Archives: September 2008

VW Golf Not Getting Bigger? And More Fuel Efficient? Hooray

Posted by: David Kiley on September 29

Next VW Golf won’t be bigger? Hallelujah! According to www.autobloggreen.com. speculation is that VW’s popular hatchback will be the same size or smaller when the seventh generation 2010 design...

Chrysler's volt, er, bolt from the blue

Posted by: David Welch on September 26

Chrysler is just full of surprises. Earlier this week, the company told its nervous dealers that the company isn’t being sold off. It will be around for years to come...

When is 100 MPG not 100 MPG?

Posted by: David Welch on September 26

On this blog, my colleague David Kiley writes that General Motors could get a fuel economy rating as high as 100 miles per gallon for the Chevrolet Volt when...

100 MPG for Volt: Now That's An Ad Headline!!

Posted by: David Kiley on September 26

The Chevrolet Volt may get a fuel economy rating of 100 MPG or more from the U.S. government. With companies pushing just highway mileage in ads to boost their...

JD Power: More People Rejecting Vehicles For Fuel Economy

Posted by: David Kiley on September 24

Fuel economy quickly is becoming a more important factor to car buyers. A new study by J.D. Power and Associates surveyed nearly 30,000 new-vehicle buyers from May to July. Forty...

Cerberus Seeks To Buy Remainder of Chrysler: A Sale in the Future?

Posted by: David Kiley on September 24

Despite tight-as-a-tick credit markets, Cerberus Capital Management is in talks with Daimler Benz to acquire the 19.9% of Chrysler LLC it doesn’t already own. Cerberus bought its controlling stake...

Senate Passes $7,500 Tax Credit To Boost Volt and Other EVs

Posted by: David Kiley on September 24

The U.S. Senate passed a wide-ranging tax bill that includes everything from extending tax credits for wind energy to a $7,500 credit for consumers who buy extended range electric vehicles...

Is Chrysler Down $400 Million So Far in 08?

Posted by: David Kiley on September 24

After unveiling three electric vehicles on Tuesday, Chrysler LLC told its dealers, according to The Wall Street Journal, it has lost $400 million so far in 2008. A Chrysler spokesman...

Toyota will give natural gas a spark

Posted by: David Welch on September 24

When it comes to fuel efficient technologies, the only play that may get a bigger snub from Americans than diesel is natural gas. Toyota may jump in and try...

Chrysler Surprises With Extended Range EVs--And I Drive One.

Posted by: David Kiley on September 23

I have driven electric vehicles before, so driving one of Chrysler’s forthcoming extended range electric vehicles was no big surprise. [Read the story online] When I got behind the...

A Maxi Mini?

Posted by: David Welch on September 22

Say it isn’t so. BMW’s diminutive Mini brand is expected to show a suv concept at the Paris Auto Show next month. OK, it’s a small crossover with all-wheel...

McCain's Car Problem Could Trump His House Problem in Michigan

Posted by: David Kiley on September 22

Michigan likes candidates who support the home team. And Michigan voters can readily seize on things they don't like--such as candidates that support foreign carmakers. Newsweek updated a story done...

GM Says No To Super Bowl

Posted by: David Kiley on September 22

In a move that is emblematic of how fragile the U.S. automakers are right now, GM says it will bypass Super Bowl XLIII in February. GM has been a mainstay...

So Much for Buying GM Low

Posted by: David Kiley on September 22

Goldman Sachs analyst Patrick Archambault put a "sell" rating on General Motors today after GM said late Friday that it was drawing down the remaining $3.5bn of its $4.5bn revolver...

Chevy Volt Debut: A Few Smart Things Overheard

Posted by: David Kiley on September 16

GM vice president, research and development and strategic planning: When asked how the recent downturn in oil and gasoline prices will effect consumer interest in Volt and other alternative propulsion...

Chevy Volt: GM's Moon Shot

Posted by: David Kiley on September 16

According to General Motors, the Chevrolet Volt extended electric car it plans to put in dealerships in 2010 will recharge on household current in about three hours. The question...

Coming Headline: Chevy Cruze--42MPG

Posted by: David Kiley on September 15

Chevrolet chief Ed Peper only says that the Chevy Cruze, when it hits the market in mid 2010, will post fuel economy "North of 40 mpg." That's thanks to a...

Chevy Hopes Bigger is Better in the Compact Market

Posted by: David Welch on September 15

We’ve heard the domestic auto makers tell us that they’re taking square aim at Japanese cars before. Often to no avail. This time, General Motors' Chevrolet division is trying...

Ford CEO Mulally: We Won't Seek More Money From Kerkorian or the UAW.

Posted by: David Kiley on September 15

Ford Motor Co has no plans to seek additional investment from billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian or to press the United Auto Workers union for additional concessions to save money, the...

Chrysler's Seven New Vehicles in 2010 Can't Come Fast Enough.

Posted by: David Kiley on September 12

Chrysler vice chairman Jim Press predicted Chrysler's situation would stabilize in 2010, when it will introduce seven vehicles. Gone, he said, will be the overlapping nameplates Chrysler now develops for...

Nissan Buys The Truck Market In August

Posted by: David Kiley on September 12

Nissan's light truck sales were up an astonishing 32.7% in August, according to autodata. Light truck sales for the industry were down 22%. The Japanese company incentivized its dealers...

GM Takes Its Case to the People

Posted by: David Welch on September 10

Few companies think they get a bad rap like General Motors. It’s easy to see why. Its role as SUV king has made it a pariah among environmentalists. Heavy...

Big Three Back Off Bigger Loan Program

Posted by: David Kiley on September 10

Officials of Ford and General Motors confirmed a report in The Detroit News that industry lobbyists have backed off the $50 billion in loans it sought over three years to...

VW Diesels Ahead of Forecast

Posted by: David Kiley on September 10

Bloomberg: Volkswagen AG said demand for the diesel-powered Jetta may be stronger than forecast since the car's Aug. 18 U.S. debut, a step toward bucking this year's industrywide sales slump....

Review: 2009 Honda Fit

Posted by: David Kiley on September 10

Overall: An Almost Perfect Fit Pros: Fuel Economy, Nimble Driving and good cargo space management. Cons: No Sat radio available. Honda isn’t always a master of good timing. Remember...

Can Diesel Ever Become Fashionable In The U.S.?

Posted by: David Kiley on September 09

There has been overwhelming response to my story this week, “The 65 MPG Ford The U.S. Can’t Have.” The fact that the story has gotten picked up on so...

The Honda Insight is back

Posted by: Ian Rowley on September 04

Honda's name for its new Prius killer is perhaps the least innovative thing about it--it's going to be called the Insight. The old Insight was the first mass-produced hybrid...

The discounting treadmill

Posted by: David Welch on September 02

It looks like General Motors is stuck on the discount treadmill. Bloomberg reported today that GM will extend its employee pricing program for all consumers for another month. The...

Volvo No Longer Run by a Swede

Posted by: David Kiley on September 02

Ford appointed Stephen Odell, one of Ford Motor's top executives in Europe, to run its Swedish Volvo unit, replacing Fredrik Arp. Arp, who came to Volvo three years ago from...