Call it a homecoming.
When Toyota introduced Lexus to the U.S. market in 1989, the Georgetown, Ky., plant – its first stand-alone vehicle manufacturing facility in America – was just in its second year of producing the Camry.
Fast forward 26 years and that same plant is celebrating the start of U.S. Lexus production. Today at a ceremony fit for a luxury brand king, the first-ever U.S.-produced ES 350 was unveiled before several thousand proud team members in Georgetown. And, just like a newborn foal at the nearby horse farms in Central Kentucky, the newcomer was brought into the world with plenty of TLC and hope for a bright future.
“This is really a proud moment for us and brings us full circle,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “To be the first wholly owned plant, building the number one best-selling car in America, the Camry, for 13 years in a row, and then to be selected to build the first Lexus is truly a tribute to our team members.”
For the past two and a half years, the Kentucky plant – Toyota’s largest in North America – has been gearing up to make the ES 350, Lexus’ best-selling sedan in the U.S. In all, $360 million was invested toward a new dedicated assembly line, adding 750 new jobs. Total capacity for the new line will be 50,000 vehicles.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655351-lexus-kentucky-plant-es-350/
Vigilant Solutions, a global image recognition and analytics company serving sovereign nations, municipalities, and law enforcement agencies, announced today a new parking solution that leverages its license plate recognition technology and extensive vehicle location data to assist parking agencies and municipal parking units in enforcing policies, collecting outstanding fines and locating repeat violators.
Vigilant’s license plate recognition cameras and software have been trusted by law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. and across the globe for more than a decade to identify and locate suspect vehicles and solve crimes faster. The company is now using this technology to develop a license plate-enabled parking (LEP) enforcement solution that, coupled with its expansive commercial data network, empowers parking enforcement to work more efficiently with local law enforcement to quickly address violations involving on-street spaces and off-street lots.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8134352-vigilant-solution-license-plate-recognition-parking-enforcement/
The annual New York International Automobile Show (NYIAS) takes over the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan from March 30th – April 8th. For over 100 years NYIAS has showcased some of the hottest cars and trucks ever seen -- all under one roof. Micah Muzio puts viewers on the inside track at the show with advance looks at the brand-new models and more concept vehicles than ever before! These cutting-edge vehicles will provide a glimpse into the future of automobile design and technology.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/82580241-new-york-international-auto-show-nyias-chrysler-genesis-hyundai/
Automakers from around the globe are gearing up for the grand opening of the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, which opens to the public on 10am. Saturday, Feb. 11, at McCormick Place.
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle are expected to be on hand Saturday, Feb. 11 for the ribbon cutting ceremony, which will officially open the 2017 Chicago Auto Show. With more than one million sq. ft. of exhibit space, the show is the largest in North America and has been held more times than any other auto exposition on the continent.
Taking center stage at the 109th edition of the Chicago Auto Show are more than 20 vehicles that made their world debut during this week’s Media Preview, including Dodge Durango SRT; Ford Expedition; Hyundai Elantra GT; Mitsubishi Outlander Sport; Nissan TITAN King Cab and Midnight Editions; TRD Sport editions of the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia; Subaru Legacy; and Volkswagen Atlas Weekend Edition Concept.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7660252-chicago-auto-show-2017-cas17/
The National Limousine Association’s Ride Responsibly™ initiative (www.rideresponsibly.org) and Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) have joined forces to produce a public service campaign, starring actress, activist and sexual violence survivor Pamela Anderson. The PSA draws attention to the vast number of sexual assaults that have occurred in ride-hailing vehicles and questions if these were caused by insufficient background check procedures. This PSA serves as a call-to-action following alarming revelations of sexual harassment and assault that reach far beyond Hollywood and Washington, D.C.
The video, titled “The Signs”, is Pamela’s second PSA for the Ride Responsibly initiative, and comes on the heels of the #MeToo movement. The PSA is a stark reminder that even getting from point A to B carries risk, particularly if you are not conscientious of the service that you choose.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8098851-nla-ride-responsibly-pave-psa-the-signs/
The 2014 model-year vehicles and brands (in both non-luxury and luxury categories) with the lowest projected ownership costs were announced today by Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used car information. These awards are based on Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own data for new cars for the initial five-year ownership period.
While depreciation (or loss of value) and fuel costs may be the greatest expense incurred in owning a vehicle, there are other factors that can have a significant impact on a consumer’s pocketbook. Available on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, 5-Year Cost to Own information takes into consideration depreciation, expected fuel costs, finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state fees for new models.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65344-kelley-blue-book-kbb-announces-2014-5-cost-to-own-award-winners
The vehicles deemed the 16 Best Family Cars of 2016 were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. After extensive testing and evaluation, with a keen focus on safety, comfort, convenience, spaciousness for both passengers and cargo, and fit of various rear-facing and forward-facing child safety car seats, the KBB.com expert editors recommend their choices for a diverse group of vehicles that best meet the needs of today’s modern families.
“For two weeks’ time we drove, lived-with, folded-down-seats-of, paired-phones-to and installed-baby-seats-in each and every one of the contenders,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “We loaded cargo, contorted ourselves into third rows, watched movies on rear-seat screens, toted rowing teams to marinas – in short, we did everything that you and your family might do with a vehicle day-to-day. And we did all this with a certain sense of what a family needs and wants, since many of our testers are simultaneously parents of kids ranging from mid-twenties to newborn. So this wasn’t just a cursory exercise, but instead it drew heavily upon our family-car experiences, needs and wants.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7748351-kelley-blue-book-best-family-cars-2016/
Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry, today announces the winners of the 2017 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards, honoring the top new model-year vehicle choices available in the U.S. market. The 2017 Honda Civic is named Kelley Blue Book’s Overall Best Buy of 2017, alongside Best Buy Award winners in 12 major vehicle categories.
The Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards are designed to provide a significant service to new-car buyers by identifying the cream of the crop of all available 2017 model-year vehicles. The awards are the culmination of a year-long regimen of expert vehicle evaluation and testing of nearly every new vehicle available in America, along with analysis of a broad swath of vehicle-related data, including vehicle pricing/transaction prices, 5-Year Cost to Own data (which includes depreciation, insurance, maintenance, financing, fuel, fees and taxes for new cars), consumer reviews and ratings, and vehicle sales/retail sales information. Of more than 300 new-car models available for 2017, Kelley Blue Book’s expert editors initially narrowed the field to a few dozen Best Buy Award contenders in 12 major vehicle categories and then spent several weeks testing and evaluating all of the finalists head-to-head to ultimately determine the winners.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7952451-kelley-blue-book-2017-best-buy-awards/
The Mini Cooper Countryman is the only small car to earn a good rating among the latest group of 12 small cars subjected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test.
Two electric models and a hybrid are in the mix, with varied results. The electric-powered Chevrolet Volt (with a gasoline engine “range extender”) earns an acceptable rating, while its battery-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, earns a poor rating. The Ford C-Max Hybrid, a small four-door wagon, earns an acceptable rating. Another small four-door wagon, the gasoline-powered Mazda 5, is rated poor.
Volvo is now launching trucks that can cut CO2 emissions by 20 to 100 per cent. With a firm focus on new, energy-efficient technology for gas-powered vehicles, Volvo Trucks makes it possible to significantly reduce the climate impact of heavy regional and long-haul transport operations.
Volvo Trucks is now introducing Euro 6-compliant gas-powered trucks that offer fuel efficiency and performance on a par with that of diesel-driven trucks, but with far lower climate impact. The new trucks, the Volvo FH LNG and Volvo FM LNG, can run on either biogas, which cuts CO2 by up to 100 per cent, or natural gas which reduces CO2 emissions by 20 per cent compared with diesel. This relates to emissions from the vehicle during usage, known as tank-to-wheel.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8192551-volvo-trucks-new-gas-cut-co2/
Just 15 vehicles qualify for the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from IIHS after the requirements were strengthened to include good-rated headlights and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in small overlap front crashes.
Another 47 vehicles earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, which now requires acceptable or good headlights. In contrast, headlights weren’t factored in for 2017 TOP SAFETY PICK, and an acceptable headlight rating was enough to bump a 2017 award winner into "plus" territory.
The inclusion of a passenger-side crash test is a first for any IIHS award. The Institute developed the passenger-side small overlap front crash test after it became clear that some manufacturers weren't paying sufficient attention to the passenger side as they made improvements to achieve better performance in the driver-side small overlap front test.
Months of speculation ended today after Volvo Cars unveiled its all-new Volvo XC90, delivering on its promise to introduce a visually striking, premium quality seven seat SUV with world leading safety features, new powertrain technologies, an unrivalled combination of power and fuel efficiency and a superlative interior finish.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7276259-volvo-XC90-world-premiere/
