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Ford tops GM in US vehicle sales in May, driven by fleets

DETROIT - Ford, bolstered by heavy sales to fleet customers, surpassed General Motors in US new vehicle sales in May, according to figures reported Thursday. Ford said May sales rose 2.2 percent from a year ago to 241,126 units. GM sales dropped 1.3 percent to 237,364. GM said it had been trimming sales of heavily discounted vehicles to car rental companies. Such fleet sales made up about 19 percent of its total sales in May. Ford's fleet sales rose 8.4 percent, representing more than 34 percent of total sales. The industry average is around 20 percent. Analysts had expected mixed results for the industry, with sales likely propped up by heavy discounts. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said May sales dipped 0.9 percent to 193,040. Toyota's US sales dropped 0.5 percent to 218,248. Nissan said US sales in May rose 3.0 percent, to 137,471. After demand fell in March and April, analysts estimated May sales at just over 1.5 million. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales in May was estimated at 16.8 million to 16.9 million vehicles, about the same as April. A year earlier, sales stood at 17.55 million vehicles. Early reports indicated that sales over the three-day Memorial Day weekend were helped by heavy discounts. "While demand for new vehicles is still relatively strong, it's a bit of smoke and mirrors," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds, the car shopping website. Manufacturers and dealers "really pushed the deals over the holiday weekend to prop up their May numbers," she said. "Incentives were up sharply, and it seems automakers are putting more cash on the hood to nudge car shoppers to buy versus lease." General Motors dealers were offering discounts of up to $12,000 on the full-size Chevrolet Silverado pickup, while some dealer discounts on Ford Motor Co's F-series pickups were more than $10,000 on 2017 models and more than $14,000 on leftover 2016 models. The 2017 model year started eight months ago. Reporting by Paul LienertRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Ford GM Nissan Toyota US

Toyota Mirai hydrogen car on sale in Europe by end of summer

Want to see Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicles cruising down the Autobahn? It could happen as soon as September. Benz and Bimmer drivers, beware. The Japanese automaker, which started hometown sales of its hydrogen fuel-cell electric Mirai in December, will expand distribution of its first mass-produced fuel-cell car to Europe by September. The first three countries Toyota is targeting are the UK, Denmark and Germany, and the price will be 66,000 euros ($73,000). The caveat, of course, is that this is going to be a low-volume affair (a maximum of 100 cars per year for this year and next) and that the rest of the Continent won't get the Mirai until 2017. Toyota, which is showing off the Mirai at the Geneva Motor Show, will start California deliveries of the Mirai later this year, pricing it at $57,500 for those who want to buy and $499 a month for those who prefer to lease. Toyota also said in January that it would bump Mirai production to about 2,000 units in 2016, up from 700 this year. Toyota is spending about $168 million for that production increase, necessitated in part by the European plans. The Mirai delivers 153 horsepower and has goodies such as lane-departure alerts and collision-avoidance systems, along with the zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, of course. Check out Toyota's press release below. Related Videos: Show full PR text Mirai Fuel Cell Sedan European premiere Brussels, Belgium - While sales1 have already started in Japan since last December, the new Toyota Mirai will be launched in Europe by the end of the summer. The Geneva motor show is its first public display in Europe. The Mirai2 signals the start of a new age of vehicles. Using hydrogen - an important future energy source - as fuel to generate electricity, the Mirai achieves superior environmental performance with the convenience and driving pleasure expected of any car. The Mirai uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which features both fuel cell technology and hybrid technology, and includes Toyota's new proprietary FC Stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. The TFCS is more energy efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or pollutants when driven. Drivers can also expect the same level of convenience as offered by gasoline engine vehicles, with a generous cruising range and a hydrogen refuelling time of about three minutes3.

Toyota vows to fix poor Camry crash test result that irked Consumer Reports

Many Toyota vehicles haven't been performing well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) small overlap frontal crash test, and the Camry is one of them. The 2012 and 2013 Camry both received "Poor" ratings, IIHS' lowest rating, in the test, which spurred Consumer Reports to take the car off its "Recommended" list. In response to the low ratings in the small overlap frontal test, and in a bid to maintain its best-seller status, Toyota will make changes to the Camry to improve its IIHS safety rating and to enhance its design, The Detroit News reports.
The Camry performed well in the moderate overlap frontal, side, roof strength and head restraints and seats crash tests, receiving "Good" ratings, IIHS' highest rating, in all four tests. That was enough for IIHS to award it a Top Safety Pick rating, just not TSP+.
Bill Fay, head of Toyota's US division, reportedly says, "It's still a five-star car. It still does very well in all the IIHS tests. It did not in [the small overlap frontal crash test], and we're busy making the necessary adjustments so that we can address that."