The brand-new Buick Encore earned two of the nation’s top safety honors recently, as the premium compact crossover received both the Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and, in its all-wheel-drive configuration, was named a 5-star overall performer by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Thanks to record-setting results for two of its most popular entries, Ford was both the best-selling automotive brand in the country in May and the only one to deliver more than 200,000 vehicles. The bottom line for the Blue Oval brand last month: 239,280 sales and a 14.5 percent growth in volume, including the best-ever May performances for the Ford Escape and Ford Fusion. In fact, that pair has now set monthly sales records for four months in a row, capped off by 29,553 Fusion sales in May (+10 percent) and 29,123 (+26.2 percent) last month for the Escape.
Even as Kia’s original urban utility vehicle prepares for the launch of its all-new 2014 model, the current Soul is going out on top: By winning its category in Strategic Vision’s 2013 Total Quality Index (TQI).
Dodge is one of the fastest-growing brands in the auto industry, with sales up 24 percent through the end of April and a steadily increasing number of value awards in its trophy case. Both the Dodge Dart and Dodge Durango recently earned segment wins in the 2013 Total Quality Awards. The honors, bestowed annually by Strategic Vision, take hundreds of different vehicle factors into account.
Scion has long made a habit of keeping its vehicles fresh by continually releasing limited-editions with special content packages, and this year will be no different. Well, actually it will be a little different, because the brand is introducing its 10 Series portfolio—celebrating Scion’s first decade in the marketplace—with special editions of its entire lineup.
Already home base to the subcompact Versa Sedan, the least-expensive car in America, Nissan puts value in the spotlight once again with the all-new Sentra—recently recognized by Cars.com as the Most Affordable Compact Sedan of 2013. Significantly, this award wasn’t just about a race to the bottom. The website was looking for the compact sedan that combined affordability with six key vehicle features—automatic transmission, cruise control, USB port, remote entry, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and steering-wheel-mount audio controls—as well as low fuel costs.
At this year’s New York International Auto Show, Honda’s lux brand Acura unveiled its MDX crossover. Heavily redesigned for the 2014 model year, this full-size utility vehicle sports several new features, such as a 3.5-liter “Earth Dream” V-6 engine, simplified third-row access via the second-row’s powered “One-touch Walk-in” system, and a slew of driver-assistance aids including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, collision-mitigation braking, lane-keeping detection and multi-angle rearview camera systems. Acura also expands the lineup by offering, for the first time, a two-wheel-drive model. Previously, the MDX was only offered with Acura’s potent Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system.
Managing company cars is expensive. From leasing an executive’s limo to gassing up the sales folks’ sedans, fleet vehicles rapidly add to operating costs. Companies are turning to hybrids in order to control such expenses.
Ford is teaming up with a fellow Detroit-based manufacturer to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of a made-in-America classic. In honor of the Ford Mustang, which first went into production April 17, 1964, the Blue Oval has authorized the creation of a premium timepiece from Shinola, a luxury producer of hand-made watches, bicycles and leather goods. The two companies have more than just their Motown roots in common.
Honoring its first successful car designed specifically for global markets, Ford recently introduced the Escort Concept at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. But this time around, the car was designed especially for the Chinese market, where Ford is making an unprecedented push to boost its business.
