by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 8, 2013
Nissan plans to transform its long-time motorsport arm into an “affordable” performance brand, two new models wearing the Nismo badge making their debut at the Chicago Auto Show this week. Originally launched in September 1984, its name a shorthand reference to Nissan...
by Joseph Szczesny | Feb 8, 2013
Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne may have put Alfa-Romeo out of the Volkswagen Group’s reach for now but there is a good reason to believe that VW is on the prowl for a 13th, and possibly even a 14th,brand to add to its large and varied stable of nameplates,...
by Joseph Szczesny | Feb 8, 2013
If it were to have listened to conventional wisdom, Kia would have stuck with building bland econoboxes, rather than moving steadily up-market with styling products like the Optima and Sorento. So, perhaps, it’s no surprise the Korean carmaker is again ignoring...
by Joseph Szczesny | Feb 8, 2013
With European auto sales sliding to their lowest level in decades last year, the impact has been available, even for the industry’s strongest, most globalized players. That notably includes Daimler AG, which is scrambling to find ways to slash costs after watching its...
by Joseph Szczesny | Feb 8, 2013
Long known for its powerful but gas-guzzling V-8s and V-12s, Jaguar is moving quickly on the development of more fuel-efficient small displacement engines as prepares to challenge its bigger luxury rivals, the maker’s chief U.S. executive said during an appearance at...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 8, 2013
Battery-car start-up Fisker Automotive has entered a critical stage in its short life, the plug-in hybrid maker working feverishly to firm up an alliance strategy that could team it up with one or more well-funded partners – and, in the process, allow it to move ahead...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
General Motors has confirmed one of the auto industry’s worst-kept secrets, formally announcing plans to reveal the convertible version of the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5th. The coupe version of the “C7,” as it’s known...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
You don’t get to be number one by sitting on the sidelines. Yet, since rolling out the original T100 more than two decades ago, Toyota has largely been left on the bench in the U.S. full-size pickup market. It remains the only major segment where the world’s largest...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
Kia is the latest maker hoping to “blur the lines” between a luxury sedan and a three-row crossover with the new Cross GT Concept it has unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show. It brings to mind the size gap between the 2- and 3-row versions of the Santa Fe launched this...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
One thing the Japanese have demonstrated, over and over again, is that they live by the old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” And nowhere is that more apparent than in the full-size truck market. Despite repeated attempts, Nissan and Toyota have...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
The BMW 3-Series has long been the industry benchmark for sporty compact sedans. But what to do if you’re looking for a little more practicality but don’t want to settle for an SUV or crossover? The maker is working up what it thinks will be the answer: the new...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Feb 7, 2013
There are some folks – including a few inside General Motors – who believe GM almost singlehandedly killed off the American diesel. For now, however, the question is whether it can bring the technology back to life, or more precisely, can it make the diesel part of...
