by Ken Zino | Jul 23, 2010
Politics might make strange bedfellows, but when environmental and industry advocacy groups hop into the sack together it gets our attention. This is precisely what’s happening with a newly launched advertising campaign that challenges the pork-driven, pay-to-play...
by Ken Zino | Jul 23, 2010
Well, score a big victory for the Stronach family. Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG.A; NYSE: MGA) today announced that its shareholders approved the previously announced proposal to eliminate Magna’s dual class share structure, paying the founding Stronach...
by Ken Zino | Jul 22, 2010
General Motors Company and AmeriCredit Corp. (NYSE: ACF) today announced they have entered into an agreement for GM to acquire AmeriCredit, an independent – and more importantly successful – auto finance company in an all-cash transaction valued at about...
by Ken Zino | Jul 22, 2010
Well, fasten your seat belt – after two months of declining auto sales in the struggling U.S. auto market, it’s now predicted that new-vehicle retail sales will bounce back in July. New-vehicle sales are expected to come in at 928,000 units this July, according to...
by Ken Zino | Jul 21, 2010
The Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio has become the first Honda plant outside of Japan to assemble 10 million vehicles. This milestone passed with the production yesterday of an Accord sedan. The Accord was immediately moved into the plant’s West Cafeteria for display...
by Ken Zino | Jul 21, 2010
The Economic Monitoring Center of China National Bureau of Statistics and Sinotrust International Information & Consulting today said that even though the Chinese market was growing at a record 18-million unit rate for the first half of 2010, it can’t be sustained...
by Ken Zino | Jul 21, 2010
In an automotive world where the term “all-new” is frequently abused, the description actually applies to the 2011 version of Kia’s Sportage sport utility vehicle. This sub-compact “cute ute” has been around for three iterations going all the way back to 1995. Then...
by Ken Zino | Jul 20, 2010
Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC) broke ground over the weekend for a new $300 million assembly plant in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, 775 km southwest of Shanghai. The plant will have the capacity to produce up to 300,000 vehicles per year when it opens in 2012. Jinagling...
by Ken Zino | Jul 16, 2010
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) said today it will build a new plant – its third – in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil for Toyota do Brasil Ltda. (TDB), its Brazilian sales and manufacturing company. TMC purchased land for the plant about 90 km west of the city...
by Ken Zino | Jul 16, 2010
The Volkswagen Group will build a new vehicle production plant in Jiangsu Province, China. The contracts were signed today by Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, and Dr. Winfried Vahland, President and CEO of...
by Ken Zino | Jul 16, 2010
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) today announced that the two companies will start the development of an electric version of the RAV4, which will be available in the U.S. by 2012. The electric cute-ute will be made from the existing RAV4...
by Ken Zino | Jul 15, 2010
For the first time since 1997, domestic auto brands surpassed import brands as a whole in vehicle appeal, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study released today. (See the chart at the end of the story.) In...
