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Posts tagged fuel economy ratings
Report: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg
May 29th
Filed under: Budget, Performance, Hatchback, Ford
Ford has released fuel economy ratings for the 2014 Fiesta ST, stating that the subcompact hot hatch will return an estimated 26 miles per gallon city, 35 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. That puts the machine just behind its main competitor, the Fiat 500 Abarth, in terms of efficiency. The 500 Abarth yields 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway for 31 mpg combined, but falls short of the Fiesta ST on power. The Fiesta ST serves up 197 horsepower and 202 pound-feet of torque compared to the 160 hp and 170 lb-ft available in the Abarth.
Still, as Ford pointed out in an email to Autoblog, the Fiesta ST delivers considerably more cargo capacity at 15 cubic feet in hatchback configuration, while the 500 Abarth serves up just 9.5 cubes. What’s more, the US-spec Fiesta ST will be offered as a five-door hatchback, with considerably more rear seat room for people and things.
When asked, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that these numbers are the result of testing done by the automaker, not the EPA itself. The 26/35/29 ratings what Ford has submitted to the EPA for certification, and if the EPA wants to re-test, it can. (This is all standard operating procedure on the path to EPA ratings.)
2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: 2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg
May 29th
Filed under: Budget, Performance, Hatchback, Ford
Ford has released fuel economy ratings for the 2014 Fiesta ST, stating that the subcompact hot hatch will return an estimated 26 miles per gallon city, 35 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. That puts the machine just behind its main competitor, the Fiat 500 Abarth, in terms of efficiency. The 500 Abarth yields 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway for 31 mpg combined, but falls short of the Fiesta ST on power. The Fiesta ST serves up 197 horsepower and 202 pound-feet of torque compared to the 160 hp and 170 lb-ft available in the Abarth.
Still, as Ford pointed out in an email to Autoblog, the Fiesta ST delivers considerably more cargo capacity at 15 cubic feet in hatchback configuration, while the 500 Abarth serves up just 9.5 cubes. What’s more, the US-spec Fiesta ST will be offered as a five-door hatchback, with considerably more rear seat room for people and things.
When asked, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that these numbers are the result of testing done by the automaker, not the EPA itself. The 28/34/31 ratings what Ford has submitted to the EPA for certification, and if the EPA wants to re-test, it can. (This is all standard operating procedure on the path to EPA ratings.)
2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg
May 29th
Filed under: Budget, Performance, Hatchback, Ford
Ford has released fuel economy ratings for the 2014 Fiesta ST, stating that the subcompact hot hatch will return an estimated 26 miles per gallon city, 35 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. That puts the machine just behind its main competitor, the Fiat 500 Abarth, in terms of efficiency. The 500 Abarth yields 28 mpg city and 34 mpg highway for 31 mpg combined, but falls short of the Fiesta ST on power. The Fiesta ST serves up 197 horsepower and 202 pound-feet of torque compared to the 160 hp and 170 lb-ft available in the Abarth.
Still, as Ford pointed out in an email to Autoblog, the Fiesta ST delivers considerably more cargo capacity at 15 cubic feet in hatchback configuration, while the 500 Abarth serves up just 9.5 cubes. What’s more, the US-spec Fiesta ST will be offered as a five-door hatchback, with considerably more rear seat room for people and things.
When asked, a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that these numbers are the result of testing done by the automaker, not the EPA itself. The 28/34/31 ratings what Ford has submitted to the EPA for certification, and if the EPA wants to re-test, it can. (This is all standard operating procedure on the path to EPA ratings.)
2014 Ford Fiesta ST rated at 26/35 mpg originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 May 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims
Jan 25th
Filed under: Government/Legal, Hyundai, Kia, Earnings/Financials
We still don’t know how the whole fuel economy ratings debacle is going to play out for Hyundai and Kia, but both automakers are preparing to make good on their promises to reimburse vehicle owners for lower-than-promised mileage figures. According to Automotive News, Hyundai and Kia have set aside a combined total of $412 million ($225 million for Hyundai and $187 million for Kia) as compensation, which will be sent out on a case-by-case basis via debit cards depending on the vehicle and the mileage driven.
Announced back in November, the exaggerated miles per gallon claims affect around 900,000 Kia and Hyundai products produced for the 2011 through 2013 model years sold in the US and Canada. This whole deal has had plenty of action ranging from suspected whistleblowing from a rival US automaker and even insider trading, but it has probably been most frustrating for vehicle owners who, in most cases, saw their vehicles’ city and highway ratings drop between one and three digits.
Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims
Jan 25th
Filed under: Government/Legal, Hyundai, Kia, Earnings/Financials
We still don’t know how the whole fuel economy ratings debacle is going to play out for Hyundai and Kia, but both automakers are preparing to make good on their promises to reimburse vehicle owners for lower-than-promised mileage figures. According to Automotive News, Hyundai and Kia have set aside a combined total of $412 million ($225 million for Hyundai and $187 million for Kia) as compensation, which will be sent out on a case-by-case basis via debit cards depending on the vehicle and the mileage driven.
Announced back in November, the exaggerated miles per gallon claims affect around 900,000 Kia and Hyundai products produced for the 2011 through 2013 model years sold in the US and Canada. This whole deal has had plenty of action ranging from suspected whistleblowing from a rival US automaker and even insider trading, but it has probably been most frustrating for vehicle owners who, in most cases, saw their vehicles’ city and highway ratings drop between one and three digits.
Hyundai and Kia set aside $412 million for false mileage claims originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Hyundai, Kia owners accept fuel economy apologies, love their debit cards
Jan 25th
Filed under: MPG, Hyundai, Kia
Hyundai and Kia may have gotten lots of bad press for inflated fuel economy ratings, but the on-the-ground reality isn’t all that bad. Automotive News says that dealers have been pleased at how the parent companies have handled the November scandal and the reimbursement programs are making customers happy and them back in the door.
Hyundai and Kia issues apologies for inflated fuel economy ratings on 13 nameplates from the 2011-2013 model years, which accounted for about 900,000 sold vehicles. Owners are being reimbursed for the “extra” gasoline they’ll need to buy for as long as they own the vehicles.
The automakers have provided dealers with cash to help pay for gifts or other goodwill-related charges to please affected car owners. Hyundai and Kia dealers have been very active in the process – lavishing owners with apologies, free service and car washes. The charm offensive is working: reports say dealers have seen very little backlash. This meshes well with what we heard during the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, when Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik said about 90 percent of owners were happy with the reimbursement program.
One thing that has gone over especially well has been the debit cards. Owners were told to go to their local dealerships for mileage audits. After the audits, they received debit cards in the mail from Hyundai or Kia. Consumers can return to their dealerships for subsequent mileage checks in order to recharge their debit cards. Dealers are happy, too. “I’m thrilled with any program that brings customers back,” Don Hobden, executive manager of six Kia dealerships in Alabama, Indiana and Kentucky, told Automotive News. “Some customers are actually reacting with some form of delight: ‘Really? I’m getting a debit card?’ It’s been really well received.”
Hyundai, Kia owners accept fuel economy apologies, love their debit cards originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Insider trading ahead of Hyundai-Kia MPG debacle suspected
Dec 21st
Filed under: Government/Legal, Hyundai, Kia, Earnings/Financials
Reuters is reporting that large-scale insider trading may be at the heart of some particularly fishy stock-selling behavior, just prior to the original announcement about the Hyundai-Kia fuel economy ratings debacle.
On November 1st, Hyundai-Kia shares traded roughly 2.2 million times (the single highest-volume day of the year), and the stock price fell by about four percent. For reference, a standard daily trading volume for the stock in 2012 saw about 600k shares trading hands. On November 2nd, the company made public the bad news about the dropping fuel economy ratings for many of its models. In other words: No one outside of the company (and only a smallish group inside the company, we’d imagine) should have known anything about the impending bad news as of the first day of November. After the announcement, the stock price tanked, as you’d expect, and trading volume was way down as well.
Experts seem fully aware that the whole thing reeks of leaked information and subsequent insider trading. If chicanery on this sort of scale seems wacky to you, you’d be inline with the experts who report to Reuters that the level of trading is absolutely suspicious.
The problem is, it seems, that this kind of market reaction is far from uncommon in Asia, especially. Research points out that 26 percent of price-sensitive announcements in the Asia Pacific region showed some hint of information leakage, just in the first quarter of this year. That figure is roughly double what is expected in North American markets; due in some significant part to much less stringent enforcement of insider trading regulations in Asia, as well as an established culture that doesn’t necessarily see the behavior as criminal.
Insider trading ahead of Hyundai-Kia MPG debacle suspected originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: Insider trading ahead of Hyundai-Kia MPG debacle suspected
Dec 21st
Filed under: Government/Legal, Hyundai, Kia, Earnings/Financials
Reuters is reporting that large-scale insider trading may be at the heart of some particularly fishy stock-selling behavior, just prior to the original announcement about the Hyundai-Kia fuel economy ratings debacle.
On November 1st, Hyundai-Kia shares traded roughly 2.2 million times (the single highest-volume day of the year), and the stock price fell by about four percent. For reference, a standard daily trading volume for the stock in 2012 saw about 600k shares trading hands. On November 2nd, the company made public the bad news about the dropping fuel economy ratings for many of its models. In other words: No one outside of the company (and only a smallish group inside the company, we’d imagine) should have known anything about the impending bad news as of the first day of November. After the announcement, the stock price tanked, as you’d expect, and trading volume was way down as well.
Experts seem fully aware that the whole thing reeks of leaked information and subsequent insider trading. If chicanery on this sort of scale seems wacky to you, you’d be inline with the experts who report to Reuters that the level of trading is absolutely suspicious.
The problem is, it seems, that this kind of market reaction is far from uncommon in Asia, especially. Research points out that 26 percent of price-sensitive announcements in the Asia Pacific region showed some hint of information leakage, just in the first quarter of this year. That figure is roughly double what is expected in North American markets; due in some significant part to much less stringent enforcement of insider trading regulations in Asia, as well as an established culture that doesn’t necessarily see the behavior as criminal.
Insider trading ahead of Hyundai-Kia MPG debacle suspected originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Opinion: The case of Heather Peters and the Honda Civic Hybrid sets an alarming trend
May 10th
Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Honda
What are you going to do, sue? Good luck.
This week’s Superior Court verdict suggests there’s little to no recourse for consumers.
As Autoblog readers likely have already learned, a Superior Court judge in California has tossed out a judgment issued by a small claims court earlier this year awarding nearly $10,000 to Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters. She had taken the Japanese maker to court claiming it used misleading advertising promising the sedan would get significantly better mileage than proved true in the real world.
In overruling the lower court, Superior Court Judge Dudley W. Gray II wrote that, “Federal regulations control the fuel economy ratings posted on vehicles and advertising claims related to those fuel economy ratings.”
Well, um, no. That was my understanding, too, until I had the chance to pursue the matter with the EPA a couple years back. In fact, I was told, the law simply sets an upper limit. If the tests determine a new model gets 50 mpg – as with Peters’ Civic Hybrid – that’s the most a maker can advertise or use on the Monroney window sticker. But should a manufacturer like Honda realize through its own tests that the vehicle’s real-world mileage might be noticeably less they can mark it down to whatever they think is valid.
Of course, who would do that? With mileage now one of the top things on the consumer’s shopping list, who can blame a manufacturer for wanting to put the prettiest lipstick on a gas hog. And this week’s Superior Court verdict suggests there’s little to no recourse for consumers who only discover that fact after they’ve given it a big smooch.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.Continue reading The case of Heather Peters and the Honda Civic Hybrid sets an alarming trend
The case of Heather Peters and the Honda Civic Hybrid sets an alarming trend originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: 2013 Lincoln MKS evolves new nose, bigger brakes
Nov 16th
Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Lincoln, Luxury
Think about the position that Cadillac was in over a decade ago; that’s about where Lincoln is today. The rebirth of a brand doesn’t happen overnight, so until Lincoln debuts its next generation of fully redesigned and reimagined products, subtle evolution and continued refinement are the order du jour. Hence the 2013 Lincoln MKS.
The greenhouse of Lincoln’s flagship sedan carries over unchanged, but the front and rear fascias, fenders, hood, HID headlights and LED taillamps are all new and punctuated by the reworked grille. That last bit is far and away the most radical change, making the 2013 MKS come off as less baleen and slightly more elegant.
Stuffed behind the standard 19-inch aluminum wheels (or optional 20s) is all new braking hardware to address one of the MKS’ most glaring dynamic faults, with the front discs upsized to 13.86-inches – more than an inch larger than the outgoing stoppers – and 13.58-inch rotors in the rear. More impressive is the standard fitment of Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD), which monitors and adjusts the suspension up to 500 times a second to balance handling and comfort. CCD works in conjuction with a torque vectoring differential and the new Lincoln Drive Control, which modifies ride, throttle, shifting, steering and traction control on the fly when changing the system from Comfort to Sport mode.
The powertrains are also largely carry-overs, with the standard 3.7-liter V6 getting a boost in horsepower from 274 to an even 300, all while returning 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway in FWD spec. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 – standard with AWD – outputs 355 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque and is projected to return fuel economy ratings of 17/25.
On the tech front, the MKS comes equipped with the recently reworked MyLincoln Touch system, with standard Operator Assist, WiFi hotspot functionality and a tweaked UI to match the updated interior. Also included for 2013 is the new Lane Keeping System and Lane Keeping Aid, which alerts the driver if he or she is drifiting out of a lane and applies a small amount of torque to the wheel to bring things back in line.
We’ll have full impressions of the MKS from the floor of the LA Auto Show later today, but in the meantime, get all the details in the press release below the fold.
Continue reading 2013 Lincoln MKS evolves new nose, bigger brakes
2013 Lincoln MKS evolves new nose, bigger brakes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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