For years Detroit automakers carped about the low value of the Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar, but these days, the opposite is true. The yen has rocketed up in value versus the dollar, and Japan’s automakers are taking significant measures to mitigate its bottom-line-killing effects. In October Toyota demanded lower prices from its Japanese supply base, and now the Camry will be built in the U.S. and shipped overseas.
Toyota notes in the post-jump press release that it will build 6,000 Toyota Camry units in Georgetown, Kentucky and ship the units to Korea. The massive Georgetown plant employs nearly 7,000 employees working around the clock. This marks the first time Toyota will export the American-made Camry, yet Toyota isn’t new to U.S. exports. The automaker exports 100,000 vehicles built in the U.S. annually, shipping them to 19 countries.
The announcement is likely an exciting one for workers at the Georgetown plant, and Toyota feels more exports could be forthcoming. Toyota’s North America President, Yoshimi Inaba, states “we look forward to other opportunities to continue growing exports from our American operations.” Hit the jump to read over the press release. Read More »
GM may have designed the Chevrolet Volt to cancel out potential “range anxiety,” but the company is responding to a new type of worry today: fear that the Volt’s battery will catch fire.
* The problem? A Volt that had been crash tested in May caught fire three weeks after the crash conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This was revealed in early November.
* The cause? A ruptured coolant line in the battery, which prompted a new safety investigation that was announced this past Friday.
* The solution? GM’s just-announced free vehicle loaner program and more tests.
Read More »
Consumer Reports has just finished evaluating four mid-sized luxury sedans, and the 2012 Audi A6 managed to tie with the Infiniti M37 for the top spot. The publication cites the German four-door’s substantial improvements over last year as the reason behind its success.
In previous evaluations, the A6 has managed to score just 79 points on the CR scale. This year, that number jumped to 93. The A6 garnered praise for its strong acceleration, apt handling, comfortable ride and quiet, well-appointed interior. Those are all attributes we’re inclined to agree with.
Read More »
Have you been waiting for the new BMW 3 Series to come around? Well the wait is over. The sixth generation of the quintessential sport sedan is upon us, and now we’ve got the pricing to go with it.
BMW of North America has placed the base MSRP for the four-cylinder 328i at $35,795, and the six-cylinder 335i at $43,295 – inclusive of destination charges(*). While these prices represent a $320 and $370 respective increase over the models they replace, BMW is adamant that the jump is worth it.
Read More »
So Lexus wants to be taken seriously now. Certainly the brand is a heavyweight – and has been since the moment it launched 22 years ago, changing the luxury market almost overnight. It’s just had trouble garnering the respect of the cognoscenti, the car enthusiast types, the sorts of people who can see a pair of taillights flash by and identify year, make and model.
Lexus representatives are not shy about the issue, in part because it’s hard to ignore years of critics calling your cars bland and soulless, while smirking, self-avowed “car guys” trade their BMW sedans in on new BMW sedans, even as they grumble about electronic nannies, iDrive and Chris Bangle.
Read More »
The Volkswagen R performance sub-brand isn’t just a niche cog in the massive machine known as the Volkswagen Auto Group. If R GmbH’s heads are to be believed, it’s an instrumental component of the German automaker’s push to offer something for everyone. And after speaking with the two men shepherding R into the future, it appears that good things are on the way.
With the Golf R set to go on sale in the U.S. early next year and R-branded performance parts already proliferating throughout VW’s core products, Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, R’s Executive Director, and Dr. Hendrik Muth, R’s marketing head, are looking to the future. Fortunately, they were thoughtful enough to provide Autoblog with a small glimpse into what’s on the way.
Read More »
When society finally crumbles and the human race vanishes from the face of the Earth, the cockroaches will still be passing around certain automotive rumors. Their antennae will twitch with whispers of an independent-rear-suspension Mustang and a mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette. Now it appears that they’ll have a new story to chew on. The rumor of the V10-powered Lexus GS simply refuses to die off. Autocar reports that Lexus has its eye on crafting a BMW M5 fighter, and that the vehicle will boast none other than aversion of the snarling V10 found at the heart of the Lexus LFA.
Read More »
