Hampered more by limited production capacity than demand, Subaru has found itself in an enviable position. As a result, the Japanese automaker is forecasting sales of more than half a million vehicles in the United States by 2015.

Subaru of America chief marketing officer Dean Evans told Automotive News that Subaru will sell in the neighborhood of 410,000 to 420,000 new cars this year, but it has demand for up to 20,000 more vehicles. 

Between upgrades it is making to its plants overseas and a handful of new products set to hit the market between now and the end of 2015, Subaru is gunning for 500,000 vehicles.Â

Through the first eight months of 2013, Subaru’s sales in the U.S. are up 29 percent to more than 281,000 new cars – and that’s coming off of a record 2012, when it found 336,441 buyers. Last month was Subaru’s best month ever; it delivered 41,061 vehicles, a 45 percent increase over the year before.

Subaru’s growth this year comes primarily from its recently-redesigned Forester compact crossover, which has seen sales increase 46 percent over last year. Last month, Forester even outsold the automaker’s Outback, which has long topped its sales charts. 

Over the next 24 months, Subaru is expected to unveil new versions of its Legacy sedan and Outback crossover (spied here), its Impreza WRX performance model and a replacement for its lowest-volume model, the Tribeca three-row crossover. <![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>

Ford Motor Company will travel into the heart of pickup truck country next week to announce big news, but the automaker is remaining rather cryptic about just what its intentions are.

 
Ahead of the State Fair of Texas auto show, Ford posted a teaser image to its social media outlets that doesn’t give away much information. Displaying the company’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel logo, the teaser states only that something will happen at 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday, November 26, at Fair Park in Dallas.

Given that a revision of the automaker’s F-Series Super Duty truck range is expected for the 2015 model year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Ford take the wraps off of the new models in Dallas. Clearly, Ford remains committed to its 6.7-liter turbodiesel engine, which arrived in 2011. A power boost is possible, although at 400 horsepower and 800 lb-ft. of torque, the Power Stroke V8 is only bested by the Ram 3500‘s optional 850 lb-ft. Cummins turbodiesel inline six-cylinder. Admittedly, the Ram’s diesel is rated at 385 horsepower. 

At the very least, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Ford ratchet up the maximum towing capacity of the F-Series Super Duty. As it is, the F-350 range maxes out at 22,800 lbs. That’s not shabby, but it pales in comparison to the staggering 30,010 lbs. Chrysler’s Ram division says a properly-equipped Ram 3500 truck can tug. <![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>

General Motors stands ready to jump in the half-ton diesel-powered pickup arena if sales suddenly pick up.

Rivals Ram and Nissan are about to launch half-ton pickup trucks powered by heavy-duty turbodiesel engines built by VM Motori and Cummins, respectively.  The oil-burning trucks will return better gas mileage in exchange for a noticeable price increase over their gasoline-burning counterparts, a tradeoff that GM’s top brass believes will not be widely accepted by consumers.

Spokesman Tom Wilkinson claims GM is “in a position to respond quickly” if its analysts are wrong and sales of diesel-powered half-ton pickup trucks soar because the automaker owns 50 percent of Italy’s VM Motori and it initially commissioned the development of the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 that will be bolted in the Ram’s engine bay.  Although GM has made it clear the Silverado and the Sierra will remain gas-only for the time being, it has unrestricted access to the 3.0-liter oil-burning mill.Â

GM is putting its diesel dollars in the compact pickup market.  Both its upcoming Chevrolet and GMC-badged compact pickup trucks will be available with a four-cylinder Duramax diesel engine in 2015, about a year after their gasoline-burning siblings bow.

Toyota is considering sending a Cummins diesel-powered Tundra to showrooms but it has not made a decision on the matter.<![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>

Volkswagen has confirmed it will phase out its naturally-aspirated gasoline-burning engines over the next three or four years.

“You have to have a turbo these days,” explained Mark Trahan, Volkswagen’s executive vice president for group quality, in an interview with The Detroit News.  “We have only one naturally-aspirated gas engine and when we go to the next generation vehicle that it’s in, it will be replaced.  So three, four years maximum.”

Trahan is referring to the 3.6-liter V6 found in select Touareg and Passat CC models.  Volkswagen has already announced it will replace its aging 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated straight-five with a more frugal turbocharged 1.8-liter four-banger for the 2014 model year. Â

Volkswagen’s move to forced-induction is representative of the auto industry’s general shift towards smaller and more fuel efficient engines.  The trend is a response to rising fuel prices and ever-tightening gas mileage and emissions regulations in high-volume markets all around the world.

Volkswagen is not the only automaker sending the naturally-aspirated engine to the pantheon of automotive history.  Ferrari and Ford have both recently indicated they plan on gradually phasing out non-turbo engines over the coming decade.

Photo by Ronan Glon.<![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>

Just two short months after Chrysler confirmed that a new version of its 200 would debut early next year, our spy photographers have managed to scoop the all-new mid-size sedan wearing its production-intent sheet metal.

And, just a day after a 200 was nabbed, we have managed to get interior photos of Chrysler’s new midsizer!

Spotted leaving one of Chrysler’s test track, this week’s sightings are the first of the 200 wearing its own clothes.  Previous prototypes of the mid-sedan sedan were clad in body work borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

While the styling details of the 200 are difficult to discern at this point, it is clear that the 200 will adopt a four-door coupe silhouette.  In profile, the 200 prototype reminds us of the Audi A5 Sportback.

That styling direction means the 200 will have a short decklid, which looks like it incorporates a duck tail spoiler.  Styled dual exhaust outlets are clearly visible at the rear of the 200.

Up front it’s a little harder to figure out what’s going on behind the 200′s camouflage, but expect a sleeker overall look with thinner headlights.

 

Inside, it’s impossible to miss the 200′s new center console, which boasts a gear knob cribbed from the Ram pickup plus a slanted center console. The model our spies nabbed is likely a mid-level trim, since it lacks the large 8.4″ uConnect touchscreen seen elsewhere in Chrysler’s lineup. The climate control switchgear is shared with other Chrysler products and the 200 boasts an electronic parking brake for the first time ever. 

There’s really no question that the 200′s interior makes a giant leap forward over its predecessor. 

What we know so far

The 2015 Chrysler 200 will probably be introduced at next year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, although a debut at the Los Angeles show this fall is also possible. 

Not a whole lot is known about the next-generation 200, although it’s expected that the new Jeep Cherokee’s 9-speed automatic transmission will be available, as will the Dodge Dart‘s 2.4-liter engine and a new 3.2-liter V6 based on the 200′s existing 3.6-liter mill. Underneath, the 200 is set to ride on a Fiat-derived platform – the same underpinnings used on the Dart and Cherokee.

The current 200 has seen sales increase significantly, but that’s due in part to its popularity with fleet buyers. The 200 Convertible’s future is said to be in jeopardy, but Chrysler essentially owns the large front-wheel-drive non-sporty convertible segment, so it’s possible the droptop will make it into a fourth generation. 

And what about the Dodge Avenger? Its nameplate is expected to be dropped after the 2014 model year, but a new midsize Dodge version of the 200 has reportedly been given the green light.<![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>

Although the United Auto Workers union has recruited the majority of Volkswagen’s assembly plant workers in Tennessee, the German automaker says it could take months to make the next step toward organizing a works council.

VW is looking to the way it works with unions in Europe for a works council-type relationship. Such a move would differ dramatically from the way the UAW has interacted with other automakers in the U.S.

The human resources chief at VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant told Reuters that the works council is “a very sensitive subject and we hae only just started the dialog.”

VW hasn’t decided whether it will recognize the UAW based on signed cards it collected from workers or if it will wait to circulate a ballot among its employees. In addition, VW’s U.S.-market chief, Jonathan Browning, has indicated that VW could utilize “formal third-party representation” to work out a deal with the UAW. Regardless, VW doesn’t appear to be in a hurry.

VW’s management and its workers have proven more receptive to the UAW’s efforts to unionize than other foreign automakers that operate plants in the U.S. Among foreign brands, only Mitsubishi’s Normal, Illinois, assembly plant is unionized, although that’s a legacy from when the Japanese automaker operated the facility with Chrysler.

The fact that the UAW has managed to gain interest from the majority of the plant’s 2,500 workers is seen as a major win for the union, which has seen its numbers decline over the last few decades as Detroit automakers have closed assembly plants. <![CDATA[
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1{
color: #000000;
font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
font-size: 15px;
line-height: 1.333em;
margin-bottom: 16px;
margin-top: 10px;
}
/* @Himanshu 09-01-2013 New code to work with br tag, p tag and /n */
div.post-content1 ul li
{
list-style:disc !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;
}
div.post-content1 ol li
{
list-style-type: decimal !important;
margin-left:20px;
color:#000000;

}
#editorial_graph ul li
{
list-style:none !important;
margin-left:0px;
}
]]>