Friday, November 20, 2009 10:25 AM
Toyota shut out of top safety picks
I was shocked to see that for the first time in three years, not a single car from Toyota Motor was among the “Top Safety Pick” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
No Toyotas, but six top picks for Ford Motor (including four from Volvo, which is being sold apparently to China's Geely).
Link to this post
Monday, November 16, 2009 04:39 PM
The Swabians and the Bavarians duke it out
This gritty industrial town in Bavaria, about an hour's drive from the much more glamorous Munich, is headquarters of Audi, the high-volume premium brand of the Volkswagen AG group. Ingolstadt, let me tell you, looks nothing like Audi's cars.
This is a working town. There is nothing glamorous or particularly interesting about Ingolstadt, other than the fact that it is Audi City. Those people here who do not work for Audi, work at providing services for the people who do. And it is all business here. Audi plans to become the world's largest premium auto maker within half a dozen years.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 11:31 AM
Volvo's future and the coming S60
Volvo Car Corporation is pushing ahead with a refashioned lineup, even as parent Ford Motor Co. negotiates to sell the Swedish brand to a consortium led by China's Zhejiang Geely Group Holding Co. Ltd.
What gives? Is Volvo for sale, or not? That is a billion-dollar question.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 02:39 PM
Finally, some focus on Acura
Last month Acura's sales in Canada nearly doubled year-over-year (78.9 per cent to be exact), signalling that perhaps Honda's luxury brand will no longer be left to struggle – that Acura pricing and its product lineup are top of mind among Honda's most senior managers.
Yes, Acura's sales on the year are still down 13.4 per cent. Other premium brands have not been suffering so much.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 04:43 PM
Where's the wow factor in green design?
Now explain this to me: Why do so many “green” cars – the electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids that are for sale now and the ones coming soon – look like the automotive equivalent of David Suzuki?
Not that the CBC broadcaster is unpleasant to look at, but I think it’s fair to say Suzuki is no George Clooney or Brad Pitt. He does not wow viewers with his looks; what resonates are his big brain and the earnest delivery.
Friday, October 30, 2009 04:11 PM
Ford's tentative turnaround and the CAW
At first glance, it looks as though the leadership at the Canadian Auto Workers is facing reality – painful as it might be for workers.
Of course, we’re only reading the tea leaves here; the CAW and Ford are not negotiating in the press, though CAW president Ken Lewenza did tell the Reuters news agency that Ford is not offering any guarantees on future investment. Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s global manufacturing chief, has reportedly told the CAW that capital investment is mobile and Ford will move it wherever it does the most good for the company.
Thursday, October 29, 2009 10:46 AM
Former auto czar lets loose on GM
Steven Rattner, the former Wall Streeter who oversaw the bankruptcies and restructurings of both General Motors and Chrysler, has let loose a devastating salvo, criticizing GM's management as arrogant and isolated. He also describes former GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner as “likeable, dedicated, and generally knowledgeable,” but possessed of a “friendly arrogance that seemed to permeate the organization."
Rattner tells his story in Forbes, the business magazine. He says he was "shocked by the stunningly poor management that we found, particularly at GM, where we encountered, among other things, perhaps the weakest finance operation any of us had ever seen in a major company."
Friday, October 23, 2009 11:54 AM
New Lexus halo car will curl your toes
Yes, I've driven it – the 2011 Lexus LFA super car. All 552 horsepower of it. It's fast, it's serious and it's sexy.
I'll have more details next Thursday in Globe Auto, but I can say now that Lexus finally, finally will have a halo car that casts a high-performance shadow across the whole brand. The LFA is a…
Next Thursday.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:24 AM
Ford not celebrating yet
Ford of Canada's market share is up almost three per cent on the year, as are sales in a market down by 15.5 per cent through the end of September. You would think Ford Canada president and CEO Dave Mondragon would be celebrating.
He's not. Sure, Ford may have paid down $10-billion (U.S.) in debt recently – cutting operating expenses by some $500-million (U.S.) – and Ford has avoided taking taxpayer bailout money, too. But as he pointed out yesterday at Ford Canada headquarters, no one is celebrating victory – not in this tough market.
Sunday, October 18, 2009 04:26 PM
The small car juggle
It's been 15 months since a barrel of oil hit an all time high of $147.27. Today, the price is $77.38, or less than half that peak price (all prices in U.S. dollars). So with oil down, why are car companies busy launching all these new small cars?
Why a new 2010 Volkswagen Golf now, not 15 months ago? Why a new Kia Forte and Soul now, not last summer?
After all, everyone saw that when U.S. gas prices hit a national average of $3.76 per gallon, small-car sales surged six percentage points, to 17 per cent of the overall U.S. market.
Driving It Home Contributors
Jeremy Cato
Jeremy Cato, Globe Auto’s senior features writer, is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist who has covered the auto industry for more than 20 years. He co-hosts the weekly television show Car/Business, which appears on Business News Network and CTV..