Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

Last week, when we reported on the Koenigsegg Group's failed attempt to purchase Saab from GM, we mentioned that a member of that group -- Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) -- might make its own bid for the troubled Swedish brand. That was an educated guess, based largely on the fact that BAIC also made independent plays for Opel and Volvo. However, our suspicions may have been confirmed during a recent interview with BAIC's general manager, Wang Dazong. Asked about the possibility of BAIC going for Saab on its own, he replied "I would just say, 'stay tuned a little bit'". So maybe the fourth time's the charm.

Like fellow...

We’ve been here before. The government mandates more fuel-efficient vehicles across the board, yet the American public continues to gravitate toward what’s big and powerful.

Barring this era of greater responsibility and restraint, which might pass like a fleeting fancy with the recession, why not pick the bigger or more powerful car, we say?

A lot of things are different this time around, though. Perhaps most remarkably, quite a few executives of automakers and major auto-supplier companies are voicing out in favor of higher fuel taxes—of more rigorous regulation of what types of vehicles can be built and sold—as a way of reducing our...

Ford’s new Fiesta sub-compact is about to go on sale across the country and just around the corner is a new global Focus. Both of these European designed cars will be manufactured in North America for the first time and there is much more to come, including exporting these locally built models back to Europe and other global markets.

The new move is all part of Ford CEO Alan Mulally’s “One Ford” strategy to sell the same vehicles in various global markets with only minor differentiation. America’s weak dollar has also helped accelerate plans to start production of European models in North America and then...