Industry

In August, motorsport and engineering firm Prodrive announced it was selling its majority stake in Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), the official tuning arm of the Blue Oval in Australia, back to the automaker. This would see Ford handle all future development programs as well as manufacturing for...

As part of a routine test of a new refrigerant being used in the Mercedes-Benz B Class, engineers simulated a pinhole leak in a coolant line. When the refrigerant (now mixed with A/C compressor oil) sprayed on a hot engine, the results were dramatic. The vaporized mixture reportedly ignited on...

An outsider, especially one not familiar with the automotive industry, could easily view the Morgan Motor Company as antiquated or even archaic. Its cars are still built by hand, in a factory that looks more like a successful repair shop than an automotive assembly plant. Its designs lean more...

With Italy’s Investindustrial recently agreeing to purchase a 37.5 percent stake in Aston Martin, talk of a potential tie-up between the British automaker and Mercedes-Benz’s performance arm AMG has flared up. It all stems from Investindustrial previously owning Ducati, which before...

After more than 22 years as the head of motorsport at Mercedes-Benz, Norbert Haug’s contract will come to an end by mutual agreement with the automaker’s senior execs. His exit won’t have any effect on the 2013 motorsport season, preparations for which will continue as planned...

Jaguar Land Rover is to conduct a detailed feasibility study for possible production in Saudi Arabia, signing a letter of intent today with the country’s National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP), an industry group tasked with establishing major business opportunities...

Just a week after another cash-strapped independent automaker, Aston Martin, forged a deal with a new investor, Fisker Automotive, manufacturer of the Karma extended-range electric car, is making headlines over news it’s now seeking a potential alliance partner or new investor. Fisker was on...

Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker, the former parent of bankrupt automaker Saab, has signed a definitive agreement with Chinese automaker Youngman to form new joint ventures that will be responsible for the development of a new SUV as well as a range of sedans based on Saab’s Phoenix...

It has been confirmed that Italian private equity group Investindustrial has purchased a 37.5 percent stake in Aston Martin, providing 150 million pounds (approximately $240.4 million) in the form of a capital increase. Aston Martin, together with its new investor, as well as existing shareholder...

Aston Martin, specifically, Aston Martin Racing, the official motorsport division of the British sports car manufacturer, recently made its return to racing in the U.S., debuting at the Laguna Seca leg of the 2011 American Le Mans Series--a race which it won. Since then, we’ve also seen Aston...

Aston Martin, whose controlling shareholder Investment Dar is reportedly looking to offload its stake in the British sports car manufacturer, has been put on downgrade watch by Moody’s Investors Service. The investment ratings agency says the automaker may receive a credit downgrade due to...

Last October, extended-range electric automaker Fisker’s sole battery supplier, A123 Systems, filed for bankruptcy. That’s left the struggling startup without a source of lithium-ion batteries, forcing Fisker to suspend production of its Karma sedan. As Bloomberg reports, Fisker Karma...

Fisker’s Karma electric sedan uses a GM engine as its range extender, and now the company has another link with the American auto giant. Fisker has hired former GM marketing boss Joel Ewanick as its chief of global sales and marketing. At Fisker, Ewanick will replace Richard Beattie, who is...

When it comes to automakers that are perceived to be “green,” Lamborghini probably isn’t the first company to come to mind. After all, it’s product line consists exclusively of supercars like the Gallardo and Aventador, powered by V-10 and V-12 engines. If you want fuel...

Kazutoshi Mizuno is often considered to be the father of Nissan’s range-topping sports car, the GT-R. Like all Nissan employees, it was assumed that Mizuno would retire following his 60th birthday, in accordance with company policy. Mizuno turned 60 this year, leading many to believe that...

The world’s biggest Audi dealership, a terminal in Audi speak, has opened in Dubai, helping elevate the brand’s presence in a region where luxury sales continue to soar. And on hand to kick off the celebrations at the new Dubai Audi terminal was singer Jennifer Lopez. More than just a...

Daimler now has 100 percent of the shares in the Mercedes-AMG Formula One Team, following the decision by Abu Dhabi-based investment fund Aabar to sell its 40 percent stake in the team. Daimler joined with Aabar to purchase a controlling stake in the team in 2009, the same year in which it won both...

China is currently the single biggest market for Jaguar Land Rover, so it should come as little surprise that the British firm already has an alliance deal with one of China’s biggest automakers, Chery, and will soon be establishing its first design center outside the UK in China. This week...

Lincoln, Ford Motor Company’s long-term luxury brand, knows one absolute truth: it can no longer sustain itself selling mildly badge-engineered Ford products to its traditional (and aging) customer base. To attract new buyers, especially the “cultural progressives” it covets...

Ron Medford is currently the deputy director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which makes him second in command of the agency responsible for establishing motor vehicle safety standards. Medford has been involved with the federal government for over four decades, and has had a...