by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 19, 2011
Nine Chrysler workers have been suspended – and could eventually be fired – after being captured by a Detroit TV news camera drinking and smoking pot both before work and then while on their lunch breaks. It’s the second time in less than a year a sting revealed...
by Tim Healey | Jul 19, 2011
Chrysler has brought performance back in a big way with its SRT brand, launching four new models—the 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8, the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8, and the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8—but can the company bank on it? Is SRT...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 19, 2011
General Motors is moving ahead with plans for its next-generation pickup trucks by investing $328 million at its sprawling truck assembly plant in Flint. GM officials said quite distinctly that the money will go to the updated, full-frame pick-ups but declined to say...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 19, 2011
With production finally ramping up, sales of the Nissan Leaf are on the rise and should grow even faster, in the coming months, as the maker expands the number of U.S. markets where the battery car is available. But electric aficionados could be in for an unpleasant...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 19, 2011
The “fender-bender” is the bane of rush-hour travelers. But a new study says auto-braking safety systems, which are designed to react automatically should a driver miss an impending collision, are having, if you will, a major impact, preventing at least one in four...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 19, 2011
Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, goes the old saw, and always will be. A decade ago, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles were being billed as the green power source of choice, but interest has waned, in recent years as emphasis shifts to battery power. But a new study...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 19, 2011
The upstart Korean automaker Hyundai has arguably done the best job of gaining ground at the expense of Japanese makers still struggling with shortages caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Indeed, it seems like a lot of things are going right for Hyundai...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 18, 2011
It’s often said that BMW products drive like they’re “on rails.” The maker is about to give new meaning to that term. Its California-based design subsidiary, DesignWorksUSA, will collaborate with BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, to develop what’s being dubbed...
by Mike Davis | Jul 18, 2011
In the dark days before America was plunged into war, the nation’s smokestacks were finally beginning to belch smoke again, and nowhere was that more apparent than in Detroit, the auto industry finally ramping up after more than a decade of the Great Depression....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 18, 2011
It long billed itself as the “standard to the world,” and in decades past Cadillac was indeed the marque to beat. But that era is long gone and while Caddy has been regaining some momentum in recent years, it is struggling to catch up to competitors like BMW,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 18, 2011
The auto industry is going on the attack – a trade group launching a radio campaign this week aimed at shooting down the big increase in federal fuel economy standards being proposed by the White House. The 60-second commercials, produced for the Alliance of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 18, 2011
Here’s a first look at the new race car that BMW will begin campaigning on the DTM circuit next year. The look may be vaguely familiar, but making just under 500 horsepower it’s not your typical M3. Actually, there are a surprising number of common parts – as...
