by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 12, 2012
Despite a sharp drop in its fourth-quarter earnings and the worsening situation in its European home market, Volkswagen AG today predicted it will see a substantial rise in sales and revenues for 2012 as it brings an array of new products to market. But cost...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 12, 2012
New federal guidelines could soon put strict limits in place on the use of high-tech infotainment systems – but are the proposed rules missing some of the most blatant contributors to distracted driving? That’s a point that several automakers plan to raise during...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 12, 2012
U.S. fuel prices now stand at an average $3.80 a gallon for regular unleaded, according to the latest pump survey by AAA, with prices topping an average $4.00 in four states. The pace of the increase has actually slowed, in recent days, and even dropped briefly last...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 9, 2012
Opel is returning to its roots. The German brothers that gave the General Motors subsidiary its name started out making sewing machines but soon expanded into a more lucrative business building bicycles. In fact, founding brother Adam Opel didn’t even live long...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 9, 2012
Watch any manly-man TV show and you’re certain to see the commercials featuring manly men doing tough guy stuff with their pickups, hauling trailers, building roads, blasting mountains into piles of rubble. No wonder makers such as Ford like to talk about horsepower,...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 9, 2012
While Toyota sales in the U.S. are trending up with the market, the Japanese auto giant can’t seem to shake the recall bug that’s haunted it for the past two years. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. has just announced it is recalling nearly 700,000 cars and...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 9, 2012
A mix of new products and a resurgent luxury market paid off handsomely for the BMW Group last year, the Bavarian maker reporting all-time records for sales, unit volume and earnings. While there were a few weak points, 2011 marked some significant milestones, company...
by Bryan Laviolette | Mar 9, 2012
UPDATE: Fisker has fixed and returned Consumer Reports’ Karma. Click here to read the story. Now that the Fisker Karma has finally reached production, problems with the beautiful extended-range electric vehicle are starting to pile up. The latest trouble with...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 8, 2012
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has given a mandate to the Japanese maker’s Lexus brand. While it may have a reputation for bullet-proof reliability he also wants it to deliver more passionate design, as last year’s launch of the 2013 Lexus GS illustrated. The real test comes...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 8, 2012
“I’m a reborn man,” proclaims Victor Muller, as he wanders the PALExpo Convention Center during the first press day at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. A year ago, the Dutch entrepreneur was at the annual event pulling the covers off the Saab Phoenix concept car – and...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 8, 2012
By even the most conservative estimates airbags have saved thousands of lives since the auto industry began phasing them into widespread use two decades ago. And now, Volvo is betting it can also save pedestrian lives with the world’s first external airbag. The new...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 8, 2012
Whether it was the subject or the star, things fell unusually silent on the floor of the Geneva Motor Show, this week when Fiat presented the much-discussed “Halftime in America” commercial, featuring Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood. The spot, produced by Fiat’s U.S....
