Car Blog

Just 18 months following the start of production as the standard engine for the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the one millionth Pentastar V-6 engine was assembled at the Chrysler Group’s Trenton (Mich.) Engine Assembly Plant.

“The Pentastar engine is a cornerstone of Chrysler Group’s effort to reinvent its business model with world class quality products. This award-winning engine is proof that the Company is transforming its products to meet the needs of our customers,” said Brian Harlow, Vice President, Head of Powertrain Manufacturing, Chrysler Group LLC. “To build one million of anything, and in an impressively short amount of time, is a significant achievement. But to do it with such a high degree of quality is a testament to our skilled and dedicated workforce at both Trenton South and Saltillo engine plants.”

The 60-degree, V-6 engine, the most advanced six-cylinder ever produced by Chrysler, is now available in 11 vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineup and available in front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive configurations. Depending on the vehicle, engines are tuned for specific applications with horsepower ranging from 283 on front-wheel-drive models and up to 305 horsepower on the sporty Dodge Challenger. The all-aluminum engine is standard or available on the Chrysler, 200, 300 and Town and Country; Dodge Avenger, Challenger, Charger, Durango, Journey and Caravan. Read the rest of this entry »

Drivers of the all-new Ford Escape may be surprised to find out there is a plant inside the door.

As part of its overall effort to make vehicles more sustainable, Ford is making the material inside the door – known as the bolster – in part from kenaf.

Kenaf is a tropical plant that looks similar to bamboo and is related to cotton. The plant replaces oil-based materials inside the doors of the all-new Ford Escape.

The use of kenaf is anticipated to offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resin per year in North America; use of this eco-friendly material reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent. Weight savings translate into fuel savings for drivers.

“Kenaf and the other renewable materials in the Escape have made the vehicle more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient,” said Laura Sinclair, materials engineer for Escape. Read the rest of this entry »

Carfax and Cars.com announced the integration of Carfax Vehicle History Reports into the Cars.com mobile app. Anyone searching for used cars using the Android or iPhone Cars.com app now gets free Carfax Vehicle History Reports from subscribing dealers. This valuable information helps smartphone shoppers pinpoint vehicles that fit their needs and make faster buying decisions.

“More than 80 percent of mobile car shoppers carry a smart phone, and that number is growing every year,” said Sharon Knitter, Cars.com Senior Director Mobile and New Car Strategies.  “Adding more functionality and value to our mobile apps is one more way to help car shoppers be more confident car buyers.”

Cars.com app users will find a ‘Free Carfax Report’ link on the vehicle details page for cars listed by Carfax-subscribing dealers. With a single screen tap, vital information such as ownership history, mileage readings, service details and more is instantly viewable.

“Getting a Carfax Report is a crucial step in the used car buying process,” said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “Carfax and Cars.com are meeting the demands of car buyers who prefer to shop using the Cars.com mobile app and need Carfax information right here, right now.”

Cars.com is one of the leaders in providing online shoppers with access to Carfax information for vehicle listings. Last year, Cars.com included access to Carfax Reports from its mobile website. Cars.com has automatically linked Carfax Reports purchased by dealers to its main website listings since 2005.

Beat the Traffic will exhibit the latest version of its highly acclaimed Beat the Traffic app for the iPhone at the Macworld | iWorld 2012 Conference & Expo being held January 26-28 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Featuring a new design and new tools for helping motorists reach their destinations quickly and safely, Beat the Traffic 2.0 will join other new iPhone, iPad and iPod innovations on display at the Mobile Apps Showcase.

Since launching in 2009, Beat the Traffic for mobile has become one of the most popular apps in history with over 1.8 million downloads. It is consistently among the top 10 traffic apps in the iPhone App Store and steadily averages 4.5 stars in user reviews. In addition to positive reviews on NBC’s Today Show and in The Wall Street Journal Online, Fox News Tapped-In, O’Reilly’s “Best iPad Apps,” Lifehacker and others, Beat the Traffic has also garnered multiple nominations as the best mobile traffic tool on the market.

“Macworld is always a fun and exciting event – but this year, it’s a special opportunity for us to thank our fans face-to-face for their amazing support,” said Andre Gueziec, CEO of Beat the Traffic. “Our development team is looking forward to meeting current and new Beat the Traffic users, answering all their questions and letting them ‘test drive’ our most powerful Beat the Traffic app yet.” Read the rest of this entry »

PickupTrucks.com, the authority for new and used pickup truck buyers, announced the Toyota Tacoma as the winner of its 2012 Midsize Shootout. Toyota’s Tacoma won the first-place prize in the competition between seven popular midsize trucks.

“Of all the small trucks we tested, the Tacoma was the clear winner in this Shootout,” said Mark Williams, PickupTrucks.com editor. “A strong bang-for-your buck value, combined with refinements to the ride quality and interior cabin helped the Tacoma trump the other competitors by a pretty good margin. The Toyota Tacoma just continues to get better and better.”

Experts from PickupTrucks.com and USA TODAY put these midsize trucks through 10 tests that included a four-wheel drive capability challenge to gauge vehicle suspension and off-road driving confidence; acceleration and braking at maximum cargo capacity to determine each truck’s cargo-carrying abilities; and an extremely diverse 203-mile drive to analyze fuel economy and on-road driving comfort. Maximum load capacity, horsepower and overall value were also calculated and scored. Read the rest of this entry »

AAA Auto Buying Tools app provides valuable market price information giving consumers buying confidence

Buying a new car is certainly stressful, but being armed with AAA’s new Auto Buying Tools app can make the process a lot easier.  Available on the Apple iPhone, AAA’s new Auto Buying Tools app gives consumers the ability to modify car details in real-time and refresh pricing data on the show room floor.

“This tool will give consumers the confidence and information they need to make an educated decision when buying a car,” says Marshall L. Doney, AAA National Vice President, Automotive, Financial Services and e-Business. “AAA wants to insure its members are prepared and knowledgeable about available member benefits when making such an important decision.”

With AAA’s Auto Buying Tools app, prospective buyers can build the car they want, including options and available incentives, while viewing market pricing, crash safety ratings, AAA reviews, images and much more.

Key features of the AAA Auto Buying Tools App:

• Search new cars by make/model, style and list price (MSRP)
• Build your ideal car, down to color and trim
• Features, specs, and crash safety ratings
• AAA vehicle reviews and car buying services*
• VIN number entry for quick, exact specifications
• Save searches and cars to favorites
• Share car details on Facebook, Twitter or email
• Compare two customized vehicles

* AAA Member Pricing and Reviews not available for some models or in certain areas.

AAA’s Auto Buying Tools app is the fifth from AAA and is available for free from the iTunes App Store.  Please visit AAA.com/mobile for further details.  The other AAA apps include:

• AAA Insurance app provides AAA’s recommended steps on what to do immediately after a traffic collision and helps you gather important information about the crash needed to submit an insurance claim.
• AAA TripTik Mobile is a GPS-based app with maps showing gas station locations and pricing along with points of interest, such as AAA-rated hotels, restaurants and attractions, near a user’s location or any user-specified location.
• AAA Discounts app, with more than a million downloads, also uses GPS technology to display nearby AAA Show Your Card & Save locations.
• AAA Roadside enables AAA members who require emergency road service to send their vehicle description, location and breakdown details directly to AAA.

Devices such as smartphones with mobile applications are valuable tools before a vehicle is in motion; however, they greatly increase motorist distractions when used while driving.  Distracted driving can have deadly consequences.  AAA urges motorists to minimize distractions behind the wheel by not using wireless devices, such as cell phones with mobile applications, while driving.