Categories: Brands Under Fire

GM is shopping (or is that 'Saab-ing') Hummer

Posted by: David Welch on February 25

There’s a new verb in the auto vernacular. Saab-ing it. That’s what people inside Hummer and General Motors say they are doing with the menacing-SUV brand now that a...

Saab lives! Spyker signs a deal to buy the Swedish carmaker.

Posted by: David Welch on January 26

Saab, it must be said, has more lives than a dozen cats. General Motors said today that it reached a deal with Spyker Cars NV to sell the Swedish...

Toyota to recall 2.3 million more vehicles as its troubles continue

Posted by: David Welch on January 22

The bad news just keeps rolling in for Toyota. Even with some $29.6 billion in cash (as of Sept. 30) the company can’t seem to buy a break. On...

Saab deal falls apart as the brand nears extinction

Posted by: David Welch on November 24

Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg Group AB has come to its senses. The company decided to pull out of its earlier agreement to buy Saab from General Motors. Barring some...

GM Looking At New Ad Agencies For Chevrolet

Posted by: David Kiley on October 15

General Motors, facing criticism that it may not be moving fast enough to stir new conversations around its brands, is about to start hearing new pitches from new ad agencies....

Cadillac Seeking New Ad Agency To Deliver

Posted by: David Kiley on October 12

GM has put its Cadillac ad account in review. I wonder what Mad Men’s Don Draper would do? As a fan of AMC’s "Mad Men", show, I would love to...

GM Sells Hummer. Good Riddance.

Posted by: David Welch on October 08

General Motors it will unload its Hummer brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery. GM said on Oct. 9 that it agreed to sell the brand. The deal...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

Ford Accelerates Product Plan Toward Recovery

Posted by: David Kiley on August 06

TRAVERSE CITY, MI--Ford Motor Co. Thursday gave new guidance to analysts and the media about its intentions to restructure its product lineup and costs in order to make a profit....

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...

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...

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...

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...

"GM" and "Chrysler" Are Toast. What Should The New Detroit Be Called?

Posted by: David Kiley on May 22

It is a done deal that Chrysler LLC will be renamed. And there are rumblings that General Motors may be killed off, as well, for a new name. Let's get...

Porsche's Gambit to Acquire and Now Merge With VW Could Unravel

Posted by: David Kiley on May 14

Based on a new report issued by investment banking firm Sanford Bernstein on Thursday, a lot of Volkswagen investors still hanging on may want to unload their shares. Moreover, if...

Car Dealers are Fighting The Hammer as Chrysler and GM Send Out Pink Slips To Retailers

Posted by: David Kiley on May 13

For all the talk in the last six months about the billions being spent to cushion the U.S. auto companies and suppliers, very little has been said or done...

Chrysler Chapter 11 Good For Showroom Business So Far

Posted by: David Kiley on May 05

All the bankruptcy talk about Chrysler and the actual filing last Friday has been good for business, according to auto shopping website Edmunds.com Since the automaker’s Chapter 11 filing April...

Michigan is Still MoTown For Asian Carmakers As Well As GM-Ford-Chrysler

Posted by: David Kiley on April 29

The Motor City, even after this great downsizing and flogging of General Motors and Chrysler, is far from dead in the car business as some would have you believe....

Ford Shares Get Boost From Wall Street

Posted by: David Kiley on April 23

Ford Motor Co. got a serious boost from Goldman Sachs Thursday when the investment bank raised its rating and share price target on the automaker, and minimized the chance...

Saturn has bidders. That raises thorny questions.

Posted by: David Welch on April 15

Who would want Saturn? At least one bidder has popped up with an interest in buying the brand to set up a retail network to sell foreign cars and...

Chrysler's Fiat Plans Will Have To Beat History To Work

Posted by: David Kiley on March 30

In the evolving alliance plans between Chrysler and Fiat, the strategy calls for Chrysler to take existing small cars, car platforms and engines from Fiat to produce Dodge and...

Chrysler Has 30 Days

Posted by: David Kiley on March 30

White House officials will make it plain today that the only chance Chrysler LLCC has of remaining an independent company is if it knits together a formal alliance with Italian...

Bad brands take a hit

Posted by: David Welch on February 05

Circumstantial evidence is a cheap way to draw a conclusion. But anyone who says that rumors of bankruptcy, sale or anything else that clouds the future of a car...

Chrysler's Denials Sound Hollow

Posted by: David Kiley on January 15

Chrysler LLC says it has ruled out selling an individual plant or brand, but said it would look to sell equipment and could license production of some of its current...

All eyes on GM. They made the most of it.

Posted by: David Welch on January 14

It’s hard to find a company in America that took a bigger public beating than General Motors did over the past three months. But with all eyes on the...

Chrysler drops the ball

Posted by: David Welch on January 13

I’ll dispense with the pleasantries first. Chrysler’s 200C electric vehicle concept is one hot car. It’s exactly what the company needs to do with its Chrysler Sebring family car....

Auto Bailout: Making The Sausage

Posted by: David Kiley on December 11

One of the criticisms that's been leveled against Republican Senators opposing the loan legislation to keep General Motors and Chrysler from going bankrupt is that lawmakers like Alabama Senator Richard...

CSM: Detroit-2 Will Soon Be In Minority of NA Manufacturing

Posted by: David Kiley on December 10

For leading auto industry forecasting firm CSM Worldwide, the Detroit-3 is already the Detroit-2. At a gathering of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit today, the firm’s chief of forecasting...

Ford's Volvo sale could get a frosty reception

Posted by: David Welch on December 10

Ford is buzzing the phones of carmakers around the globe to find a buyer for Volvo in an effort to raise cash and get the money-losing Swedish carmaker off...

Who Wants To be The Car Czar?

Posted by: David Kiley on December 09

The auto bailout, in whatever form it takes, is going to require a car czar. That person will supervise the restructuring of the companies, bring the stakeholders together to make...

Auto Bailout: Live Blog III

Posted by: David Kiley on December 04

Senator Jon Tester: Expressed frustration and disbelief that the TARP money was supposed to free up credit, and that the biggest thing killing auto sales is the inability of consumers...

Auto Bailout Hearings: Live Blog

Posted by: David Kiley on December 04

9:53 AM: CNN reports that a CNN Opinion Poll shows that six in ten Americans are flatly against bailing out the U.S. automakers. The Big Three have a combined...

Saving Detroit is Probably Up To Obama

Posted by: David Kiley on December 04

I'm not sure why they call these Congressional gatherings like the one in the Senate Banking Committee today to consider loanss to the auto companies..."hearings." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid...

Bailout Hearings Take Two. A Checklist of Nonsense Put Forward By The Pundit Class

Posted by: David Kiley on December 03

The debate surrounding the U.S. auto industry has been raging for over a month. One one side are people and lawmakers who say that Detroit is not worthy of saving;...

Questions for Ford CEO Alan Mulally??

Posted by: David Kiley on December 02

If I get to talk to Ford CEO Alan Mulally in the next week or so, I want to know what our readers would like to ask him if they...

GM brands on the block

Posted by: David Welch on November 28

The buzz in Detroit this holiday week is that General Motors will carve up its family of brands like a Thanksgiving turkey and cast away a few as dried...

CEO Paydays Likely Trimmed in Bailout Bid

Posted by: David Kiley on November 25

Members of Congress who oppose the bailout of the auto industry partly on the grounds that the CEOs of Detroit automakers have been making too much money and aren’t...

Buick cuts Tiger loose

Posted by: David Welch on November 25

At least there’s China. That’s about the only bragging point Buick has after breaking off its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods that says it’s not the stodgy moribund brand...

GM Corp. Planes Down To Three From Seven

Posted by: David Kiley on November 21

General Motors today said it reduced its fleet of corporate jets from five to three. The struggling automaker drew fire this week from Congress when the CEOs of all...

Romney on Auto Bailout: Feds Should Guarantee Fan Belts But Not Healthcare

Posted by: David Kiley on November 21

http:// Earlier this week, former Massachusetts Governor and Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney chimed in, via a New York Times op-ed column, with his argument for letting Detroit’s automakers go...

As Detroit Asks for Help: The Silent Elephants in the Room

Posted by: David Kiley on November 19

Inside the hearing room on Tuesday where the CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler asked for government loans to help them bridge the Recession, there were two elephants in the...

Chrysler Is On Life Support

Posted by: David Kiley on November 18

Chrysler LLC will soon be operating on life support without a loan from the U.S. government. Based on revelations by CEO Robert Nardelli today in a Senate Banking Committee hearing,...

GM: Are You Out There??

Posted by: David Kiley on November 12

I had a couple of conversations and e-mail exchanges with people inside General Motors and with those doing business with GM about the fact that the company is getting its...

Even With Lots Choked With GM Cars, The 2011 Volt Gets Ad Dollars

Posted by: David Kiley on November 06

General Motors is fighting for its financial life. It had the worst month of sales when adjusted for cars sold per capita since they started tracking such things after...

Kerkorian Selling Ford: A Sign That Time Is Not On Detroit's Side

Posted by: David Kiley on October 21

Kirk Kerkorian’s sudden divestiture of Ford shares is an indication of just how long it may take for Ford and Detroit’s other two automakers to come back to a...

The Case Against a GM-Chrysler Merger

Posted by: David Kiley on October 16

General Motors executives and some Chrysler executives seem to want the two companies to merge. Though they are publicly mumm, privately reporters have gotten earfuls from the promoters boosting...

Depression Coming: Ford Truck Buyers Live In Their Trucks.

Posted by: David Kiley on October 13

Today at Ford's Rouge truck plant where the automaker has begun building an all-new redesigned pickup truck, company president Mark Fields said..."Our owners live in their trucks." Of course, he...

Ford Looking To Sell Mazda Stake--Take Two

Posted by: David Kiley on October 11

Facing falling sales and a drain on its remaining liquid assets, Ford Motor Co. is looking to sell all or a piece of its stake in Mazda Motor Co. Reports...

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...

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...

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...

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...

The Hummer Bummer

Posted by: David Welch on August 22

At a media event in Lordstown, Ohio, earlier this week, General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner told reporters that the Hummer brand has some interested suitors. GM said...

Chrysler's 4 cylinder Cars Lagging Market

Posted by: David Kiley on August 13

There is a rush for smaller vehicles with four-cylinder engines. And Chrysler should be racking up big gains. Bt when you look at July sales, the Dodge Caliber was down...

Chrysler Nissan Deal: One More Step To Oblivion For Chrysler?

Posted by: David Kiley on August 07

The Wall Street Journal today published a story stating, according to un-named sources, that Chrysler is in talks with Japanese automaker Nissan to essentially supply the Auburn Hills, MI...

Old Ads Remind Us How Little MPG Progress We Have Made

Posted by: David Kiley on August 04

I unpacked a box that was stuffed with newspaper. The ad, a Ford ad, advertised "79 Ford Pacesetters." That was a year in which we were, like today, very conscious...

GM Like a Presidential Candidate In Silly Season

Posted by: David Kiley on July 16

I did not attend the GM press conference as my colleague David Welch did. But I was sruck by two soundbites I heard from CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. In...

Chery After Volvo? Why Not Try Buick, Pontiac or Saab?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 07

Caijing Magazine quotes unidentified sources as saying Chinese automaker Chery is looking for bank and equity investor help for a possible bid for Volvo, Ford’s Swedish nameplate. Hmmm. Chery...

GM's Brand Dilemma

Posted by: David Welch on July 07

Of all of the problems facing General Motors, the most intractable is its group of eight brands. The company simply doesn’t have the cash to fund new models and...

Chrysler's Image Problem is a Reality for Cerberus

Posted by: David Kiley on July 02

Chrysler is in a bad way. Sure, there are the basic metrics that don’t bode well for the automaker. Sales were down around 36% in June, the biggest decline in...

Ford Prospects Worsen

Posted by: David Kiley on June 20

Prospects are worsening for Ford. The automaker said today that 2008 results will be worse than previously forecasted, and that it will have trouble breaking even next year. It...

Ford Seems Resigned to Losing No. 1 Spot

Posted by: Jim Henry on June 04

Ford Motor Co. seems surprisingly resigned, almost philosophical, about the idea that the Ford F-150 pickup is about to lose the No. 1 sales crown it’s worn for 26 years,...

Chrysler Gas Card Not Helping Much

Posted by: David Kiley on June 04

Chrysler reported a 25% sales decline for May despite having arguably the best known and best timed incentive in the market--gas guaranteed at $2.99 per gallon for the next...

Talks of Brand Sales and Closures in Detroit Stirred By The Uninformed

Posted by: David Kiley on May 27

Talks of brand sales and closures is gathering steam with the downturn in auto sales. It’s not that easy. Tracinda Corp. adviser Jerry York mused recently that he would...

Ford's "Small" Truck Plan Will All Be in the Execution

Posted by: David Kiley on May 19

Ford is planning to replace the Ranger small pickup with a stepped down version of the Ford F150 pickup truck, according to www.pickuptrucks.com. The small/mid-size truck mqarket has been drying...

Chrysler's Gas Card Promo Smells Like Bacon

Posted by: David Kiley on May 06

I like Jim Henry's and Dave Welch's analysis on this. Here's mine: Bacon here. Bacon. Get your free bacon here. Bacon right on the hood of this here Dodge...

Exit Poll: Mercury is Dropping

Posted by: Jim Henry on May 05

Businessweek.com readers so far are voting Mercury off the island, which of course they have effectively been doing for years, when they bought something else. Accompanying the story, "Which Auto...

Ford's Uphill Battle Selling Quality

Posted by: David Kiley on April 09

Ford is about to kick off a new ad campaign, themed, “Ford. Drive One.” One of the cornerstone pieces of information back-stopping the campaign is a report from RDA...

Chrysler's New Tune: If You Can Dream It. We Can Build It.

Posted by: David Kiley on April 04

Chrysler LLC is embarking on a new advertising effort to try and drum up showroom traffic for a flock of cars that mostly have not been met with enthusiasm...

"Ford. Drive One." A Slogan For The Times

Posted by: David Kiley on March 18

Ford is reportedly readying a new ad campaign for its struggling North American business under the theme: “Ford. Drive One.” The campaign, developed under the guidance of Ford’s new...

Ford Names World Car "Fiesta". Let the Boo-Birds Start Singing

Posted by: David Kiley on February 15

Ford Motor Co. said it will name the Verve world-car concept the Fiesta worldwide. The boo-birds in the U.S. who think this is a bad idea will start singing...

VW Looking To Beetle To Save Its Brand Again

Posted by: David Kiley on February 01

Volkswagen, once again, appears to be turning to the Beetle to boost its fortunes. Automotive News reported that a new brand campaign from Volkswagen hitting the airwaves and other...

Don't Diss The Taurus

Posted by: David Kiley on January 30

Okay...we all know the Ford Taurus is a pretty bad looking car. It is bulbous. But dealers have to sell the darn things. We like the honesty of Ford...

Hummer Website Tops

Posted by: David Kiley on January 23

Hummer may be a bummer, but it's website aint dummer. HUMMER.com earns the highest ranking among automotive manufacturer Web sites for usefulness in new-vehicle shopping for a second consecutive...

The Worst Car Name in History

Posted by: David Welch on January 17

The Routan? What’s a Routan? Believe it or not, that’s the name of Volkswagen’s new minivan, which will be built by Chrysler at its factory in Windsor, Ontario. The...

Hummer is Going Big in Japan

Posted by: David Welch on December 11

Here’s something counterintuitive. General Motors is going to take Hummer to Japan. I’m being a bit snide here, but that strikes me as a bit like trying to sell...

Ford Outlook Updated--Pluses and Minuses.

Posted by: David Kiley on December 10

Goldman Sachs auto analyst Robert Barris issued a reprt today updating his outlook of Ford based on a recent deep dive into the financials and product plans. "What's changed?." writes...

Chrysler Confident About Brisk Sales for Challenger

Posted by: David Kiley on December 06

Chrysler says it took in more than 4,300 orders the first day it opened up the books for its new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8®. Now, don't get hysterical. Dealers...

Volkswagen's Play for America

Posted by: David Welch on December 04

Finally, Volkswagen AG seems serious about really growing in the U.S. car market. The German media says the company is scouring the U.S. for a big patch of land...

New Chevy Malibu: The Car is Hot. The Ad Effort Leaves Me Cold

Posted by: David Kiley on October 12

General Motors is in the middle of trying to engineer a shift of perception about its brands and products. Perhaps the most important effort getting underway is its Chevrolet...

With Healthcare Behind It, GM Must Now Focus on a Coherency Plan

Posted by: David Kiley on September 27

General Motors got its transformational deal with the United Auto Workers, which will take a huge bite out of the healthcare cost deficit it suffers compared with Toyota, Honda,...

Detroit inches closer

Posted by: David Welch on August 14

Here’s a sadly familiar story line coming out of Detroit today. The Big Three are narrowing the gap, but still lag key rivals Toyota and Honda. We see that in...

Heads To Roll At Chrysler?

Posted by: David Kiley on August 10

With tough CEO Bob Nardelli coming on board at Chrysler, a few executives have some things to answer for. One of Chrysler's problems today--in my opinion a big problem--is that...

Ford's Focus Challenge A Big One For An Ad Agency

Posted by: David Kiley on June 13

The shake up at Ford is underway. Ford North America president Mark Fields and Ford ad director Barry Engle are opening up its advertising assignments, with the struggling automaker...

Ford Catches a Break

Posted by: David Welch on June 07

Finally a bit of good news for Ford Motor Co. Amid its ongoing restructuring, talk of bankruptcy, the massive debt it has taken on and the market share losses, the...

GM's Quality Spin

Posted by: David Welch on June 06

Here we go again. After years of quality improvements from Detroit, General Motors and Chrysler tumbled down the list in J.D. Power and Associates’ annual Initial Quality Study. The...

Ford May As Well Ditch The Ranger

Posted by: David Kiley on June 05

Automotive News reports this week what has been long known at Ford, but not articulated lately; that is whether or not the company should plan a replacement for the...

Warding off Chrysler's bidders

Posted by: David Welch on May 07

It’s not exactly a poison pill. But if anything might ward off the suitors who are scouting an acquisition of the Chrysler Group from German parent Daimler, it’s today’s...

Ford's Earnings Improving. But It Suffers From Poor Hedging

Posted by: David Kiley on April 27

Ford’s overall first-quarter results over-achieved Wall Street forecasts. But let’s look at the most important slice of the Ford pie—The Americas—and see how ripe or rotted the fruit really...

Toyota Passing GM. Time To Pause for GM. Then Get Back To Work.

Posted by: David Kiley on April 24

Sure, it’s a moment to pause. Like waiting for the O.J. verdict. Toyota outsold General Motors worldwide in the first quarter for the first time. I can just see the...

Isuzu To Make Vehicles in the U.S. Again?

Posted by: David Kiley on April 16

Five years after it pulled back from the U.S. market, Isuzu Motors is laying the groundwork to resume production here by building a plant in Alabama. Japan’s biggest maker of...

Ford's Challenge Ads Reaching Higher

Posted by: David Kiley on March 01

Ford is showing moxie. In January, it kicked off ads for the Fusion sedan built around an event it held in Washington DC, and supervised by Car & Driver, in...

Subaru Going Back To The Couch For Brand Analysis

Posted by: David Kiley on February 27

Good piece in this week's Automotive News by Jim Treece about Subaru and its CEO Ikuo Mori. Mori says he is revamping the company's product and brand straegy, and...

Reviving the Taurus is bull

Posted by: David Welch on February 08

I don’t know what I find more silly. The fact that Ford has brought back the Taurus name or the fact that my colleague David Kiley—who does consider him...

Ford Takes My Advice and Renames the Five Hundred "Taurus"

Posted by: David Kiley on February 06

Okay, maybe it wasn't my idea exactly. The way I remember it...I said to Ford's Mark Fields over a year ago that I thought it was nuts to dump the...

Chrysler's Lasorda A Class Act Under Pressure

Posted by: David Kiley on January 09

Maybe it's the five year contract he got last summer. But Chrysler CEO Tom Lasorda gets my vote for best class act under pressure. He worked his way through...

The Taurus Could Rise Again At Ford

Posted by: David Kiley on January 04

Ford CEO Alan Mulally as a fan of the recently discontinued Taurus, so much so that he recently rented one while traveling to check it out. Mulally, who joined Ford...

AN's Jeanes Out To Lunch Over Mark Fields' Travel

Posted by: David Kiley on December 18

Talk about focusing on the trees so much you lose sight of the forest...Okay, the forest is on fire...okay....enough with the metaphors.... I was just reading William Jeanes' rant in...

The Challenge of Changing GM

Posted by: David Welch on December 11

Even the most gung-ho General Motors executive will admit that one of the company’s most vexing problems is changing the image of its brands with many consumers, especially those...

Mitsubishi's award winning minicar

Posted by: Ian Rowley on November 14

It's been a rough few years for employees at Mitsubishi Motors. They've endured a huge recall cover-up scandal, a failed alliance with DaimlerChrysler and, for a car company of...

Jeep's Bobblehead Doppelganger

Posted by: David Welch on October 23

It used to be that you had to be a super athlete to get a bobble head doll made in your image. Play shortstop like Derek Jeter or slam...

Chevy Silverado Ad...Take Two

Posted by: David Kiley on October 10

Okay...I blogged on BW's Brand New Day the other day about this weird Chevy Silverado pickup truck ad. Here is Take Two. I'm clearly not alone in thinking this ad...

GM takes the Hyundai road

Posted by: David Welch on September 07

Here's a true story. Back in 1992, I took my '85 Pontiac Grand Prix to a transmission shop because it was shifting like a cheap lawn tractor. Mind you,...

Look What Stock Is Up 36% in Less Than Month: Ford

Posted by: David Kiley on August 16

What is fueling the spike in Ford Motor Co.'s share price? Since it closed at $6.06 on July 21, shares of the struggling automaker are up 36% based on today's...

Is The Ford Family Considering Less Control?

Posted by: David Kiley on August 10

David Cole is one of the best connected people in Detroit. The chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, MI, and former director of the Office for...

Ford's Fields: "I'm no magician"

Posted by: David Kiley on August 09

Ford president of the Americas Mark Fields was in Traverse City, MI last night to have dinner with some of the company's critics (re: reporters) the night before he gave...

Trouble at Chrysler II: No Originality

Posted by: David Welch on June 21

Chrysler dealers are still saying that everyone is mum about whether top sales exec Gary Dilts left the company in frustration or was forced out. But they say it’s...

Hyundai Quotes About Indicted Chairman Reflect The Strange World of Korean Industry

Posted by: David Kiley on May 30

Check out the comments reported this week by Automotive News by Hyundai spokesman Oles Gadacz. Asked by the reporter if the indictment of chairman Chung Mong Koo on charges he...

Ford's War Room Not a Substitute For Judgement

Posted by: David Kiley on May 25

Okay. I've now read the second story this week about the Ford war rooms the automaker has set up in Dearborn for each of its product lines. The story...

Another case against Saab

Posted by: David Welch on April 18

Maybe I am beating a dead horse here. But here is some interesting info on Saab. A General Motors source tells me that since the auto giant bought into...

VW's "Drivers wanted" is Dead. But Jetta Drivers Aren't in New Ads.

Posted by: David Kiley on April 17

You can pretty much take this to the bank. Though VW executives have been hedging, Volkswagen's ten year-old "Drivers wanted" tagline is dead. The new GTI work from new...

Lutz On Warpath with Media

Posted by: David Kiley on April 17

Bob Lutz, GM's product boss, is angry these days with the business media. He thinks that we are being unfair to GM. Check out this excerpt from a speech...

Rick Bites Back

Posted by: David Welch on April 11

We know that General Motors Chairman and CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. played a little college hoops during his days at Duke University. You’d figure that during his time on...

Detroit Expected To See Quality Setback from Consumer Reports

Posted by: David Kiley on February 28

Sources tell me that when Consumer Reports releases its newest ratings for automobiles tomorrow, Detroit is going to see some setbacks with a declining number of CR recommendations. It...

R.I.P. GTO

Posted by: David Welch on February 22

As if General Motors Corp.’s Pontiac brand didn’t have enough problems, now the company says the GTO is going away at the end of the year. On one hand,...

GM Changes Band Leaders

Posted by: David Kiley on January 31

I wouldn't say that GM is re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic, but they did decide to change band leaders as the water is washing over the deck. The...