Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. took over Ford Motor Co. in U.S. sales in 2007, bumping the Detroit automaker to the No.3 spot.

Toyota last year sold 61,962 more cars and light trucks than Ford, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Toyota sold 2.62 million vehicles during the year while Ford sold 2.56 million.

General Motors remained No. 1 overall with 3.82 million vehicle sales with a market share of 23.7 percent.

Overall, the auto industry sold 16.15 million light vehicles in the U.S. last year, down 2.5 percent from 16.56 million in 2006.

Toyota?’s total U.S. market share now stands at 16.8 percent to Ford?’s 16.4 percent.

continue reading "Toyota overtakes Ford in U.S. sale: Chevrolet is top brand; Camry wins car title; F-series No. 1 truck"

Editor’s note: Today’s Drive has become Short Stint, but the information is still the same–a brief impression of a vehicle that’s been in our test fleet.

OUR TAKE: Enclave sales are off to a good start, which isn’t surprising considering the vehicle packages the best of an SUV and a sedan into a more practical and easier-to-drive vehicle than either an SUV or a sedan could do alone. This is the vehicle that Buick should have built instead of both the Rendezvous and Rainier. Hopefully those two misfires won’t cost them consideration when it comes to Enclave.

This test vehicle came equipped to the hilt–heated leather seats, navigation system, power liftgate, Bose audio and entertainment system, the works. During its tenure in our stead, we had occasion to use it in virtually every way possible except towing.

continue reading "2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD:"

Nissan doesn’t look like it’s ready to throw in the towel on minivans–at least not yet.

The Forum concept, which Nissan is bringing to the Detroit auto show in January, has the automaker’s design crew trying to shift the perception of people movers from the stigmatized mom-mobile to a luxurious gathering space for families on the go.

To that end, the concept’s interior is loaded with gadgetry:

– A two-seat second-row bench seat with motorized swiveling. The bench can swivel to face toward each side, or 180 degrees to face the third-row seats.

– Speakers mounted in each seatback and headrest, to keep stereo sound regardless of the seat position.

continue reading "Nissan Forum concept: It’s not a grocery getter, it’s a family lounge on wheels"

The worst U.S. sales slump in recent Ford Motor Co. history may finally be screeching to a halt.

In November, Ford’s sales–including its European luxury brands–totaled 182,096, 0.6 percent higher than last November’s sales of 180,947 vehicles. The November tally is Ford’s first sales increase since October 2006.

But don?’t pop those champagne corks just yet. For the rest of the industry, November was a mixed bag. GM reported an 11 percent decline and Chrysler posted a 2 percent decline. Toyota, VW, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai all posted gains.

All told, the industry reported total sales of 1,180,269 vehicles, down 1.6 percent from November 2006. For the first 11 months of the year, the industry has sold 14,763,831 vehicles, a decline of 2.4 percent from the same period last year.

continue reading "Ford posts first sales rise in a year: GM, Chrysler and overall industry numbers down"

Nissan is bring a minivan concept to the Detroit auto show in January. Now, the automaker is giving a bit of a preview of the interior.

The sketch shows the instrument panel and front seats of the Forum concept. Nissan says the concept’s interior will have seat-mounted speakers for each of its three rows of seats, monitoring cameras for the second and third rows, and a Bose audio system with “proximity sensor-based information controller” (sounds like a touch-free system to us) and one-button audio muting.

autoweek.com

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Posted: 10.37am, 6 November 2007

Hmm, a new Mazda 2. The old car was pretty dull, wasn??™t it?Yes, but the new 2 is different. Out goes the frumpy, MPV-like styling of the previous model to be replaced by something altogether more attractive. Even in Kermit-the-Frog green.

The old 2 wasn??™t just boring to look at. It was hardly a pulse-quickening experience behind the wheel, either. The new car raises the fun factor by a notch or three as we found out when we drove the 1.5-litre back in June. We??™ve now had a chance to try the cheapest 1.3-litre and the diesel, too.

continue reading "Ferrari Theme Park is go"

Posted: 10.37am, 6 November 2007

Hmm, a new Mazda 2. The old car was pretty dull, wasn??™t it?Yes, but the new 2 is different. Out goes the frumpy, MPV-like styling of the previous model to be replaced by something altogether more attractive. Even in Kermit-the-Frog green.

The old 2 wasn??™t just boring to look at. It was hardly a pulse-quickening experience behind the wheel, either. The new car raises the fun factor by a notch or three as we found out when we drove the 1.5-litre back in June. We??™ve now had a chance to try the cheapest 1.3-litre and the diesel, too.

continue reading "Mazda 2 1.3 TS2"

Posted: 12:26am, 1 November 2007

Alpine R-classBelieve me, that is an R-class. Hidden away in the depths of the wheels and tyres hall lurked this mutated MPV, slammed on 30-inch wheels. Surrounded by the DUB editorial team, the project car attracted manic attention - presumably because it was the biggest freak at SEMA 2007.

continue reading "SEMA’s good, the bad and the ugly II"

The Tokyo show press days are barely over, and it?’s already time to turn our attention to the 2007 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association show in Las Vegas. Here?’s what we know so far about what the automakers are up to at the industry?’s biggest trade show.

Chrysler will debut eight customized Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, including a Jeep Wrangler JT, a Hemi-powered Wrangler, tuned Ram pickup and Avenger and even a tuned Caravan minivan.

Ford is pulling out all the proverbial stops and will have some 25 vehicles on display, running the gamut from small cars and coupes to large trucks and family haulers. Some of the cars and trucks will come from people such as Chip Foose and hip-hop guru FunkMaster Flex.

continue reading "SEMA Preview: What can you expect at the industry?’s biggest, wildest, trade show?"

The Tokyo show press days are barely over, and it?’s already time to turn our attention to the 2007 Specialty Equipment Marketing Association show in Las Vegas. Here?’s what we know so far about what the automakers are up to at the industry?’s biggest trade show.

Chrysler will debut eight customized Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, including a Jeep Wrangler JT, a Hemi-powered Wrangler, tuned Ram pickup and Avenger and even a tuned Caravan minivan.

Ford is pulling out all the proverbial stops and will have some 25 vehicles on display, running the gamut from small cars and coupes to large trucks and family haulers. Some of the cars and trucks will come from people such as Chip Foose and hip-hop guru FunkMaster Flex.

continue reading "SEMA Preview: What can you expect at the industry?’s biggest, wildest, trade show?"