Opinion

Were the 1960s and 1970s really that great? Many an American automaker seems to think so, especially General Motors, which has gone ahead and re-trademarked yet another name from the past, the Chevelle. We just can't imagine that anyone would pull a GM name from any other era back from ...    Read more

In the nearly 600 days I've been reviewing cars at Automotive.com, I've stepped foot in maybe 150 cars. That's a lot. Some arrive weekly in our press fleet, and I'll take them home for the night or the weekend; others I drive on press trips, sometimes driving ...    Read more

You've heard Lincoln is undergoing a reinvention. If you were one of the one-hundred-whatever million people that watched the Super Bowl, you probably saw Lincoln's spot that--if nothing else--reminded us that this century-old relic of an automaker was still here, still kicking, and maybe even in its infancy. We'll see. ...    Read more

If you pay attention to what's going on in the auto industry on a semi-regular basis, you'll have heard of the constant harping on Lincoln for the lack of brand differentiation between it and working-class Ford products. Under Ford CEO Alan Mulally's "One Ford" plan, he pretty much rendered the ...    Read more

First, a disclaimer: take everything here with a grain of salt. A big one. Maybe one of those horse-sized salt licks. Sure, we keep an eye on what's what in the automotive industry, so we have a decent idea of what to expect in the coming year. But there's always ...    Read more

We drove more than 100 new cars, trucks, hybrids, SUVs, and crossovers over the past year. Many of them were good, some not so great, and a couple were downright miserable. But when it comes time to picking what we'd want in our own garages, we all have our own ...    Read more

General Motors' stable of brands each have an intended target audience but that doesn't always translate into sales. Cadillac, for example, is clearly aimed at those who seek refinement and comfort similar to that of a luxury German car. Chevrolet appeals to the blue-collar worker and is GM's mainstream brand ...    Read more

Hurricane Sandy's effects are still being felt more than a week after it ravaged New York, New Jersey, and other surrounding areas. While more than 886,000 homes and business continue to wait for power, automakers from around the world are also taking inventory of stock that was in the path ...    Read more

There's a reason why The Matrix became such an international hit while the equally dystopian, trenchcoat draped, slo-mo, cool-gunplay Christian Bale vehicle Equilibrium remains utterly forgotten, known only to wannabe film nerds like me. (Seriously, go check it out—it's a lot of fun.) Some things ...    Read more

We've known for a while now that Google has been tinkering with the idea of a driverless car through technology. However, a recent report from the Wall Street Journal indicates that not only was Google trying to make that technology a reality, but it was looking to build its very ...    Read more

Car dealers and their lawyers around the country are up in arms about Tesla Motors. "Illegal!" they shout. Mass panic is ensuing with dealers, some of which are contacting their state representatives to shut down Tesla's newfangled business model where it ...    Read more

Baby steps, people. Left step, right step. One foot follows the other, hands swinging forward and back, chin up and eyes out. If, like me, you’ve been ambulatory for all of the life that you can actually remember, this is a familiar pattern to you. And you probably learned the ...    Read more

You know that silly annual survey of which cars are "Most American?" Well, scratch off Chrysler from the list. Reuters confirms what has long been speculated by the press: that Fiat will be building U.S. brand cars in Italy, which will then be exported to the States. With Europe in the ...    Read more

The Highway Loss Data Institute is a little-known but vital affiliate to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The HLDI monitors insurance claims made by car owners involved in accidents as well as other forms of damage to their vehicle (e.g., theft). In the HLDI's most recently released study on ...    Read more

Even though he was CEO of General Motors for a grand total of 10 months and has repeatedly self-proclaimed not to be a "car guy," Edward Whitacre Jr. still believes that the government should sell its shares in General Motors off quickly. This isn't the first time Whitacre has called ...    Read more

News source Reuters recently wrote an article about the Chevrolet Volt's cost-prohibitive manufacturing. The wire says a $40,000 Volt can cost up to $89,000 to make, meaning it's the latest in a long line of General Motors products to cost more money to make than GM can off-load it for. Detailed ...    Read more

The Toyota Corolla is one of the best-selling compact cars in the world. It may soon lose its crown, though, from rival Ford. Ford's secret weapon? The Ford Focus. Although the Corolla handily outsells the Focus in the U.S. market, the situation is different worldwide. According to IHS Global, Ford has ...    Read more

Pinpointing the trends of car colors used to be a simple affair. Ever since the Great Color Massacre of 1979 (ongoing), when thousands of bold car colors were brutally rounded up and executed, every car was silver or black—that was the end of it. Look ...    Read more

Touchy, touchy. General Motors is apparently getting tired being everyone's punching bag. From being lambasted by the car enthusiast community ("Fireturd", "Puick", "Chevrolame", etc.) to the recent GOP-led committee investigating its Chevrolet Volt hybrid EVs, GM is pulling a roll, tuck, and duck to the earthquake that is the current ...    Read more

According to a study conducted by Strategic Vision, Toyota receives the least amount of complaints from its customers while Volkswagen Group of America has the best quality product. Results of the 2012 Total Quality Index study showed that Toyota had the lowest reported problems, good for a “Problem Impact Measure” ...    Read more

Safety continues to be a big selling factor for car shoppers, especially for those with families. Three Ford offerings--the full-sized Ford Taurus sedan, its Lincoln MKS twin, and the Ford Explorer crossover--recently received five stars in crash test safety from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. The three vehicles were ...    Read more

It takes a special breed of person to work in customer service, and that goes double for the automotive industry. The general public expects to hop into their vehicles every morning, turn the key, and go off on their merry ways. Most don’t realize that by turning that key, you ...    Read more

From a consumer standpoint, the Cadillac CTS-V sports wagon is an odd duck. First, it's a station wagon. While wagons are beloved shapes by Europeans and--by extension--any serious car enthusiast, the average American car buyer long ago voted with their dollars in favor of SUVs and crossovers. Most Americans also ...    Read more

Automotive industry analysis firm IntelliChoice has released its results from its second annual mid-year “Cost of Ownership” analysis. Better known as IntelliChoice “Best Bets,” the analysis firm ranks 15 vehicles from the 2013 model year and includes the Acura RDX, Audi A3 TDI, and the Lexus RX 350. Overall, 15 ...    Read more

Never heard of the Maybach? You're not alone. Mercedes-Benz's answer to BMW's Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen's Bentley ultra-luxury lineups never gained traction among the wealthy, or the envying public. Even car enthusiasts, who embrace the old (Ford Crown Vic, Lincoln Town Car), the obscure (Ninety Eight Regency Elite), and the downright ...    Read more