by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 28, 2011
General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union opened contract negotiations with a determined show of unity emphasizing what they had in common rather than their divisions. The ceremonial handshaking at GM came two days after the UAW opened the latest round of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 28, 2011
The contentious debate over the nation’s future fuel economy standards has ended, industry leaders and government regulators reportedly coming up with a compromise that President Obama is expected to announce at the White House on Friday. The changes, according to...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 27, 2011
General Motors’ top executive has made another attempt to head off rumors that the maker’s long-troubled Opel subsidiary is for sale. “We don’t comment on speculation,” GM chairman and chief executive officer Dan Akerson said before doing precisely that during a brief...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 27, 2011
Credit China. That’s the message from two major automakers as they report earnings from opposite ends of the globe. For Daimler AG, a worldwide resurgence in luxury car demand – especially in the fast-growing Chinese market helped it come in with an all-time...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 27, 2011
The Hyundai Azera is something of a “tweener,” a product not quite up to the lavish Genesis sedan but definitely a step above the mainstream midsize Sonata – it’s aimed at a buyer who wants something a little bigger but doesn’t want to push into the Genesis price...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 27, 2011
Porsche is far and above the most “APEAL”-ing brand when it comes to American auto buyers, but the all-new Hyundai Equus, the Korean maker’s first premium luxury sedan, was far and away the highest-rated individual model in the latest annual APEAL study by J.D. Power...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 27, 2011
Though complaints about the infotainment system hammered Ford’s standing in the much-watched J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, the Detroit maker isn’t giving up on its “MyTouch Ford” connectivity system but is working on ways to make it more...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 27, 2011
If there’s one thing Burt Rutan is good at it’s turning dreams into reality. His Voyager was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. And his suborbital SpaceShipOne not only claimed the $10 million Ansari X-Prize but is helping in...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 26, 2011
American motorists have proven decidedly stubborn when it comes to downsizing, willing to hang onto their pickups, SUVs and bigger passenger cars despite near-record fuel prices. But buyers are showing a lot more flexibility with what they order under the hood. ...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 26, 2011
Gone are the “days of sin,” when cash was seen as the answer to everything at Chrysler, said CEO Sergio Marchionne, as he answered questions about the maker’s second-quarter loss and dodged others looking at the planned global consolidation of Chrysler and its Italian...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 26, 2011
Calling it the “key” to the company’s future, Nissan will invest $8 billion in an aggressive Chinese expansion plan that it hopes will help double annual sales in the booming Asian market. Working with its local partner, the Dongfeng Group, Nissan says it will add...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 26, 2011
Ford Motor Co. reported a slight drop in earnings for the second quarter as special, one-time charges – including the abandonment of the Mercury brand — hit the company’s earnings sheet. Nevertheless, Ford still posted net income of $2.4 billion, or 59 cents per...
