by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 14, 2011
The United Auto Workers has backed away from a potential strike at the Ford Motor Co. by approving an indefinite contract extension with the automaker. The current UAW contract was scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and the union could have automatically...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
Remember when Volvo had a simple design formula: make them square and boxy? Well, not anymore. The maker has been steadily transforming its visual image as it rolls out a series of new models like the S60 R-Design and, at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the Concept...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
What to do with an icon like the Porsche 911. Fact is it’s been around for nearly half a century and still looks surprisingly much like it did when it first debuted. And so it will still once the new 2012 model – which debuted today at the Frankfurt Motor Show –...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
Volkswagen is seeing an Up!-side to its newest, smallest model. The downsized offering will soon be getting a bit bigger – or at least the new VW Up! family will, if the maker’s Frankfurt Auto Show preview is any indication. The pint-sized Up!, which will arrive in...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
With a $96 million bridge loan in hand, Saab is desperately hoping to keep itself in business, but it may be too late for the struggling Swedish carmaker, its employees asking the courts to push the brand into bankruptcy. Saab is asking a Swedish appeals court to...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
How do you honor one of the world’s top motorsports driver? If you’re talking about Sebastian Vettel, the man who has been scoring the big points for the Red Bull Racing team sponsored by Japan’s Infiniti, the Nissan luxury brand has asked him to lend his ideas to a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
Product planners are always struggling to decide whether to stick with a successful design when it comes time for an update or whether to go with something more radical. With the all-new Honda Civic going into production for the European market, the Japanese maker...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
Officially, the new Ford Evos is nothing more than a concept vehicle. The sporty gullwinged 4-door debuting today at the Frankfurt Motor Show today won’t be going into production. But if it strikes your fancy, hang tight. Many of the most appealing design cues will...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 13, 2011
While Ford has been signaling for some time its plans to offer a performance-oriented version of its global compact, the Focus ST, the maker dropped a surprise during the Frankfurt Motor Show, announcing a second model to wear the new performance badge, the Fiesta ST....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 12, 2011
The name SVT may be missing, but if the new Focus ST and Focus ST-R are any indication, Ford Motor Co. is getting serious about performance again, rather than limiting its muscle options to the likes of the Lightning pickup truck and Mustang pony car variants. The two...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 12, 2011
A day ahead of its planned top-secret unveiling, word – and images – of the Mercedes-Benz F125! has leaked out. The gullwing coupe concept is apparently intended to provide a hint of what a hydrogen-powered sports coupe might look like. The show car echoes other...
by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 12, 2011
The launch of a flood of new vehicles is paying off for Ford Motor Co. as its European turnaround efforts take hold. At the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show the maker will reveal an assortment of new products and concept vehicles that should reveal whether it can...
