by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 12, 2011
“We are a very small company,” says Kyoshi Fujiwara – again. It’s a mantra repeated over and over by the Japanese engineer who has become something of the chief cook and bottle washer for Mazda’s ambitious Skyactiv project. The far-reaching effort could be the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 12, 2011
It took Carol Hinka some time to get used to paying tolls when she moved to Central New Jersey two years ago, first on the Garden State Parkway, then the NJ Turnpike on her daily commute to her office just west of New York City. But when she learned her insurance...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 12, 2011
Those who still think of diesels as sluggish, smelly and anything but fun to drive could be in for a shock if they turn up for the BMW news conference at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show. If reports circulating on the web prove true, the maker could be ready to unveil...
by Mike Levine | Aug 12, 2011
Chrysler’s Ram Truck brand will partner with Walmart this fall to promote its pickup trucks. Details are still forthcoming, but the partnership will “recognize the alignment between truck buyers, the hunting/fishing lifestyle and Walmart. We are working on...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 12, 2011
Ford Motor Co. has named Barb Samardzich, vice president, Global Product Programs, to the position of vice president product development of Ford of Europe, effective Sept. 1. The 52-year-old Ford veteran becomes the first woman to take on such a senior product...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 11, 2011
General Motors has inked a deal with U.S. battery supplier A123 – a deal that well-placed sources say confirms the maker’s plans to put at least one battery-electric vehicle into production by 2014. The maker has a separate deal with LG Chem to produce lithium-ion...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 11, 2011
(c) TheDetroitBureau.com 2011 Land Rover will pull the wraps off a concept version of its big Defender model at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, with the maker’s top designer telling TheDetroitBureau.com that it will provide not just “a vision” of what the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 11, 2011
One of the key figures in the bailouts that saved Chrysler and General Motors – and a driving force behind the compromise that will nearly double U.S. automotive fuel economy standards – is leaving his post at the White House. Former investment banker Ron Bloom will...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 11, 2011
Automakers are beginning to sketch out the details of what they have coming for the Frankfurt Motor Show next month – quite literally in the case of Subaru, which is offering us this teaser rendering of the new XV. A concept version of the new crossover made its debut...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 11, 2011
Chrysler is offering qualified customers the opportunity to skip payments for the first three months after they take delivery of a new 2011 or 2012 vehicle. The “No Payment for 90 Days” program covers any Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram product – but not the new Fiat 500...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 10, 2011
General Motors plans to slash by half the number of underlying platforms it uses worldwide by 2018, while ordering a similar reduction in the number of engine variants in its line-up, the maker says. It’s all part of an effort to reduce costs by as much as $1 billion...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 10, 2011
If you’re past the stage when the kids want pencils, paper and a Transformers notebook to help them head back to school, odds are it’s time to find them a new set of wheels. True, you probably had to walk to school — uphill both ways. And, when you finally...
