Industry

It’s official. European investment group Exor, owned by Italy’s Agnelli family and headed by Agnelli scion John Elkann, the current chairman of Fiat, has confirmed that it and media giant News Corporation are investigating the possibility of a takeover bid for the commercial rights of...

More and more cars are being offered with the added safety and performance of all-wheel drive, with the luxury segments in particular benefiting most from increased demand for the feature. Luxury brands typically offer rear-wheel drive as standard but in colder climates, such as in the Northern...

General Motors is expected to announce a $100 million upgrade plan for its Chevrolet Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which like many of the automaker’s facilities across the country has fallen by the wayside due to recent bankruptcy proceedings. The information was revealed by...

For reasons that still remain unclear, BMW chose to drop its hugely successful ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ slogan and replace it with the new ‘JOY’ campaign when it launched its latest generation Z4 Roadster last year. In fairness, BMW never formally stated that it was...

Lexus is expected to lose its luxury segment crown here in the U.S. this year, due mostly to the production delays caused by the Japan’s recent earthquake, but even without the natural disaster the upmarket Toyota division had been losing ground to rivals. Another key reason for the closing...

There were rumblings late last year that Fiat may sell off part of its stake in Ferrari to help raise cash to fund its merger with Chrysler, with the famous sports car manufacturer from Maranello at the time being valued at around $3.3 billion. Speaking recently to an investment group keen to see...

The Caterham name may not be all that widely recognized here in the U.S. but in Europe, Caterham is well known for manufacturing a range of lightweight track cars built around the classic Lotus Seven chassis. More recently the British firm has been expanding its range, with cars like this SP/300.R...

Victor Muller, Spyker's CEO and chairman of Saab, has been working feverishly to keep Saab's balloon aloft, though hot air alone won't do the job for much longer: unless Saab can work out a way to get its hands on more cash, the company may be headed for its final place in the history books. Work...

Fiat has confirmed its commitment to increasing its stake in Chrysler by 16 percent in the event that the U.S. automaker refinances its loans from the U.S. and Canadian governments. Fiat is essentially exercising its option to acquire an incremental 16 percent stake at a price of $1.27 billion upon...

Yesterday we saw a teaser sketch for the new seven-seat 2013 Infiniti JX and at today’s 2011 New York Auto Show we have confirmation that the upcoming luxury crossover will be built right here in the U.S. The information was revealed today by Nissan’s U.S. chief, Carlos Tavares, who...

The parent company of Mercedes-Benz, Daimler, has signed a deal with automotive parts supplier Bosch to expand their long-standing partnership and cooperate in the development and production of electric drivetrains that will eventually feature in a number of new production models. The two industry...

BMW has confirmed it’s poached GM’s former head of product planning, Frank Weber, to fill the role of head of vehicle architecture and integration at the luxury automaker. Weber, a key engineer in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and its Voltec range-extending electric drive...

We’ve reported extensively on Alfa Romeo’s relaunch plans for the U.S., with most recent reports suggesting the brand’s return would take place sometime in 2012, led by the stunning 4C sports car and brand new Giulia sedan. Now, people familiar with Alfa Romeo’s plans are...

General Motors is being clear about positioning of its upmarket Buick and Cadillac brands, explaining that Buick is designed more for drivers who want understated luxury whereas Cadillac is more about dynamic performance and style. Speaking with Automotive News, GM marketing chief Chris Perry...

Following last week’s shock announcement that Tesla is suing BBC’s Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood stemming from a review of its all-electric Roadster, Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman has released insight on the topic coming from the show’s side. Due to the...

MINI may soon get a kick in the performance department with news emerging today that the boss of BMW M, Dr. Kay Segler, will be responsible for MINI brand management starting from May 1. Segler, 56, has overlooked the development of several key M division models including the recently revealed...

In possibly the worst-timed government announcement ever, Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently holding a press conference in Washington, D.C. to announce a new mandate for carmakers: all non-round letters in any badge, nameplate, or other...

Electric car maker Tesla is suing U.K. hit TV show TopGear for libel and malicious falsehood, seeking to right the record about its Roadster electric sports car, which the company thinks was treated unfairly by the sometimes witty, sometimes boorish hosts of the show. Unfortunately, this is no...

Can you imagine a future--thirty-nine years from now--where there are no engines humming, no exhaust smells, no car sounds of any kind in the city except the presumably Jetsons-like beeping of EVs? The European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, can, and it has a transportation...

This past week Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson announced that he would be leaving his post, nearly 40 years after he first joined the company. In his place is Saab chairman Victor Muller who will look after the helm until a suitable replacement can be found. Muller, as you may recall, is the man behind...