by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 7, 2010
If “electrification” was the hot topic of 2009, this year, the buzzword is “connectivity.” Even as more and more states wrestle with bans on in-car calling and texting, automakers are looking for new ways to keep motorists linked to the outside world. “People have...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 6, 2010
Just a year after going through its bankruptcy reorganization, General Motors expects to be back in the black for 2010, or so forecast the carmaker’s chairman. But Ed Whitacre, who is also serving as GM’s acting CEO conceded, “there are some obstacles that could get...
by Ken Zino | Jan 6, 2010
Toyota Motor Corporation in India has unveiled a so called concept version of the “Etios,” a subcompact car developed specifically for the growing Indian market, which is now running at more than 1.5 million units a year. Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private,...
by Ken Zino | Jan 6, 2010
There isn’t much to be happy about in 2009 if you are looking at the Great Recession year from an automaker or wider United States economy perspective. Unemployment reached levels not seen since the Great Depression despite taxpayers spending almost three-quarters of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 6, 2010
Chevrolet Volt owners will be able to stay connected to their car using the industry’s first smartphone “app” for an electric vehicle, the automaker announces today at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. The system, developed by Chevy and General...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jan 6, 2010
Sales of new cars and trucks weren’t exactly booming during December but the adjusted annual sales rate was still strong enough to suggest that sales finally bottomed out as the U.S. auto industry wrapped up its worst year in nearly four decades. Carmakers pegged the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 6, 2010
They’re the automotive equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield, but while tires typically “get no respect,’ they should, because arguably no single part of your car has a bigger influence over matters ranging from performance to mileage – and especially your safety. Today’s...
by Ken Zino | Jan 5, 2010
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) said today that December 2009 sales totaled 73,404 units versus 62,101 units a year earlier, an increase of 18%. Nissan Division sales rose 19% for the month, while sales of Infiniti vehicles were 10% higher than a year before. For...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 5, 2010
The market’s two largest Japanese brands reported significant sales upturns to wrap up the final month of an otherwise dismal 2009. But both Toyota and Honda couldn’t erase hefty double-digit declines for the year overall. Overall sales for the month rose 32.3% for...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 5, 2010
The small battery car maker, THINK, is heading back to the U.S., and this time, it plans to produce its electric vehicles at an all-new plant going up in Elkhart, Indiana. THINK, which emerged from bankruptcy protection last year, plans to invest $43 million in the...
by Ken Zino | Jan 5, 2010
Dealers for General Motors Company in the U.S. delivered 208,511 vehicles in December. This is a total sales decline of 6% from the previous year, attributed by GM primarily to declines in fleet sales (33%) and in sales of non-core brands (55%). The decrease comes as...
by Ken Zino | Jan 5, 2010
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers delivered 179,017 vehicles in December 2009, a 33% increase compared to one year ago. Full-year sales totaled 1.62 million, down “only” 15% in a market off 21%, as Ford capitalized on the well-publicized bankruptcies of...
