Archives: September 2009

Toyota "Recall" Will End Up Being a Positive For Brand

Posted by: David Kiley on September 30

Toyota yesterday instructed 3.8 million vehicle owners to take the floor mats out of their cars, trucks and SUVs. News reports to the contrary, Toyota is officially calling this a...

Toyota recalls 3.8 million vehicles

Posted by: David Welch on September 29

Regular readers, especially those who work for or buy cars from Detroit’s automakers, often bemoan that Toyota’s recalls don’t get enough attention in the media. Well, here’s one hot...

Chevy Malibu Thank God They Don't Make Them Like They Used To

Posted by: David Kiley on September 28

You know the old saying..."They don't make them like they used to." I have said that when it comes to furniture. I have a chair that belonged to my grandmother,...

Here comes the clunker hangover

Posted by: David Welch on September 24

Here comes the hangover from the cash for clunkers program. Recall that last month, the seasonally adjusted rate of car sales was 14.1 million vehicles. That was a banner...

Fisker gets $528 million in government funds

Posted by: David Welch on September 22

The U.S. Government sure is hot on these electric car programs. The Energy Department granted Fisker Automotive, a California electric-car startup, a $528 million loan to finish work on...

Wall Street Gives Cred To China Automakers Geely and BYD

Posted by: David Kiley on September 22

China automakers are beginning to gain more credibility in terms of their future in the West. Goldman Sachs is considering an investment in Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. And there is...

Chrysler hears From Ad Agencies About Brand Woes

Posted by: David Kiley on September 21

Chrysler this week will hear presentations from several ad agencies pitching its Chrysler, Dodge and Ram Truck accounts. The task given to the agencies was the following: Give the company...

A Chevrolet Camaro for the MBA set

Posted by: David Welch on September 18

In its day, the Camaro was a cheap sports car for the buzz cut and gold chains crowd. But the new one, packed with a high-tech V-6 engine that...

Sergio Marchionne on Chrysler: "Little had been done"

Posted by: David Welch on September 16

Surprise, surprise. When Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne took over operations at Chrysler upon its emergence from bankruptcy in June, he found something of a mess, he told reporters at...

Frankfurt Auto Show: Porsche's Electric Sports Car

Posted by: David Kiley on September 15

Frankfurt--Speaking publicly for the first time at the auto show here, Porsche’s new president and CEO, Michael Macht, revealed that the company is considering an electric-powered sports car that would...

Frankfurt Motor Show: Ford's New C-Max and Grand C-Max

Posted by: David Kiley on September 14

Frankfurt--Ford Motor Co. today said today that it is not only showing the new Ford C-Max, which will go on sale in Europe next year, but a second all-new...

Ford Backs Texting While Driving Ban

Posted by: David Kiley on September 10

Ford Motor Co. on Thursday became the first automaker to formally support a bill that would ban cellphone texting while driving. It seems like a no-brainer endorsement, though car companies...

GM to deal Opel to Magna

Posted by: David Welch on September 10

The long saga surrounding the fate of General Motors Corp’s European strategy appears to be drawing to a close. After all the wrangling and hard ball played by GM’s...

GM CFO Ray Young to Leave. More to follow?

Posted by: David Welch on September 09

General Motors CFO Ray Young will soon be headed for the door. Sources in the company said he has been looking to leave for some time. But he was...

Chinese Carmaker Geely Wants Volvo

Posted by: David Kiley on September 09

Chinese automaker Geely has made its intentions clear that it wants to buy Swedish automaker Volvo from Ford Motor Co. Ford has been formally exploring a sale of the...

Chrysler's New Ram Plan Poses Brand Jam

Posted by: David Kiley on September 07

Chrysler is potentially headed for a brand problem that will rival the pickle that GM is trying to extricate itself from. Here is the deal. Chrysler has three main...

Johan de Nysschen speaks: Volt is a car for idiots

Posted by: David Welch on September 04

In the politically-correct world of corporate America, rarely do you see an executive throw down the gauntlet or talk a little trash. But then, Audi of America President Johan...

Help Identify The Most Intriguing New Businesses

Posted by: Ira Sager on September 01

What defines most intriguing? To us, that means new enterprises that make you say, "Wow, that's fascinating." To identify these new businesses, we’re inviting our readers and the public at...

How big can Mini get?

Posted by: David Welch on September 01

Every luxury brand eventually faces a quandary. Growth is good but how much is too much? If you sell too many, then the brand becomes ubiquitous and loses its...