by Joseph Szczesny | Apr 14, 2010
In the face of some intense skepticism among German shareholders, Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche defended the company’s new alliance with Renault-Nissan, during the German maker’s boisterous annual meeting. The deal, announced last week, involves cooperation on a range...
by Joseph Szczesny | Apr 14, 2010
Mercedes-Benz plans to double the number of vehicles it offers in the A- and B-Class segments by the end of 2011, Daimler AG chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche told the company’s shareholders. “By the end of next year, we will offer four models in our current...
by Ken Zino | Apr 13, 2010
The Japan-based leadership of beleaguered Toyota Motor Sales late today gave an American sales executive permission to suspend sales of the new 2010 Lexus GX460 model. Another safety recall or service action is now a distinct possibility. The latest crisis at Toyota...
by Ken Zino | Apr 13, 2010
Chrysler Group LLC and NASA today announced a three-year alliance to share information related to advanced technologies. The alliance allows Chrysler Group and NASA to tap into existing and emerging space exploration and automotive technologies. The shared knowledge...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 13, 2010
Have a complaint, a question or an idea you’d like to share with Ford Motor Co.? The maker says it’s ready, willing and, now able to listen, thanks to its new “Your Ideas” portal, which will be part of a new website the maker has titled TheFordStory.com. The new...
by Joseph Szczesny | Apr 13, 2010
Ever since he moved back to Stuttgart, after a 2005 tour of duty as Chrysler’s chief executive, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has been dogged by the lingering controversies left behind by his predecessor, Juergen Schrempp. In addition, Zetsche has been challenged by a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 13, 2010
The influential Consumer Reports magazine has issued an extremely rare “Don’t Buy” warning on the new Lexus GX460 sport-utility vehicle, noting that the luxury SUV could be prone to rolling over. The warning is rare enough for the magazine but even more so for Lexus...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 13, 2010
We’re a nation that has long equated bigger with better, and nowhere is that more true than in the auto industry, where a car’s worth is normally measured by the pound and inch. Not so, much of the rest of the world. In markets like Europe and Japan, small is...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 12, 2010
As it expands its lead as the world’s largest auto market, China is changing not just the rules but realigning the pecking order of the global auto industry. For the first time, this past quarter, Mercedes-Benz saw itself slip into second place on the global luxury...
by Ken Zino | Apr 12, 2010
A panel of judges has decided that all cases against Toyota Motor Company should be consolidated in a court close to Toyota’s California headquarters. The panel selected Judge James V. Selna to preside over the litigation and coordinate pretrial discovery, where...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 12, 2010
Ford will announce this week three more versions of its high-mileage EcoBoost engine to its global line-up, with the maker planning to boost production of the powertrain to 1.5 million annually by 2013, half of them for sale in North America. With the addition of the...
