by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 15, 2011
With federal regulators studying the possibility of raising the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standard to as much as 62 miles per gallon, a new study warns that such a move could increase the cost of the typical American automobile by as much as $10,000....
by Joseph Szczesny | Jun 15, 2011
Ford is planning to introduce an array of 20 new or significantly freshened vehicles in Europe over the next three years and will use existing plants in Spain, Germany, Romania and Turkey to carry out the plan. The program is designed to help Ford turn things around...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 14, 2011
“The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain reportedly once said, and the same appears to hold true for the internal combustion, it appears. A new study suggests that gasoline power is likely to have more staying power than many might have...
by Tim Healey | Jun 14, 2011
Volkswagen is betting big on the United States, as evidenced by the construction of a brand-new plant just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. That plant, which will build the North American version of the new 2012 Passat (Europeans will get a slightly different...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 14, 2011
If some of the early construction crews were a little nervous when work began on the new Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, three years ago, they had a good reason. In an irony not lost on members of the team overseeing the project, the mounds dotting the abandoned...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jun 14, 2011
Nissan may be forced to delay production of its Leaf battery car at its main U.S. assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, company officials are warning, due to ongoing problems resulting from Japan’s March 11 natural disaster. The earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 14, 2011
Just days after its rival, Toyota, projected it would see a huge plunge in profits as the result of the March 11 Japanese earthquake, Honda Motor Co. says it also will take a devastating hit to its bottom line, with earnings for the current fiscal year likely to...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jun 14, 2011
India is expected to grow into one of the auto industry’s superpowers during the next decade, according to a new report by J.D. Power & Associates – and is likely to become the world’s third-largest automotive market by 2020. The new study, “India...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 13, 2011
Ford Motor Co. is being hammered twice as the result of a judgment on a class action lawsuit filed by a group of commercial truck dealers. An Ohio court has ruled that the automaker will have to pay $2 billion for allegedly failing to give all those dealers the same...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 13, 2011
Little Lotus dropped a bombshell at last year’s Paris Motor Show, announcing plans to roll out five all-new products in quick succession over the next few years. Power for most, perhaps all, the offerings would come from Toyota, which has had a long-running...
by Jim McCraw | Jun 13, 2011
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the greatest auto race on Earth, tests engineering skill, driving skill, mechanical skill and everyone’s patience. This year’s race, the 79th running, showed once again what great racing companies like Audi, Chevrolet, Nissan, and BMW can do....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 13, 2011
Over the last several years the Saab story has taken more twists and turns than a Sam Spade detective novel, and the maker has added yet another chapter with news it has agreed to sell majority control to the Chinese. The latest turn of events brings Zhejiang Youngman...
