by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 14, 2012
“We’re changing who we are,” proclaimed Toyota Senior Vice President Bob Carter during an industry conference in New York. That might seem an odd and risky strategy for a company that has been operating at the top of its game for most of the past few decades – with...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 14, 2012
Even as an earlier fire remains under investigation a second Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid has been involved in a serious fire – though the maker contends the latest blaze was not caused by the vehicle’s battery. The latest fire effectively destroyed a Fisker Karma...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 14, 2012
Hoping to push the industry to further improve the safety of tomorrow’s cars, an influential insurance trade group has launched a new partial front test designed to simulate a very common real world crash situation. And of the 11 new compact luxury sedans put through...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 13, 2012
Apparently, sporting fever is spreading in the wake of the Olympics. American Honda Motor Co. Inc. has signed a multi-faceted strategic marketing agreement with Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. It is Honda’s first-ever major sponsorship with a sports and...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 13, 2012
Few cars have had a more dramatic impact on the automotive market than the Lexus LS. The original sedan – launched in 1989 as a 1990 model – definitively redefined the luxury segment, proving that the Japanese could go head-to-head, toe-to-toe with the best the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 13, 2012
Michael Phelps, Sarah Hickman and the other athletes who topped the London podium aren’t the only ones coming home with new medals from the 2012 Olympic Games. Rolls-Royce, the British maker of some of the world’s most expensive automobiles, introduced a new medallion...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 13, 2012
You come to a stoplight and press the brake pedal and the car suddenly seems surprisingly quiet. As the light turns green and you move your foot back to the throttle you hear a brief rumble from under the hood and pull forward as if nothing had happened. That’s...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 13, 2012
This time, it’s the cops who got busted. General Motors is recalling 38,000 police cruisers because of a suspension problem that could cause fractures and the sudden loss of control – a potentially serious problem, especially during a high-speed pursuit. The recall...
by Joseph Szczesny | Aug 10, 2012
Auto buyers are doing “an excellent job” of keeping current on their loan payments, a significant improvement from just a few years ago when delinquencies and repossession rates were soaring, noted a major credit tracking service. Experian Automotive reports consumers...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 10, 2012
Shifting market trends have changed the face of the automotive luxury market – leading some manufacturers to flood showrooms with new models. By comparison to its German rivals, Lexus has taken a relatively cautious approach to product proliferation but that may have...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Aug 10, 2012
Perhaps the single biggest problem with electric vehicles is the limited range of today’s batteries. But General Motors is betting that a small California company may have a breakthrough that could substantially increase so-called energy density yielding a major...
