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Women Car Buyers Still Met With Dealer Disrespect

Jim Motavalli — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:37:38 PST

Women buy 60 percent of new cars, and 53 percent of used ones, but many are still encountering unequal treatment on the sales floor. A quarter of...

Lower Gas Prices Deflate Sales for Smart, Other Smallest Cars

Jim Henry — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:59:31 PST

High gas prices last year started a stampede to the smallest of the small cars, including Smart. But this year, except for the Kia Forte, sales of...

To Sell, EVs Will Need Sizzle and Sex Appeal, Says Merrill Lynch

Jim Motavalli — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:21:29 PST

To succeed in the marketplace, electric cars and plug-in hybrids will need sizzle, says Merrill Lynch. But to a large degree, companies like Fisker...

Toyota Finance Arm, Used Cars Help North America Recovery

Jim Henry — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:18:51 PST

Better used-car values mean captive finance company Toyota Motor Credit loses less money on cars coming back from leases. That helped reverse an...

Million-Dollar Army Contracts are a Lifeline for EV and Battery Companies

Jim Motavalli — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:09:04 PST

EV companies are scoring military contracts, both for "silent mode" vehicles that emit no heat signature and to serve as auxiliary power on remote...

Fiat Plan for Chrysler is One Letter Away from "Faith"

Jim Henry — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:24:51 PST

Fiat's turnaround plan for Chrysler calls for changes in marketing, brand image, positioning, product development and manufacturing much, much...

Resurgent GM Needs to Keep 1.6 Million Customers Who Now Own "Orphan Brands"

Jim Motavalli — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:58:40 PST

GM needs to retain 1.6 million customers from brands it has discontinued or cut ties with, including Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab. Sales chief...

GM Keeps Opel; Supplier Magna Still a Supplier, Not a Maker

Jim Henry — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:41:18 PST

Everybody wants to get into the act. Some big-time retailers and suppliers, like Penske Automotive and Magna International, have nearly become...

U.S. Auto Sales Better than Terrible for Ford, General Motors

Jim Henry — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:49:10 PST

Ford and General Motors beat anemic sales in the year-ago month. That was the first monthly sales improvement for GM in almost two years, so GM...

Ford's Third-Quarter Profits in Part Due to Savvy Outsourcing

Jim Motavalli — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:56:20 PST

Ford's third-quarter profits depend on many factors, but savvy EV outsourcing is one of them. As the market grows, so will the company's direct...