• Ford kicks off 2015 Mustang production at Flat Rock plant

    August 28, 2014
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    Ford is celebrating the start of production for its redesigned Mustang, built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant outside of Detroit.

    The 2015 model will be exported globally for the first time since the original Mustang arrived in 1964, eventually heading to 120 countries. Flat Rock workers will be tasked with building both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive variants, which will finally bring the nameplate to the UK, Australia, South Africa and dozens of other markets.

    The company boasts a total production tally of 9.2 million Mustangs sold in its 50-year history, with over a million units built at the Flat Rock facility.

    The plant is said to have been transformed in the past year, adding a flexible body shop to support simultaneous production of multiple models. Other improvements included in the $555 million upgrade plan include laser brazing, dirt detection and a three-wet paint process.

    The 2015 Mustang hopes to attract more buyers with its optional 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine, redesigned suspension system and tweaked aesthetics. US customers will have the first chance to buy the new pony car when it arrives in showrooms this fall.

  • Kentucky plant worker wins Toyota’s 10 millionth Camry

    August 28, 2014
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    A worker at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly facility has won the company’s 10 millionth Camry.

    Rather than placing the milestone vehicle in the visitor center beside the first Camry, which rolled off the assembly line in 1988, the company decided to hold a random drawing and give it to one of the plant’s 7,000 workers.

    The winner was Tom Keith, a 26-year veteran who works in the quality control department. Interestingly, he is one of approximately 200 remaining workers who was working at the plant 26 years ago when the first Camry was built.

    “It’s highly appropriate that our 10 millionth vehicle goes to one of the team members who made this milestone possible,” said TMMK plant president Wil James. “Our team members are the heart and soul of this company, and they make all of our successes possible.”

    Keith plans to give the car to his wife as a surprise upgrade from her current vehicle, a 2007 Avalon.

    “I’m going to go [to her workplace] this afternoon, move her car out and park the new Camry in her space,” he said. “She’s going to scream.”

  • Mercedes teases Paris-bound AMG GT [VIDEO]

    August 28, 2014
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    Mercedes-Benz has published a short teaser video that previews the upcoming AMG GT. The company’s next sports car will be unveiled online on September 9th, and it is scheduled to greet the public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show that will open its doors next October.

    The GT will ride on a shortened version of the SLS AMG’s platform, although the latter car’s signature gullwing doors will be replaced with conventional units to improve structural rigidity and reduce mass – overall, the GT is expected to weigh in at around 3,400 pounds. Visually, the AMG GT will adopt softer lines than the SLS and boast a silhouette that is more fastback than traditional coupe.

    Mercedes has provided us with two interior photos of the upcoming supercar. The GT’s interior is an evolution of the SLS’, featuring the same wide dash and throw-back air vents. Mercedes says the center stack was designed to resemble a NACA duct, and it has also cleverly arranged the controls for the car’s AMG Drive Unit to mimic the cylinder layout of a V8 engine.

    Mercedes has previously announced the AMG GT will inaugurate a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that will generate 510 horsepower at 6,250 rpms and 479 lb-ft. of torque between 1,750 and 4,750 rpms in its most powerful configuration. Called M178 internally, the twin-turbo mill will feature a dry-sump lubrication system that lowers the center of gravity by eliminating the conventional oil pan, lightweight forged pistons and a patented Nanoslide coating on the cylinder walls that reduces friction losses. Mounted in front-mid position, the eight-cylinder will spin the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission controlled by shift paddles.

    The M178 engine will gradually replace the naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 that is currently found under the hood of numerous AMG-badged cars. Look for a detuned version of it to power both the upcoming C63 AMG and the AMG-massaged version of the next E-Class.

    Full details about the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT will emerge in the coming weeks. Following its unveiling in the French capital, the GT is expected to land in showrooms across the United States next year.

  • Details emerge about Volvo’s E-Class-fighting S90 sedan

    August 28, 2014
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    Volvo is preparing to introduce a large sedan called S90, and a new report give us a better idea of what to expect when it lands.

    Designed to replace the aging S80, the S90 will take the form of a large four-door sedan whose overall design will be inspired by the recently-introduced second-generation XC90. The S90 will be decidedly more upscale than the S80, and it will likely spawn a long-wheelbase model designed primarily for buyers in China. However, Volvo has hinted the stretched S90 L could be offered in the United States and in select markets on the Old Continent if there is enough demand from buyers.

    The S90 will ride on an evolution of the modular Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that underpins the 2015 XC90, and the two cars will share the bulk of their mechanical components. Base and mid-range versions of the upcoming sedan will be offered with a wide array of gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines sourced from Volvo’s Drive-E family, while the range-topping model will pack an efficient gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain. An eight-speed automatic transmission will come standard all across the board.

    Although the S90 is shaping up to be the most upscale Volvo sedan in recent memory, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson has refuted company chairman Li Shufu’s earlier statement that it will fight head-to-head against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series.

    “We will never have V12 or V8 engines. I think Mercedes will not see this as a S-Class competitor,” explained Samuelsson in an interview with Australian magazine Motoring. Another executive revealed to the same source that the S90 is being developed to fight head-to-head against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series.

    The Volvo S90 is scheduled to go on sale late next year, meaning it could be presented to the public at next year’s edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Additional information about the company’s new sedan will emerge over the coming months.

  • Mercedes to revamp SUV naming system?

    August 28, 2014
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    A new report coming out of England indicates Mercedes-Benz is preparing to revamp the naming system it uses for its crossovers and SUVs.

    British magazine Autocar reports the M-Class will become the GLE-Class when it is given a mid-cycle facelift in time for next year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show. The new moniker reflects an effort to align the M-Class with the E-Class sedan in the minds of consumers.

    The production variant of the Concept Coupé SUV that was presented earlier this year at the Beijing Motor Show will be known simply as the GLE Coupe. Although Mercedes is keeping its lips sealed about the upcoming BMW X6-fighter, industry rumors indicate it will ride on the same platform as the M and debut in Geneva next year.

    Similarly, the second-generation GLK set to arrive in time for the 2016 model year will be called GLC, positioning it at the same level as the C-Class. The rumored two-door variant of it will be christened GLC Coupe.

    Finally, the GL will become the GLS in order to denote its flagship status.

    The entry-level GLA-Class is an A-Class hatchback on stilts so it is already appropriately named, and the G-Class (pictured) will carry on unchanged.