by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 11, 2012
Bigger is better. It’s been the automotive mandate since the days of Henry Ford. And with rare exception, that’s precisely what automakers have delivered, vehicles that grow bigger and heavier with every new generation. But driven by consumer demand for better...
by Joseph Szczesny | May 11, 2012
Ford of Europe is planning to more than triple production of vehicles equipped with fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines by mid-decade, even as the maker rapidly ramps up production of the turbocharged powertrains in North America, as well. The announcement comes as...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 11, 2012
It is the question that won’t seem to go away – even if Alan Mulally insists he isn’t planning to leave anytime soon. During the maker’s annual shareholders meeting and during a subsequent Q&A session with reporters the topic of Ford Motor Co.’s succession plan...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 11, 2012
Nissan Motor Co., the Japanese automaker generally credited with staging the fastest recovery from last year’s earthquake and tsunami has underscored its rapid turnaround by reporting record sales for the 2011 fiscal year. The maker reached an all-time record selling...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 10, 2012
It’s never easy making money when you don’t have a product to sell. Just ask Tesla Motors. While the California start-up does have a small income stream from its contract work that wasn’t enough to head off a nearly $90 million loss for the first quarter. But things...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 10, 2012
Forget the flowers. What Mom apparently wants for Mother’s Day is a new Honda CR-V. Or so it would seem according to a closer look at the car American moms are driving. The Japanese crossover tops the list, with Honda landing five out of the Top 10 Mom-mobiles,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 10, 2012
Despite its long absence, perhaps no Buick nameplate has better name recognition than the old Riviera, in its day one of the most widely celebrated of General Motors models. The last model died an ignominious death. But could GM be planning to bring the Riviera...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 10, 2012
Buy a car, get a pad. That’s one of the bonuses Cadillac is throwing in with the new XTS flagship sedan it is launching in late spring. Customers will get a new iPad as part of the deal, the tablet computer loaded with a variety of software features that are, in turn,...
by Joseph Szczesny | May 10, 2012
German carmakers are negotiating new contracts with unions representing employees in what have become the most confrontational wage talks in well over a decade. German unions negotiate with employer groups in different regions of the country IG Metall, the German...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 9, 2012
A California Superior Court Judge has reversed the high-profile verdict in a small claims case filed by a woman who claimed her Honda Civic Hybrid delivered significantly worse than the maker’s advertising claimed it would. The original case, filed by Heather Peters,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 9, 2012
Think of it as the Peter Pan brand, forever young. And that’s just the way Scion intends to stay despite recent rumors suggesting Toyota’s youth-oriented brand will shift its focus. But don’t think there aren’t some big changes in the works, suggested Jack Hollis,...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 9, 2012
With auto sales rebounding faster than many had anticipated, automakers are struggling to keep up with demand – including Ford Motor Co., which will add an extra 40,000 units to its production schedule by slashing its normal summer break. It’s part of a broader...
