Issue April 2014 - MotorTrend (2024)

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Motor Trend is the world's automotive authority. Every issue of Motor Trend informs and entertains with features on the testing of both domestic and import cars, car care, motor sports coverage, sneak peeks at future vehicles, and auto-industry news.

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DEPARTMENTSF-150 Can’t Be a LightweightFord’s F-Series numbers are staggering: 37 years as America’s best-selling truck, 32 years as the country’s best-selling vehicle, and 33 million F-Series trucks sold since its introduction in 1948.So, too, was the long-anticipated announcement at the 2014 North American International Auto Show that Ford will be swapping steel for aluminum in the body and bed (but not frame) of its best-seller. This switch is said to account for a weight savings of between 500 to 700 pounds per truck. (See our First Look, page 50.)Ford sold 763,402 F-Series trucks in 2013, or, as its reps were fond of telling anyone at Cobo Hall who would listen, one truck every 41 seconds. Assuming Ford sells another 750,000 Fs, two-thirds of which are the new, lighter, aluminum F-150, and you’re talking about…3 min

DEPARTMENTSFASTER puss*CATPer the guys at Jaguar, the new F-Type R Coupe is “the fastest, sportiest Jaguar road car in history,” besting even the iconic XJ220 supercar. Turns out, they’re not kidding.The R is the top cat in an F-Type Coupe lineup that will hit the United States later this year, joining the F-Type Convertible models that helped make Jaguar the fastest-growing premium brand in the country in 2013. Like the Convertible, the F-Type Coupe will be available with three powertrain options: two V-6s and a V-8. The V-6s are identical to those in the Convertibles, delivering 340 hp in the base car and 380 in the S Coupe, enough to push each to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and 4.8 seconds, respectively.With the F-Type R Coupe, Jaguar is back in a…3 min

DEPARTMENTSFiat, VEBA Agree to $4.35 Billion Deal for Control of ChryslerFiat has full control of Chrysler following an agreement to purchase the remaining 41.5-percent stake from VEBA, the retiree healthcare trust affiliated with the United Auto Workers. With this $4.35 billion deal, spearheaded by Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne, Fiat will pay the VEBA trust $1.75 billion and Chrysler will contribute $1.9 billion up front, plus an additional $700 million paid in four annual installments.The price of Fiat stock increased by as much as 16 percent following news of the agreement. And with Fiat in full control, Marchionne can move forward with his plan to bolster Fiat’s struggling European arm, encourage more collaborative efforts between the Italian and American nameplates, and increase his company’s global market share.Following the deal, Marchionne told media at the North American International Auto Show that the…2 min

DEPARTMENTSHolden Manufacturing Ends in 2017It’s official: Holden will no longer be manufacturing its own cars. GM announced Holden will discontinue vehicle and engine manufacturing, as well as reduce its engineering operations, by 2017.Holden will transition from a full-fledged automaker to a national sales company, similar to the way Vauxhall functions in the United Kingdom. GM will continue to sell Holdenbadged versions of GM products, but Australian-developed models such as the Caprice, the Commodore, and the Ute will be no longer.The decision was based on economics, says outgoing GM chief Dan Akerson.According to GM, manufacturing things in Australia is 65 percent more expensive than compared with just a decade ago. Since 2001, the Australian dollar has risen from $0.50 to as high as $1.10 U.S.GM says it’ll still maintain a major presence in the Australian…1 min

DEPARTMENTSChevrolet To Exit Europe in 2016, but Corvette Will StayGeneral Motors has announced that the Chevrolet brand will no longer exist in Europe beginning in 2016, leaving Opel and Vauxhall as the company’s mainstream offerings in the region. The existence of both Opel and Chevrolet in Europe has long been a difficult and complex situation for GM that was further exacerbated by the region’s ongoing economic woes. GM hopes the move will strengthen its strategy and bottom line in Europe.However, GM said its European portfolio will still include “select iconic vehicles” from Chevrolet, namely the Corvette. GM also said Cadillac will expand, serving as the company’s premium offering for the region. The automaker said it will maintain Chevrolet’s “broad presence” in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.Opel has been losing money for the past 13 years, but maintains…2 min

DEPARTMENTSVW, Hyundai U.S. CEOs Step Down UnexpectedlyWhile the retirement of GM’s CEO, Dan Akerson, and the transition to Mary Barra was long expected, no one saw two other CEO shakeups coming.Volkswagen of America president and CEO Jonathan Browning is leaving for personal reasons, and will be replaced by Michael Horn. Browning, named CEO in 2010, was key in VW’s effort to boost VW sales past 800,000 units by 2018. He oversaw the launch of the 2011 Volkswagen Passat among other vehicles, and played a key role in the development of a Passatbased crossover that’s finally been approved for production.Horn, former head of VW global after sales, joined the German automotive giant in 1990, where he worked on VW Group and brand strategy. In 1997 he was promoted to head of sales for North West Europe, and…2 min

Issue April 2014 - MotorTrend (2024)

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