by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 6, 2009
General Motors has revealed plans to add a new plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle, or PHEV, to its line-up, a 5-passenger Buick crossover that will go debut in 2011, a year after a conventionally-powered version of the CUV will be launched. The as yet-unnamed Buick,...
by Ken Zino | Aug 6, 2009
In a GM Europe blog post earlier today, the negotiator on the sale of Opel said he needed to update the actual status after several days of talks with both of the final bidders. John Smith, a GM Group Vice President, characterized the media coverage as both...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 6, 2009
A senior Nissan Motor Company official says the Japanese maker is still open to partnering with the post-bankruptcy Chrysler on its next-generation Titan pickup, but is looking at other alternatives if that alliance doesn’t materialize. Nissan launched its...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 6, 2009
Though the US Senate is poised to provide more money for the popular cash for clunkers program, Ford Motor Company isn’t ready to commit to raising production just yet. Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth told TheDetroitBureau.com that the federal...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 6, 2009
The auto industry is passing through a sweeping transition that will see it selling fewer and smaller cars for the foreseeable future, leaving profits squeezed. John Hoffecker, a managing director of Alix Partners LLP, told the Center for Automotive Research annual...
by Ken Zino | Aug 5, 2009
General Motors Company has turned away from its preferred lender, GMAC Incorporated, and expanded its financing options for prospective buyers by turning to leases written by U.S. Bank. The leases are part of a pilot program that includes select GM vehicles sold in...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 5, 2009
On balance the federal bailout of the U.S. auto industry has been good not only for carmakers but also the U.S. economy, say several key industry experts. Rod Lache, top automotive analyst for Deutsche Bank, said that the private sector’s general approval of the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 5, 2009
It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. Going into the New Year, it was starting to look like nothing could go wrong for Toyota, not after it nudged aside General Motors to become the world’s best-selling automaker. But things turned south in a hurry as...
by Ken Zino | Aug 5, 2009
President Obama today announced 48 new advanced battery and electric drive projects that will receive $2.4 billion in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Administration said that the projects were selected through a “highly competitive...
by Ken Zino | Aug 5, 2009
Public Citizen filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request yesterday for information that it says is needed to assess whether the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) or “cash-for-clunkers” program is actually working. The Washington-based pressure...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 5, 2009
The auto industry is “set to make its biggest transformation in 100 years.” declared the head of Toyota Motor Co., during a meeting with industry leaders, Wednesday. With global demand for oil rapidly approaching the point where it exceeds production...
by Mike Davis | Aug 5, 2009
Two-tone paint was all the rage in American cars just before we got into World War II, and again in the Fifties. Indeed, it was the hallmark of the celebrated ’55 to ’57 models. But fads come and go. Today two-tones could be a route to resurgent demand for...
