Archives: June 2009

Toyota, Aston Martin team up to make the Cygnet

Posted by: Ian Rowley on June 30

It's seems an unlikely combination, but is the deal between Toyota and Aston Martin, announced yesterday, such a bad idea? Under the plan, Aston Martin will sell a version...

GM leaves NUMMI, Toyota is left holding the bag

Posted by: David Welch on June 29

The 25-year marriage between General Motors and Toyota is over. GM said today that it will pull out of New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., or NUMMI, the joint venture...

Nissan's Ghosn confirms Smyrna plant will make electric vehicles

Posted by: Ian Rowley on June 23

It is annual shareholder meeting time in Japan and, after receiving dozens of questions from Nissan investors in Yokohama this morning, CEO Carlos Ghosn answered a few more from reporters....

Tesla's electric Vaudeville

Posted by: David Welch on June 22

By some accounts, Silicon Valley’s Tesla Motors makes a pretty neat electric sports car. But even if they get the cost of that gasoline-free tire ripper down to $25,000...

Yawn. Detroit gets closer in J.D. Power's quality study.

Posted by: David Welch on June 22

Here’s a storyline I have heard before. The Big Three are narrowing the gap on quality. J.D. Power and Associates have just released their annual Initial Quality Study, which...

UAW sends Girsky to GM's board

Posted by: David Welch on June 18

Judging from the mail I get, union ownership of General Motors stock may be the only thing most business readers dislike more than government ownership. The common refrain is...

Purchase of Volvo by China's Geely Premature

Posted by: David Kiley on June 18

For a few days now, reports have come out of China that automaker Geely has struck a deal to acquire Swedish automaker Volvo from Ford Motor Co. While it is...

Ford To Sell Global Crossover SUV Designs

Posted by: David Kiley on June 18

Ford’s global product strategy has been focused on three main products—the next Focus; the Fiesta, which debuts in the U.S. next year having already made splashes in Europe and...

Saab finds a buyer

Posted by: David Welch on June 16

General Motors found a buyer for its long-struggling Saab business. Koenigsegg Group AB, a consortium led by Koenigsegg Automobile AB, a Swedish producer of super-exclusive sports cars. The performance...

Will Americans embrace Chrysler's Fiat cars?

Posted by: David Welch on June 10

Here’s a question to ponder as Fiat takes control of Chrysler. Will Americans buy cars engineered by Italians for Europeans? History says no. For years, General Motors brought over...

Selling Saturn will cost GM

Posted by: David Welch on June 10

General Motors’ decision to sell Saturn to auto magnate Roger Penske doesn’t make much sense to me. If anyone can make a go of it, it’s Penske. But it...

Uncle Sam Doing More Than Loaning Money To Detroit

Posted by: David Kiley on June 10

From Edmunds.com: The federal General Services Administration said late Tuesday that it purchased $210 million worth of "fuel efficient" vehicles from Ford, GM and Chrysler last week. Ford's Fusion is...

Supreme Court Clears The Way For Chrysler Fiat Marriage

Posted by: David Kiley on June 09

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a hearing to pension funds objecting to the White House-assisted reorganization of Chrysler that would transfer assets and management control of the troubled...

Government ownership gets thorny, already

Posted by: David Welch on June 04

It’s obvious that government ownership of General Motors and Chrysler is going to bring up all kinds of thorny issues and unwanted pressure on how the companies will be...

GM's stock symbol is still live

Posted by: David Welch on June 04

Want a sign that the world is turned on its head? Go to our ‘companies’ page and type in General Motors Corp’s ticker symbol GM. You won’t get General...

Nobody Likes GM?

Posted by: David Kiley on June 02

Does Nobody like GM? It is amazing to me how little slack the bi-coastal media is willing to grant General Motors. None. And what passes for analysis on TV is...