Archives: July 2009

Cash for Clunkers Surprises its Critics

Posted by: David Welch on July 31

Okay, I have to admit that the government’s Cash for Clunkers program worked better than I expected. With the program running low on cash right out of the gate—and...

Cash For Clunkers Faces Funding Speed Bump

Posted by: David Kiley on July 31

The White House and Congressional leadership on Friday are reviewing the popular Cash for Clunkers program that gives consumers thousands of dollars for trading in old cars so the program...

Cash For Clunkers Faces Possible Suspension

Posted by: David Kiley on July 30

There may need to be a new award for short-sightedness in Washington DC: The Clunker Award. The U.S. Transportation Dept. is expected on Friday to announce a suspension of the...

Is the worst over for Japan's automakers?

Posted by: Ian Rowley on July 30

There is no denying Japan's automakers took some extreme measures at the start of the year. As sales slumped around the world, nothing was safe from cost cutting. Mitsubishi Motors...

Cash For Clunkers Bringing Back Car Buyers

Posted by: David Kiley on July 29

http://The controversial and much debated “Cash For Clunkers” bill is having the desired effect of boosting car sales, according to analysts and a few auto executives. Edmunds.com, the auto buying...

How To Rewrite Cash For Clunkers Legislation

Posted by: David Kiley on July 29

Now that the “Cash for Clunkers” bill is ramped up and driving car-buyers into the showroom, let’s start writing the next one, or Phase 2 of the Clunkers bill....

BMW pushes its diesel cars

Posted by: David Welch on July 29

Finally, a carmaker is trying to promote diesel in a meaningful way. BMW said this week that the company will offer $4,500 in “eco credits” for anyone who buys...

Cash For Clunkers Kicks Off To Cheers and Jeers

Posted by: David Kiley on July 27

The Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) program, otherwise known as “Cash for Clunkers” program, which pays consumers to junk old cars and buy new ones kicked off Monday...

Car Czar Ron Bloom: Feds Will Exit GM Stake ASAP

Posted by: David Kiley on July 27

The head of the White House task force on the auto industry Ron Bloom said Monday that the task force will not be micro-managing GM and Chrysler, especially when it...

GM CMO Lutz: Probably Won't Shake Up Ad Agencies Soon

Posted by: David Kiley on July 22

As General Motors emerges from Chapter 11 and starts the road toward rebuilding its image, the 77-year old vice chairman who was named the automaker's top marketing executive says he...

Ford Tops Quality Survey

Posted by: David Kiley on July 21

Ford Motor Co.'s has topped a quality survey, beating rivals Toyota and Honda for the first time. The survey is not from J.D. Power and Associates, which has the definitive...

Porsche's Wiedeking Facing Last Days?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 17

Embattled Porsche SE CEO Wendelin Wiedeking [see Q&A with Wiedeking in Bssinessweek from 2007]may be moving closer to ending his 16-year run as head of the iconic German automaker,...

Why GM Named 77-Year Old Lutz CMO

Posted by: David Kiley on July 15

Bob Lutz, at 77, is not the obvious choice to be General Motors’ new chief of marketing. While he has a blog, I’m pretty sure he dictates it to...

Car Wars: Hyundai, Ford and Honda Big Winners

Posted by: David Kiley on July 15

On the heels of bankruptcy, General Motors and Chrysler will give up a combined 11 points of market share in the next four years, according to a report by Wall...

Rattner quits the task force, Bloom takes over

Posted by: David Welch on July 13

Auto Industry Task Force chief Steve Rattner quit his post at the Treasury Department after just five months on the job. But what he lacks in tenure in the...

Porsche Shares Up On Qatar Offer

Posted by: David Kiley on July 13

Shares of Porsche SE were on the rise on Monday, closing up more than 9%, after German new magazine Der Spiegel reported that Qatar had offered $9.7 billion for a...

Honda to launch Fit and CR-Z hybrids in 2010, plans larger hybrids

Posted by: Ian Rowley on July 13

Back in May I reported that Honda had brought forward the launch date for a hybrid version of its popular Fit subcompact to late 2010. It seems the rumors were...

Pontiac G8 goes away, and with it a short-lived hit for GM

Posted by: David Welch on July 07

Here’s an example of throwing the baby out with the bath water. As General Motors barrels through bankruptcy and ditches the long-troubled Pontiac brand, along with it goes the...

Porsche and Volkswagen Showdown is Looming

Posted by: David Kiley on July 07

Top management of German auto companies Porsche AG and Volkswagen will come to the table in the next two weeks to discuss an investment by the Qatar sovereign wealth fund...

GM's 2010 Chevrolet Camaro breaks through

Posted by: David Welch on July 02

In Detroit’s hey day, American cars were been fawned over in rock and roll tunes both for their brawny performance and cultural significance. Songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch”...

Marchionne: New Chrysler Burning Less Cash, But Taxpayers Remain in Dark

Posted by: David Kiley on July 01

Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne tells Bloomberg News that the company is burning less of its valuable and limited cash than it was a few months ago, but he...