Along the Road to a Greener America, an Awful Lot of Roadkill
The global financial crisis helped slam the brakes on clean-tech dreams from electric cars to solar panels, but the roots of green energy's mid-life crisis run far deeper.
The global financial crisis helped slam the brakes on clean-tech dreams from electric cars to solar panels, but the roots of green energy's mid-life crisis run far deeper.
Lexus topped the rankings in Consumer Reports's 2013 automotive brand report card. Detroit automakers didn't fare very well -- Cadillac's 14th place tie was the best for U.S. brand -- while Japanese automakers again dominated, taking eight of the top 10 spots.
Ford unveiled a surprise this week: It's relaunching the Lincoln brand, and committing more than $1 billion to the effort. The renewal of the luxury brand is about more than just prestige. It's about big profits, and a push by Ford into one very big foreign market.
German luxury carmaker BMW and Japan's Toyota agreed to extend their cooperation to a bigger strategic alliance on Friday in a challenge to global rivals as competition intensifies.
One recent study of used-car buying habits found that women were more likely to do research, ask tougher questions, and have a mechanic inspect a used car before buying. Another study on new-car buying preferences shows that women make more practical automotive choices.
For many Americans, buying a new car right now just isn't an option. But for those who need a new set of wheels, there's a way around that problem: Buy one of the right used vehicles, and you'll be in a better position, both financially and from a car value standpoint. Which vehicles? Read on ...
The gap between America's super-wealthy and the rest of us has grown so vast it's hard to even comprehend the sums they spend on their luxuries. But if you measure, say, a $200 million luxury yacht in terms of the average U.S. family's household income, the picture comes back into focus.
The United Auto Workers union has been bleeding members, with fewer than 400,000 at the end of 2009. With a purportedly more collaborative attitude, the group plans to unionize foreign auto manufacturers with factories in the U.S.
Toyota's recent spate of quality woes have allowed competitors to steal sales from the beleaguered automaker. Ford is also catching up with Toyota in another important measure of auto industry success -- consumers' opinions of vehicle brands.
The economy may be less robust than most Americans would like, but that didn't stop many of them from hitting the showrooms in December. That likely propelled auto sales in the final month of 2010 to 1.13 million units, the year's highest levels.
BMW saw its sales jump 20% in November, driven by growth in Germany, China and the U.S. The German automaker sold more cars than the Mercedes-Benz or Audi brands. Its sales growth for the year so far also is outpacing that of its rivals.
It's traditionally one of the slowest months of the year for vehicle sales, but most automakers reported higher U.S. sales in November compared to a year ago, despite continued consumer caution about the slow economic recovery.
Year-over-year gains are again likely when automakers report November U.S. sales figures Wednesday. But a drop from this October's level is on tap. Detroit probably fared better than its foreign counterparts as sales rebounded further from last year's anemic levels.
Buoyed by consumers' increased confidence in the U.S. economy, most automakers reported higher sales of cars and trucks in the U.S. during October compared to a year ago -- making it the best October in three years for the auto industry.
Carmakers are expected to report a mixed picture for October sales: mostly better than a year ago, but down slightly from September. Still, the pace appears strong enough that the upper end of full-year forecasts is reachable.
While BMW has finally admitted the need for a recall of cars plagued with faulty fuel pumps, the automaker now faces a related charge: that it's buying back these vehicles from owners and reselling them without disclosing their sordid history.
Although Honda and Toyota remain the benchmark of reliability in the U.S. automobile industry, General Motors has made considerable strides in improving the quality of its cars and trucks, according to the magazine's 2010 Annual New Car Reliability Survey.
BMW's North America unit is recalling about 150,000 cars and sports-utility vehicles in two separate actions to fix faulty fuel pumps that could cause the vehicles to lose power, the German automaker said Tuesday.
Vehicle sales have been less than stellar in recent months, disappointing some analysts. But the industry is gradually improving in a broad trend that is benefiting nearly all automakers -- including the Big Three, which have returned from the brink.
BMW touts itself as the maker of the ultimate driving machine, but due to faulty fuel pumps, some of its cars have been shifting from high-performance to "limp mode" in the blink of an eye -- while they're in motion. This week, a second class action lawsuit was filed against BMW over the issue.
Auto sales turned in a strong performance in September. "People seem to be saying, 'It's not as quite as scary anymore,'" says Arthur Wheaton, automotive analyst at Cornell University's ILR School.
Saab Automobile signed a deal to begin using BMW engines as the struggling Swedish automaker seeks to restore its profitability and prestige.
Mini Cooper cars are known for their quick, precise handling, but some owners have complained of steering problems that may lead to a crash, prompting a federal investigation.
In a bid to better compete against European and Japanese luxury makes, Ford reportedly may seek to reduce the number of Lincoln dealerships in the U.S. Nearly 1,200 dealers sell Lincolns, five times more than sell Toyota's Lexus nameplate, the nation's leading luxury brand.

























