the Mustang muscle car and a version of the compact Focus called Active. That means Ford’s Chicago plant will stop making Tauruses next March. North American production of the Focus compact car and Fiesta subcompact will halt in May, while the midsize Fusion lives a few more years before it departs. They’ll be replaced by five … [Read more...] about Once America’s best-selling car, the Ford Taurus dies, again
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The Australian Consul’s Car Is Perfect
Today we learned that there appears to be a V8 rear-drive Chevy SS representing the Australian government in New York, and that kicks ass on multiple levels. I dropped the Consulate General’s press office an email asking who exactly is behind the wheel of this thing and will update if we hear back. But we can tell from the license plate CXZ0001 (“C” meaning foreign consul and “XZ” indicating Australia) that it is indeed affiliated with the office. The idea of a professional emissary riding around in this undercover hot rod is awesome. The SS may look like modest mid-sized rental car, but it packs a 415 horsepower engine and is supposed to be able to take five people from stopped to 60 in under five seconds. And of course, as Chevy SS fans will know, the car has Australian heritage. I mean, more than that really. It is Australian. It’s the Holden Commodore SS-V rebadged as a Chevy and exported to America. The Aussies have been keen on high-horsepower … [Read more...] about The Australian Consul’s Car Is Perfect
What’s the Best New-Car Deal for April 2018?
April showers might bring May flowers, but car shoppers may wish it rained more deals. Autodata Corp. ranks April among the bottom three months for new-car discounts during each of the past four years. In 2017, baseball's opening month was the single worst month for incentives. Talk about dreary. Related: How to Use Incentives, Rebates and Finance Deals But don't declare a rain delay on your shopping just yet. The storm clouds have a silver lining, at least this year: New-car incentives last month gained 6.5 percent year-over-year, per Autodata, for the second largest increase in the past seven months. Amid an overall incentives plateau, March's gains could add some steam heading into April — a month that needs all the help it can get. We still found plenty of highly discounted models, with many this month from GM and Hyundai-Kia. What should deal-seekers consider? Take a look below. Chevrolet Malibu How much can I save? On select trim levels, enough to fund a … [Read more...] about What’s the Best New-Car Deal for April 2018?
Trump Is Mad About ‘STUPID TRADE’ He Started With Cars And China
Good morning! Welcome to The Morning Shift, your roundup of the auto news you crave, all in one place every weekday morning. Here are the important stories you need to know. 1st Gear: Trump Is Still On Twitter Here’s a tweet from our neon president this morning, April 9, in the Year of our Lord 2018. What this ignores, of course, is that China imports an infinitesimal amount of cars to the U.S. compared to what the U.S. exports to China, meaning that any new tariffs from Trump would likely end mass Chinese imports of cars before they’ve even really started, as Bloomberg has pointed out. If getting the Chinese to negotiate was the Trump administration’s aim, the effort may have backfired. China threatened to retaliate with its own 25 percent levy on around $50 billion of U.S. imports including cars, chemicals, soybeans and aircraft. That could spell additional pain for U.S. carmakers like Tesla Inc., which makes all of its vehicles in the U.S. and will rely on … [Read more...] about Trump Is Mad About ‘STUPID TRADE’ He Started With Cars And China
2018 New York Auto Show Hits, Misses, and Revelations
NEW YORK, New York — The New York International Auto Show has hereby won the right to call itself the North American International Auto Show next year, as it has usurped the erstwhile holder of that title, Detroit, with more newsy and relevant car and truck unveilings. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche all will be here again in 2019. This year, New York has the usual fleet of new sport/utility vehicles, including such high-volume models as the Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester. But there are actual autos—cars—here as well, including a Nissan Altima that proves the brand’s revived commitment to the midsize sedan segment. And there is a concept car that has taken our breath away like no other concept, at Detroit, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, or even Geneva has, this year … HIT: Genesis Essentia Concept And the winner of the “Wait, that’s a Hyundai?” award is this breathtakingly beautiful concept car. What a work of art. —Aaron Gold … [Read more...] about 2018 New York Auto Show Hits, Misses, and Revelations