Auto Industry

Smart Roadster Could Prolong the Fad, But in U.S., It’s Not “foryou”

Jim Henry — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:58:02 +0000

Is the Smart car a smart buy? Not for most U.S. buyers, but for now Smart USA is selling all they can get.

Smart fortwo Can Park Two “forone”

Jim Henry — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:37:28 +0000

The tiny Smart fortwo is so small, you can squeeze two into one normal-sized parking space. Smart has signed up some New York City parking garages to let Smarts park for half-price.

Eight (Cylinders) is Enough? Too Many, Nowadays

Jim Henry — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:14:30 +0000

The red-blooded American V-8 engine is in decline, being replaced by more fuel-efficient four- and six-cylinder engines. Happily for car enthusiasts, many of those fours will be turbocharged.

New Fuel-Saving Feature Turns Stop-and-Go Into On-and-Off

Jim Henry — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:29:38 +0000

Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach, says it is introducing a feature that will turn off the engine in its Smart fortwo when the car is at a standstill, in order to save fuel. At least initially, the new feature is is only for the fortwo, and not for the United States.

U.S. Gas Prices Vindicate “Mr. Turbo”: Four Cylinders are Enough

Jim Henry — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:13:11 +0000

Fifteen or more years ago, Saab engineer Per Gillbrand used to say a four-cylinder engine with turbocharging was the best possible compromise between power and fuel efficency. When gasoline was cheaper than bottled water, most Americans didn't care. They do now.

Despite GM “Employee Discounts,” Outlook Poor for August Auto Sales

Jim Henry — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:28:50 +0000

Despite its "Employee Discounts for Everyone," forecasters said GM sales fell in August below the year-ago month, along with U.S. auto sales overall. U.S. auto sales in 2008 look to be the worst since 1993.

Chrysler to Dump Viper? Whoever Has the Most Toys Loses

Jim Henry — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:50:13 +0000

It looks like Chrysler will dump the Dodge Viper, just as GM jettisons Hummer. Ford already sold Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover. It makes you wonder what’s next? Now that Toyota arguably overtook GM as the world’s largest automaker last year, maybe it’s time for Toyota to admit it has some excess baggage, like the underachieving Scion youth [...]

GM Uncorks Employee Pricing; Forget All That Stuff About Restraint

Jim Henry — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:09:18 +0000

Forget what I said in April about General Motors “getting out of the volume game.” Having said that, here’s another prediction: U.S. auto sales will stink in January 2009. I’ll come back to that. With regard to my April statement about GM’s strategy, I definitely should have added, “within reason.” Obviously, as the nation’s biggest automaker GM [...]

Not Dead Yet II: Pickup in Used Pickups

Jim Henry — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:49:59 +0000

Don't bury pickup trucks yet, because they're showing faint signs of life, like an uptick in used-truck prices. Used-vehicle prices are important because they could indicate new-vehicle demand, and because the car companies have a lot of money riding on the value of used trucks as they come back off leases.

Chevy Cruze: Will Americans Buy “Small+Premium+Fuel-Efficient?”

Jim Henry — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:33:30 +0000

The Chevrolet Cruze is a Euro-styled model that represents a big bet by GM that the tastes and spending habits of American customers will start to more closely resemble those of Europe, where people are willing to spend a premium price for a small car that’s richly appointed, handles well and saves gas. That sure would [...]