DETROIT -- General Motors Co. has killed one of two crossovers it introduced two weeks ago as future Buick products.
The vehicle, a compact crossover based on a redesigned Saturn Vue, was to have a plug-in hybrid version.
"The Buick crossover we showed received consistent feedback from large parts of all the audiences that it didn't fit the premium characteristics that customers have come to expect from Buick," Tom Stephens, vice chairman and product chief, wrote in a GM blog Wednesday.
The decision to kill the crossover was made

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s product plan for the next three years has few surprises. And that's a good thing.
Ford is sticking to its product vision, developing higher fuel economy, more small vehicles and a full range of cars, crossovers and trucks. The consistency-of-purpose mantra preached by CEO Alan Mulally has taken hold.
General Motors and Chrysler, on the other hand, were plagued by uncertainties, delays and changes in product plans as their cash dwindled and they restructured in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Ford's discipline --

Korean automakers now account for more than 7 percent of vehicles sold in the United States.
And the importance of Asian automakers outside Japan is bound to grow. India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. is scheduled to enter the United States late this year. Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, wants to bring its tiny Nano here.
While the initial excitement about Chinese automakers has faded, one Chinese company struck a deal to buy Hummer.
This week Automotive News begins its annual future product series, starting with

Japanese carmakers are revamping their product plans to include the more fuel-efficient vehicles required by changing regulations for corporate average fuel economy.
By 2015, Nissan expects 10 percent of its U.S. sales to be electric vehicles. Nissan is not talking about just microcars; it envisions mid-sized electric cars, too.
Hybrid models will multiply, especially at Honda, Nissan and Toyota. There will be more small, light cars, even at luxury brands. Lexus will unveil a concept next month at the Frankfurt auto show that could

DETROIT -- Chrysler brand CEO Olivier Francois startled an audience of more than 400 journalists and analysts last week by showing video footage of a couple passionately making out in the back seat of a Chrysler 300.
A voice says: "Let's design cars people want to make out in again, cars people want their pictures taken in." The clip shows such fashion icons as Coco Chanel and Giorgio Armani and lays out a bold new vision for the Chrysler brand.
The voice says: "What ever happened to style? It wasn't too long ago America had it. At

After years of dragging their feet, European brands have embraced electric and hybrid vehicles with surprising zeal.
Europe's product planners had long doubted that U.S. consumers really wanted to buy hybrids and electrics. Now they are developing the vehicles in droves. Why the change of heart?
Strict U.S. fuel economy regulations are on the horizon. Also, California standards will make it harder for large carmakers without a zero-emissions vehicle to do business in the biggest car market in the United States.
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