Monthly Archives: February 2008
Volkswagen, A Glutton for Punishment, To Attempt Phaeton Again
Are they "Attempting Phaeton" or "Tempting Fate?"By Chris Haak02.19.2008The Volkswagen Phaeton luxury car hit the US market in November 2003 as the Volkswagen brand's flagship and...
2008 Toyota Prius Review
By Chris Haak02.18.2008The Toyota Prius has been on a real sales tear for the past year. US sales of the hybrid five-door leapt from 106,971 in 2006 to 181,221 in 2007 (a 69.4%...
Ford Previews 2009 Ford Fiesta To Be Shown at Geneva
By Chris Haak02.15.2008Just over two weeks before its official unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show, Ford has released images of the production Ford Fiesta for Europe. Ford's...
Does Mercury Have a Future?
At last week's National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention, Lincoln-Mercury dealers were looking for news about the fate of the Mercury brand. Ford has previously...
Auto Loan Delinquencies on the Rise
By Chris Haak02.14.2008Fitch Ratings, a credit rating company, reported today that the number of auto loans at least 60 days delinquent has hit a 10-month high in January, jumping...
WTO Finds China Tariffs on Auto Part Imports Unfair
By Chris Haak02.14.2008The World Trade Organization has issued a preliminary ruling that China is breaking its rules by giving imported auto parts less favorable treatment than...
London Will Triple Congestion Charge on Some Cars
London Mayor Ken Livingstone, architect of London's "congestion pricing" scheme that assesses fees on vehicles entering central London since 2003, has taken his idea a step...
Chrysler To Eliminate Model Overlap, Combine Dealerships
In December, we reported that Chrysler was undertaking some urgent vehicle improvement steps aimed at getting their vehicles onto shoppers' lists and coming in better than last in...
Washington State’s Money Grab – Oops, Fuel Economy Tax
By Chris Haak02.07.2008The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported today on a proposal in the Washington state senate to impose an excise tax on all passenger vehicles based on EPA...
Nissan Unsure Whether to Re-Introduce New Infiniti Q Flagship Sedan
By Chris Haak02.07.2008The Infiniti Q45, which had been Infiniti's US flagship since the brand's US introduction nearly 20 years ago, ceased production in 2006 (a 2006 Q45 is...