Analysts are predicting that the domestic annualized auto sales rate will hold above 12 million vehicles for the third straight month in December. The full calendar quarter sales results, they say, indicate that the recovery of the auto industry may kick into high gear in 2011. Continue reading →

Kia Motor Company plans to replace its under-performing Amanti sedan in the U.S. market with a new model, tentatively being called the Cadenza. Continue reading →

Tougher U.S. fuel efficiency standards, due to take effect in 2016, are forcing automakers like General Motors Company and Ford Motor Company to come up with creative ways to trim hundreds of pounds from their pickup trucks without sacrificing performance and towing capacity. Continue reading →

Korean automaker Hyundai-Kia and Germany’s Volkswagen AG are the big winners of this year’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash safety study. Continue reading →

Ford Motor Company will introduce its C-Max compact minivan to an American audience at next month’s Detroit auto show. J.D. Power & Associates estimates minivan sales in the U.S. will increase 52 percent, to 630,857 units, by 2012. Ford hopes the C-Max’s high fuel efficiency and low sticker price (starting below $27,220) will help it capture a share of that growing market. Continue reading →

The vehicles chosen as finalists for the 2011 North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year awards have been announced, and they reflect some interesting trends in the automotive industry. Continue reading →

Ford Motor Company predicts domestic, industry-wide sales to reach a seasonally adjusted annual rate of around 12 million vehicles this month. Continue reading →

Toyota Motor Corporation, BMW AG and Daimler AG may adopt Tesla Motors’ approach to powering their electric vehicles. Instead of the heavier, more expensive lithium-ion batteries produced specifically for electric vehicle use, California-based Tesla Motors Incorporated re-purposes lighter, cheaper lithium-ion batteries commonly used in laptop computers. Continue reading →

Instead of competing with Nissan, GM, Ford and others for its share of the electric vehicle market in the U.S., Fiat plans to push its natural gas engine technology. In Europe, Fiat owns the lion’s share of the natural gas powered vehicle market. Continue reading →