Posts by Chris Haak
Plastech Bankruptcy Filing Idles Chrysler Plants, Possibly More Soon
By Chris Haak02.05.2008Automotive supplier Plastech Engineered Products, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last Friday after Chrysler announced that it had...
Lexus Considering Sub-RX Mini Crossover
By Chris Haak02.04.2008This is something that had been rumored to be in the long-term plans for a while, but Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. president, has actually confirmed...
Report Says BMW City Car Approved – Could Be Called Isetta
BMW has been actively considering adding a fourth brand to its portfolio (Mini, BMW, and Rolls Royce are the other three). Now, AutoExpress has reported that the fourth brand...
GMC Denali XT “El Camino” Concept Debuts in Chicago
Another auto show, another broken embargo.By Chris Haak02.04.2008At this week's Chicago Auto Show, GM will introduce the GMC Denali XT pickup concept. The truck is based on GM's...
2007 European Sales Are a Tale of Two Continents
Or perhaps, a tale of two distinct parts of one continent.By Chris Haak01.31.2008According to ACEA, the European automakers' association, in 2007, auto sales in Europe were more...
Hyundai Sales Goals: If You Don’t Succeed Several Times, Try Again
By Chris Haak01.31.2008Hyundai's South Korean executives have had some ambitious sales goals in the US for several years. However, it has become apparent that either the bump in...
Ford Transit Connect Now Will Come to the US
According to today's Wall Street Journal, "people familiar with the company's plans" have confirmed that Ford will, in fact, bring the Transit Connect European commercial van to...
Why Chrysler’s New Consumer Advisory Board Won’t Work
By Chris Haak01.25.2008Deborah Meyer, Chrysler's head of marketing (whom the automaker recruited from Lexus last year) announced yesterday several product-related...
Toyota May Have Actually Beaten GM in 2007 Sales
Basically every media outlet first reported on Wednesday that Toyota and GM had sold almost an identical number of new vehicles in 2007. That number was 9.37 million (for GM, it...
Lifan 3-Series is a Chinese Mini Cooper Knockoff
Earlier this week, Chinese automaker Lifan showed its 3-Series sedan to assembled media. While the name would make one think that the vehicle is a clone of the BMW 3-Series, in...