2009 World Car of the Year Awards announced. The New York International Auto Show saw the announcement of the annual World Car of the Year Awards. The Volkswagen Golf VI won 2009 World Car of the Year; the Fiat 500 took the title of 2009 World Car Design of the Year. The 2009 World Performance Car was the Nissan GT-R, and the 2009 World Green Car was the Honda FCX Clarity.
Domestic dealerships closing faster. General Motors’ (GM) Mark LaNeve noted that the automaker had lost 165 dealerships in just over one quarter of 2009. Annual attrition is usually 175-200 dealerships. Saturn alone had gone from 420 U.S. dealerships at the start of 2009 to 384 by April 6, 2009. Chrysler’s Steven Landry added that the automaker lost 35 dealerships in March 2009, up from the 20 dealerships a month it was averaging in 2008.
Ford introduces new models. While many automakers are trimming models and even makes, Ford introduced its Fusion, a new Taurus sedan and its Transit Connect van. Industry estimates note that the number of new models in 2009 will number significantly fewer than in previous years, perhaps as low as half the number of new models for the 2009 model year.
GM partners with Segway. GM announced it is working with Segway to product a battery-powered two-seat scooter under Project PUMA, which stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility. The Pumas are expected to have a battery range of about 35 miles and a top speed around 35 miles per hour. The creation is forecasted to get about 200 miles per gallon (mpg), which falls to 70 mpg when factory in electricity required to charge the battery.
J.D. Power and Associates release 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study. The study — which measures three-year-old vehicles — ranked Buick and Jaguar in a tie for most dependable at 122 problems experienced per 100 vehicles for their 2006 lineups. The next best automakers were Lexus, Toyota and Mercury. With an industry average of 170, Suzuki came in last with a score of 263 followed by Volkswagen, Land Rover, Isuzu and Mazda. The highest-ranked vehicles in their respective segments were the Acura RL, Buick LaCrosse, Lexus ES 330, Lexus LS 430, Lexus SC 430, Lincoln Zephyr, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercury Grand Marquis, Nissan 350Z, Scion xA, Toyota Solara and Toyota Prius.
United States government announces fuel economy standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that, for the 2011 model year, cars must get 30.2 mpg, up from 27.5, and light trucks will rise to 24.1 from 23.1. The overall fleet average will rise two mpg. Automakers and other parties had until mid-May 2009 to register comments.
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