by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 29, 2009
Earlier this month, the British SUV maker, Land Rover, confirmed that it will be going into production with its distinctively styled LRX concept vehicle. But the news was accompanied by an unusually blunt assessment of the current economy and the company’s precarious...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
The group representing virtually all of the automakers in Europe has come out against a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea because it does not allow sufficient access by automakers to the restricted South Korean market. ACEA says the FTA “must...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
Automakers have completed a voluntary agreement whereby all new cars and light trucks are now designed to be more compatible in front- and side-impact crashes. Since launching the agreement in 2003, manufacturers have been increasing the percentage of vehicles with...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its global production in August decreased 13.7% year-on-year to 217,954 units. In the U.S., production decreased 31.4% to 33,598 units. In China, production saw a significant increase of 60% year-on-year to 44,441 units marking...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 28, 2009
It’s been 40 years, the mainstream media have repeatedly reminded us, since the concert at Woodstock. As we Boomers get older, we start sounding more like our grandparents, reminiscing about “the good old days,” but the memories are a wee bit different, as a good...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced its production, domestic sales and export results, including those for subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. and Hino Motors, Ltd., for August 2009 this morning and it showed slump continuing, although at a lower rate than...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said this morning in Tokyo that through August of this year production declined in all regions for the 11th straight month, -17%. The decline began in October of 2008, after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September sent global markets into a...
by Ken Zino | Sep 28, 2009
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has steadily expanded its line-up of hybrid-electric vehicles, or HEVs, since launching the first version in Japan, the “Coaster Hybrid EV,” during August of 1997. The Prius followed that December in Japan, and sales of the...
by Ken Zino | Sep 25, 2009
Volvo Car Corporation’s short-term target is that no one will be killed or injured in a new Volvo car by 2020 the company said today. “Zero is the one and only solution for us. As the leader in car safety we can’t accept that people are killed or...
by Ken Zino | Sep 25, 2009
Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology called U3-X, a compact experimental device that fits between the rider’s legs. U3-X provides free movement in all directions just as in human walking — forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally....
by Ken Zino | Sep 25, 2009
General Motors India and Reva Electric Car Company will jointly develop and produce an electric version of the diminutive Chevrolet Spark for the Indian market. The agreement was announced yesterday by Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 25, 2009
“If you build it, they will come,” goes the oft-quoted line from the film, “Field of Dreams.” That’s the guiding principle of the auto industry, though in the coming years, there’s no guarantee consumers really will come to showrooms for some of the products now on...
