May 24, 2013
- Shoddy GM diesels were a major reason why the high-mileage technology vanished from US showrooms. Now, GM is joining European rivals like VW and Audi in adding a diesel passenger car to the line-up -- its first since 1986. If the Chevrolet Cruze Turbo Diesel clicks with consumers, reports TheDetroitBureau.com, expect to see even more GM "oil burners" in the future.
May 23, 2013
- Ford's decision to close its Australian production facilities spells the end for a car that is a key part of motoring history Sadness rules today as we hear of the forthcoming demise, 53 years after its launch, of the Australian-built Ford Falcon, an icon Down Under since its launch in 1960.As a direct result of Alan Mulally’s One Ford strategy, the Blue Oval has decided not to manufacture cars in Australia beyond 2016, and to “retire the Falcon name” when that time comes, after one...
- China has reversed a policy that would have nixed incentives for investments from foreign automakers, paving the way for further expansion by General Motors, Volkswagen and others. Legislators had removed automotive manufacturing from the list of industries that would receive government support in the future, but foreign investment fell off significantly in April. The country's National Development and Reform Commission responded by not only reinstating foreign automotive investment but by...
May 22, 2013
- Steve Cropley meets Ford Global Product Development Vice President Raj Nair We’re at Ford’s Lommel test track on the Belgian-Dutch border. Raj Nair is talking animatedly with a group of his engineers, making classic cornering gestures with his hands as they walk towards the glassy, chalet-like cabin the dynamics team maintains for conferences and meetings.It is hidden well away from the admin offices, squeezed between an enormous skidpan called The Black Lake and the now-famous Track Seven...
May 21, 2013
- In the mid-90s, the pop band Barenaked Ladies sang out scenarios for their fantasy, "If I had a million dollars." Today, in Silicon Valley and due north in Redmond we have a new version playing out where Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft are all figuring out what they would spend a billion on.While the targets -- Tumblr, Waze and Nook -- make for fascinating discussion of fit and valuation on their own, together they show something interesting about the future of these goliaths beyond the personal...
May 17, 2013
- This week's McLaren-Honda announcement is likely to have consequences way beyond the racetrack The news that Honda is coming back to Formula 1 in 2015 is interesting in that it confirms that the new Formula 1 rules are attractive to the automobile industry — as was intended.It means while the unambitious Formula 1 teams will be trying to do deals with the existing manufacturers and Honda, the more imaginative will be chasing around the world banging on the doors of the motor companies that have...
- Buying into a new, fledgling automaker is always a big risk - the early-adopter upside has the potential to be great, but the downside can look like the mother of all hangovers. Unsurprisingly, that's the unpleasant financial reality facing Fisker Karma owners as they look to unload their extended-range electric sedans while the company's future bleakens. We've been keeping tabs on used Karma prices on eBay Motors and other websites for some time now, and there's been a steady stream of the...
May 16, 2013
- A new supercomputing data center and a fledgling shift to bring software development in-house should help General Motors limit the size of future safety recalls, a top company official said.
May 14, 2013
- Tesla Motors is on quite a roll: Not only did the small electric car maker sell 4,750 Model S sedans in the first quarter of 2013 (eclipsing the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF), but it outsold the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (3,077 units), BMW 7 Series (2,338 units), and Audi A8 (1,462 units) as well. Equally impressive is the fact that Consumer Reports has awarded the Model S 99 out of 100 points, and said it's the best car the magazine has tested since 2007. Wait, there's more: On May 10th, the...
- Can future business leaders really learn to act ethically? Professor Kenneth Lord says it’s not hopeless, despite the pressures to cheat.
May 11, 2013
- As consumers find new ways to avoid commercials and advertisements, companies are constantly trying to find new ways of marketing to them. Other than radio commercials, it's hard to think of a way for ads to show up in our cars, but Reuters is reporting that General Motors is considering selling ads show inside its in-car infotainment systems. In the article, GM CEO Dan Akerson talked about the possibility of in-car ads with the example being a "brought to you by Alltstate" message showing up...
May 10, 2013
- Pros and Cons* Pros When it comes to functionality, the Mercedes-Benz 2013 E-Class Coupe won't be ceding its place at the top of the toybox any time soon. We especially like its passenger cabin, full range equipment, power-adjustable seating as well as its individually-adjustable sport seating in the back. Future buyers will also enjoy the chassis balance as well as access to the latest technology. Cons The car, however, lacks perky sportiness when it comes to road handling and, when options...
- It has not been a good year for the electric-car industry, considering the bankruptcy of little Coda and the all-but-certain collapse of the once-promising Fisker Automotive. Even well-established carmakers such as General Motors and Nissan have been struggling to entice buyers (though Nissan’s Leaf battery car has begun to develop a little bit of momentum after missing its sales target for the second year in a row).So it is perhaps no surprise that 42% of the shares in Tesla Motors, a...
May 6, 2013
- Car and Driver asked the head of BMW M, Friedrich Nitschke, a few questions about what the go-fast division had in mind for the future, and was rewarded with some enlightening answers. The best news to purist ears is that Nitschke said customers don't want all-wheel drive on their M cars, so it's the rear wheels alone that will propel new product into the future. If you want both an M badge and four driven wheels, it's the X5 M, X6 M and M Performance models you're looking for in the catalog...
May 3, 2013
- It's becoming harder for car companies to justify their current Canadian production strategies. The increasing strength of the dollar over the past 10 years has put companies like General Motors and Chrysler in a difficult position when it comes to evaluating the future of plants located in Southern Ontario, which …