by Michael Strong | Jun 2, 2020
If automakers report better-than-expected results for new vehicle sales in May, the interest rates buyers got may be the primary reason, coming in at their lowest level in seven years. The annual percentage rate, or APR, on new financed vehicles averaged 4% last...
by Michael Strong | Jun 2, 2020
The battle to develop the first viable self-driving vehicle just got a little more intense with the announcement Volkswagen and Argo AI closed a $2.6 billion deal to develop autonomous vehicle technologies. The partnership is part of larger alliance involving Ford...
by Joseph Szczesny | Jun 2, 2020
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. revealed that 85% of its employees in in the United States, Mexico and Canada are now at work building new vehicles after a long layoff triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the week, FCA added third crews at the busy...
by Michael Strong | Jun 1, 2020
Automakers around the globe are finalizing the count on how many vehicles they sold in May and South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors said its initial results showed their global sales fell by double-digit percentages. Hyundai report its sales fell...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Jun 1, 2020
It’s been a full 23 years since the last Land Rover Defender rolled into U.S. showrooms, so you might understand why plenty of folks have been getting anxious since hearing confirmation last year that the all-new version finally would make the jump across the...
by Michael Strong | May 29, 2020
Volkswagen AG is betting big – more than $2 billion – that the Chinese electric vehicle market – the largest in the world – will rebound, leading to growth for its burgeoning line-up of electric vehicles and ultimately to more profits. The German automaker announced...
by Joseph Szczesny | May 29, 2020
General Motors is preparing to step up production next week by adding shifts at truck plants in Missouri, Indiana and Michigan and starting production at crossover plants in the U.S. and Canada even as the number of COVID-19 deaths rise in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, an...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 28, 2020
The Memorial Day weekend is always a big one for the U.S. auto industry and was expected to be particularly strong this year, the industry anticipating a surge in demand thanks to hefty incentives and the end of pandemic lockdowns in much of the country. The problem...
by Michael Strong | May 28, 2020
When the next Spider-Man movie comes out in 2021 don’t be surprised if Peter Parker uses Smart Park to nestle his Sonata into a spot a la John Krasinski in the automaker’s Super Bowl commercial before meeting Mary Jane Parker somewhere. Sony Pictures Entertainment and...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 28, 2020
Nissan reported a $6.2 billion loss for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, its first full-year deficit in 11 years and a signal to analysts that the automaker will face substantial headwinds as it launches its second turnaround plan since it was embroiled in...
by Michael Strong | May 27, 2020
Less than 24 hours after Ford Motor Co. temporarily shut down plant operations at its Kansas City Assembly Plant after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 – the third time in the span of a week the company’s been forced to do so – it had to close a line at...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | May 27, 2020
After months of decline, shares of the three automakers forming the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance surged sharply on global exchanges Wednesday. Shareholders signaled their satisfaction with plans to save the long-running partnership that had been teetering on...
