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A good GM diesel car ... has hell frozen over?

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 25
blogs
The Cruze diesel is rated at 27 in city driving and 46 mpg on the highway.
MIKE COLIAS:  HELL, Mich. -- General Motors' passenger-car diesel program has, quite literally, been to Hell and back.
Chevrolet chose this out-of-the-way and ironically named destination for journalists to test drive its Continue reading "A good GM diesel car ... has hell frozen over?" » May 25, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Clues to the next Wrangler: See the want ads

Posted 2:02 pm U.S. ET, May 24
blogs
Chrysler's posted job descriptions appear to show that Jeep has decided to put the next-generation Wrangler on a serious diet -- just as Ram did for the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup.
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE:  Jeep has begun searching for the extra bodies to mount its next big project: the redesign of the Jeep Wrangler. And the job opening descriptions provide some clues as to the changes planned for the off-roader's next generation.
This is supposition on my part, of course -- and a Jeep spokesman declined to comment when asked, s ...
     Continue reading "Clues to the next Wrangler: See the want ads" » May 24, 2013 2:02 pm U.S. ET
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Why Victor Muller has painful memories of running Saab

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 23
blogs Nick Gibbs is UK correspondent at Automotive News Europe.
 
Reports say that the Swedish government wants to question former Saab Chairman Victor Muller as part of an inquiry into suspected tax offenses at Saab. Muller defended payments he received from the automaker in a recent interview with me and talked about how he has moved on from painful memories of Saab.
The Dutch entrepreneu ...
     Continue reading "Why Victor Muller has painful memories of running Saab" » May 23, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Are worries over slower, smaller tax refunds overblown?

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 22
blogs Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News
 
Some lenders complained in first-quarter earnings reports about smaller and later tax refunds.
IRS refund statistics weren’t down by much, but any change is important because tax refunds contribute to the annual peak in subprime financing, according to dealers and subprime lenders.
Ch ...
     Continue reading "Are worries over slower, smaller tax refunds overblown?" » May 22, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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For happier customers, sales and F&I need to talk

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 22
blogs Jamie LaReau covers auto dealers for Automotive News
 
Good communication between sales and finance staff cannot be overstated.
That’s my takeaway from reading a recent chat on a Facebook page shared by finance managers.
Many pondered why a customer can sometimes complain to the sales manager that the F&I manager was rude when the F&a ...
     Continue reading "For happier customers, sales and F&I need to talk" » May 22, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Why Infiniti, Lincoln face the same challenge

Posted 2:51 pm U.S. ET, May 22
blogs Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.
 
The luxury marque hasn't lived up to its dreams. In fact, there was talk that its parent company might kill it. Now with a dynamic new leader, it's trying to build buzz with a more exciting lineup.
But it faces some of the toughest competition in the business: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus and even the revived Cadillac.
...
     Continue reading "Why Infiniti, Lincoln face the same challenge" » May 22, 2013 2:51 pm U.S. ET
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U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 21
blogs Luca Ciferri is Editor of Automotive News Europe.
 
Global April sales for Fiat-Chrysler show how much the Americas, especially the United States and Brazil, are supporting the automaker.
Fiat-Chrysler's global vehicle sales were 394,100 units last month, up 10.8 percent compared with the same month a year before, according toContinue reading "U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines" » May 21, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Audi gripes, but Tesla could be en route to niche-brand success

Posted 3:59 pm U.S. ET, May 20
blogs Gabe Nelson is a reporter for Automotive News and is based in Washington, D.C.
 
Audi wants to be clear: Just because the Tesla Model S is outselling Audi's flagship A8 in the U.S. luxury sedan market, it does not mean Tesla Motors is beating Audi.
In a blog post tod ...
     Continue reading "Audi gripes, but Tesla could be en route to niche-brand success" » May 20, 2013 3:59 pm U.S. ET
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2 million extra doors was the best call Daimler made during 'marriage of equals'

Posted 12:35 pm U.S. ET, May 17
blogs
A popular off-roading magazine calls the Daimler-era call to add two extra doors to the venerable Wrangler "the best automotive industry decision of the last decade."
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE:  It's easy to criticize the way Daimler AG ran and ultimately left Chrysler during the disastrous "marriage of equals" era. I know because I've done it on a regular basis.
But even the worst marriages can produce spectacular kids -- or in this case, products. And today, the 1 millionth copy of one of the best results of Chrysl ...
     Continue reading "2 million extra doors was the best call Daimler made during 'marriage of equals'" » May 17, 2013 12:35 pm U.S. ET
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Nissan lures feathered pickup customers with fish, no rebates

Posted 10:57 am U.S. ET, May 17
blogs Andrew Thurlow is an intern at Automotive News.
 
If Nissan Motor Co. wants to portray its made-in-the-U.S.A. Frontier compact pickup as more, well, American, maybe the company's marketing team should take a gander at YouTube.
The video below has generated more than 281,768 views since it was loaded last week.
Here's what the voiceover cou ...
     Continue reading "Nissan lures feathered pickup customers with fish, no rebates" » May 17, 2013 10:57 am U.S. ET
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In the Land of Many Buicks, one in particular stood out

Posted 3:59 pm U.S. ET, May 17
blogs
The Buick GL8 is an office on wheels for many Chinese. (BRADFORD WERNLE)
BRADFORD WERNLE:  SHANGHAI -- If you were an alien from another world and your spaceship landed in Shanghai, you would immediately conclude that Buick is a planetary titan among automotive brands.
Buick is the third-leading brand in China behind Volkswagen and Hyundai through March with 5.3 percent of the market, according to data from LMC Aut ...
     Continue reading "In the Land of Many Buicks, one in particular stood out" » May 17, 2013 3:59 pm U.S. ET
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With Mercedes, there's nothing bigger than S-class launch

Posted 10:46 am U.S. ET, May 16
blogs Diana T. Kurylko covers various U.S. import brands for Automotive News.
 
HAMBURG, Germany -- If you're going to unveil a flagship that will sell for nearly $100,000 in the United States, go big -- really big.
That's what Mercedes-Benz did for the debut of the 2014 S class here on Wednesday. The launch was staged in a customer delivery center used for the Airbus A380 -- a plane its creators modestl ...
     Continue reading "With Mercedes, there's nothing bigger than S-class launch" » May 16, 2013 10:46 am U.S. ET
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How a pope inspired Zetsche to become a Mercedes man

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 16
blogs Douglas A. Bolduc is Managing Editor at Automotive News Europe.
 
A religious experience set Dieter Zetsche on his path to becoming CEO of Mercedes-Benz. During the launch of the new S class in Hamburg last night, Zetsche said what he remembers most from a pastoral visit that Pope Paul VI made to the area where he was living as a young man was the Mercedes that his holiness was being driven in.
...
     Continue reading "How a pope inspired Zetsche to become a Mercedes man" » May 16, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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For AutoNation's Jackson, Penske sets pace for retirement

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 16
blogs Amy Wilson covers auto dealer issues for Automotive News.
 
AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson's employment contract with the country's largest dealership group is up in September.
Jackson will turn 65 next February, but he has no intention of walking out the door any time soon.
Jackson told Automotive News last week that he intends to follow the ...
     Continue reading "For AutoNation's Jackson, Penske sets pace for retirement " » May 16, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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How GM and Nissan avoided a UAW thorn

Posted 3:15 pm U.S. ET, May 15
blogs Lindsay Chappell is the Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.
 
A labor taboo still exists in the North American auto industry, and Nissan and General Motors sidestepped it this week.
GM revealed that it will buy Nissan's compact commercial v ...
     Continue reading "How GM and Nissan avoided a UAW thorn" » May 15, 2013 3:15 pm U.S. ET
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Rebranding effort aids AutoNation's community giving

Posted 11:57 am U.S. ET, May 15
blogs Amy Wilson covers auto dealer issues for Automotive News.
 
ATLANTA -- AutoNation Inc. has rebranded nearly 40 percent of its dealerships with its coast-to-coast AutoNation name. And, contrary to early fears within the nation's largest auto dealership group, AutoNation says it is maintaining or increasing share in those converted markets.
That's despite the loss of longtime regional b ...
     Continue reading "Rebranding effort aids AutoNation's community giving" » May 15, 2013 11:57 am U.S. ET
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Is the S in the new Mercedes S class for Shanghai?

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 15
blogs Douglas A. Bolduc is Managing Editor at Automotive News Europe.
 
The new Mercedes-Benz S class made its world premiere today in Hamburg, Germany, but Shanghai might have been more appropriate. Why? China accounted for 49 percent of all S-class sales from 2010-2012.
By comparison, 15 percent of total S-class sales were in Europe during the three-year period and the United States accounted f ...
     Continue reading "Is the S in the new Mercedes S class for Shanghai?" » May 15, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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'Last resort' means something good

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 15
blogs Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News
 
In a recent blog, I referred to GM Financial as a "lender of last resort" for parent company General Motors.
I meant simply that GM regards GM Financial as a lender ...
     Continue reading "'Last resort' means something good" » May 15, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Shaq: No grease needed to slide into my LaCrosse

Posted 4:21 pm U.S. ET, May 14
blogs
Shaq does indeed drive a Buick, brand spokesman Nick Richards confirmed today.
VINCE BOND JR.:  Can Shaquille O'Neal really fit into a Buick LaCrosse?
The debate continues, but Buick has to love the humorous PR its giant pitchman generates.
Last night was a shining example.
The brand, trying to lose its grandfatherly image and appeal to younger buye ...
     Continue reading "Shaq: No grease needed to slide into my LaCrosse" » May 14, 2013 4:21 pm U.S. ET
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Can battery rental reduce consumer jitters with EVs? Smart thinks so

Posted 2:02 pm U.S. ET, May 14
blogs
Smart is allowing buyers and lessees to rent the battery -- and lower the purchase price or monthly leases -- in the ForTwo Electric Drive coupe that went on sale this week.
DIANA T. KURYLKO:  Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the supplier of the battery used in the 2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive.
 
Consumers have a lot of gripes about the battery life in high-tech products.
Batteries seem to ...
     Continue reading "Can battery rental reduce consumer jitters with EVs? Smart thinks so" » May 14, 2013 2:02 pm U.S. ET
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The auto boom -- without new jobs

Posted 2:49 pm U.S. ET, May 14
blogs Lindsay Chappell is the Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.
 
NASHVILLE -- Bill Strauss has some very good news for the American auto industry. Or he has some very bad news. You can take your pick.
Strauss, a Federal Reserve Board senior economist and economic adviser for 30 years, has spent the past few years examining what's going on in auto manufacturing. He concludes, in a nutshell, ...
     Continue reading "The auto boom -- without new jobs" » May 14, 2013 2:49 pm U.S. ET
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Why Wednesday hearing could be connected cars' moment of truth

Posted 4:12 pm U.S. ET, May 13
blogs Gabe Nelson is a reporter for Automotive News and is based in Washington, D.C.
 
WASHINGTON -- In the software industry, people talk about vaporware -- products that are heavily promoted but never seem to go on sale.
Automakers are at the point that they must prove that connected cars, which talk to each other over Wi-Fi to stay out of fender-benders, are more than just vaporware.
...
     Continue reading "Why Wednesday hearing could be connected cars' moment of truth" » May 13, 2013 4:12 pm U.S. ET
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Audi outsells BMW brand globally for 2nd time in 4 months

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 13
blogs Douglas A. Bolduc is Managing Editor at Automotive News Europe.
 
Audi has won rounds two and four of its 12-round fight with BMW brand, but the world luxury-car champ is still ahead on the overall scorecard.
Audi outsold BMW brand by 4,474 units in January and by 2,902 vehicles in April, according to the data from the companies.
BMW brand beat Audi by 4, ...
     Continue reading "Audi outsells BMW brand globally for 2nd time in 4 months" » May 13, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Next hurdle for hot Tesla is pushing EVs mainstream

Posted 11:47 am U.S. ET, May 10
blogs Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.
 
Tesla has had one hell of a week. It reported its first quarterly profit. It's brainstorming self-guided cars with Google. The stock is sizzling.
< ...
     Continue reading "Next hurdle for hot Tesla is pushing EVs mainstream" » May 10, 2013 11:47 am U.S. ET
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Silverado hand-wringers should relax -- for now

Posted 12:15 pm U.S. ET, May 9
blogs
The exterior changes on the 2014 Silverado, which hits showrooms by early June, are striking when parked aside the outgoing model.
MIKE COLIAS:  SAN ANTONIO -- There was hand-wringing, even some flat out panic, when General Motors unwrapped its next-generation Chevrolet Silverado in December.
Many dealers, enthusiasts and writers questioned whether the pickup's design went far enough. There was also disappointment at the lack of a sexy technology to hit back at the Fo ...
     Continue reading "Silverado hand-wringers should relax -- for now" » May 9, 2013 12:15 pm U.S. ET
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