A couple of decades ago, America's auto market seemed cleanly divided, with Detroit brands on one side and foreign makes on the other. Many of our parents and grandparents laughed at the thought of buying a Toyota or a Volkswagen, convinced that those companies would never last. Some of them still...Read More»
Gas prices are soaring. Parking is pricey. The economy is recovering, but still shaky. Add all that up, and you'd expect small cars to be fairly popular in the U.S. And you'd be right. In fact, small cars are on track to reach a market share not seen since Bill Clinton's first inauguration...Read More»
Between 2008 and 2010, the U.S. auto industry—and the auto market as a whole—went through a sea change. In addition to bankruptcies from GM and Chrysler, discontinued brands, and retired model lines, the economy forced many brands to make hasty changes to their model lines. And somehow...Read More»
Ford has won yet another accolade: This past year, its buyers are more loyal than those of any other automaker. Overall, 61.8 percent of Ford owners in the market for a new vehicle traded their vehicle for another vehicle from Ford Motor Company. The Ford brand itself was nearly as high, at 60.1...Read More»
With the landslide of all-new small cars being introduced this year and over the next several model years—including the 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2011 Mazda2, and 2012 Fiat 500—you might assume that small-car sales are going strong, and that the forecast for subcompacts in the U.S. is bullish...Read More»
The past couple of months, Toyota's recall fiasco has scuffed the automaker's image, but over the last year and a half, General Motors may have fared far worse. Between its bankruptcy, restructuring, dealer cuts, and brand wind-downs, GM has been hit with a barrage of criticism from the government...Read More»
Honda has announced its biggest set of lease deals ever, which market experts are identifying as an effort to stoke sales and save its market share against the aggressive incentives now being offered by archrival Toyota. The so-called Feature Special Lease program that runs through May 3 allows a...Read More»
Toyota might have rolled out more incentives for March—including factory-subsidized financing and lease deals plus free maintenance—but GM, Ford, and Chrysler are still offering deeper discounts. During March, GM will have spent an estimated $594 million on incentives, while Ford will spend...Read More»
The aggressive incentives offered by Toyota (NYSE:TM) appear to be working, bringing shoppers back to Toyota dealerships—and the automaker back from a recall-related sales slump. For the first half of March (through 3/14), Toyota has more than 14 percent of the market, according to the pricing...Read More»
The rumors were true: Ford Motor Company has just published financials from the third quarter of 2009, and without being overly optimistic, it's fair to say that the data is moderately rosy. Among several bright spots in the report, one that seems particularly impressive is that July - September of...Read More»
It's no secret that pickup sales have been suffering for some time. The segment's troubles hit full-tilt when fuel prices spiked during the summer of 2008, and those problems were magnified by the economic turmoil that began walloping the globe last fall. But there is some light at the end of the...Read More»
Back in June, you might recall that Audi announced plans to roll its new A1 citycar into dealerships by early 2010. The automaker said that the A1 would debut as a three-door model, but that a five-door sportback version would soon follow. At the time, the A1 was slated only for European release...Read More»
In 2002, Toyota president Fujio Cho set a lofty goal for the company: 15% of the global auto market. The timeline for achieving that goal? Shortly after 2010. However, the Tokyo-based automaker's new president (and scion of the Toyoda family), Akio Toyoda, has set aside that objective, instead...Read More»
