Automotive History

(March 11, 2015) WOLFSBURG, Germany — Some retire at the age of 65 — but this one is just getting started! Production of the first Volkswagen Transporter began 65 years ago and the ‘Bulli’ is still going strong today.

(March 2, 2015) DETROIT — As the Camaro rolls through the final year of its fifth generation, Chevrolet asked five designers who have contributed to the sporty car’s design to reflect on the styling legacy that helped create an icon.

(February 19, 2015) Production of Subaru’s horizontally-opposed  "Boxer" engine has reached 15 million units since the engine was first developed 49 years ago. The Boxer engine has become synonymous with Subaru vehicles all over the world, and remains one the hallmarks of a brand which continues to tread its own path when it comes to engineering.

(February 16. 2015) DETROIT — Chevrolet Camaro has tracked the rise, fall and resurgence of American performance for nearly 50 years, making it a bellwether of horsepower. Since its 1967 introduction, the Camaro’s engine output has ranged from a low of 88 horsepower to a peak of 580, as the pony car rode the highs of the muscle car era in the late-1960s and the lows of the oil embargo-influenced 1970s to the emergence of modern technologies in the 1980s and the unprecedented power and efficiency offered today.

(September 13, 2014) On this day in 1899 (Saturday, Sept. 13) the first known traffic fatality occurred in the U.S. When Henry Bliss stepped off a streetcar at Central Park West and 74th Street in New York, automobiles were a novelty.  Thus, he didn't look carefully, and was run over by an almost silent electric taxi. 

(August 18, 2014) MUNICH — When the first classic Mini, made in Birmingham, England, went on the market on Aug. 18, 1959, none of the people involved at the time are likely to have imagined that the concept of a revolutionary small car would turn into one of the automotive industry's most impressive success stories stretching over a period of five and half decades.

(May 22, 2014) The journey from the original 240Z to the current 370Z made a number of interesting stops along the past 45 years. Interestingly, the 240Z might not have made the journey to America in the first place, if not for the efforts of one man.

(May 8, 2014) DETROIT — Chevrolet captured the spirit of 20th Century America, with its “work hard, play hard” ethic.  And perhaps no Chevrolet represents this spirit better than the Chevy truck.

Founded in Detroit on Nov. 3, 1911, Chevrolet produced only cars through 1917. The company added its first truck models in January 1918, and has built tens of millions since.

(February 8, 2014) CHICAGO — On Feb. 9, 1989, the world was introduced to the all-new Mazda MX-5 Miata at the Chicago Auto Show. A few months later, it was named as one of the five "World's Best Cars" by Road & Track and never looked back.

(December 26, 2013) Nissan in May 2012 introduced the fifth generation of the popular mid-sized Nissan Altima. The Altima is an extemely important car for Nissan. It was the second best-selling car in America in 2011 and Nissan has high hopes ftat the new vehicle can overtake the long-standing front-runner Toyota Camry.

The 2013-2014 Altima rides on the same wheelbase as the outgoing model, though this new car is 0.8 inches longer and 1.4 inches wider.