Auto News 5

You could say the most impressive thing about the annual

Audi, BMW and Mercedes are locked in a battle that goes beyond unit sales and global expansion. The German automakers are trying to out-engineer one another with their high-performance subbrands.

Mercedes doubled its lead in premium-vehicle sales over BMW in the United States last month, helped by strong demand for the CLA compact.

BMW says it would save $550 million in duties every year if the United States and Europe got rid of their import tariffs on cars and trucks.

Lexus will unveil a near-production version of its long-awaited sports coupe at the Tokyo Motor Show, a four-seater dubbed the RC that fills a big void in the luxury brand's lineup.

Kia will unveil its rear-wheel-drive K900 luxury sedan at the Los Angeles auto show this month. Dealer sources say U.S. sales will start early next year.

Automotive News sat down with key industry insiders and our own editors to talk about what it was like during this dark period for the automotive industry.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view.

Sales of full-sized pickups have driven overall industry growth in 2013 and powered the Detroit 3 in particular to big profits.

More than 100 Chevrolet dealership product trainers and field reps are tooling around in 2014 Silverados -- all with the 4.3-liter V-6 engine under the hood.

Now that most infotainment systems have real-time traffic guidance apps, the next big thing is the search for a parking space.

Jose Munoz, promoted last week to Nissan Motor Co.'s North America chief, starts the job with a long to-do list.

Akio Toyoda, scion of Toyota Motor Corp.'s founding family, has words of encouragement for Scion dealers who have soured on the brand's shrinking sales: Hang in there.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., bolstered by rising profits and a weaker yen, predicts its U.S. sales will climb 23 percent in the current fiscal year as its global recovery strengthens.

While Ford Motor Co.'s sales and market share gains have outpaced those of competitors this year, its quality ratings keep tanking, in large part because of its balky My Touch infotainment system.

Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne acknowledges a conflict over whether Maserati or Fiat dealers will sell Alfa Romeos in the United States, but said his plan is that 'the best performing Fiat dealers will be the ones that will be entitled to...

For all their performance prowess, Mercedes-Benz vehicles spend 23.9 percent of their time on the road idling, according to Daimler.

On November 4th, 1939, Packard unveiled the first automobile in the world with air conditioning.

It proved unsuccessful because the main evaporator and blower system took up half of the trunk space, and it had no temperature thermostat or shut-off mechanism (other than switching the blower off). Also, the several feet of plumbing going back and forth between the engine bay and trunk proved unreliable in service.

Packard 1939.

More importantly, the A/C system cost $274 USD, which was an enormous amount of money in post-depression/pre-war America.

The second American automaker to offer A/C was Cadillac in 1941.

Source: Wikipedia

Opening day is not yet upon us, but there were tons of activities already going on at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We spent all morning walking about the outside displays once we got our hands on our media credentials. Already, there were many people on-hand shooting photos and gawking at the cars and trucks parked all over the place.

Photo: Olivier Delorme

On this day, exhibitors outnumbered members of the media as they worked hard on the final preps for their beloved machines. Shining and rubbing were the orders of the day. Some were actually putting the finishing touches on body kits, mere hours before the show was to open! This is proof that a project is never truly finished -- even at SEMA, the day of.

Your humble Auto123.com team did not sit around and soak in the sun when it pierced through the partly cloudy Nevadan sky. We shot hundreds of pictures, and even put together a few videos.

The next three days will be all SEMA, all the time, so make sure you hang out on Auto123.com and Auto123.tv to check out the latest. At the same time, I'll try and post as many updates on Instagram and Twitter as the hours go by.

If you love cars, consider us your personal pushers.

According to the Belgian press, Thierry Neuville has signed a three-year contract to become the number one driver of Hyundai Motorsport in the World Rally Championship.

Neuville, 23, started his career with Citroen before he switched to Ford M-Sport. This year, he drives a works Ford Fiesta RS WRC and ranks second in the driver's standings.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

Hyundai will make its return in the WRC next season, running a pair of i20 WRCs currently being developed under the orders of veteran engineer, Michel Nandan.

According to La Dernière Heure, Neuville has already signed a three-year deal with Hyundai. The second works car would be shared by Juho Hanninen (who would contest the rounds held on gravel), and Bryan Bouffier (driving on tarmac).