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Mark Rechtin
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Honda to convert Ohio seat plant for Acura NSX output
… value for the customer," Klaus said. "This new Performance Manufacturing Center will be key to this challenge." Mark Rechtin contributed to this report For more NSX coverage from Autoweek, an affiliate of Automotive News, click here . PRESS …
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Musk's magic touch on Wall St.
LOS ANGELES -- In the land of auto giants, Tesla Motors is a Lilliputian, a fledgling electric-car manufacturer with uncertain prospects. But by one measure Tesla stands among the big boys. The company's $8.8 billion stock market value at the end of last week exceeded Fiat's $7.8 billion and was ...
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Next Corolla gets CVT, 2 engine choices
LOS ANGELES -- The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla that debuts here on June 6 will have a continuously variable transmission and will be offered with a choice of two engines, company officials have told dealers. The base 1.8-liter engine will be a carryover 132-hp four-cylinder. But dealers were ...
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Acura's new ad agency targets buyers from luxury rivals
… made an emotion-filled pitch to win the Acura business. Leikikh (LAY'-kee), 40, spoke with Staff Reporter Mark Rechtin about life with the new client. Q: What won the Acura account for you? A: We wanted to find a way to show the synergy …
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Tesla shares surge 24% after 1st quarterly profit
… Tesla is considering eventually adding driverless technology to its vehicles and is discussing the prospects for such systems with Google Inc., Musk said last week in an interview.\ Mark Rechtin and Bloomberg contributed to this report.
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Toyota: Cost to develop fuel cell cars falls
LOS ANGELES -- The hydrogen refueling infrastructure may not be ready, but the cost of developing the fuel cell cars Toyota plans to launch in 2015 has plunged. Toyota's current fleet of Highlander-based vehicles, which were placed in university and utility fleets beginning in 2002, cost about $1
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Honda signals it may expand CVTs
LOS ANGELES -- Honda's plan to produce continuously variable transmissions at a new plant in Celaya, Mexico, hints that more Honda models sold here could be fitted with CVTs. The $470 million factory in Celaya will operate alongside a vehicle assembly plant under construction that is scheduled to
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U.S. output of the Prius is on hold
LOS ANGELES -- Once considered a sure bet for U.S. production, the Toyota Prius is now on indefinite hold for assembly here, said Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota's North American region. Toyota currently builds enough Priuses in Asia to satisfy global demand, Lentz said in an interview. "If you look at ...
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Tesla hikes guaranteed residual value on Model S
LOS ANGELES -- Tesla Motors Inc. increased the guaranteed residual value of its electric Model S sedan to 50 percent after its lease-to-own period of three years. The car's guaranteed residual value had been tied to that of the Mercedes-Benz S class, which, at 43 percent after 36 months, is ...
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Honda plans $470 million transmission plant in Mexico
LOS ANGELES -- Honda Motor Co. plans to build a $470 million factory in Celaya, Mexico, to assemble continuously variable transmissions. The factory will operate alongside a plant under construction that's scheduled to build the next-generation Fit hatchback and a Fit-based crossover. Honda said ...
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Toyota car sales slide in April
LOS ANGELES -- Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. sales fell by 1 percent in April, with 176,160 units sold. Sales at the Toyota Division declined by 2 percent to 158,069 units while volumes at Lexus increased 3 percent to 18,091 vehicles sold. Toyota claimed it was the No. 1 retail brand for the second ...
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Crossovers lead Honda April gains
LOS ANGELES -- Stoked by record April results for the Honda CR-V and Acura RDX compact crossovers, American Honda sales increased 7 percent to 130,999 units last month. Honda Division sales advanced 7 percent to 117,100 units; volume at the Acura brand increased 14 percent to 13,899 units. With ...
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Toyota 2015 fuel cell vehicle to cost between $50,000 and $100,000
LOS ANGELES -- The cost of a completed hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is 1/20th of what it was when current prototypes were being developed, paving the way for a workable business model and improved sales prospects, one of Toyota's top engineers said today. Chris Hostetter, group vice president of ...
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Pelata on Renault's spy scandal: 'I had to leave'
SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Renault COO Patrick Pelata fell on his sword to save his boss and friend Carlos Ghosn -- and maybe his company. Pelata, often called one of the industry's best product strategists, was part of a small team of executives Carlos Ghosn brought to Nissan Motor Co. in 1999 after
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Once a product planner, former Renault executive Pelata now mines data
SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Renault COO Patrick Pelata had plenty of job possibilities after leaving the French automaker last summer. So how did the European product planner who helped revive Nissan end up selling customer-retention software from an office here on Market Street? Pelata, 57, says he ...
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Once a product planner, Pelata now mines data
SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Renault COO Patrick Pelata had plenty of job possibilities after leaving the French automaker last summer. So how did the European product planner who helped revive Nissan end up selling customer-retention software from an office here on Market Street? Pelata, 57, says he ...
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Virtues of '13 Civic: Low spiffs, high sales
L OS ANGELES -- Honda's redesigned 2012 Civic was much maligned, but it's hard to call it a flop. Though slammed for a cheap-looking interior, bland exterior styling and a carryover base engine, the Civic sold so well last year that many dealers weren't sure the decision to fast-track a major ...
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Dealers grouse that stair-step plans are causing more pain than last year
… love them," Accavitti said. "Right now, we're just selling the car on it being a great car." Ryan Beene, Lindsay Chappell, Gabe Nelson, Larry P. Vellequette, Jamie LaReau, Mark Rechtin and Mike Colias contributed to this report
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Pelata on Renault's spy scandal: 'I had to leave'
SAN FRANCISCO -- Patrick Pelata fell on his sword to save his boss and friend -- and maybe his company. Pelata, often called one of the industry's best product strategists, was part of a small team of executives Carlos Ghosn brought to Nissan Motor Co. in 1999 after Renault bought a controlling ...
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Accavitti sees American Honda's U.S. sales rising 6% in April
LOS ANGELES andndash; Honda Motor Co.'s U.S. sales should increase by more than 6 percent in April, a top executive said. Honda Division is projected to see a 6 percent increase in volume, compared to last April, while sales at the Acura Division will be up between 10 and 11 percent, Mike ...
