by Joseph Szczesny | Jan 18, 2011
General Motors launched another round of executive changes, ousting the head of OnStar and placing a new executive in charge of marketing the company’s four “core” brands in North America. Linda Marshall has been appointed president of OnStar,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 18, 2011
Conventional wisdom suggests battery power will take a long time to catch on – if ever – barring a huge energy crisis or draconian new federal rules. Don’t tell that to American car buyers – 20% of whom claim they are “likely” or “very likely” to buy an electric...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 18, 2011
“There’s no replacement for displacement,” goes the old automotive adage, and nowhere has that approach carried more weight than in the luxury market, where big V8s and V12s are the norm, rather than the exception. At least until now. But with U.S. regulators looking...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 18, 2011
The lackluster Chrysler Sebring Convertible is about to get a wee bit more stylish replacement. The maker has officially released the first pictures of an all-new Chrysler 200 Convertible, which will go into production later this year. Versions of both the 200 sedan...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 18, 2011
Thirteen Vermont winters and a class win in the Monte Carlo rally might lend me cred as a driver in snow. However, probably even more useful, and certainly more concentrated, are a number of sessions I had over the years at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 18, 2011
It’s something no serious gearhead should be without. And now you can own your very own test track. Honda has decided to put its 4,255 proving grounds, in Cantil, California, up for sale. But if you’re interested you better move fast. The realtor is pushing the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 17, 2011
Hyundai is giving serious thought to adding a second U.S. assembly plant, the maker struggling to find ways to keep up with booming demand for the new Sonata sedan and other increasingly popular models. The South Korean carmaker saw its sales surge 24% in 2010, volume...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 17, 2011
Bentley management will face a critical decision in the coming months: whether to develop an all-new third product line to compliment the ultra-luxury maker’s mid-range Continental and top-line Mulsanne offerings. The decision will be handed to a management team led...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 17, 2011
“We’re back,” shouted Detroit radio host Paul W. Smith at the gala public opening of the North American International Auto Show. The flood of consumers onto the show floor – which is running at a higher level than the Detroit Auto Show has seen in years – suggests a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 17, 2011
Azure Dynamics has landed a record order for hybrid delivery trucks from global shipping company Purolator, the start-up firm will announce later today. While miniscule compared to the sales numbers of passenger car hybrids, like the Toyota Prius or Ford Escape...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jan 14, 2011
It was the hit of 2008, its U.S. launch inadvertently timed to take advantage of the record run-up in fuel prices. But since then, things haven’t gone nearly so well for the little Smart USA brand, which reported a nearly 60% drop in sales, last year alone, even as...
by Jim McCraw | Jan 14, 2011
Late last year, Ford built a desert-racing truck around its new 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 engine and took it to the grueling Baja 1000, the toughest race in North America, for its racing debut. On Saturday morning, in front of 500 or so witnesses, Ford...
