Auto Analysis

As an auto writer who specializes in “green” cars, I have been regularly chastised for ignoring the breakthrough that will completely change transportation as we know it. And that is a car capitalizing on technology last seen powering early 20th century short-hop trains in Europe and the U.S.—a zero-pollution vehicle running on nothing but compressed air. I get queries like this a lot,...

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Like the rest of us, General Motors Chairman Ed Whitacre has an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Lately the angel is winning some rounds, but the devil is never far away. The angel is “Mr. Long-Term.” The angel whispers in Whitacre’s ear that sustainable profitability is more important than quarter-by-quarter results; that rebates destroy resale value and the...

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The road to electrification will have winners, losers and a fair number of shakeups before the rubber finally starts hitting the pavement next year. Funding remains a problem for most companies, and it’s led to introduction delays for a number of them. Count Aptera as the latest delay. The company, which makes a futuristic, Jetsons-styled lithium-ion battery car called the 2e, is now...

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One of the oddest facts about electric vehicles (EVs) in 2009 is that the Indian company Reva is the world’s leader, with more than 3,000 sales. Although the initial G-Wiz model is decidedly flimsy—Britain’s Top Gear show matched it up against a table, and the Reva lost—the Reva has the virtue of being cheap, just $9,000 to $11,000. They’re popular in Britain, where more than 1,000...

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The ongoing problems at GMAC Financial Services are in sharp contrast to rival Ford Credit. The contrast points up the fact that avoiding bankruptcy confers some advantages on Ford Motor Co. (F) after all, even though bankruptcy in some ways has served GM and Chrysler well — especially since GM and Chrysler were able to write off much of their pre-bankruptcy debt. GMAC this week appointed...

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NEW YORK – Ford is betting that small vehicles like the Ford Fiesta will continue to increase their share of U.S. auto sales, even after the economy improves, and even if gas prices stay moderate. “We are placing a pretty big bet with regard to our portfolio of products in the United States,” said George Pipas, U.S. sales analyst for Ford. The risk is that Americans will lose...

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Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan, announced at a Los Angeles ceremony marking the start of a 22-city tour for the Leaf battery car that the company would lease the vehicle’s batteries to customers, which is one way of keeping the price down to $25,000 or so. The lithium-ion Leaf, which goes on sale late next year, has a range of 100 miles and recharging at home and at a range of stations that will...

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Watch what he does, not what he says. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler, began last week by offering some unsolicited advice to Chrysler, the company he headed when it had German owners. “I continue to be emotional about this company and am crossing my fingers for the very best future,” he said. And that future should not include the radical downsizing envisioned under Fiat’s Sergio...

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It’s good news, of course, that General Motors announced it intends to repay its government bailout money sooner than expected, but don’t lose sight of the fact that what’s really happening is that consumers and taxpayers are repaying themselves. First, there’s the obvious fact that without taxpayer support, GM would be broke, and probably on its way to being broken up....

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LOS ANGELES—Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, says he has no intention for the company to lose money on the Leaf battery car, which will be introduced late next year. The company will start taking reservations in the spring.  Asked at the start of the Leaf’s 22-city national tour if the car would be a profit center for Nissan, Ghosn replied in the affirmative. “It will have to...

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