by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 9, 2015
The rising volume of new car loans is drawing the attention of bank regulators and analysts, who are watching for signals about what the increasing demand for loans says about the state of the economy and the car business. Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 9, 2015
General Motors plans to buy back $5 billion in share as part of a deal reached with activist investor Harry J. Wilson. Both GM and Wilson called the deal an example of “constructive dialogue.” In the process, Wilson, a former member of the Obama Administration’s...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 6, 2015
Mercedes-Benz will invest about $500 million to open a new commercial van plant in the suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina, creating more than 1,300 new jobs in the process. The facility will handle both the big Sprinter van and the smaller Mercedes-Benz Metris...
by Michael Strong | Mar 6, 2015
Nissan is facing a growing problem with faulty hood latches. The automaker recalled 640,000 Altimas in the U.S. and Canada, bringing the total number of vehicles with the problem to nearly 1.1 million. The newest recall is for 2013-2015 Altimas, which have secondary...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 6, 2015
After rolling up sales of more than 1 million units in 2014, the Jeep brand is off to a fast start in 2015 as it records increases of more than 20% for the first two months of the year despite getting drubbed by Consumer Reports. Moreover, the newest member of the...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 6, 2015
Blinking cats eyes, fuzzy car muffs and gyroscopic stabilizers. One thing you can say about the auto industry: it encourages inventors and entrepreneurs to come up with some wild, weird and wacky ideas. And they have routinely found a place to bring them to market in...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 6, 2015
With names like Qoros and Apollo Vredestein and Rinspeed, the Geneva Motor Show brings out a mix of manufacturers and suppliers seldom seen at any other event of its kind. But two names, while absent, made their presence felt especially keenly this year. Apple and...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 6, 2015
Like dozens of other manufacturers, General Motors’ European Opel brand had a hot new vehicle to introduce during the Geneva Motor Show press preview this week, its subcompact Karl model. But Opel opened its news conference at Geneva’s PALExpo convention center with a...
by Michael Strong | Mar 5, 2015
We’ve known for two months that it was coming and for a few weeks where it would be built and for a few days how many would be built and now we know how big a check a prospective owner of the new Ford GT super car will have to write: $400,000. By comparison, a...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 5, 2015
The continuing growth in the sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles is reducing the fuel economy numbers of the new vehicles purchased by American consumers. The latest evidence comes from a new survey by researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Mar 5, 2015
The 2015 Geneva Motor Show is over. Well, the press days are, with the doors of Geneva’s PALExpo convention center now open to the public. The annual event is widely considered one of the world’s most important auto shows, and for good reason considering the vast...
by Joseph Szczesny | Mar 5, 2015
Suppliers are going to continue moving their operations from North America to emerging markets while enduring never-ending demands for pricing concessions from automakers, according to a new study from Boston Consulting Group. The consulting firm, also known as BCG,...
