by Paul A. Eisenstein | Nov 12, 2009
Still smarting over General Motors’ decision to call off the sale of its German-based Opel subsidiary, government officials, in Berlin, have told the U.S. maker they won’t come up with any aid to keep Opel operating. The Germans are also expecting GM to pay back the...
by Ken Zino | Nov 12, 2009
Buick is taking an Opel Insignia sport sedan, adding the existing Chinese grille and Regal badges and bringing it to America during the second quarter of next year. For the first 15 months of sale, Regal will be imported from Rüsselsheim, Germany, before a yet...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Nov 11, 2009
It didn’t take much to topple the king-of-the-hill, apparently. It was less than a year ago that Toyota Motor Co. finally achieved its long-held goal of becoming the world’s largest auto manufacturer, pushing aside the troubled General Motors, which had held that...
by Ken Zino | Nov 11, 2009
Although it is often a must-have business accessory, men don’t like buying ties, according to BMW. The Munich-based automaker cites and unnamed survey that says 54% of the 4,622 men questioned have never or only very rarely bought themselves a tie. Enter a new tie...
by Ken Zino | Nov 11, 2009
Buick executives have told dealers that Buick’s next mid-size sport sedan will be the Buick Regal. This will continue what GM is calling the “transformation of Buick” that began with the luxury crossover, the Buick Enclave and continues this year with the launch of...
by Ken Zino | Nov 11, 2009
After what is said to be a “thorough review” of the Cash for Clunkers program, the chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), Dr. Paul Taylor, says that the cost of each incremental vehicle sold was around $4,587. Taylor defined incremental...
by Ken Zino | Nov 10, 2009
The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is urging European governments to reject GM’s request for funding its reorganization of Opel. This presumably will hasten GM’s demise and increase the chance that taxpayers will loose their entire investment in GM. The latest...
by Ken Zino | Nov 10, 2009
General Motors is investing $C90 million for what it says is a “substantial project” that includes the re-tooling of a bodyshop at its CAMI complex in Ingersoll, Canada, where the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossover models are built. The planning and retooling...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Nov 10, 2009
Globe-trotting British auto executive Nick Reilly, who has been running General Motors’ big Asian operations, is relocating halfway around the world – for now, anyway, as the temporary CEO of the maker’s troubled Opel unit. The German-based Opel is in the midst of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Nov 10, 2009
How many highway deaths are too many? At one point, not all that long ago, as many Americans were being killed on the roadways, each year, as died during the entire Vietnam War. But in recent times, the figures have begun to fall, and surprisingly fast. As recently...
by Ken Zino | Nov 10, 2009
In our monthly “just the facts” chart, we publish the sales results for all makers in the U.S. Overall, October of 2009 continued a bad year as light vehicle sales declined 24% year-to-date when compared with 2008, with light trucks dropping more than...
by Ken Zino | Nov 10, 2009
Here are the first official pictures of the “all-new” Volvo S60, which the company claims is sportier and more dynamic than any previous Volvo model. It carries over the themes of the existing car and, as is the trend, raises the beltline and cuts down on the glass...
