by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 9, 2010
Chevrolet has to hope the market will go hyper-sonic when it launches its next-generation small car, next year. Make that Sonic, the name the General Motors brand has chosen to replace the outgoing Chevy Aveo. Company officials, all the way up to GM President Mark...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 9, 2010
While automakers are constantly looking to draw business away from their competitors, one of the toughest challenges is keeping buyers in the fold, and according to a new study by J.D. Power and Associates, Ford and Honda tie as the brands with the highest customer...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 9, 2010
As it races to the wire, Lexus is once again aiming to end the year as the nation’s leading luxury nameplate – and its heavy dependence on hybrid-electric technology is one reason it would get there. The first high-line brand to introduce a hybrid-electric vehicle,...
by Joseph Szczesny | Dec 8, 2010
UAW President Bob King is coming under fierce attack from inside organized labor for his support of the proposed Korean Free Trade agreement. Other union leaders, particularly from the International Association of Machinists, are fit to be tied, according to an...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2010
Hoping to build demand for what is already one of its strongest models, Acura has some significant plans in store for the 2011 update of the TSX model. The maker is freshening the small car up, both inside and out, even taking steps to boost the mileage of the 2011...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2010
Henry Ford once told customers they could order a car in any color they wanted, “as long as it’s black.” When arch-rival General Motors came along and offered up a palette of paint colors, the upstart maker took a sales lead it still holds today. These days, makers...
by Mike Davis | Dec 8, 2010
To: Lido A. Iacocca, Beverly Hills, CA From: Mike Davis, Detroit Re: Thanks! Dear Lee – Your Old Gray Mare ain’t what she used to be, many long years ago. When, as vice president of Ford Motor Company and general manager of the Ford Division, you introduced the first...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2010
It’s about to get a bit cleaner in paradise. General Motors and 10 of its partners plan to set up a hydrogen fueling network in Hawaii, by 2015, that could make the island state the first truly viable market for zero-emission fuel cell vehicles, or FCVs. Dubbed the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2010
If it weren’t for the banner blowing in the wind over the front door one might not realize there was a revolution brewing inside the small, non-descript warehouse, along an industrial strip in the Detroit suburbs. Operated by AM General, the company better known for...
by Joseph Szczesny | Dec 7, 2010
Chrysler Group’s $450 million investment in a new paint shop at a Michigan assembly line will permit the plant to build several different models, not just compact cars, CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters. “There is going to be a whole new level of...
by Bryan Laviolette | Dec 7, 2010
Fans of the beloved old Honda CRX Si may finally get what they want in its spiritual successor, the CR-Z. The CR-Z has the look of a third-generation Honda CRX, xx years after Honda stopped selling it. Now, Autocar, a British auto enthusiast publication is saying that...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2010
The all-new Ford Explorer will get 25% better mileage than the outgoing SUV, according to new data released by the EPA, which oversees federal mileage testing. Having switched from a truck-based platform to a car-like crossover design, the 2011 Explorer will get 17...
