by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 27, 2011
General Motors has withdrawn a request for $14.4 billion in low-interest loans it was seeking through the Department of Energy, proclaiming it has enough cash to fund the development of battery cars and other high-mileage models. The news came on the same day the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 27, 2011
Nick Mason has always been good at banging on the skins, but now he wants to drum up some business through an unusual investment fund betting on the prospects of classic cars. The drummer for the rock band Pink Floyd, Mason has signed onto the advisory board of IGA...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 27, 2011
Honda has always like to position itself as an engine company that also makes cars – and motorcycles and power tools. But it turns out the Japanese maker has also gotten into the seafood business. But its latest earnings report shows the dangers of doing things...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 27, 2011
While auto regulators might be pushing to get motorists to hang up their cellphones and concentrate on driving, they’re encouraging efforts to get cars to talk to one another. A consortium of eight manufacturers has set up shop in the Detroit suburb of Farmington...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 27, 2011
You could dole fuel out with an eyedropper and ignore the latest pump prices were the Volkswagen XL1 sitting in your driveway. The newest VW concept vehicle claims a fuel economy of a seemingly impossible 250 miles per gallon. Unveiled at this week’s Qatar Motor...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 26, 2011
Saying the administration hopes to “spark…whole new industries,” Vice President Joe Biden outlined the White House goal of getting 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road. Since taking office in January 2009, President Barack Obama has expressed strong support for the...
by Henny Hemmes | Jan 26, 2011
BMW is nothing if not ambitious, and this year is aiming for record global sales — rolling out the products it thinks can get it there, including the 2012 BMW 650i Cabriolet. We got the chance to take the convertible for a drive around balmy Cape Town, South...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 26, 2011
Struggling to overcome not only its safety-related problems but a reputation for building boring appliances, Toyota hopes to demonstrate a “reborn passion” with the roll-out of its FT-86 sports car at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. For those who think of the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 26, 2011
Despite recent protestations by a senior Toyota executive that the worst of the maker’s safety problems are behind it, the Japanese giant is getting 2011 off to a shaky start. The potentially faulty installation of fuel pressure sensors is forcing the maker to recall...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 26, 2011
Facing the prospect of opposition from the new, Republican-controlled House of Representatives, federal regulators recently announced a delay in setting out proposed new fuel economy standards – which many have expected to push as high as 62 mpg by 2025. But at least...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 25, 2011
When asked who delivers the most value for the money, some of the traditional Japanese favorites are losing ground, according to a new study by California-based Strategic Vision, which notably found that Ford Motor Co. has surged ahead of American Honda for the first...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 25, 2011
Geneva Motor Show-goers will be the first to see tangible evidence of the fast-expanding relationship between Italy’s Fiat and its U.S. partner, Chrysler, when the pair lift the covers on the all-new Fiat Freemont, early next month. Make that more-or-less new. While...
