Ford Invests $1.3 Billion in Kentucky Truck Plant

In preparation for the 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty, Ford will invest $1.3 billion in its Kentucky Truck Plant. That money will help fund an all-new body shop, retooling of the production lines, and other shop upgrades. With the launch of the 2017 F-Series Super Duty, Ford will create 2,000 new jobs.

This investment comes after an $80 million investment in 2014 to meet the growing demand for the Super Duty, as well as a $129 million investment to help with Lincoln MKC production at the Louisville Assembly Plant. The Kentucky Truck Plant was opened in 1969, and employs nearly 4,400 workers.

“With the introduction of the all-new Ford Super Duty, America’s best-selling heavy-duty pickup, we expect to continue growing our truck leadership,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford President of the Americas, in a release. “Through this investment, we are continuing to show our commitment to Kentucky and the city of Louisville, as well as bringing customers industry-leading trucks to help them take care of business and earn a living.”

The 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty will feature an aluminum body with a new high-strength steel frame, will be powered by a range of diesel and gas engines, and will be offered in five models, including the XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum. The new model will go on sale late 2016.

Source: Ford

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Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: November 2015

At first blush, November's sales totals may not look too rosy. With the top seven automakers reporting numbers, sales increased just 1.8 percent over November 2014. But November 2014 was a tough act to follow: The industry landed its second best sales month of 2014 in annualized terms, according to Autodata Corp.

Related: Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: October 2015

So it goes with November 2015, where shoppers could drive auto sales toward their best November since 2001, according to The Wall Street Journal. Among non-luxury cars, subcompact and compact SUVs had solid gains as midsize and large crossover sales stayed closer to flat. Subcompact, compact and midsize cars (not SUVs) continued to get shoppers' cold shoulder; the midsizers declined 8 percent.

November's top 10 best-selling cars reshuffled a bit. SUV shoppers drove the Toyota RAV4 up 29.7 percent, making the popular nameplate America's best-selling SUV for the first time since August 2014. That's versus an also-strong November 2014, and there's no clear incentives trail to point at, given Toyota's factory rebates stayed in the same ballpark versus year-ago levels. The automaker, however, gave the RAV4 a modest refresh for 2016, plus there's a new hybrid version. Both are on sale now, and November had at least a modest dealer supply: As of today, the 2016s account for about a third of the new RAV4 inventory on Cars.com.

Next on the list is the Honda CR-V, which has been the top-selling SUV every month since the RAV4 last bested it. Sales fell 19.9 percent — the second straight monthly decline for CR-V sales — but a lot of that's because November 2014 saw CR-V sales spike 37.7 percent.

Here are November's top 10 best-selling cars:

Cars.com chart by Paul Dolan

Full-size pickup trucks, the Detroit Three's backbone, had November increases for all three of the list's top sellers — the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram pickup. That's despite lower inventory on the Silverado, according to Automotive News.

It remains to be seen how much of the increase came because truck shoppers saw good deals. Through October, year-over-year incentives on the F-Series spiked for three months in a row, according to Autodata, and they're up five of the past six months on the Silverado and nine of the past 10 months on the Ram. Ford and GM both claimed overall incentives declines in November, but Autodata won't report November incentives on specific models until the day's end; the listed cash rebates on all three trucks had too big a span to get a sense of overall direction.

Among major brands, Volkswagen was November's proverbial turkey, with sales down 24.7 percent amid an ongoing diesel crisis that's compelled the automaker to stop the sales of its TDI diesel models.

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Recall Alert: 2016 Maserati GranTurismo

Vehicles Affected: Approximately 150 model-year 2016 Maserati GranTurismo coupe and convertible sports cars manufactured between June 24 and Sept. 2, 2015

The Problem: The passenger-side door latch components were not heat treated during manufacturing; as a result, the door latch may fail in a crash, allowing the door to open and increasing the risk of an injury.

The Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger-side door latch assembly for free.

What Owners Should Do: Maserati began notifying owners in November. Owners can call the automaker at 201-816-2600, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to www.safercar.gov, for more info.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.

More Recalls

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Mitsubishi CEO: Company Has “Changed Direction,” Will Focus on Crossovers

Mitsubishi’s evolution in the U.S. will be dominated by crossovers and electric powertrains. Mitsubishi has hinted at this new direction in recent months and CEO Osamu Masuko recently shared his company’s short-term goals in an interview with Automotive News.

Arriving toward the end of 2017 is a new crossover that will slot in a relatively tight space between the compact Outlander Sport and the midsize Outlander. Mitsubishi says this new crossover will have coupe-like styling and will be powered by either a conventional gas-powered engine or a plug-in hybrid system. The Mitsubishi eX concept that debuted at the 2015 Tokyo auto show is likely a strong hint of what to expect for the new crossover.

Next up is a redesigned Outlander expected to launch shortly after the all-new crossover model. Mitsubishi has delayed the U.S. launch of its Outlander plug-in hybrid, but Masuko says that model will finally arrive sometime next year, along with the sedan version of the subcompact Mirage.

Further down the line is the next-generation Outlander Sport, slated to arrive in the U.S. by 2019. That model will be offered with an optional all-electric powertrain, which will effectively replace the soon-to-be-discontinued i-MiEV as Mitsubishi’s EV model.

A previous report suggested Mitsubishi was actively searching for a partner to develop the next-generation Lancer. Masuko, however, says his company has failed to secure a partnership which means his company is unable keep the compact sedan alive beyond the current-generation model. The Lancer Evolution, of course, faces a similar fate.

“We are strong in SUVs and four-wheel drives. And that is what we would like to focus on as core models in the U.S. market. We have changed direction,” Masuko told AN. “We are going to allocate more resources to the areas where we are strong in the U.S.”

Like other carmakers, crossovers and SUVs dominate Mitsu’s sales volume and has contributed to the automaker’s slow recovery in the U.S. But despite Mitsubishi’s focus on SUVs, Masuko says it has no plans to develop a next-generation Pajero, a full-sized SUV that was rumored to return to the U.S. (where it was previously sold as the Montero).

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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Spied! Production Chevrolet Bolt Caught Completely Undisguised

The concept for Chevrolet’s dedicated electric vehicle surprised show-goers last year in Detroit, and just under a year later we get to see the production version. Spy photographers just caught the Chevy Bolt in the nude at a photo shoot outside Palm Springs, Calif.

The overall shape and size are similar to the concept, but many exterior details more closely resemble the 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The headlights and grille, for example, are similar to those on the Bolt’s electrified stablemate, with which it shares a platform. The rear end ditches the unique wrap-around rear glass in favor of a C-pillar that employs the “floating roof” design element also seen on the BMW i3 and many Nissan models. The taillights are still arranged horizontally, but the design has changed since the concept.

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt is expected to achieve an all-electric range of up to 200 miles thanks to battery packs sourced from LG Chem. The Bolt will carry a price tag of around $30,000 after government incentives when it arrives in mid-2016. We last heard that the Bolt would debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January before entering production at the Orion assembly plant in Michigan.

What do you think of the production Bolt’s design compared to the concept?

Photo Source: Brian Williams

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2017 Porsche 911 Turbo, Turbo S Pack Even More Power

While all versions of the Porsche 911 will henceforth have turbochargers, the Turbo and Turbo S models still stay at the top of the model hierarchy. And to keep those models in their rightful place, the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S receive even more horsepower just in time for their public debut at the 2016 Detroit auto show in January.

In the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six, output rises from 520 hp to 540 hp, thanks to redesigned intake ports, new fuel injectors, and higher fuel pressure. In the Turbo S, output also climbs 20 hp to 580 hp, and the engine’s redline rises from 7,000 to 7,200 rpm. Peak torque during overboost climbs to 553 lb-ft. Both engines also have a new “dynamic boost function” to reduce turbo boost losses during upshifts. The engine computer keeps the throttle open and instead cuts fuel injection during shifts, which Porsche claims makes the engine respond to throttle inputs “with practically no delay.”

With the extra oomph, the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S hit the 60-mph benchmarks in even less time than before. The Turbo S coupe does the deed in 2.8 seconds, 0.1 second quicker than before, and the car’s top speed rises from 198 to 205 mph. The standard 911 Turbo coupe takes 2.9 seconds to reach 60 mph and tops out at 198 mph. Despite this extra performance, Porsche says fuel economy will improve thanks to revisions to the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission.

 

New look, new features
Like the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S, the Turbo and Turbo S receive a very mild visual refresh consisting of a new front bumper, restyled headlights, new 20-inch wheels, a new rear bumper, reshaped taillights, and new exhausts.

New features on the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S include a Sport Mode for the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) electronics, which is said to have a higher threshold for enthusiastic driving before the stability control intervenes. A new Sport Response button, part of the Sport Chrono package, adjusts the engine configuration “for the best possible responsiveness” by putting it into an overboost mode for 20 seconds.

On all 911 Turbo models, LED headlights, parking sensors, a backup camera, and the Sport Chrono package become standard. The Turbo S adds features like 18-way power seats, a two-tone leather interior, and extra carbon fiber interior trim. Porsche’s active anti-roll system and carbon-ceramic brakes are also standard on the Turbo S.

As ever, the Turbo models will remain among the most expensive in the Porsche lineup. The 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo coupe will set buyers back $160,195 and the Turbo Cabriolet is $172,495. Moving up to the Turbo S costs $189,095 for a coupe or $201,395 for the Cabriolet. All prices include a $995 destination charge.

Source: Porsche

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2015 Infiniti QX80: Car Seat Check