Russia's Volga cars at one time were such a favorite of U.S.S.R. government officials that we once referred to it as the, "the Cadillac of old-school Soviet marques." As it turns out, we were getting close to reality.
The Russian automobile market is heating up for General Motors, and it...
It looks like the Indian industrial equipment maker Mahindra & Mahindra has become the winner in the bid for the SsangYong. Back in July we started seeing the race heat up for the long-suffering South Korean automaker. There were about six potential suitors, including Renault/Nissan.
What made SsangYong so attractive...
Opel seems to have some good news as it is pulling itself up by its bootstraps. The company is holding on to 15% more jobs than originally planned. General Motors' German subsidiary announced it had to cut 4,000 domestic jobs as part of restructuring, but now that number...
SaabsUnited honored with saving the company -- blogs vindicated!
If Saab was a biblical figure it would be Lazarus -- i.e. back from the dead. Part of the divine hand that guided Saab away from the bright white light was the unaffiliated website SaabsUnited...That's right, a blog helped save an entire company!
This isn't just internet speculation either, Saab...
The last thing most outsiders think of when Russia comes to mind is usually 'heat wave'. But one Russian city is experiencing temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and that's causing one company to stop making cars.
AvtoVAZ, currently better known as Lada, is located in the southwestern Russian city of Togliatti. ...
Earlier this week GM announced it would start taking U.S. orders for its electric car, the Chevrolet Volt. Now Nissan is going after a different continent by starting to take orders for its all-electric Leaf in Europe.
Just as the Volt is only currently available to certain markets,...
Daimler builds double-clutch transmission for a truck?!
We usually stay out of commercial vehicle news, but this one is something that caught our attention: Fuso, Daimler's subsidiary for industrial vehicles, has made a double-clutch transmission for trucks. Yup, the technology that supercar makers tout as part of the race-inspired engineering has now gone to the trashman. But...
General Motors announced today that it would begin taking orders on the Chevrolet Volt. The electric car with a combustion-engine backup retails for $41,000, but GM says that can be reduced to $33,500 depending on eligible tax credits. GM wants to emphasize that there is also a leasing option that...
It is not like BMW fans didn't see this one coming. BMW is giving the green light to a 6-Series based four-door called the Gran Coupe that was first shown in Beijing back in April.
We are fighting our urges to call this a sedan. After all four doors means it...
Fiat began taking orders for the North American version of the 500 at a surprise appearance over the weekend at the Club Fiat-Lancia Unlimited meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. The event known as the Fiat Freak Out was the only time and place the order banks were open for the...
McLaren Automotive has announced the first six of its ten planned dealerships in North America, and there’s a bit of fun irony in the very British racing firm releasing their information on July 4th.
The dealers confirmed for McLaren are The Auto Gallery in Beverly Hills, CA; Lake Forest Sportscars...
Alvis Cars is about to pull off the ultimate automotive trick: resurrect a car from the dead. The British company has announced that it will be building brand new pre WWII-cars… wait, what?!
The answer lies with a dedicated group of enthusiasts. Ever since Alvis stopped producing a cars over 40...
At the end of last year we first reported that South Korea’s smallest major passenger automaker, Ssangyong narrowly escaped death. Now there are seven companies lined up to get their hands on the troubled car builder.
As part of the Ssangyong’s restructuring, it is looking to find a new partner...
General Motors announced today that it has sold its one-millionth vehicle this year in China before the end of May. "Achieving 1 million sales in May is a new milestone for GM and China’s automotive industry,” said Kevin Wale, GM China Group President and Managing Director.
Volkswagen and Proton are working on a possible alliance. Proton has fallen on a bit of hard times as competition has heated up from other auto companies, including Malaysia’s only other major domestic automaker Perodua. VW may be looking to step in and fill excess production capacity and/or provide new models to...
California likes being on the forefront of green technology, and Mitsubishi is more than happy to throw them the keys to a couple of i-MiEVs in exchange for a photo op with the Governator. Mitsubishi is loaning the state of California two all-electric i-MiEV city cars so the state can...
Today the indian truckmaker Mahindra & Mahindra bought a 55.2% stake in the REVA Electric Car Company. The newly established Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicle Co Ltd. Will continue to produce the REVAi, known as the G-Wiz in the U.K., as well as continue work on REVA’s NXR and NXG...
Opel’s hopes for German government money seem to be much closer. Last week we reported the European subsidiary of General Motors was likely not to receive government aid, but now Opel has made a key agreement that should turn the tide in the company’s favor.
The world's cheapest car is not a fire hazard, according to the company that makes them.
Tata released today its findings of its investigation into two Nanos that caught fire within less than a month. The company says the two incidents that both occured in its home market of India were “isolated”...
Opel may have to put its hands back into its pockets.
It is nothing new to hear that the German subsidiary of General Motors is looking for financial aid. Opel has spent the last few months asking its local government for € 1.3 billion to help cover GM’s € 3.7 billion plan...
SEAT is a company in crisis. Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary lost €339 million last year (currently about $429 million,) and now it needs a plan for the future. According to SEAT’s Chairman James Muir, the company cannot rely on cutting cost alone, "We need volume, revenues, and utilization.”
While that’s the...
The ultimate version of the ultimate driving machine has been launched. We first saw the M3 GTS back in November, and now BMW announced the official offering of its M3 trackday contender.
The M3’s standard 4.0-liter V8 has been given a longer stroke to enlarge it to 4.4-liters. This jumps the horsepower...
Last month Ferrari announced ambitious plans to replace almost its entire lineup, but now it looks like the company may be doing it with less help. According to a Bloomberg story, Ferrari will be cutting 270 jobs, which is about 9% of its total workforce. In addition to the...
Aston Martin confirmed V12 Vantage for North America
About a year ago there was a collective gasp on the North American automotive scene. Aston Martin announced it was taking its small and light Vantage coupe, and it was stuffing the 510 hp V12 engine from the DBS under the hood. All sounded great until it was announced this...
IN PICTURES: Aston Martin Rapide
The car that we called “the practical Aston Martin” in our initial encounter is now making its way to showrooms. Aston Martin announced today that the first customer versions of its Rapide sedan are now being shipped worldwide.
The Rapide is...
Volvo is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its crash test laboratory. Over the last decade, Volvo has conducted 3,000 full-scale tests in this facility. That is the equivalent crashing one car every weekday (plus every Saturday a month, except one) since it opened its doors – not bad for a company that...
China's Brilliance faces uncertain future in Europe
The Chinese automaker Brilliance has likely pulled out of Europe. A Reuters reported earlier today that Brilliance has halted its exports to Europe. Another report from the Global Times disputes the Reuters story, claiming that the company, “will never pull out of Germany and Europe, even though it is confronted with bleak...
Subaru has just released details on an enhanced version of its EyeSight system available in its home market of Japan. This update improves the two-camera recognition system’s three main functions:
-Pre-Collision Braking Control – recognizing potential accidents and sounding an audible alarm
-Pre-Collision Brake Assist System – boosting brake function when an...
Plenty of car companies have ambitious plans, but when a company is saying that its entire lineup for 2013 will look nothing like what they have in 2009, we tend to take notice. Even better is that the news is from Ferrari, so our ears will be buzzing with previews...
Saab will continue to utilize GM’s OnStar in its U.S.-bound vehicles. This is not the first time OnStar has been available on a non-GM car (anyone remember the now-defunct Acura OnStar units?) Considering the Saab/GM divorce is less than two months old, and it was a relatively amiable split, no one should...
Chinese parts stop production at GM's Shreveport plant
The General Motors plant in Shreveport, Louisiana has been idled after Chinese microchips used in the car have been “contaminated”. The Shreveport facility makes the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon small trucks, and it was once home to the Hummer H3.
The affected microchips are part of the...
NUMMI: the worst plant that became the best idea hardly used
New United Motor Manufacturing Inc (NUMMI) was once known as the worst auto plant in the U.S.
“There was a lot of booze on the line, and as long as you did your job no one really cared,” said Rick Madrid factory line worker. He went on to tell NPR’s This...
Making fuel from waste isn’t new to General Motors. GM announced its partnership with the trash-into-biofuel company Coskata back at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Now GM is taking the show on the road (or possibly boat) as it’s using its Coskata relationship to introduce E85 ethanol to Australia.
GM’s Aussie...
While the extended warranty program offered at car dealerships has a debatable value, the legitimacy of independent companies that have popped up recently can even make Ned Flanders skeptical. Now luck has seemed to have expired for the largest one, US Fidelis. Earlier this month the questionable service firm filed for Chapter...
Jaguar and Land Rover will be heading into hybrid territory. Although both companies have hinted at dabbling into alternative fuels and electric drivetrains, a £340 million loan (currently about $517 million) was granted to the company specifically for the “development of micro and full hybrid drive trains and research into more...
Saturns are added to GM Certified Used Vehicles Program across the GM remaining brands
General Motors is now allowing any of its current brand's dealerships (except Cadillac) to allow Saturns into the GM Certified Used Vehicle program. Saturns from model year 2005 to 2010 with less than 75,000 miles are now eligible for GM's standard 12-month/12,000 mile warranty on certified used cars. This includes the
Lotus Cars and Naomi Campbell are teaming up to hold a charity auction for Haiti. Lotus has dispatched its design Director Donato Coco to create with Campbell eight special Evoras to raise money for the women and children affected by the earthquake.
The “Naomi for Haiti” Evoras are a unique...
Chalk one up for the little (Asian) guy. A South Korean court ruled that Hyundai Motor’s Chairman and CEO, Chung Mong-koo must pay a fine of $60 million for profiting while misleading investors. "This is a case that reveals the problem of family-run management that focuses on the interests of major...
The Toyota recalls have become a big story, possibly too big. The volume of reporting by the internet media is beginning to have a desensitizing effect and some of the basic information is getting lost in the shuffle. So we've created a list of ONLY what are the important recalls...
Toyota is owning up to the problems of faulty gas pedals that can get stuck under floor mats. Toyota is suspending sales of eight models in North America and stopping production at six North American pants to deal with this problem. This situation could also soon affect similar European models.
General Motors Chairman Edward Whitacre is now adding CEO to his title.
In a public statement Whitacre said, “Having spent the last few months meeting with employees, customers, and dealers, and having worked with the new leadership team at General Motors -- and sorta learning this business -- I was...
General Motors seems to be on the road to a quick recovery. In November it announced plans began repaying its government loans, and now CEO Ed Whitacre says the company is on track to show its first profit in five years.
In 2009 U.S. consumers bought 10 million cars but scrapped 14 million, representing a 2% decline in total autos on the road. There are plenty of culprits to this one. For instance technology such as the internet and cell phones create less of a need for people to travel for business of...
One of the largest concerns that has come from industry analysts and Volvo enthusiasts (i.e. loyal customers) is how much influence will the Chinese company Geely impose on its Swedish acquisition. Now a Wall Street Journal story is helping to clarify Volvo’s future. It’s reporting that Geely has announced it will...
Ford has come to "substantive commercial terms" to sell Volvo to the Chinese firm Geely. The Guardian is reporting the deal to be worth between $2 billion and $2.3 billion. This represents a steep loss compared to the $6.45 billion Ford paid for Volvo a decade ago.
It’s been a long, hard road to get India’s cheapest car on the road, but the work is beginning to pay off. The Tata Nano has only been onsale since the spring, and it has already won the 2009 Indian Car of the year Award.
Ssangyong isn’t exactly a major player in automotive construction. The few times its name is mentioned in Europe or Asia is usually as a punch line. But the South Korean government has decided it is a company worth saving.
Rather than let the company go into bankruptcy, a Seoul court approved a restructuring...
It’s the end of the road for Saab. After Koenigsegg dropped out of the mix, General Motors looked to create a quick marriage with anyone. It sold off current tooling for the 9-5 and 9-3 to the Chinese company BAIC, and everyone had high hopes the Spyker would take over Saab’s future. ...
Only a few days ago Volkswagen finished acquiring half the shares in Porsche, but it seems that didn’t satisfy VW’s appetite. The European automaker has now purchased a 20 percent stake in Suzuki for about $2.4 billion. This buy-in represents about the asme amount General Motors used to own in Suzuki...
Reports are now confirming that PSA Peugeot-Citroen is in talks to buy up 30-50% of Mitsubishi Motors. "We have been talking about whether we can have a deeper relationship, and a capital tie-up is one among many options," said a Mitsubishi Motors spokesman.
GM CEO Fritz Henderson stepped down today with his duties to be temporarily given to GM's Chairman Ed Whitacre. The whole story is not known yet, but rumors range from he was an interim CEO (just not by title) to he did not get along with Whitacre. Once the dust settles...
It seemed like the perfect story. GM couldn't take care of the orphan Saab any longer, so it would now return to the homeland under the care of a glamorous new owner. Supercar maker Koenigsegg announced big plans for Saab. It was going to be back under Swedish ownership making very...
Volkswagen is finalizing a deal to acquire the assets from the now-defunct coachbuilder Karmann. The manufacturing company fell on tough times earlier this year and closed its doors this summer. VW was counting on the Karmann to work on electric car construction, and so its buying the whole former production facility....
Enthusiasts get excited about the BMW 5-Series because its the car that can haul cargo of the family on the weekdays and hold the excitement of the back roads on the weekends. A decade ago BMW was the confirmed king of this weekend warrior market, but now the likes of...
Just as production of the first generation Volkswagen Golf was winding down in the U.S. 25 years ago, it was getting a second life in South Africa. Given a bright color scheme and renamed the Citi Golf, the Mk1 car went on to provide over 377,484 South Africans with cheap wheels...
John McCain is getting back to his Straight Talk with his “I don't think we ever should have bailed out Chrysler and General Motors” statement at a NASCAR event over the weekend. He continued, “Anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I'd like to meet them.”
General Motors has a long road to get back in taxpayers good graces, and today it was taking the first step. GM announced it was going to make payments on the $6.7 billion it received from the U.S. Treasury to help it into bankruptcy. GM CEO Fritz Henderson says that the full...
Volkswagen was the fourth largest automaker last year, but now new reports have pegged it to surge to number one. With an improvement that big, if car production was a sport, officials would be checking VW for performance-enhancing fuels or at least spare parts. But in the topsy-turvy year that...
General Motors announced that it was keeping its Opel division last week only a few hours after Carl-Peter Foster, president of GM Europe, supported the sale of Opel to the Canadian company Magna. His awkward moment has led Foster to step down from his position and sent GM looking for a...
Rolls-Royce is looking to give a boost to it's latest and smallest car, the Ghost. The baby Roller will get a version of BMW's hybrid system its using on the 7-Series. The smallest Rolls-Royce does share a platform with BMW's largest sedan, so adding its hybrid system shouldn't be too...
