Here are six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Wednesday, March 11, 2015.
REVIEW
The new Ford Edge is most definitely not the old Ford Edge, although it’s easy to see the familial connections. From Todd Lassa’s Automobile review of the new 2015 Edge: “The engines are extremely quiet and idle so smoothly that you’ll be double-checking the tiny tachometer.”
INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
If Hyundai is to continue to grow in North America, SUVs and crossovers are the category where the growth can occur. Reuters reports that Hyundai will build a new Alabama manufacturing plant and that plant will begin producing utility vehicles in 2017.
DEEPER INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
Like Hyundai, for Volkswagen to be a bigger brand in America, they’ll need a bigger SUV lineup. A longer Tiguan with a third row, built in Mexico, will be part of the answer. “It’s all part of a larger Volkswagen SUV strategy that aims at a more mainstream approach,” according to Edmunds.
RECALL
No change since yesterday’s tiny Honda recall.
TTAC
U.S. Dodge Dart sales are actually on the upswing. Year-over-year, Dart sales have increased in five consecutive months.
WATCH
GCBC loves dogs. Motorcyclists shutting down a main thoroughfare in order to rescue a dog in Brazil is terribly fitting for this space. H/T to Jalopnik.
