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Auto Industry News

Ford to Unleash New Police Interceptor

There is no question that the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor occupies a unique niche in the automotive market. Although the vehicle’s platform, which dates back almost 30 years, has been deemed too archaic to remain a part of Ford’s consumer lineup, it still represents a strong income stream in the form of fleet sales – particularly to police departments. It turns out that the Ford Crown Victoria’s ancient body-on-frame design gives law enforcement the reliability and ease of repair they need from a vehicle that sees significant miles and abuse over the course of its service life.

All good things must come to an end, however, and every indication was given that when the Ford Crown Victoria rode off into the sunset in the near future, the company would no longer be in the position to accommodate police fleets. It was only after the announcement that General Motors, sensing an opportunity to leap back into a more significant law enforcement role, would release a fleet-only edition of its overseas market Chevrolet Caprice that decision-makers at Ford admitted that it too would produce a specialty police vehicle to replace its venerable warrior.

Slated for sale in 2011, details on the new Ford Police Interceptor are still vague, but it will follow a rear-wheel drive, V8 design along with many optional police upgrades including bullet-resistant door panels, heavy duty accessories and a fire suppression system. The company plans on the new Ford Police Interceptor helping it to maintain the nearly 75 percent market share it currently enjoys in terms of sales to police departments.

Jeep, Mitsubishi Issue Recalls

It seems that hardly a week has gone by this fall season without yet another sweeping recall being ordered by a beleaguered car company responding to a serious safety issue. Perhaps the only solace that automobile owners can take is that the blame has been spread around to so many different brands, making it hard for anyone to escape a dealership visit.

The latest vehicles to be affected by the recall bonanza include those manufactured by Jeep and Mitsubishi. Specifically, 161,000 Jeep Wranglers fitted with automatic transmissions are missing a system designed to monitor the temperature of transmission fluid, which could theoretically become hot enough to boil and eventually start a fire. Jeep’s solution is to have those vehicles fitted with a warning chime and gauge that indicates overheated fluid, giving Wrangler owners the chance to park and wait things out. The recall is targeted at vehicles built in the 2007-2008 model years.

Mitsubishi’s recall is slightly less dramatic, but could have equally hazardous effects on the health of drivers. 29,353 Mitsubishi Lancer and Lancer Evolutions built in 2008 and 2009 may have issues related to the corrosion of their front-impact sensors. The problem is restricted to vehicles which have been sold or are registered in the so-called “rust belt,” that unfortunate grouping of states which deal with serious winter conditions involving the use of road salt. The sensors are sensitive to becoming coated with salt and water and then corroding to the point where they are no longer capable of properly deploying airbags in time. Mitsubishi is installing upgraded impact sensors on all affected vehicles.

General Motors to Start Paying Back Government Loans

In an announcement sure to warm the hearts of taxpayers, General Motors softened the blow related to news that the company had lost $1.15 billion in the third quarter of 2009 by simultaneously stating that it will start the repayment process associated with the government bailout it received earlier in the year. Total federal investment in GM has reach $50 billion, with the loans themselves representing $6.7 billion of that total.

While the company’s reported losses might seem staggering, they are composed largely of payments related to restructuring costs and the cost Delphi’s bankruptcy. The bright side of the equation is an almost $5 billion revenue increase compared to the second quarter of 2009, along with a surge in global sales numbers. GM’s decision to begin making loan payments now is well ahead of the scheduled due date in 2015.

Nissan Doubles Warranty Coverage on Expensive-to-Repair CVTs

Continuously-variable automatic transmissions (CVTs) are an order of magnitude more expensive to repair than their traditional automatic cousins. This is due to the fact that the mechanical innards of these devices must replicate a theoretically infinite number of gear ratios, versus the simple four to seven found in most other autos.

Nissan is a brand which has been pushing the use of CVTs quite hard across almost its entire product lineup, and as a result it has recently made a fairly bold move to extend the warranties on all of its CVTs from five years / 60,000 miles to ten years / 120,000 miles. Not only that, but the company will actually reimburse any current Nissan owner for their documented repair expenses related to any CVT work performed out of warranty and prior to the extension. This act of good will should not only generate positive vibes for Nissan amongst its existing customer base, but it will most likely also encourage more than a few potential buyers to take a chance on a continuously-variable transmission in a future Nissan purchase.

HUMMER to Launch H4, H5 Models

Hummer’s sales are currently experiencing the full extent of the anti-SUV backlash, with 64 percent fewer vehicles sold thus far in 2009 compared to 2008. That hasn’t discouraged the off-road brand’s new ownership group, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd. from forging ahead with plans to flesh out the current Hummer lineup with some fresh blood. The company hopes to more than triple sales in 2010 with the addition of a more compact, two-door H4 model intended to appeal to lone wolf outdoor adventure types currently served by the Jeep Wrangler, and another smaller model dubbed the H5, which would be positioned as the company’s fuel saver.

With Ford set to introduce its 2011 Fiesta in North America next summer, Mazda didn’t want to miss the opportunity to release its own subcompact car that shares its underpinnings with the Ford hatchback. Taking advantage of the “green” publicity given to the Los Angeles International Auto Show, Mazda plans to take the wraps off its 2011 Mazda MAZDA2 early next month. Like the Ford Fiesta, the Mazda MAZDA2 has been a big hit in automotive markets around the world, but Mazda announced that the North American-bound production model of the MAZDA2 would be unveiled on December 2 with sales commencing late next year.

Although Mazda has yet to release the full details or any images for the North American MAZDA2 (the overseas version is pictured below), it did show off a single teaser picture showing a close up of the rear driver’s three-quarter view. From this shot we can’t really tell too much about the car other than it will have different taillights as is usually the case with the Europe to North America translation. As for the rest of the car, we expect similar changes to take place as we saw on the Ford Fiesta that include mostly regulatory changes to the front and rear fascias, the hood and side mirrors. While a five-door hatchback is teased in the picture, expect a MAZDA2 sedan and three-door hatchback to join the lineup following the car’s initial introduction.

“Mazda's lineup now spans the most significant product segments in the industry, and is the strongest, best-designed, best-built we have ever offered,” Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda’s North American Operations, said. “MAZDA2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value.”

He went on to add that the MAZDA2 will complete the “bookends” of Mazda’s North American lineup in reference to the car’s small stature in comparison to the seven-passenger Mazda CX-9 crossover.

There have been numerous rumors in regards to what the MAZDA2 will use under the hood, but it is likely that it will use the same 1.6-liter inline-4 as the 2011 Fiesta along with the option of Ford’s dual-clutch Powershift six-speed automatic transmission. With the North American market shifting toward smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the 2011 Mazda would likely get fuel economy estimates of around 30 miles per gallon in the city and at least 40 mpg on the highway. Further fuel economy improvements will be possible thanks to the engine’s twin independent variable cam timing (Ti-VCT).

Besides the Fiesta, the Mazda MAZDA2 will compete against subcompact cars such as the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Chevrolet Aveo5. The addition of the 2011 Mazda MAZDA2 will give the Japanese automaker a total of 8 models, and it will likely build on the success of recent model introductions including the Mazda CX-9 crossover, Mazda MAZDA6 sedan and Mazda MAZDA3 hatchback.

Select photos via Mazda