Jim Irwin

1 month ago | wardsauto.com | Jim Irwin

Toyota, Honda and General Motors all raise their scores while Nissan, Ford and Stellantis again decline in Plante Moran’s 25th annual North American Automotive OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) Study that evaluates relations between the Detroit Three automakers and their three leading Japanese counterparts.

Mar 5, 2025 | wardsauto.com | Jim Irwin

Cadillac unveils the 2026 Escalade IQL, a roomier version of the Escalade IQ battery-electric SUV featuring more space for up to seven passengers and for cargo and gear. “Escalade has been the best-selling luxury fullsize SUV in North America since 2014,” John Roth, vice president, Global Cadillac, says in a news release. “The Escalade IQL is an important addition to the Escalade franchise and the Cadillac portfolio.

Feb 21, 2025 | wardsauto.com | Jim Irwin

Stellantis joins rival automakers in offering hands-free, eyes-off driving with the unveiling of STLA AutoDrive 1.0, the group’s first in-house-developed automated driving system with SAE Level 3 functionality. STLA AutoDrive is ready for deployment and can be adapted for global markets across Stellantis-branded vehicles, “ensuring a smooth rollout as commercial strategies align with market demand,” the automaker says.

Oct 28, 2024 | wardsauto.com | Jim Irwin

Mazda claims first place in iSpot.tv’s latest ranking of the most-viewed automotive commercials – the ads that have generated the highest number of impressions across national broadcast and cable TV airings. Mazda’s first-place commercial for the CX-30 invites viewers to seize the moment, even if that means hauling snow from the mountains to a front yard to build a snowman.

Oct 6, 2024 | wardsauto.com | Jim Irwin

With electrification getting most of the buzz these days, and powering most of this year’s Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems winners, Stellantis reminds us not to overlook traditional internal combustion. Just two of the 10 winners run on gasoline alone, and one is the 3.0L twin-turbo Hurricane High Output inline 6-cyl. that powers the 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten pickup. It’s the second time Wards has honored the Hurricane I-6, an engine applied for the first time in the all-new Ram 1500.