Opel Astra to Bentley Mulsanne: new metal at the IAA
Ferrari wasn’t the only one making a big splash at IAA, the Frankfurt Motor Show. BMW officially premièred its X1 (which had already appeared in German TV show Alarm für Cobra 11 two weeks before) and its 5er Gran Turismo—a hatchback version of the 5, if we had to be crude—with chairman of the board […]
Saab can reach for the sun, under Christian von Koenigsegg
[Cross-posted] I never expected this a few years ago, but a few weeks ago, it was becoming more likely: Koenigsegg will buy Saab, says The New York Times. GM and Koenigsegg say there is now a memorandum of understanding, contingent on loans from the European Investment Bank, guaranteed by the Swedish government. I […]
Saab’s Jan Åke Jonsson speaks out
With all the worry about GM going into Chapter 11, Saab boss Jan Åke Jonsson responded, to say all was on track for his company finding a financially strong buyer. One of the individuals named to date has been Christian von Koenigsegg. While some of the media are saying that he would be an […]
GM’s next step should be brand rationality
[Cross-posted] Rick Wagoner has become the casualty of the American car industry’s finger-pointing with his resignation today, his hand forced by the Obama administration. The press has centred on this rather than explore the union’s role in the industry’s difficulties. For those of us old enough to remember it, it all smacks a bit […]
Chevrolet shows off its 2010 Camaro
Here are some of the first videos of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, a new American sports car based on the platform of the Holden Commodore. The R&D team was jointly Australian and American—Aussies arguably have a better grasp of engineering modern, full-size, rear-drive platforms—but the styling is unashamedly American, inspired by the original 1960s’ Camaros. […]
Opel shows Ampera, its version of the Chevrolet Volt, at Genève
General Motors intends to overtake the Toyota Prius with its Chevrolet Volt—a vehicle that is an electric car first, with a petrol engine that only kicks in when extended range is needed. (The Prius, in layman’s terms, works the other way round, with a hybrid engine assisting the petrol one—though around town, the Prius tries […]
Opel Insignia wins another award
The Opel Insignia has done very well for GM—such a shame it has come while the company is in such a deep crisis. It took home the 2008 Car of the Year award from European journalists, as we reported last year. It has also won the ADAC (German Automobile Association) Gelben Engel award on January […]
There’s life in the Buick brand yet
GM announced both its 2010 Cadillac SRX and Buick LaCrosse at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), or the Detroit Auto Show, on January 9. We don’t see much point to SUVs like the SRX—and have not done for the entire decade—but the LaCrosse, admittedly, is a tidy, attractive design that shows there’s life […]
The urgent measures Detroit must take
Above: One of the cars that Ford could sell in North America: the subcompact Ka, built in Poland. [Cross-posted] Earlier this year, before we found out just how bad Detroit’s financial situation was, I wrote a paper for The Journal of the Medinge Group called ‘Saving Detroit, by Not Making the Same Old Mistakes’. My […]
Do US automakers deserve a bailout?
[Excerpted; full post here] Today at the Vista Group luncheon, we’ll be discussing the US auto industry’s desire for a government bailout. My view: of course it’ll be great to protect US manufacturing jobs, since the situation is not of the plant workers’ doing. As mentioned in one of my papers, ‘Saving Detroit’, the troubles […]
