Mankato Motors

Filed under: Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Time. Patience. Grit. Determination. It will take all of these and more if Volkswagen is to succeed in its quest to become the world's largest and most profitable automaker. But there's one more thing it's going to require: money. Lots and lots of spending money.

Seamus McElroy from Autoline Detroit spent some time investigating the research and development expenditures of the world's largest car companies, and there were a few surprises. As it stands, Volkswagen is the third largest automaker, yet it spent more than the two companies ahead of it, Toyota and General Motors.

Also of note: at 5.5 percent, BMW and Honda spend the largest amount of their total revenue on R&D, but VW is only behind by a small margin at 5.4 percent. Perhaps the biggest shocker is Toyota, which spends a measly 3.8 percent of its total revenue on research and development.

Down at the bottom of the list are Chrysler, Fiat, Hyundai and Kia, the last of which spent less than a billion dollars total in R&D. We'd expect that next year's spending budget for Chrysler and Fiat will move up several notches as the dual-headed automaker continues its massive product overhaul.

The Korean duo, however, seems to manage very well indeed with its relatively small R&D spending budget. As you're likely aware, Hyundai and Kia are grabbing worldwide market share by the bucketload and have introduced a number of highly competitive models over the last few years. We'd say their return on each R&D dollar spent is quite impressive.

VW ranks #1 in R&D spending originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Nissan

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) recently unveiled new window stickers that are going to be present on all vehicles starting in 2013. All future window stickers will feature a Quick Response (QR) code, which can be read by the smartphone of a prospective car buyer. Nissan elected to stay a step of ahead of the new window stickers, and is the first automaker to implement QR codes in its 2012 model year lineup.

On Nissan lots right now, the 2012 Altima and Sentra display the data-rich boxes that work with the camera on your phone. Once scanned, the QR codes can provide:

• Specific vehicle information, including grade walk, key features and available accessories
• Video based product overviews
• Image gallery
• Incentive offers
• Dealer inventory
• Request a quote capability
• Join mailing list request
• Dealer location support

Nissan will continue to add the codes to the rest of its 2012 lineup. Click past the jump for more information on the QR codes, and to read the full press release.

Continue reading Nissan first to place QR codes on window stickers ahead of 2013 mandate

Nissan first to place QR codes on window stickers ahead of 2013 mandate originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Etc., Chevrolet

As a company, Chevrolet has helped shape the automotive landscape in more than one way. Has any other nameplate been responsible for more iconic models in its history? Names like Nomad, Impala, Apache, Chevelle, Camaro, Corvette, and Bel Air defined their segments and were emblematic of their respective generations, but which is the best Chevrolet of all time? Is it the '63 split-window Corvette or the fuel-injected '57? Maybe the mighty Silverado is the truck of choice, or the first Chevrolet in history, the Series C Classic Six? With 100 years of history, there are plenty of models to choose from, so that may be an unanswerable question

As part of the brand's centennial celebration, Chevrolet has organized a bracket tournament to pick the best Chevrolet out of 16 contenders. Those include the '57 Bel Air vs the '62 Impala, the '11 Volt vs the '36 Suburban and the '70 Chevelle SS vs the '10 Camaro. Head over to the Chevrolet site to cast your votes, and check out the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Chevy holding tournament to pick best Bowtie vehicle of all time

Chevy holding tournament to pick best Bowtie vehicle of all time originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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