by Bryan Laviolette | Jul 6, 2012
It’s amazing that it took this long. More than 30 years after the iconic original made young boys salivate, BMW appears to be readying a new M1 supercar. The M1 should not be confused with the i8 concept sports car which uses lightweight materials, but also has...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 5, 2012
The on-again/off-again tie-up of Porsche and Volkswagen finally is set to be completed after a series of potentially costly snags that threatened to scuttle the deal. The marriage – which follows an abortive David-and-Goliath effort by the smaller maker that triggered...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 5, 2012
Just in time to mark the start of its annual “Mini Takes the States” tour, the British maker has confirmed it will put the Paceman concept into production next year. That will bring to seven the total number of models in the Mini line-up, a significant expansion for a...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 5, 2012
The folks at little Tesla Motors are rapidly becoming the go-to guys when a big automaker needs help bringing battery car technology to market, it seems. With Toyota soon to launch the Tesla-powered RAV4-EV reports have surfaced that Mercedes will also tap the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 5, 2012
Struggling battery-car start-up Fisker Automotive is hoping some star power can charge up its sales and image and will get that helping hand from green-minded Leonardo DiCaprio. The silver screen celebrity has long been an active proponent of clean machines like the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 3, 2012
Sergio Pinanfarina, a name long associated with some of the most beautiful and exotic cars ever designed, has died at age 85. The Italian designer took a small family firm and transformed it into an iconic powerhouse that helped craft such classic products as the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 3, 2012
Jobs may still be scarce and Europe’s economic uncertainties may be threatening to drag the U.S. economy down again but you’d be hard-pressed to tell based on the unexpectedly strong performance of the U.S. auto market in June. Japanese manufacturers reported strong...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jul 3, 2012
While most major makers have yet to report, it appears June was a big month for the U.S. auto industry, suggesting that fears of a new market slump haven’t materialized despite the weak overall economy. Bouncing back from the production cuts that followed last year’s...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 3, 2012
Fifty-five miles an hour doesn’t sound like much these days, yet it was enough to land the Nissan Leaf a spot in the record books – the little battery-electric vehicle setting a record for driving in reverse. But you could say that the maker did well both coming and...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 3, 2012
Mazda plans to keep the little Miata around for a while – apparently hanging onto the current model until it can come up with a replacement it plans to develop as part of a new joint venture with Fiat. But that doesn’t mean the existing model will keep plugging along...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 3, 2012
While it’s likely to be a number of years before fully autonomous vehicles start rolling onto the nation’s highways the latest crash avoidance technologies – including autonomous braking systems – are having a major impact, according to a new study that finds they...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jul 2, 2012
While automakers expect to report a double-digit gain in U.S. sales for June, the situation continues to worsen in Europe where demand fell sharply in key markets including France, Italy and Spain – and where even Germany is expected to see a dip for the month....
