For a company that’s crowing about its sales growth and profitability, General Motors has been doing the kind of executive shuffling we became accustomed to seeing in the bad old days before the bailout. Already this week, freshly-minted Global Marketing boss Joel Ewanick put his former Hyundai colleague Chris Perry in charge of Chevy’s US [...]
The number of people killed on the nation’s highways decreased to 33,963 in 2009, the lowest fatality level since 1954. -More-
Despite what the vocal Internet minority would have you believe, Volkswagen is doing quite well for itself these days. Complaints of bland styling and cheapened cars seem to be having very little effect on actual customers buying cars. With a 17-percent increase over December 2009 this marks VW’s best holiday season since 2005.
Leading the increase in sales was the Golf with a 72-percent increase and close behind the Touareg with a 68.3-percent increase from December 2009. VW’s small SUV, the Tiguan…
Very German, very germane.
A 2009 Audi A4 slipped quietly into our long-term fleet in fall of that year, with subdued styling, meager power, and a fairly high as-tested price. Forgive us if our expectations were low: In 1996, the first A4 was separated at birth from the VW Passat, and this hardly looked different—turbocharged VW Group engine, front-drive foundation, spectacular fit and finish laid over a nagging sense of impending mechanical doom. We shouldn’t have underestimated it. Our long-term A…
Chrysler is recalling over 65,000 2009 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured between November 1, 2007 and September 7, 2008 due to a problem with the wiring harness in the front doors. The wires may fatigue and break, which can cause the circuits for the side airbag to be interrupted, resulting in an airbag warning light to illuminate and the loss of airbag sensing capability. If a crash were to occur, the side airbag may not deploy.
Dealers will replace the left and right door wiring harness free of ch…
Wrap-Up: Our long-term Mini JCW convertible shook and rattled its way to the 40K mark.
In the summer of 2009, we set out to determine the 40,000-mile hardiness of the Mini John Cooper Works convertible, a tiny car that has the features—and price—of larger and more established near-luxury competitors. We discovered early what we loved about our Mini: its accessory-fueled good looks; its barking, popping exhaust note; and its rewarding and willing handling on smooth roads.
Keep Reading: 2009 Mini John…
Our love affair with the Nissan Cube cooled off toward the end of our year with it. During the first three months, we were smitten with the funky, asymmetrical box.
Our chrome-clad and outstandingly orange Kia long-termer was of great interest to more than one observer during my multiple-day stint with the Borrego. No, onlooker curiosity wasn’t for the burly 4.6-liter V-8, the seating for seven, or even the stated 7500-pound towing capacity.The most common question posed was: “How much does it cost?”When I responded with the near-$40K ($39,295 to be exact) sticker the Borrego commanded when it was a bright-faced youngster, the response was nearly universal. “For a K…
For anyone who sells to consumers, Forbes offers an interesting snapshot of U.S. -More-
Tata Nano
Sales of the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, plunged 85 percent in November 2009 to 509 units. That is lowest figure since the Nano made its debut last year. The drop in sales comes as customers face difficulty in accessing loans to purchase vehicles.
In an e-mail response to Bloomberg, Tata Motors said that it is hiring more sales people at dealerships and is working with banks to help buyers get loans.
Just last month, Tata’s CEO Carl-Peter Forster said that a lack of financi…