Ford Offers Up a Piece of Aston In a briefly worded release on Thursday, Ford put into motion a next, deeper phase of its Way Forward plan by announcing its interest in selling Aston Martin. The ultra-luxury brand could be sold in part or in whole, according to the release. "Aston Martin Lagonda...Read More»
Detroit Hurt in "Total Quality" Study Detroit automakers fielded winners in eight of 20 different product segments in the latest Total Quality Study, General Motors matching that perennial benchmark of quality, Toyota. But the overall study gives Detroit little room to celebrate. Most of its...Read More»
Big Three Gain in Harbour Productivity ReportDetroit's Big Three is closing the quality and productivity gap, according to the 2006 Harbour Report, an oft-quoted measure of manufacturing efficiency. But Detroit continued to lag behind the best of the Japanese, especially Nissan, which was the...Read More»
Porsche Bringing Base Cayman This SummerPorsche's Cayman S will get a cheaper cousin in the summer, when the German automaker drops the Cayman on the general public. Powering the base Cayman is a 2.7-liter six-cylinder with 245 horsepower and 201 pound-feet of torque. Porsche promises 0 to 60...Read More»
Ford Credit Rating Under Fire AgainFord Motor Co.'s slow turnaround has prompted Standard & Poor's to placing both the automaker and Ford Motor Credit Co. on CreditWatch with negative implications, which could lead to another downgrade that would quickly drive up the company's borrowing...Read More»
GM Shares Rise on Buy RecommendationsWith General Motors still struggling to sell its buyout plan to blue-collar workers, and struggling to avert a strike at its major supplier,Delphi , times are still tough for the ailing automaker. But GM got a strong vote of support Wednesday from at least one...Read More»
Spy Shots: 2008 HyundaiMesaHyundai has put a name to the largest vehicle in their lineup - the Mesa SUV. Just a few inches shorter than Chevrolet's Tahoe, the upscale Mesa will be powered by a 3.8-liter V-6, with a horsepower rating estimated at 270 to 280 hp. Three rows of seating, luxury...Read More»
Ford Shareholders Send Chairman a MessageFord Motor Co. chairman William Clay Ford Jr. got an earful from a few shareholders during the company's annual meeting Thursday. One shareholder and Ford retiree claimed the Ford CEO had done little to help turn around the company's fortunes and said he...Read More»
Fields wants "cult of personality" dead at FordThe "Way Forward" at Ford Motor Company does not entail a return to top-down management or "a cult of personality" that the automaker has experienced in the past,Americas CEO Mark Fields declared Wednesday. Addressing a luncheon session of the...Read More»
Chrysler in co-op with China 's Chery?Chrysler Group may be in negotiations with Chinese automaker Chery for the contract manufacture of a new Chrysler world car for sale in markets outside the U.S. Automotive News reports that Chrysler is looking at whether it could build a global car through...Read More»
Renting a car can be a trying experience. Hard-driven rental fleets are now kept longer than ever, and in many big cities, traffic gridlocks and unfamiliar surroundings make having a car more of a hassle than an asset. Shuttles or light-rail systems may erase your need for a rental car, but if you...Read More»
Audi Shows New TT Audi's second-generation TT coupe has been shown to the world, and was on display at theNew York auto show as a part of a fashion show with a mock runway running right through the Javits Center. The new TT doesn't showing off the Art Deco lines of the original; Audi's restyled the...Read More»
Union Forces Ford's Hand in Minn., Va. Plant Closings An official announcement wasn't expected until later in the year, but Ford Motor Co. was forced to confirm plans to close two truck plants when union officials leaked details to the press on Thursday. Despite the decision to close assembly lines...Read More»
2006 New York Auto Show Coverage by TCC Team (4/10/2006) Hyundai’s New Elantra: Bigger Than The Rest Hyundai is rolling steadily toward its goal of selling 500,000 vehicles in 2006, vice president John Krafcik told New York audiences on Thursday. The brand saw record sales in January and...Read More»
2006 New York Auto Show Coverage by TCC Team (4/10/2006) Maserati Opening Driving School InNew York , Maserati announced a U.S. driving school modeled after the successful Master Maserati program hosted at the Varano racetrack in Italy . The North American school will be the first master driving...Read More»
Jeep Patriot Charges into New York Chrysler's new Patriot opens its charge on the New York auto show this week-but will the Patriot do to Jeep's bottom end what the Commander did to its top? Find out what the Patriot brings to the party this week at the Javits center and stay tuned all week for...Read More»
Saturn Has New Outlook The Saturn Outlook is a three-row, eight-passenger crossover vehicle that goes into production late this year inMichigan. The Outlook is based on GM's new crossover vehicle platform, Lambda, that will also see a new Buick Enclave wagon and a GMC with the unconfirmed name of...Read More»
Mazda CX-9 Is No Stretch Mazda will bring its new CX-9 crossover to the New York auto show next week, but Ford's Japanese affiliate is careful to announce that the new seven-seater isn't mechanically related to the five-seat CX-7 it showed at this January's Los Angeles auto show. The CX-9 has specs...Read More»
Chevrolet Prices New Avalanche The second-generation Chevrolet Avalanche-which the GM brand calls the "industry's most flexible utility vehicle" - will start from $32,490. Chevrolet will offer three trim levels on the new four-door pickup, with the midlevel LT starting at $33,170. The top-line LTZ...Read More»
