Posts Tagged ‘car news’
This time it’s more than just plain vanilla.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.23, 2013
The new sedan - the IS 250 shown here - adopts the Lexus spindle grille design.
It wasn’t all that long ago when Lexus dominated the U.S. luxury market, but despite its continuing strength in quality and customer service surveys, the Toyota luxury brand has been losing momentum to European makers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, never mind upstarts such as Audi.
It doesn’t help that the buzz around its vehicles has shrunk to something like a very faint hum, its sales more and more dependent on its primary crossover vehicle, the RX. While that may be propping up the numbers, it also might trigger a sense of déjà vu for the sepia-tinged era when station wagons ruled the road.
Your Winning News Source!
Company officials, notably including Toyota President Akio Toyoda are clearly worried and looking for ways to kick-start the brand. Among other things, they’ve been talking a lot about passion, these days, something that Lexus translates as the more sporty design language that one finds on the newly restyled Lexus IS. The good news is that with this entry-level sedan beauty is more than skin deep, the 2014 IS reminding us why Lexus soared to the top of the U.S. luxury market in the first place.
(more…)
Tags: 2014 lexus is, 2014 lexus is 250, 2014 lexus is 350, 2014 lexus is f-sport, 2014 lexus is review, auto news, auto reviews, car news, car reviews, joe szczesny, lexus design, lexus is, lexus reviews, lexus spindle grille, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Maker separately plans to end production in Australia.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.23, 2013
A Ford C-Max Hybrid rolls off the line at the maker's Michigan Assembly Plant.
Ford Motor Company plans to roll-out 200,000 additional vehicles this year to meet customer demand in the U.S. where the market is continuing to gain momentum after the worst industry downturn in decades.
The maker expects to pick up a large chunk of that added volume by trimming back its normal two-week summer shutdown at select plants. That alone should add another 40,000 units of volume, Ford said.
Charge up With Free Subscription!
At the same time, the second-largest Detroit maker has decided to shutter the company’s manufacturing operations in Australia. The maker has been losing money “down under” for years and follows a number of other automakers who have decided to cease production there.
(more…)
Tags: U.S. auto sales, auto news, car news, ford australia, ford boosts production, ford capacity, ford ends production in australia, ford news, ford production, ford summer break, ford third shift, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Pickup trucks show particularly strong demand.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.23, 2013
The surge in truck demand should be especially good for GM as it launches the new Chevy Silverado.
Sales of new vehicles appear to be holding steady during May with strong demand for pickup trucks helping set the pace, analysts are reporting.
Just how much the market will be up for the month is a matter of debate, with forecasts ranging from 6% to 9%. Significantly, consumers are driving much of the growing demand, though fleets are also increasing sales which could be a sign of a recovering economy.
News You Can Use!
“We’re in a nice place in terms of retail sales,” said Mike VanNieuwkyuk of global vehicle research at J.D. Power & Associates. Car sales have recovered nicely from the recession and have maintained their recent momentum, VanNieuwkyk noted during a panel discussion at the Wards Auto Interiors
(more…)
Tags: auto incentives, auto industry sales, auto news, auto sales, car news, car sales, jd power car sales, joe szczesny, may 2013 auto sales, may 2013 car sales, thedetroitbureau, truck sales
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Makers dispute who paid off the government first.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.23, 2013
Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasts his automaker was first to completely pay off its federal loans.
It began with a seemingly innocuous statement from Tesla Motors but has quickly escalated into a spitting match with Detroit’s third-largest automaker, Chrysler.
On Wednesday, the battery-car start-up announced that it would pay back the remaining $451.8 million that it owes the U.S. Energy Department nine years ahead of schedule, using money it expects to raise from an upcoming, $1.1 billion stock offering.
The Last Word!
That prompted the irrepressible Elon Musk, the constantly tweeting Tesla CEO, to declare that Tesla will become “the only American car company to have fully repaid the government.”
Or will it? Not according to Chrysler.
(more…)
Tags: Sergio Marchionne, auto news, car news, chrysler bailout, chrysler loans, chrysler news, doe loans, elon musk, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla chrysler, tesla doe loan, tesla news, tesla repays loans, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Battery car captures nation’s highest mileage rating.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.23, 2013
The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV can be purchased for as little as $17,500 in some locations due to federal, state and local incentives.
General Motors will begin selling its new Chevrolet Spark EV at select dealers in California and Oregon next month for a base price of $27,495 including destination charges.
Since the little battery-electric vehicle will qualify for a federal tax credit of $7,500, that will bring its effective price to $19,995 – and possible even lower thanks to various state and local tax credits. The maker also plans to offer a three-year, $199 a month lease after a downpayment of $999.
Charging Up Your Car Knowledge!
That will position the Chevy Spark EV as one of the lowest-priced battery cars on the market, a move Chevy hopes will increase the appeal of the vehicle in a market still skeptical of electric propulsion. Based on EPA forecasts, the maker claims motorists could save as much as $150 a month on gasoline.
(more…)
Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, chevrolet battery car, chevrolet news, chevrolet spark ev, chevy battery car, chevy electric vehicle, chevy spark ev, electric vehicles, lithium batteries, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, zero emissions vehicles
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Move means profit for taxpayers on controversial loan.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.22, 2013
The Tesla Model S is generating 30% gross margins, according to the California maker.
Tesla Motors today confirmed it will pay back a more than $450 million loan it received from the Department of Energy, part of a controversial Obama Administration program intended to encourage the development of clean, high-mileage automotive technology – but which has seen several high-profile failures by companies that received some of the taxpayer-funded loans.
Earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk signaled his plan to pay off the program more than a decade ahead of schedule – a move meant to reduce Tesla’s interest costs but which also is expected to generate a profit of as much as $12 million for the U.S. Treasury.
Free Subscription!
“I would like to thank the Department of Energy and the members of Congress and their staffs that worked hard to create the ATVM program, and particularly the American taxpayer from whom these funds originate,” said Musk, referring to the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. “I hope we did you proud.”
(more…)
Tags: Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, elon musk, energy dept loans, fisker karma, fisker loans, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla motors, tesla news, tesla repaying doe loan, tesla repays loan, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
The Korean maker targets the premium segment.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.22, 2013
The 2014 Kia Cadenza.
Kia has grown quickly in recent years by offering consumers an array of interesting and well-designed vehicles that belie the brand’s original image as the maker of stripped-down econoboxes even while Kia maintains its focus on value.
The introduction this month of the Kia Cadenza is yet another big step in the evolution of the Korean brand, Kia taking its first step into $35,000-plus price range was once reserved for major luxury. Much like the Genesis offered by sibling Hyundai, the new Cadenza offers a level of refinement and features until now not associated with the Kia brand.
Global Auto Reviews!
Moreover, the Cadenza, like the Hyundai Genesis, is a very attractive vehicle. Its long, low silhouette endows the new Kia sedan with a long, elegant stance that conveys the sense this is a luxury vehicle. The front and rear fascias are very handsome with a nicely tailored appearance set off by the distinctive lamps at all four corners of the vehicle.
(more…)
Tags: 2014 kia cadenza, Hyundai Genesis, Korean cars, auto news, car news, joe szczesny, kia cadenza, kia cadenza review, kia news, kia review, korean car reviews, korean luxury cars, luxury car reviews, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Corporate treasurer, long based in NY, returns to Motown.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.22, 2013
The GM Building in New York.
General Motors will close its New York Treasurers office and move the operation to Detroit by the middle of next year in what amounts to a wholesale shakeup of GM’s corporate culture, which has long been dominated by finance operating from offices high above Manhattan’s traffic clogged streets – and arguably out of touch with the maker’s Detroit headquarters or the rest of the country.
For decades, the New York office, which keeps track of GM’s cash and finances, has served as GM’s nerve center. In fact, for many decades, the giant automaker’s powerful chairman, starting with Alfred P. Sloan, was based in the Big Apple, rather than Detroit. Since the 1950s, New York is where high potential employees on the fast track went to win promotions to big jobs inside or even outside GM.
Your Auto News Source!
Until 2009, GM Chairmen including the late Roger Smith, Jack Smith, Rick Wagoner and Fritz Henderson — Henderson the last man standing when GM filed for bankruptcy — had all worked in the New York office.
(more…)
Tags: auto news, car news, gm bailout, gm bankruptcy, gm building, gm leaving ny, gm new york, gm news, gm treasurer, gm treasurer moves to detroit, joe szczesny, roger smith gm, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
A potentially costly mistake.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.22, 2013
VW hopes to make it impossible to accidentally fill a TDI with gas instead of diesel.
It’s the sort of problem that can plague anyone – even President Barack Obama, whose limousine broke down during a visit to Israel earlier this year.
It turned out that someone inadvertently filled up the tank of the armored Cadillac sedan – nicknamed “The Beast” – with diesel instead of gasoline. The two fuels don’t mix and that simply mistake can prove a costly one.
Stay on Top of the News!
The problem occurs frequently and all over the world. A recent study found that British police run up nearly $2 million in repair bills each year pumping the wrong fuel into their cruisers.
(more…)
Tags: auto news, car news, car repairs, mixing gas and diesel, obama the beast, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen news, vw diesel, vw news, vw service action, vw tdi
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Trend affects old as well as young.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.22, 2013
Ford Chairman Bill Ford, shown here with Zipcar Chairman Scott Griffith. A growing number of households are relying on services like Zipcar rather than owning a vehicle.
Whether by choice or through financial reality, the number of American households without a car has doubled over the past two decades – and is now approaching 10%.
Significantly, the shift is affecting older Boomers as well as Millennials. The impact of this trend could be significant, especially when it comes to alternative forms of transportation such as car-sharing and mass transit, according to research by CNW Marketing.
Subscribe for Free!
“While the recession was in large part responsible for the latest spurt, the trend was already clear,” says CNW’s research chief Art Spinella, “A growing number of Americans felt they didn’t need or want a personal car.”
(more…)
Tags: auto news, car news, car ownership, car sharing, carless households, driving boom, no-car homes, no-vehicle households, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
