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Official: Mazda reports strong Skyactiv sales, plans to boost output 25%

Filed under: Budget, China, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Mazda

Skyactiv Technology logo

Mazda is set to expand production of its Skyactiv engines after critical and commercial acclaim for the fuel-sipping powerplants. The Japanese manufacturer has a number of plans in the works to bump up production, with the first being a 25-percent increase in output from its Hiroshima, Japan engine facility.

Besides adding a new line, Mazda will modify the line that built MZR engines, a family of mills that includes the 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder found in the Mazdaspeed3 and the 2.0-liter found in the MX-5 Miata. The bump in production is just part of Mazda’s goal of selling 1.7 million vehicles globally by 2016, with 80 percent of those vehicles expected to wear a Skyactiv badge.

Mazda also builds Skyactiv engines at a joint-venture facility with Ford, in Changan, China, while a Mexican facility will go online by March of 2014. Skyactiv engines currently power the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-5.

Continue reading Mazda reports strong Skyactiv sales, plans to boost output 25%

Mazda reports strong Skyactiv sales, plans to boost output 25% originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Opel reveals updated Insignia OPC sans power boost

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Performance, Wagon, Europe

2014 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer

We’ve got good news, friends, and we’ve got bad news. The good news is that Opel has revealed the new Insignia OPC that we spied recently on the street. The bad news is that it does not have the hike in power we were hoping for.

The new Insignia OPC, pictured here in Sports Tourer form, is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks. Sitting atop the Opel Performance Center lineup, it’s got the same 325-horsepower 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6 and Haldex all-wheel-drive system as the model it replaces, but benefits from some minor enhancements. Those include subtly refreshed fascias front and rear, a reworked rear axle, revised software for the ESP and variable damper systems and a recalibrated suspension.

Equipped with a six-speed manual (there’s an automatic available as well), the Insignia OPC sedan will hit 62 mph in six seconds flat, or 6.3 for the wagon. Top speed is restricted to 155 mph, but without the limiter (as Opel previously offered), it’s said to hit 168 flat out. Which is still pretty impressive, even without the anticipated 400hp upgrade.

But that only brings us to the unfortunate reality that the Insignia OPC isn’t available Stateside, because with 259 horsepower from a turbo four, the Buick Regal GS just doesn’t feel the same.

Continue reading Opel reveals updated Insignia OPC sans power boost

Opel reveals updated Insignia OPC sans power boost originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM investing $109M in MI to boost 1.4L Ecotec production

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Earnings/Financials

General Motors has announced that it is investing $109 million to support production of its 1.4-liter Ecotec engine in Michigan. This will create (or protect) 96 jobs at The General’s manufacturing facilities in the cities of Flint and Bay City.

In Flint, $84 million will be used to increase production capacity of the engine, while in Bay City, the remaining $25 million will go towards increasing production of the connecting rods and camshafts used in the 1.4-liter mill.

Currently, GM uses the 1.4-liter engine in both the Cruze and Volt, the former of which adds a turbocharger. Later this year, the 1.4 will find its way under the hood of the new ~~Aveo~~ Sonic subcompact. Follow the jump for GM’s official release.

Continue reading GM investing $109M in MI to boost 1.4L Ecotec production

GM investing $109M in MI to boost 1.4L Ecotec production originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler looking to boost Japanese sales by 21% with launch of new Grand Cherokee

Filed under: Japan, Crossover, Chrysler, Jeep

Jeep Grand Cherokee

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is selling like hotcakes here in the States, with sales of the new crossover up 130 percent in January. Chrysler hopes the Grand Cherokee will find similar success overseas, with Automotive News reporting that the automaker is hoping the new Jeep will help boost sales by 21 percent in Japan.

By the numbers, this means that Chrysler is counting on the Grand Cherokee to bump sales up from 2,350 units in 2010 to something closer to 3,000 in 2011, with the Jeep accounting for anywhere between 500 and 1,000 of those transactions. That’s only a few days worth of sales here in the United States, but considering the fact that Jeep sold only 88 units in all of 2009 in Japan, being able to move 1,000 units is indeed a big step forward.

We can see how Japanese car buyers would be interested in the Grand Cherokee, but the attractive and capable ‘ute isn’t the most popular vehicle in Japan. That honor goes to the Jeep Patriot, with 760 sales in 2010.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Chrysler looking to boost Japanese sales by 21% with launch of new Grand Cherokee originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche rolls out new Panamera personalization program, includes 40-hp boost for Turbo

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Porsche

Porsche Panamera Personalization Program – Click above for high-res image gallery

Anyone familiar with Porsche’s options catalog knows that a nearly endless list of custom extras are available for the automaker’s entire model range. However, Porsche is now offering something extra special for customers of its new four-door sedan. Dubbed the Porsche Panamera personalization program – try saying that three times fast – the PPPP incorporates styling and performance tweaks, depending on your taste (and budget).

The top-rung Panamera Turbo can now be had with a Powerkit package that uses two new turbochargers and revised engine mapping to offer 40 more horsepower and 37 more pound-feet of torque over the standard Turbo, totaling 540 and 553, respectively. What’s more, the Powerkit treatment includes Porsche’s Sport Chrono Turbo Package, and if the car is driven in Sport Plus mode, torque output is further increased to 590 lb-ft. That’s a whole lot of twist. This Holy Grail of Panameras will sprint to 62 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 190 mph, yet it still manages to keep the Turbo’s EPA-rated city/highway fuel economy of 15/23 miles per gallon.

Available on the full Panamera range, however, is the Porsche’s new Sport Design Package which includes a unique front fascia with wider air intakes, a new rear underbody apron incorporating a new diffuser and fins, different side skirts and 20-inch Panamera Sport wheels available in a range of colors. It certainly does a lot to beef up the sedan’s appearance, and we’re quite fond of the overall treatment.

In true Porsche fashion, these upgrades do come at quite a cost. The Panamera Turbo Powerkit retails for $21,730 (or, you know, the cost of a well-equipped Mazda3), and the Sport Design collection will set you back an additional $4,590. It’s a pretty penny to pay for some added exclusivity, but for people in the Porsche-buying tax bracket, it’s probably more affordable than you think. Hit the jump for the full details in Porsche’s release and check out the highlights in our high-res gallery below.

Gallery: Porsche Panamera Personalization Program

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche rolls out new Panamera personalization program, includes 40-hp boost for Turbo

Porsche rolls out new Panamera personalization program, includes 40-hp boost for Turbo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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