by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 19, 2011
Struggling Smart is offering up a vision of what could be the future of its two-seat Fortwo microcar. The new Smart Forvision concept vehicle on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show is a long-delayed and much-needed replacement for a vehicle that has become...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 19, 2011
Toyota delivered an unexpected surprise when it formally announced the launch of its new Prius Plug-in model, revealing it will be priced starting at $32,760, well above what the maker had initially signaled. That’s a more than $9,000 premium for the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 19, 2011
Negotiators for General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union might have missed their deadline but the settlement they worked out – peacefully – late last Friday appears to be one that qualifies as the clichéd Win-Win for both labor and management. Official details...
by Tim Healey | Sep 19, 2011
Road trips are usually undertaken in roomy sedans or crossover SUVs. One would not normally select a sports coupe for a 250-mile slog from Chicago to Ann Arbor, Michigan, but then, one normally doesn’t have tickets to see one of college football’s best rivalries being...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 17, 2011
The United Auto Workers Union and General Motors said Friday they had reached agreement on a new labor contract late Friday night that includes a new profit-sharing formula and other modest gains for workers – but which also appears to promise improvements for the...
by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 16, 2011
Daimler AG Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche is facing an involuntary manslaughter probe over the death of an engineer at a company test track in northern Germany, Stuttgarter Zeitung has reported. The possible charges are considered unusual in that Zetsche was...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 16, 2011
Some big changes are coming at Subaru – as it has revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. The Japanese maker’s much anticipated rear-drive sports car still isn’t quite ready for primetime, though it generated much chatter at both the Subaru and Toyota stands –...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 16, 2011
Say the word, “hybrid,” and you’re likely to respond with, “Toyota.” And for good reason, considering the maker accounts for 75% of the gas-electric vehicles currently on the road, primarily in the form of the Toyota Prius. But the Japanese maker’s luxury marque has...
by Henny Hemmes | Sep 16, 2011
To check out the new offerings from most makers at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, reporters have had to squeeze in and wait for the requisite press briefings. But with Citroen’s newest model all they had to do was catch the shuttle. That’s because the French maker’s...
by Marty Bernstein | Sep 16, 2011
Hoist a very dry Martini before dinner Saturday to honor and toast the 19th Century Mad Men who convinced the Winton Motor Carriage Co. of Cleveland, Ohio to run the first automobile ad advertisement in Scientific American magazine, July 30, 1898. Consider it an...
by Warren Brown | Sep 16, 2011
I have been hoping that the United Auto Workers and the Detroit car companies would reach quick, amicable agreements in their current round of contract negotiations. Even though Chrysler and GM – where the union seems to be initially focusing its attention – can not...
by Bryan Laviolette | Sep 16, 2011
Back in the early ‘80s, Audi’s original Quattro mesmerized those who lived in northern climes because for the first time, they saw a performance car that could also be their daily driver. Sure, if you live in Florida, go ahead and drive your Ford Mustang GT –...
