by Ken Zino | Mar 27, 2009
The signals have been getting clearer for weeks now that some sort of taxpayer assistance will continue to be extended to the ailing auto industry. Whether you look at statements coming from U.S. Treasury officials on the Auto Task Force or Senator Carl Levin of...
by Marty Bernstein | Mar 27, 2009
Are Buff Books Becoming An Endangered Species? Hachette Filipacchi, the mega magazine publisher (owned by the French company Lagardere SCA) earlier this week announced it was offering several well known enthusiast publications — American Photo, Boating, Cycle...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 27, 2009
Could the battery car finally be ready to replace the conventional, gasoline-powered automobile? The Silicon Valley start-up, Tesla Motors, is betting its latest offering could come a lot closer to achieving that green-minded goal, by addressing some of the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 27, 2009
This is a decidedly democratic downturn. Even some of the strongest brands, like Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, have been suffering declines well into the double-digits, in recent months. Only a rare few marques have defied the recession, with sales holding at least...
by Ken Zino | Mar 26, 2009
General Motors Corporation continued to make what it called “important progress on its restructuring plan” by announcing approximately 7,500 of its UAW-represented employees have decided to take advantage of the company’s attrition program. Most of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 26, 2009
While there are no indications Toyota Motor Corporation might need the same sort of desperation-driven financial bailout sought by its arch-rival General Motors Corporation, the situation is certainly getting more critical for the Japanese company, which, only last...
by Ken Zino | Mar 26, 2009
In the unending quest for new markets, automakers are now setting their sights on the very places that car use has made inhospitable – crowded cities. While the approaches take various forms of sharing or renting vehicles, they all have in common the promise of...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 25, 2009
Ford Motor Company went to Capitol Hill to fill a seat on its board of directors by naming former Democratic Congressman Richard A. Gephardt to the company’s board of directors. Gephardt, 68, is the former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives and...
by Ken Zino | Mar 25, 2009
Perhaps it’s a sign of the economic times when a CEO is out looking for punters to buy its new “small” car that’s due late this year — if small can be applied to what is still a V-12 powered saloon that is 212 inches long. But...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 25, 2009
We’ve been reading – and writing – a lot about “electrification,” lately, especially here on TheDetroitBureau.com. To hear the proponents, everyone from General Motors’ retiring car czar, Bob Lutz, all the way up to President...
by Ken Zino | Mar 25, 2009
While automakers are busy cancelling budget-busting appearances at auto shows, there still are some makers producing concept cars for the diminishing number of venues. The Hyundai Motor Company has just released the first shots of the HND-4, a plug-in hybrid electric...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 24, 2009
It’s hard to argue with success, and since making its American debut, in 1999, the Toyota Prius has been unquestionably the most successful offering in the fast-growing hybrid segment. This time, last year, the Japanese automaker could barely keep up with...
