by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 19, 2010
The formal launch of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, earlier this month, was ill-timed to occur the same day a controversy began to brew over the vehicle’s underlying technology. Is Chevy’s long-awaited 4-seater a plug-in hybrid or, as General Motors prefers, an...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 19, 2010
Ford Motor Co. appears ready to sell off most or all of its remaining stake in Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp., several industry sources have confirmed. Such a move would not only relinquish Ford’s role as the largest Mazda shareholder but also end what has been the longest...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 19, 2010
Coming Today: TheDetroitBureau.com takes its first ride in the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. How does it perform? Does it deliver the 40-mile range once promised? Is it really an electric vehicle or just a hybrid? And is it worth the hefty premium compared to a conventional...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 18, 2010
The upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show could turn into the backdrop for something of a David-and-Goliath battle with a battery-powered twist. Little Wheego, an Atlanta-based start-up, plans to formally unveil its new Whip LiFe battery-electric vehicle at LA’s Staples...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 18, 2010
The man who helped launched the auto safety movement by challenging General Motors is now taking on the company that has taken over as the world’s largest automaker. Ralph Nader is challenging Toyota to explain claims it is spending $1 million an hour on R&D, a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 18, 2010
Comments by General Motors Chairman and former CEO Ed Whitacre offer an insight into the maker’s planned IPO – but have sent the maker scrambling to avert a potential problem with federal regulators. The Texas executive, now winding down the role he took as GM emerged...
by Bryan Laviolette | Oct 18, 2010
Ford still says that we won’t see it in North America, but the automaker has officially introduced the new Ranger small pickup truck that will be sold almost everywhere else. Replacing the oldest mainline vehicle design currently for sale in the U.S., Ford will build...
by Jim McCraw | Oct 18, 2010
Mention the word, “pickup,” and a lumbering, gas-guzzling behemoth might come to mind. But with the launch of its 2011 F-150, Ford is out to change that image. From a sheet metal standpoint, not much changes, but there are some significant new features and, most...
by Joseph Szczesny | Oct 18, 2010
With General Motors moving closer to the launch of its new Chevrolet Volt, workers at the the company’s new battery plant outside Detroit have opted to become members of the United Auto Workers. Officials from both the UAW and GM said workers at the battery plant have...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 15, 2010
Problems with the front seatbelts in 2009 and 2010 model-year sedans has led General Motors to announce the recall of 303,100 Chevrolet Impalas. The problem has been under investigation since mid-2009, the automaker announced, though GM says it has no reports of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 15, 2010
There was a time when an automaker like Buick would have to build scores of sheet metal prototypes for no other reason than to run them into a wall – or, more precisely, a barrier used for running safety tests. These days, however, manufacturers have transferred most...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Oct 15, 2010
With the Chinese, in general, increasingly willing to spend their money on potential Western bargains, the head of that country’s biggest domestic automaker today gave a clear signal that it is readying an investment in its U.S. partner, General Motors. GM has been...
