Archives: July 2007

VW's Secret Additive

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on July 30, Categories: Finance

Volkswagen is riding more smoothly from quarter to quarter, now that management has rammed through some tough cost-reduction measures in Germany. Operating profit for the first half of 2007 (before...

Bernhard Back At Chrysler. What Does He Know That Daimler Didn't?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 27, Categories: Car Guys

Not surprisingly, Wolfgang Bernhard, former COO of Chrysler, will be taking the reins as chairman of the new Chrysler Corp. for new majority-owner Cerberus Capital Management after the deal to...

GM's Fifteen Minutes of Leadership On Plug-Ins May be Up

Posted by: David Kiley on July 25, Categories: Auto tech

A research analyst I know said he was doing some work in California recently, and heard over and over again from consumers that they viewed General Motors and Ford as...

UAW's Gettelfinger More Pragmatic Than He Appears

Posted by: David Kiley on July 23, Categories: Car Guys

General Motors and Ford began talks with the United Auto Workers today in what will probably be the most important round of contract talks the Detroit automakers have had in...

As Jag Heads For Auction Block, It Tops Satisfaction Survey

Posted by: David Kiley on July 20, Categories:

Remember the joke about Jaguars in the 1980s; that you needed two—one to drive while the other one was in the shop. Jag has certainly come a long way...

Toyota Stays Ahead

Posted by: Ian Rowley on July 20, Categories: Rankings and Spankings

Toyota's rise to the top remains on track, despit being outsold by GM in the second quarter. Today, Japan's most profitable company revealed its sales for the first half of...

Who Will Drive Away with Land Rover and Jaguar?

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on July 19, Categories: Deals

The bidding is hotter than expected for Ford's two premium brands, Land Rover and Jaguar. Ford received at least six offers for the two brands today. Most of the bidders...

Who Wants Volvo?

Posted by: David Kiley on July 16, Categories: Deals

Take a Volvo S80. Please. That’s sort of what Ford is saying these days as it tries to drum up interest in its Volvo automobile business. As I have been...

Cheapo Logan Zooms

Posted by: Gail Edmondson on July 13, Categories: New Models

Who would have believed it. Renault's no-frills Logan model -- dubbed on its 2004 debut as an ugly duckling by the industry -- has grabbed 1 percent of the European...

A New Lowe

Posted by: David Welch on July 12, Categories: Cars and Politics

Every so often I get a press release in my inbox that makes me wonder why the P.R. people even bothered. Here’s one that’s just laughable. Actor Rob Lowe...

Dingell Practicing Cynical Politics

Posted by: David Kiley on July 10, Categories: Ravings

House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) says he will propose a carbon tax program to satisfy those who are calling for higher fuel economy standards and for...

Diesel gets a witness

Posted by: David Welch on July 05, Categories: Cars and Politics

Finally, someone is stepping forward to make the case for diesel. I was watching MSNBC last week and saw a Mercedes ad boasting that its new Blue Tec diesel...

A Buy Rating on General Motors That Has Nothing To Do With New Products

Posted by: David Kiley on July 05, Categories: Markets and Management

Robert Barry of Goldman Sachs has a "buy' rating on General Motors even after the big automaker posted a huge 26% decline in sales for June. He also notes that...

SUV Tax Break For Accountants and Realtors Going South--Hopefully

Posted by: David Kiley on July 02, Categories: Cars and Politics

I recall a few years ago getting a phone call from a Realtor friend of mine. She said she was going to buy an SUV to take advantage of the...