March 31 Becomes The Next Big Date. Hundreds of thousands of Detroit car workers and about two million more in the automotive supply industry across the U.S. can breathe easy this Christmas. Lame-duck president George W Bush has orchestrated a bailout package for financially ailing General Motors Corp and Chrysler of up to $17.4 billion. […]
Environmentalists Blast The Deal As Timid, Complacent. It looks like the European Union’s rules on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions won’t be troubling car manufacturers too much. The original target of an average 130 g/km will be phased in from 2012 to 2015, while penalties for non-compliance are likely to be much less onerous than first […]
Volvo Said To Be Worth Up To $6 billion, But No Takers For Saab. Ford said it is now looking for a buyer for Volvo, but the future of its Swedish compatriot Saab looks uncertain as its parent GM twitches in its financial death throes. At least investors seem to think there may be buyers […]
Hope For 2010 Rally Fades, But France Aid Limits Damage There. Fiat’s Marchionne Sees Chance Of Huge Corporate Shakeout. Merrill Lynch Though Has Some Optimistic Thoughts for 2009 . Next year looks like being torrid for European car sales, with the possibility that some major players might be taken over or lesser mortals expire completely, according […]
Big Car Features In A Tiny Vehicle. Looks Like A Smart, But Width, Packaging Adds Utility. **** out of 5 At first glance the new Toyota iQ appears to be a little Mercedes Smart city car lookalike. But when you get up close it is bigger and chunkier. Look inside and you will find […]
Financial Failure Will Trigger Shakeout, Finally, In Europe. Will BMW Buy Ford, Mercedes Go For Opel/Vauxhall? European has long been criticised for too much capacity chasing too few buyers producing a relentless shaving of profit margins. Manufacturers end up buying new sales to keep lines moving. “How do we take capacity out in an orderly […]
Drives More Like A Car Than An SUV. Great Quality, Sophisticated Ride, Handling; But Pricey. Modest Looks Fail To Inspire Wow! Factor, Until You Drive It. **** out of 5 GRANADA, Spain Audi took its time getting into the compact premium SUV market, so you’d expect that this rival for the BMW X3 would be a formidable […]
Handsome, Safe, Practical. What A Time To Launch An SUV, Even Disguised As A Crossover. What A Time To Launch Anything, Come To Think Of It. Nifty Slow-Speed Crunch Avoider Might Be A Deal Clincher. **** out of 5 “repetition of global warming mantra is enough to establish the fact” EDINBURGH, Scotland What a time […]
Pretty, Practical, Well Made. New Body Hugely Better Than Original Bland, Cheap Looking Design. Stylish Options Make Personalisation Easy. I Still Think The Name Is Dopey Though. **** out of 5 IBIZA, Spain It is Ka as in shah, but not to be confused with car. The name of Ford’s smallest car has always been […]
Battery Power Does The Business In Town. Limited Range A Worry, But Mega Cheap Costs Will Sway Many. Electric Smart Runs Out Of Steam After 60 mph, But So What? Eerie Silence Threatens Pedestrians, Pets, But V8 Recording Will Help ***** out of 5 “There will be a burgeoning market in exterior sound systems. I’d […]
Simply The Best. Magic Interior Even Better; It Looks A Bit Racier. Previous Car’s “Faults” Ironed Out. Wrinklies Will Still Love It, Younger Downsizers Too. ***** out of 5 Honda says it wanted to make the Jazz the best small car in the world and I can’t think of any reason to argue about that. […]
Face-Lifted – A Tweak Here, A Squeeze There. Fantastic Diesel Provides Amazing Seamless Power. Driving Experience Means 3-Series BMW Retains Top Spot. ***** out of 5 Don’t Let The Dealer Experience Put You Off. “Would you believe that a leak in the system which supplies water to the wind screen would too challenging for a BMW […]
At 100, Shows Modern Car’s Quality, Safety. PARIS Some economic Cassandras predict the Western world is about to revert to the living standards of a century ago, so it’s a good time to find out what it would be like living with the first production motor car, the Ford Model T, which first clanked out […]
