In The News

Ford and Lincoln service centers are putting customers’ vehicle information where service advisors can best use it – at their fingertips.

Ford is expanding the SMART Technology (SMARTT) program that launched in early 2014. The program integrates innovative new technologies including tablets and software into the company’s dealer management system, enhancing the customer service experience.

Cadillac expects to begin selling its much-anticipated CT6 large sedan in December after showing it this spring in New York, the brand's president said Tuesday.

Johan de Nysschen, who took over as Cadillac's president in September, envisions the CT6 as a flagship car that is part of his long-term goal of doubling Cadillac's global sales to 500,000 annually by 2020, and challenge Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi in the U.S.

Ram threw down the fuel economy gauntlet again on Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show by announcing that some versions of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will get 29 miles per gallon on the highway.

The 2015 Ram 1500 Express and the 2015 models will get 29 miles per gallon on the highway when they are purchased with an optional diesel engine. That is one mile per gallon more than other Ram 1500 pickups with the same engine.

The Ford GT made a triumphant return today with the unveiling of a sleek and edgy supercar the automaker plans to build next year.

The GT was developed over the past year by a small team, in a small room in the basement of the Product Development Center in Dearborn, said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. The hidden entrance was only accessible by a few people.

Ford will make a limited number of GTs for sale in the second half of 2016. It will be a global car but the first sales will be in the U.S., said Executive Chairman Bill Ford.

General Motors Co.'s Buick brand Sunday said it will offer its first convertible in more than two decades with the 2016 Cascada, which goes on sale early next year.

Buick, which is hosting a press event Sunday night in Detroit ahead of press days for the 2015 North American International Auto Show, increased U.S. sales by 11.4 percent in 2014 with five vehicles that are attracting new buyers to the brand. It also has a new exhibit and middle-of-the-show space at the auto show.

Dodge, recast as a performance brand, plans to use three high-powered halo vehicles and new advertising aimed at younger buyers to keep sales steady in 2015.

In May, Dodge gave up to the Chrysler brand its previous role as FCA US's full-range brand. The shift means that Tim Kuniskis, Dodge's brand head, must find sales to replace two vehicles: the Avenger sedan, which went out of production a year ago, and the Grand Caravan minivan, which disappears in 2016.

General Motors Co.'s GMC brand Thursday said it will debut the 2015 Canyon Nightfall Edition pickup, a midsize truck decked out in black.

GMC said the new onyx-black edition, which has a unique black grille, black assist steps, spray-on bedliner, special 18-inch aluminum wheels and many more features, will make its first public appearance at the North American International Auto Show next week in Detroit.

Dodge is taking customization to new levels with its Viper super car.

The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV brand on Thursday announced that every buyer of the Viper GTC and other high-end models starting in February will have the option to customize their car to their liking, making no one car the same as another.

"It's a unique way to sell this car," said Dodge President and CEO Tim Kuniskis during a media event Thursday at FCA US LLC, formerly Chrysler Group LLC, headquarters in Auburn Hills.

Lincoln is on a fast track to reinvent itself and, not surprisingly, design will play a key role in the brand’s future plans. Moray Callum, design chief for both Ford and Lincoln, said as much during a Q&A session with Automotive News.

When the discussion shifted to luxury brands based on mass-market platforms (like Ford and Lincoln, and Nissan and Infiniti) and their tendency to look alike, Callum responded with Lincoln's solution to the problem.