Showing posts with label Automakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Automakers. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 January 2021

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?





Durant wanted to establish a dominant player in an early auto industry where many automakers were here today and gone tomorrow. One hundred years later, GM was selling vehicles from eight different brands in the U.S. After axing Pontiac, Hummer, Oldsmobile and Saab during the recession, however, only Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC remain. Showing just how much was going on in the auto industry at the end of the last millennium, 1998 was the year that the Hyundai Motor Company took over Kia Motors, outbidding rivals like Ford. More recently, Hyundai also jumped into the premium end of the new-vehicle market by launching its third brand, Genesis. Born from a 1926 merger between the German companies of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, this company was first incorporated as Daimler-Benz. But if Karl鈥檚 name isn鈥檛 on the current corporate letterhead, it is on the automaker鈥檚 most famous brand: Mercedes-Benz. She was Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of an early Daimler enthusiast, amateur racer and entrepreneur. Perhaps surprisingly, Daimler is the company behind the Smart brand.





Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast. The U.K. is looking at the tools it can use to support carmakers in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi said. The government is in talks with companies including PSA Group, Toyota Corp., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc to establish where the "pinch points" and "pain" would be if the U.K. European Union without an agreement, Zahawi said. Zahawi said in an interview, when asked whether loan guarantees were possible. PSA Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares said in July that all production will be pulled from its Ellesmere Port plant if Brexit makes it impossible to turn a profit at the 1,000-worker Vauxhall-brand facility. Nissan has suggested it may move some production out of the U.K. EU without a deal. 鈥淎ny decision is not straightforward.





The optional turbodiesel also displaces 2.0-liters, touting 180 horsepower and an impressive 317 lb-ft of torque as well as a 30-mpg highway estimate. Last is a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 good for 380 horsepower. While this engine may seem the ultimate performance option, it鈥檚 not as smooth or quiet as the 2.0-liter turbo, nor is its fuel economy all that impressive. Regardless of engine choice you鈥檒l get an excellent 8-speed automatic transmission teamed to Land Rover鈥檚 legendary all-wheel-drive system. The Velar is tow-rated at 5,500 pounds. How Much Does the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover Velar Cost? 75,000 for the R-Dynamic HSE. In between are the S and R-Dynamic SE. As the Velar is still new to the market, Fair Purchase Prices are only slightly below the MSRP. 200,000 if you so desire. 70,000. As of now, resale values for the Velar remain on par with the Mercedes-Benz GLC, above the Jaguar F-Pace but still well below the Lexus RX. OK, so what's next? I'm interested in the newest version of this car. What's for sale near me? I'm interested in this car, and I'd like to trade in my current car while I'm at it. Then again, maybe I should be thinking about a used car.





You could, for example, search out 鈥渋ndependent Porsche service in Des Moines, IA鈥?or 鈥渋ndependent Land Rover repair in Springfield, MA.鈥?Call the shop, talk to them, and see what they say. Once you find a person to inspect the car, it鈥檚 important to cover what will be inspected. Here are some thoughts. At a minimum, he(she) should . Evaluate the interior condition, particularly with respect to the need for and cost of leather and wood repairs. Evaluate the structural integrity of the car, including the frame and body. This requires familiarity with the use of wood in coach-built bodies, and the structural weak points of the car under consideration. Evaluate the mechanical condition of the car with respect to things that don鈥檛 work, are worn, or possibly unsafe. This requires familiarity with all the equipment on the subject car and how it should work. Knowledge of what fails and why is brand and model specific and valuable. If you're looking at a pre-1990s car, you should expect a compression test and possibly a leak down test.

Sunday, 20 December 2020

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?





The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ, for instance, are the products of corporate teamwork. Despite its name, this automaker is responsible for a lot more than just the Fiat and Chrysler brands. Looking only in the United States, the Italian branch of the family is additionally responsible for the Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, while the U.S. Dodge, Jeep and Ram. Fiat is another brand that鈥檚 partnered with Mazda, too, to develop the Fiat 124 Spider from the Mazda MX-5 Miata. Beyond its multiple global brands, the Volkswagen Group owns half a dozen car brands that operate in the United States, including three that owe their success to one of the founding families of the German auto industry. Ferdinand Porsche handled the final design for the original Volkswagen Beetle, then started the eponymous auto company, and it was his nephew who helped Audi achieve its premium status. Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini make up the rest of the Volkswagen Group鈥檚 U.S. General Motors was founded in 1908 specifically as a holding company for individual automakers. The concept was the brain-child of William C. Durant, then head of the Buick Motor Company.





Image source: Getty Images. It's easy to imagine automakers needing Aptiv's engineered and electrical components as the number of driverless vehicles increases, but there's also a growth story in safety and infotainment solutions. For example, if a fully autonomous vehicle is driving you to work, the vehicle's infotainment system and connectivity to the world around you becomes far more important. And that means more Aptiv products in vehicles. In fact, the markets for active safety, vehicle electrification, and vehicle connectivity are expected to post compound annual growth rates of 15%, 20%, and 17% through 2025, respectively. Here's what we know for sure: Driverless vehicles and electrified vehicle fleets are part of our future. We don't know what companies will come out on top and dominate the market, but Aptiv is well positioned to thrive regardless. That's why it's a stock you can buy and hold for 50 years. Jordan Wathen (Alphabet): If you're looking for a company worth buying, holding, and otherwise ignoring, Alphabet must be in the conversation.





For example, the LR2 does not include a smart keyless entry system, which is standard even in non-luxury models like the Nissan Murano, Kia Sorento and Jeep Grand Cherokee. What Features in the 2014 Land Rover LR2 Are Most Important? Every 2014 Land Rover LR2 is powered by a 240-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Full-time four-wheel drive comes standard, as does a Selectable Terrain Response off-road system. Significant standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, a two-pane panoramic moonroof, seating for five, leather upholstery, power front seats, LED taillights, Meridian stereo, xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights and 8.3 inches of ground clearance. Notable available features include 19-inch alloy wheels, a navigation system, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The LR2 includes four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, an electronic stability system with roll stability control, side curtain airbags, a driver's knee airbag and side-impact airbags for the front seats. A backup camera is optional. Should I Buy the 2014 Land Rover LR2? While more desirable than pre-2013 editions, the 2014 LR2 has not addressed its biggest shortcomings. Its efficiency, cargo space, features and interior materials all leave a lot to be desired. While it's certainly capable in off-road situations, it's outclassed in nearly every way by some of Land Rover's other offerings, particularly by the Land Rover Evoque. Cars.com's Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com's long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don't accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com's advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.





Fuel injection pump was driven off the camshaft by a skew gear which could wear, giving unstable pump timing and lots of light grey smoke on older engines (although stretched timing chain is very common and causes the same symptoms). One of these engines, if assembled properly, is still just about up to modern use: but keep below 45 mph (55 on overdrive-equipped vehicles) to be sure you don't break anything. 2625cc Petrol, inlet-over-exhaust: Borrowed from the Rover saloon range, in response to demands from mid-Sixties Land Rover users for more power and torque. The big, heavy old straight six was heavily detuned for commercial use. Acquired a reputation for overheating and cracking cylinder heads, mainly due to operator neglect. Also it was thirsty and barely more powerful than the four cylinder petrol engine, although it sounds lovely and develops usefully more torque. Parts supply these days is patchy (although the engine remained available until 1980). The Weslake-head 3 litre engine from a Rover P5 is near enough a direct swap and used to be very popular, so check those serial numbers.





After grinding the crap off I then rust treated the panel with Crust. So, after cleaning up all the parts I then had to start and re assemble Larry and weld the key parts on, I must admit the weather was not on my side. Due to work commitments I did not really start the larger welds till the week before xMas 2013 just as the high winds and storms started. I did have a portable tent type garage over Larry but this was completely destroyed, fortunately after I fitted the bonnet. So 1st thing was to cut and fit the replacement 2nd had parts. Firstly the slam panel was aligned and cut. Cutting the slam panel. Then I had to align the top of the inner wing where the wing screws on, I measured the gaps with string. Top of inner wing cut to size. Anyway, job done, I then refitted the complete panel and cut and aligned the inner wing, as follows. Inner wing new panel cut and part welded in place. The slam panel was then spot welded and primed with Zinc Rich primer, and then painted with more primer and then painted.

Thursday, 29 October 2020

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?

Which Automakers Own Which Brands?





The Ford Motor Company also had some serious expansion plans back in the day, at one point bundling five brands in its Premier Automotive Group. Included were Lincoln, along with Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, and with the Mercury division still in business at the time, the automaker was responsible for seven brands. Ford is still the best-selling auto brand in the country, though only Lincoln remains from the others. The Honda Motor Company was the very first Japanese automaker to launch a premium brand specifically for U.S. Acura division in 1986. An immediate success, Acura sold more vehicles in 1990 than BMW and Lexus combined, and in 1991, the brand offered its first supercar, the Acura NSX. Today, with an all-new NSX at dealerships, perhaps sales success will return for Acura. The just-mentioned Lexus brand opened for business in 1989 and was the Toyota Motor Company鈥檚 answer to Honda鈥檚 Acura and Nissan鈥檚 Infiniti brands. As for the relative success of that trio in 2017, it was Lexus that outsold the combined efforts of its two archrivals in the most recent month of sales results.





It provides more back-seat space than the Japanese crossovers, and its cargo space is above the mean for the class, but there's no third-row seat--that's the province of the bigger LR4. Recent updates also helped improve the LR2's fuel economy, though it's still not quite class-leading, and lags behind that of its Evoque counterpart. Despite its more traditional role in the Land Rover family, the LR2 embodies the same upscale heritage. It's not nearly as quick as the latest BMW X3 nor as efficient, and it's probably just as off-road-capable as the Benz GLK, not more so. But like those two utes and above all the other contenders, there's some real upper crust in the LR2's folded fenders and in its green-and-silver badge. The LR2 is sold in just one drivetrain configuration in the U.S. The former in-line six-cylinder was sent packing in favor of the same 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four found in the Evoque.





Itcan acquit itself in off-road travel. But who, in his or her rightmind, would attempt such a thing? It would be akin to planning anevening at a landfill in black tie or gown. I was tempted. Remodeling of the minor sort continues apace onour Northern Virginia house. Such endeavors yield lots of trash -- and much aging junk that never should have been bought in the firstplace. I was planning to load the Range Rover for several runs tothe Fairfax County Landfill in Lorton. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. The vehicle was too pretty, too precious. 30,000 less than the Range Rover Sport Supercharged.The Yukon has a maximum 109 cubic feet of cargo space. But that is exactly the point, which raises the question: How doyou make a ceremonial elephant dance? In the case of the Range RoverSport Supercharged, carrying a factory weight of 5,816 pounds, yougive it a big V-8 engine and a sophisticated suspension (four-wheelindependent, double wishbone front-rear, ride control and heightadjustable) designed to make it appear nimble. This almost works. The supercharged 5-liter, 32-valve V-8 (510horsepower, 461 foot-pounds of torque) installed in the Range RoverSport (thus the 'Supercharged' moniker for this one) is anundoubtedly robust engine. It produces such thrust you almost haveto warn passengers before tapping the accelerator. It's not nimble. It remains a truck, and trucks, by genetics anddesign, remain the elephants of the vehicle world. Real-world experience says you don't want to drive the RangeRover Sport Supercharged in congested, contentious urban traffic.It's still too big, too heavy and too clumsy to find true happinessin that sort of outing. Nor would you, or should you, attempt totake tight curves at high speeds in this one. The Sport Supercharged comes admirably equipped with compensatoryelectronics -- patented 'All-terrain Dynamic Stability Control,'cornering brake control, and emergency braking assistance. But notone of them is engineered to overcome the laws of physics.





Sociocultural factors that may influence the automotive industry may include the decreasing size of families and increasing numbers of singles, especially with the ageing and increasing population. In a time where the cost of oil is high, the demand for fuel-efficient smaller cars will increase. This is currently being seen, not only in developing countries like India and China, but also in Western countries, for example where Focus has outsold Falcon in Australia8. Other social factors may include cars that are 鈥榯rendy鈥?and the social networking technology in them that may become popular, for example, Ford鈥檚 SYNC9 technology which is a voice controlled, device integration and connectivity interface. Technological factors have become extremely important in the automotive industry as companies try to compete in alternative fuel markets such as plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles. Technology can also reduce costs of production, improve quality and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit consumers as well as the organisations providing the products. It would be extremely important for automotive companies to have a research and development technological strategy to compete in the current environment.