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In the short term, Fiatization is the Chrysler Group's only shot at survival. But for Chrysler to thrive as an American car company, it cannot lean on Fiat forever. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

The Obama administration should pay attention to General Motors Chairman Ed Whitacre's plea for flexibility in executive pay caps. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

It's time for General Motors to come clean. Eliminating 1,350 U.S. dealerships -- or even 2,500 if you include stores that have sold the discarded Saturn, Saab, Hummer and Pontiac brands -- will not cut anywhere near $2 billion in costs. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 9

A salute to dealers

In profiling the "50 Visionary Dealers" in this issue, we were reminded that almost all new-vehicle dealers are inventive and intrepid individuals. It's part of the job description. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 9

Dealers need SBA loan program improved now

The Obama administration's pilot program that allows the Small Business Administration to guarantee floorplan loans to dealerships was a bold stroke to free up wholesale credit for dealers just when they needed it most. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 2

Set fuel economy standards sooner rather than later

Federal regulators and automakers are in harmony about the need for a single national fuel economy standard. They should take advantage of that to develop a longer-term plan for 2017-20 models. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 26

No IPO until time is right

Politics must not be a factor in deciding when General Motors Co. is healthy enough to go public. The board needs to do what's best for GM. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 26

Don't impose more federal oversight on dealer loans

Congress should scuttle the idea of putting dealership-arranged financing under the jurisdiction of the proposed new Consumer Financial Products Agency. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 19

GM still can reverse damage to retail network

In the rush to restructure itself and eliminate costs by revamping its retail network, General Motors put itself at a competitive disadvantage in many markets across the heartland of America. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 12

Building trust at Chrysler

It is encouraging that Chrysler Group is reinstating national dealer council elections in an effort to build trust with dealers. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 12

At GM, a little more flexibility goes a long way

General Motors Co. deserves credit for showing signs of being responsive to the needs of stakeholders, including suppliers and dealers. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 5

Keep green mainstream

With trillions of tax dollars flowing out of Washington these days to support this bailout or that stimulus, it may seem petty to quibble about a single half- billion-dollar line item. The $529 million dollar U.S. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 5

General Motors needs Opel now more than ever

General Motors Co. ought to abort the planned sale of Opel to Magna International and its partner, Russian state lender Sberbank. If GM doesn't come to its senses soon enough, Magna should end the deal. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 28

Standards help, but energy policy is still needed

The proposed fuel economy standards for the 2012 to 2015 model years, announced last week by the Obama administration, give automakers and suppliers the guidance they need to develop technologies en route to meeting a 35. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 21

Unnecessary risk

It's understandable that President Barack Obama wants to show the working people of America that he cares about saving their jobs. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 21

Rejected dealers shouldn't get their hopes up

It is useful that the National Automobile Dealers Association, the Committee to Restore Dealer Rights and other dealer groups have compromised on a proposal for a nonlegislative settlement in the rejected dealership case. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 14

Cash for clunkers worked; now let's build on its success

The August U.S. light-vehicle sales tally reported last week proves that the government's cash-for-clunkers program was a huge success. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 7

The right idea

Bob Socia's first major step as the new head of General Motors Co.'s purchasing sets the automaker in the right direction. Socia plans to let suppliers that come up with cost-saving ideas keep half of the savings for the life of the part. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 7

Lenders shouldn't use financing to sell insurance

More lenders should follow the example of Wachovia Dealer Services and stop discriminating against retail financing deals that include insurance products marketed by a competitor. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 31

Floorplan relief welcome

Chrysler Financial's decision to offer Chrysler dealers easier terms to establish expensive reserve funds is finally some good news for dealers who have been whipsawed by bankruptcy and credit struggles this year. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 31

GM, Chrysler: Be wise in filling those open points

It is ironic that General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group, which rejected so many dealerships during their time in Chapter 11, are now taking applications to fill open points. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 24

Ford needs a break, too

This week the UAW will sit down with representatives from Ford Motor Co., which is seeking more cost savings. But the president of a big UAW local says the union isn't likely to agree to concessions similar to those negotiated by General Motors Co. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 24

Toyota must move forward as it gets back to basics

Akio Toyoda, the new president of Toyota Motor Corp., seems to be on the right track as he seeks to reshape the company started by his grandfather. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 17

Ford separates itself from its crosstown rivals

Ford Motor Co. has proved that sticking with a good business plan, developing products that consumers want to buy and staying on message are what it takes to succeed even in a downturn. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 10

Survival of the fittest

The strong start to the cash-for-clunkers program has depleted stocks of several hot-selling models. That's good news for factories that must increase production to meet demand. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 10

Congress should get busy planning cash for guzzlers II

Congress needs to be analyzing results of the cash-for-guzzlers program so it is prepared to extend the incentive quickly should the program live up to early expectations. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 3

What a successful clunker catastrophe

Frustrating, maddening, hastily passed but slow, underfunded, cluelessly administered. Also fabulously successful. The now-infamous cash-for-clunkers program injected an overdose of steroids into the near-corpse of the automotive market. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 3

That's the spirit

There has been a lot of concern about the fate of the dealers whose franchises were rejected by General Motors and Chrysler during the bankruptcy process -- perhaps too much concern. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 3

Government- industry dialogue should continue

Now that the new versions of General Motors and Chrysler are out of Chapter 11, there ought to be a continuing role for the automotive task force, which engineered the restructuring processes. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 27

Give the dealers stock

If the dealer-backed campaign to restore General Motors and Chrysler franchises breaks down in the Senate, some kind of brokered settlement might emerge as a way to soften some of the economic pain. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 27

For GM, brand marketing is the new frontier

So now Bob Lutz forgoes retirement to run General Motors marketing. As one former GM executive told us, "You couldn't make this stuff up." But whether Lutz is the right guy or not, CEO Fritz Henderson has identified the right problem. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 20

U.S. auto savvy is an essential board ingredient

Among the many lessons learned from the travails of the Detroit 3 is the importance of an activist board of directors, one that will regularly challenge the basic assumptions of management. But so far neither board has enough pure auto savvy. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 13

McNamara's vision

Robert McNamara, the Ford Whiz Kid and the first non-Ford family member to serve as company president since 1906, had his share of critics -- both during his days as secretary of defense and while toiling in the auto industry in the 1940s and 1950s. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 13

No energy policy, and U.S. diesels are further away

Automakers and consumers are likely to absorb another hit because of the lack of a national energy policy. Six automakers have scrubbed plans for nine diesel-powered vehicles that were to be introduced next year. 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 6

No federal aid means a dogfight among suppliers

When the White House denied a request for up to $10 billion in additional aid to suppliers, it cleared the way for another supply chain shakeout. Ultimately the result will be a stronger, more competitive automotive supply base. 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 29

GM needs a new culture, but not a whole new team

Steven Rattner, head of the president's auto task force, has correctly deduced that General Motors must change its corporate culture when it emerges from Chapter 11. 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 22