supply Archives | AutoDepot

Report: Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

2013 Ford Fusion

The attractive new 2013 Ford Fusion has done wonders for the brand in the highly competitive midsize sedan segment – the vehicle is up nearly 22 percent compared to last year. But that sales momentum may soon hold steady due to low inventory levels of the new Fusion across the United States.

According to a report in The Detroit News, citing automotive data and Ward’s Auto, Ford currently has a 39-day supply of the Fusion. That might sound fine, but a normally healthy average is about a 60-day supply. If Ford were to stop production on the Fusion today, there would only be enough vehicles available to get through another five weeks of sales, according to the News.

Currently, Ford produces the Fusion at its three-shift assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, and will add production at its facility in Flat Rock, MI later this year. A Ford spokesperson told The Detroit News that when Flat Rock production comes online, the automaker will need to rush new stock out to the regions with the most demand for the Fusion. Ford has doubled its coastal retail market share, with huge amounts of growth in areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, the News reports.

The Hermosillo plant is capable of producing roughly 300,000 Fusions annually, and Flat Rock should be able to make another 100,000 or so each year. This added production in Michigan – more than 8,000 units each month – would easily allow Ford to catch up to segment-leaders like the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.

Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply”

Audi still supply constrained on many models; making huge inroads into CA

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Audi, Luxury

2012 audi a6

2012 Audi A6 – Click above for high-res image gallery

When is success a bad thing? If you’re Audi, it’s when you can’t get adequate quantities of new vehicles to U.S. dealerships. Wards Automotive talked supply and demand with Audi of America president Johan de Nysschen, and it’s apparently very difficult to keep Audi dealers stocked. The Audi prez says the luxury brand is down to a 27-day supply of vehicles, adding, “We simply can’t get our inventory up to a 60-day supply.”

But while a short supply of new vehicles typically signals strong demand and minimizes incentives, Audi is faced with a custom order rate that is up to 31 percent. When you are maxed out at factories in Europe and there is that whole matter of shipping the vehicle across an ocean, an order can take months. And if customers face a long wait for what can sometimes be an emotion-driven buying decision, not everybody can be so patient, and Audi risks losing sales as a result. The waiting game hasn’t stopped Audi from turning up the heat in California, though, as the Four-Ringed Automaker’s sales have jumped from 3.5 percent to 10 percent market share.

Beyond supply issues, the German automaker is also struggling to push higher-end products, as de Nysschen says the volume products are the A4 and Q5. Only 15 percent of overall sales come from the A6, a number Audi hopes to stretch to 55 percent. The automaker is hoping the A7 helps solve that problem as well, along with a high mix of diesel-powered Q7 SUVs.

Gallery: 2012 Audi A6: Detroit 2011

2012 Audi A6

[Source: Wards Automotive]

Audi still supply constrained on many models; making huge inroads into CA originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Audi still supply constrained on many models; making huge inroads into CA”

NASCAR to get fuel injection for 2012; McLaren wins supply contract

Filed under: Motorsports, Technology, Racing

NASCAR at Daytona

If it’s good enough for Formula 1, it’s good enough for NASCAR. Heck, if it’s good enough for every single automobile sold in the United States for the past several decades, it’s good enough for NASCAR. What’s this newfangled techno-wizardry we’re talking about? Fuel injection.

For the first time since the series kicked off in 1947, the so-called stock cars that travel full-throttle around tracks all across America will abandon their carburetors in favor of an Enging Control Unit sourced from McLaren and a computer processor from Freescale. That tandem reportedly beat out eight rival bids.

According to NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, “This is a positive step that will provide greater fuel efficiency and a greener footprint while maintaining the same great competition that we have seen on the race track.”

Fuel efficiency ought to go up, as will horsepower. Interestingly, NASCAR competitors like Ford and Toyota happy about the switch. “We think it’s very important that both the cars and the technology in NASCAR are more closely related to production cars. The move to fuel injection is another important step in that process,” said Jamie Allison, Director, Ford North America Motorsports.

NASCAR expects to have its fuel injection technology all sorted in time for the 2012 season opener, the Daytona 500.

[Source: National Speed Sport News, Fox Sports | Image: Reinhold Matay/AP]

NASCAR to get fuel injection for 2012; McLaren wins supply contract originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “NASCAR to get fuel injection for 2012; McLaren wins supply contract”

Mazda to supply Nissan with its own version of Mazda5

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Mazda, Nissan

2012 Mazda5

2012 Mazda5 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Mazda has officially announced that it will supply the Mazda5 minivan to Nissan beginning in May of this year. But before you go dreaming of a Nissan micro-minivan here in the United States, know that this will be a Japan-only affair. As of this writing, mum’s the word on what the Nissan-badged Mazda will be called in the automaker’s home market. The Mazda5, or Premacy as it’s known in Japan, will “enrich [Nissan’s] minivan lineup in the Japanese market” – a place where small MPVs are sold in great volume.

This is not the only collaboration between Mazda and Nissan in Japan. Currently, Mazda provides its Bongo Van/Truck to Nissan under the name Vanette. Likewise, Nissan supplies its AD/AD Expert to Mazda, sold under the name Familia Van. Follow the jump for the official press release.

Gallery: 2012 Mazda5

2012 Mazda5

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading Mazda to supply Nissan with its own version of Mazda5

Mazda to supply Nissan with its own version of Mazda5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Mazda to supply Nissan with its own version of Mazda5”

Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series

Filed under: Motorsports, Lotus, Racing

Lotus-Cosworth/KV Racing IndyCar

Lotus Cosworth KV Racing IndyCar rendering – Click above for high-res image gallery

IndyCar is about to get a heck of a lot more interesting to both diehard open-wheel fans and casual observers alike. While the current series relies on a single chassis platform (Dallara) and engine supplier (Honda), starting in 2012 a number of engine options and aero packages will be allowed, though the same basic chassis will still be used by all teams (again from Dallara).

Just a short while after Chevrolet announced that it was going to offer a turbocharged 2.4-liter V6 engine for the 2012 season, Lotus chose to officially throw its storied British name into the racing ring with an announcement from the 2010 LA Auto Show. In addition, Lotus will offer its own customized aerodynamics package that should help set Lotus-powered teams apart from the competition.

Lotus and Chevrolet will join Honda, which announced that it will also offer an engine package for 2012 IndyCar teams, and all three teams will be relying on turbocharged V6s displacing 2.4 liters, all running on E85 as per the rule book. Check out the official announcement after the jump.

Gallery: Lotus Cosworth IndyCar

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series

Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Lotus to supply engines and body kits for 2012 IndyCar Series”

Report: Volkswagen building engine plant in Mexico to supply U.S. factory

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen

2011 Volkswagen NMS Sketch – Click above to enlarge

Reports streaming out of Mexico indicate that Volkswagen will announce a new plant about 250 miles northwest of the Mexico City in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato. If true, this facility is expected to produce engines for both VW’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, along with the already up-and-running plant in Puebla, Mexico.

Such an announcement has been expected, as executives from the German automaker have publicly stated that the company will spend $1 billion on additional production facilities in Mexico over the next three years.

The engines from this plant would be destined for North American-bound Volkswagen Jetta sedans and the upcoming New Midsize Sedan that we’ve all been waiting so patiently for over the last couple of years.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req’d]

Report: Volkswagen building engine plant in Mexico to supply U.S. factory originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Volkswagen building engine plant in Mexico to supply U.S. factory”

Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Racing

Roush Yates Engines has announced that it will be offering up a race-prepared version of Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 for American Le Mans Series prototype competition in 2011. Roush Yates is developing the engines for use under the new 2011 LMP2 rules that require production-based engines. This will be the first competition application for Ford’s twin-turbocharged and direct injected V6 that debuted in 2009.

The first chassis constructor to announce support for the Ford V6 is Lola, with installation kits available for both its open-top and closed coupe 2011 LMP2 cars. According to Roush Yates spokesperson Kenna Primm, the race engine will be reduced down to the 3.2-liter maximum allowed under ALMS rules compared to the 2.8-liter displacement of the twin-turbo V6 announced by Honda at Le Mans in June. Output will likely be somewhere around 400 horsepower.

In addition to the EcoBoost V6, Roush Yates is also evaluating a race version of the Mustang’s 5.0-liter V8 for ALMS competition.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Continue reading Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition

Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Roush Yates to supply Ford EcoBoost V6 for 2011 ALMS competition”