by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 8, 2011
Time – and patience – may be running out for the embattled automaker Saab, a Swedish district court rejecting the maker’s request to go into reorganization, a process that would protect it from workers and others owed millions in cash while it comes up with plans to...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 8, 2011
Opel aims to appeal to a new generation of eco-friendly buyers with the radical 2-seat battery car it plans to introduce at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. With a body looking something like an enclosed motorcycle – albeit with four wheels – the maker suggests the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 8, 2011
How small is too small? That seems to be one of the challenges that automakers are taking on as they prepare to roll out a flood of microcars during the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. There are four-seaters not much bigger than the Smart fourtwo, two-seat concepts...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 7, 2011
As part of a strategy to give the North American market as much autonomy as possible, Toyota will soon cease importing Camry sedans from Japan, relying solely on two U.S. plants to provide more than a third of a million copies of the midsize model annually. The move...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 7, 2011
It’s not always easy maneuvering your way around the Frankfurt Motor Show. Even if you speak fluent German it’s difficult to interpret some of nuanced news that comes out of the show. Like whether the new i30 Hyundai plans to unveil next week will make its way to...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 7, 2011
After providing some initial renderings of its new A2, the folks at Audi have decided to go all-out – almost – and provide more complete images and a few more details about the new battery minicar making its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. As we earlier...
by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 7, 2011
If China is essential to its future then Toyota may be facing some serious trouble. The Japanese maker appears to be losing momentum in what has become the world’s largest automotive market, in part due to a series of recalls and other safety-related problems....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 7, 2011
Who says a hybrid can’t quicken your pulse. Okay, most folks only get excited about a Toyota Prius when they realize they’re saving money at the gas pump. But Jaguar is betting it can get a little adrenaline flowing with an exotic design that uses a hybrid...
by Joseph Szczesny | Sep 7, 2011
Talks between the United Auto Workers Union and Detroit’s three automakers have slowed in recent days even as workers at Ford voted in favor of a strike and UAW officials brushed aside reports it has elected to focus on General Motors as its target as its...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 7, 2011
Facing increasing pressures over unpaid bills Swedish Automobile, the parent of cash-starved Saab, has filed for voluntary reorganization under Swedish law. The move, a last-ditch attempt to buy time while it raises much-needed funds, is an alternative to a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 6, 2011
Better late than never, apparently. More than a decade after showing off its Vision SLA, a concept for a Miata-sized luxury roadster, Mercedes-Benz appears to be ready to bring it to market. Industry sources indicate the soft-top would not only be the smallest...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Sep 6, 2011
Hatchbacks are hot at Ford Motor Co. and the maker’s new Evos Concept – which officially debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week – suggests that even more 3- and 5-door models are in the works, according to the maker’s head of global product planning. Long...