by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 24, 2009
My friend Ralph had to spend a Saturday afternoon in his garage getting his old beater running again before he could trade it in under the recently-concluded Cash-for-Clunkers program. And he wasn’t alone. The federal program, formally known as the Cash Allowance...
by Ken Zino | Sep 24, 2009
Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE:DAN) today announced that it has priced a public offering of 34 million shares of its common stock at $6.75 per share. The size of the common stock offering was increased from the previously announced 27 million shares. In conjunction...
by Ken Zino | Sep 24, 2009
The labor union representing Jaguar Land Rover workers publicly attacked its management today over plans to close one of two plants in the West Midlands, even though the company claims the planned consolidation by the middle of next decade will not result in the loss...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 24, 2009
Fuel cells. Remember them? It wasn’t all that long ago that the headlines were filled with talk about hydrogen-based technology as the answer to the auto industry’s environmental problems. Over the last year or so, there’s been a shift to battery-powered drivetrain...
by Ken Zino | Sep 24, 2009
Environmental groups are calling on the Obama Administration or Congress to direct General Motors Company to adhere to a contract signed by the old GM requiring it to pay for the removal and disposal of mercury switches from GM vehicles headed for the scrap yard....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 24, 2009
Land Rover is confirming plans to put the well-received LRX concept vehicle into production, with its expected to reach showrooms, sometime in 2011, as the third model in the premium Range Rover line-up. Smaller and more fuel-efficient than the other two models, the...
by Ken Zino | Sep 24, 2009
September new-vehicle retail sales are expected to come in at a mere 590,000 units, which represents a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of just 7.5 million units, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which gathers real-time transaction data from more...
by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 23, 2009
With few analysts expecting to see the U.S. auto market regain much of its lost ground anytime soon, Ford Motor Co. is betting heavily on emerging markets, such as India, where CEO Alan Mulally has unveiled the new Ford Figo. Targeting the Indian market’s fast-growing...
by Ken Zino | Sep 23, 2009
Next week when the Distracted Driving Summit called for by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood opens, the debate will intensify around what to do about a growing public safety problem – the role of electronic devices in an increasing number of auto accidents....
by Mike Davis | Sep 23, 2009
World War III is taking place in my backyard. The sound of machine gun fire pierces the air, backed by the diesel growl of Humvees and Oshkoshes. Hollywood has come to Detroit again. Last year, it was Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, a story originally set in Minneapolis...
by Ken Zino | Sep 23, 2009
As viewers of TheDetroitBureau.com are aware, impending European carbon dioxide regulations are prompting virtually all automakers to develop electric vehicles, if only to get taxpayer subsidies or earn credits so that larger, less efficient vehicles can remain in...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 23, 2009
When it was first built, three decades ago, Detroit’s Renaissance Center was intended to signify Motown’s long-awaited turnaround. Instead, it could soon signal the economic collapse of the troubled city. Rumors that General Motors might abandon the headquarters...
