by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 9, 2011
Weeks after company officials expressed their hopes that things were getting back to normal, Toyota officials have issued a bleak forecast that sharply downgrades its earnings for the rest of the fiscal year. Having earlier cut earnings projections due to the March 11...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2011
Investors are showing a restrained reaction to word that Ford Motor Co. will restore its dividend for the first time in five years – a less than desirable outcome for the automaker’s senior management team who’d hoped that the nickel-a-share dividend would help drive...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2011
It’s been a tough year for Honda: earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, production shortages. And bad reviews. The maker has taken a series of dings from the likes of Consumer Reports, no less, which panned its latest Civic model. In some ways, that’s worse than the sharp...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2011
Becky Poston admits she’ll be spending a little less on ties, sweaters and the other small gifts she normally puts around the family’s tree for Christmas. She’ll need the cash she saves for a downpayment on a new BMW 328i she decided to buy. “I wasn’t really serious,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 8, 2011
As important as it was to win new contracts from Detroit’s Big Three over the summer, United Auto Workers Union President Bob King has made it clear that the “most important” goal during his tenure will be to begin the long-stalled process of organizing the...
by Bryan Laviolette | Dec 8, 2011
For several years, the engine formula for your basic midsize sedan was fairly well known. The standard model came with a four cylinder, but a V-6 was optional. But in 2010, Kia – and it’s sister brand, Hyundai – changed that formula by announcing that its new Optima...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2011
Leave it to Frank Rinderknecht and his team of over-the-edge designers at Switzerland’s Rinspeed. They’ve come up with a two-piece concept vehicle that they liken to a “backpack on wheels.” Whenever a release from Rinspeed crosses the digital transom you can expect...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2011
If Mini can come up with a crossover-utility vehicle why not a pickup truck for Smart? That’s precisely what the Daimler division is planning to bring to the Detroit Auto Show next month. This admittedly tongue-in-cheek concept, dubbed the Smart For-Us,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2011
What can Buick do for an Encore? The once-terminal General Motors brand has been given a new lease on life with products like the Enclave, LaCrosse and, most recently, the Verano. But in today’s crowded market you’re only as good as your latest product. Which means...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2011
Despite repeated reprieves, it appears time finally is about to run out on long-troubled Saab, the automaker’s court-appointed administrator saying it is time to end the company’s reorganization process – a move that would almost certainly put Saab into insolvency....
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Dec 7, 2011
Potential buyers seem to be steering clear of the Chevrolet Volt in the wake of reports that the plug-in hybrid experienced several fires following federal crash tests – which could pose a serious problem for General Motors as it prepares for a sharp ramp-up in...
by Joseph Szczesny | Dec 7, 2011
Despite some concerns about impending doom-and-gloom as the Chinese economy shows signs of slowing down, General Motors and its joint ventures in China reported another strong month as they posted a 20.4% increase in domestic sales. The U.S. maker and its domestic...
