Posted by Mark
One year after a $50 million partnership between Daimler and Tesla was announced, Toyota and Tesla announced their $50 million partnership. Tesla motors has been promising a mass-market, mass-produced, electric Model S by 2012. This Toyota and Tesla partnership, in addition to an initial public offering, should raise enough cash for Tesla to make good Read on! →
Among other car makers, Smart is taking a new model to the Detroit Auto Show in January 2012. The microcar maker is unveiling a truck model. Useful when hauling small stuff Daimler’s microcar division, Smart, is unveiling a new model in January at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, according to CNN. The new Smart is Read on! →
Mercedes has had enough of its underperforming uber-luxury brand Maybach. Maybach has been making big, expensive cars that haven’t been selling at all, leading to the decision to pull the plug. Mercedes to focus on upcoming S series Car magazine AutoWeek confirmed with an executive at Mercedes-Benz that Maybach is going to cease production and Read on! →
Common tools used by automakers to boost sales of vehicles that aren’t selling well are cash rebates and related vehicle incentives. Rebate amounts are generally small, no more than a few thousand dollars for even the most expensive vehicles. Sometimes, however, an automaker like Maybach goes for broke. The ultra-luxury automaker is offering a massive Read on! →
In order to boost sales, Nissan is building a new SmartCar model for sale in the United States. SmartCar has been struggling to sell more of the mini-cars built for city driving. One of the biggest customer complaints was a lack of seating. In order to boost appeal, SmartCar has paired with Nissan, who will Read on! →
A couple decades ago or so, the standard refrigerant for air conditioners, R-12, was replaced, with R-134a. R-134a is likely to be replaced soon by R-1234yf, though concerns over the safety of the refrigerant have been raised by Daimler. Daimler finds R-1234yf refrigerant slightly susceptible to fire The auto industry is poised to introduce a Read on! →
Americans still love their pickups, as witnessed by automakers’ intense focus on extending its lines of light- and heavy-duty models. General Motors is redesigning its trucks for today’s fuel-conscious drivers, Daimler is adding jobs to increase truck production, and Mitsubishi is designing an all-electric pickup just for farmers. GM offers extensive redesigns By 2013, GM Read on! →