Industry

Ford's got no shortage of potential buyers for Aston Martin, with more than 30 different parties reported to be interested in the legendary British marque. Industry experts are estimating that the increased level of interest could push the price tag up to £1 billion or roughly $1.9 billion –...

Automotive research firm CSM Worldwide has looked into its crystal ball and forecast that worldwide vehicle production including cars and trucks will jump to 78 million units for 2012 from the 2005 level of 62 million. The biggest region for growth is China, whose output is expected to increase...

BMW’s CEO Norbert Reithofer has announced that the company has no intention on buying the Aston Martin brand from Ford, stating that “we are a focused company and we want to stay a focused company” at a recent conference. The announcement coincided with the release of the...

As the auto industry starts to adopt LED lights in more mainstream vehicles, we’ll start to see cars featuring new and exciting headlight designs such as those seen on the Audi R8 and Aston Martin Rapide. Consumers will also benefit from features such as the compact size and weight, low cost...

DaimlerChrysler is back in the spotlight today with increasing speculation that the Chrysler Group may be split from its German parent due to its poor financial performance. There were reports suggesting that there was no creditability to the previous rumors of a possible split, but the issue has...

Ford will slash its North American production by as much as 12% for the first six months of next year, but hopes to bounce back in the second half. Ford’s CFO Don Leclair told Automotive News that the company would cut vehicle production by 8 to 12% next year, and will raise inventory levels...

Rising oil prices haven’t deterred US buyers from purchasing full-size pickups despite numerous reports stating that buyers were moving away from such vehicles in droves. Full-size pickups continue to be the most popular vehicles in America for the first nine months of the year, although...

Nissan won’t be introducing any of its own minicars as long as contracts with original equipment manufacturers remain. Reported by Australia’s Drive, this latest news comes directly from Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who stated that "as long as we can have a solid contract with an OEM...as...

Update: DCX has released a statement reaffirming that there are no plans to sell the Chrysler Group. During yesterday’s third-quarter earnings analyst/media conference call, the company chose not to add to the speculation regarding this topic, but ended up fueling the rumor mill. Looks like...

For years US carmakers have desperately tried defending their territory from invading foreign carmakers, but everyone knows the best defense is a good offense. Over the past decade GM and Chrysler have been expanding their range in Europe, and now they’re starting to see the fruits of their...

Honda, the most fuel-efficient car company in America, will be increasing the production of its popular 4-cylinder Civic sedan to meet growing levels of demand. Starting in early 2007, Honda will utilize its flexible manufacturing capacity to deliver an extra 60,000 units to quell demand...

Ford’s recently appointed CEO, Alan Mulally, has ruled out any alliance with Renault-Nissan, adding that such an alliance would be the “wrong direction” for Ford. Renault-Nissan’s talks with GM recently collapsed but it was still keen to have a North American partner...

Several Chinese auto makers are determined to establish themselves in the US, namely the Geely Corporation who plans to sell vehicles over here by as early as 2008. The company is expected to make a strong showing at January’s NAIAS in Detroit, after enjoying significant interest at its debut...

Ford’s financial report card is out today and it’s not looking good for the blue oval. The company has announced a preliminary third-quarter net loss for 2006 of $5.8 billion, which is equivalent to a loss of $3.08 per share. Considering that the same result for last year was a loss of...

Tough competition from its Japanese rivals, namely Toyota, has seen Chrysler assign teams to find ways to increase efficiency and cut costs by $1,000 per vehicle. The plan, code-named “Project Refocus,” was rushed to address Chrysler’s expected $1.5 billion loss for its third...

Two of Europe's most prominent billionaires, including France's richest man Bernard Arnault, have once again expressed interest over the sale of Aston Martin. Arnault is the current head of Paris-based luxury goods multinational LVMH, which includes the famous Louis Vuitton and Fendi labels, and...

Volkswagen won’t be dropping its SEAT unit anytime soon, despite the poor financial results from the Spanish car maker. Part of the reason is the difficult VW would endure in acquiring an actual buyer. CEO of VW, Bernd Pischetsrieder, was even quoted as stating that he doesn't believe that...

Vehicle parts supplier Delphi will be working more closely with manufacturers to provide hybrid electrical powertrain systems technologies to feature in upcoming vehicles. The first automaker to outsource major hybrid components to Delphi will be Ford, who’ll use Delphi’s battery pack...

Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields has confirmed that there have been no discussions between Ford and Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, despite news reports to the contrary. Ford intends to improve its North American business without the help of an outside party and especially one that is...

Mercedes is looking to cut costs for its next generation A-class and B-class small cars by enlisting the aid of a development partner that will work on platforms and possibly also engines together. The new A-class is expected for delivery in 2011 with the B-class following one year after. Despite...