Marchionne's diagnosis of industry weakness goes far beyond FCAAuto News

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne's critique of the industry shouldn't be ignored. There is broad agreement among current and former executives that automakers fail to use capital efficiently.

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Galloping toward a big sales finishAuto News

As the industry awaits a wave of new and updated product, July's U.S. sales performance is lifting hopes that 2015 could near the industry's all-time sales record.

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Mapmaker's team of rival automakers may expandAuto News

As they spent $3.1 billion to acquire Here, the auto industry's dominant map supplier, Audi, BMW and Daimler sent a message to rivals: Don't fear us. Join us.

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Lexus: 'Dealers set the price, and that's the price'Auto News

Lexus will take on one of the car business's most troublesome traditions next year -- haggling with customers over vehicle prices -- as the brand enlists dealer volunteers and allows them to set their own firm prices.

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Infiniti engine making isn't a job, it's a craftAuto News

Workers at Infiniti's east Tennessee powertrain plant take a page from Japan's takumi craftsmen and learn how to build engines by hand.

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Lavishing leather, wood to defend ultraluxuryAuto News

Bentley Motors hopes to distance the British brand from competitors creeping into its ultra-luxury turn with a strategy of handcraftsmanship vs. machines.

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Hyundai, Kia spread their hybrid betsAuto News

Toyota bet on hybrids like the Prius. Nissan bet on electric vehicles like the Leaf. And General Motors bet, initially at least, on plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt. Hyundai Motor Co., it seems, is betting on everything.

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GM: New 'no-bid' strategy catches on with suppliersAuto News

For General Motors' suppliers, no-bid contracts have become the norm rather than the exception, now that GM has rolled out a new parts-buying program that forgoes traditional bidding.

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It takes green to go green at dealershipAuto News

It takes money to go green. At Thoroughbred Ford in Kansas City, Mo. around 500 incandescent lights above the lot are being replaced with expensive industry grade LED bulbs at a cost of more than $100,000.

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Toyota still No. 1 where it counts: ProfitsAuto News

Toyota Motor Corp. may have lost its title as world's biggest automaker halfway through the year, but it beat its two top rivals by miles in profits in the latest quarter, thanks largely to currency gains.

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Cadillac works to revise dealer incentivesAuto News

Two main elements of Johan de Nysschen's plan to rehabilitate Cadillac's image are to tighten dealers' inventories and quash their sell-at-any-cost mentality. But Cadillac's dealer-incentive programs today are designed to do just the opposite.

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Novelis: Automakers test stronger aluminumAuto News

Novelis has developed a new grade of high-strength aluminum for use on doors, bumpers and other safety-critical areas, but steel industry officials say new blends of ultra-high-strength steel are already available.

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Tesla burns cash, loses more than $4,000 on every car soldAuto News

It's crunch time for Tesla. The automaker is losing more than $4,000 on every Model S electric sedan it sells, using its reckoning of operating losses, and it burned $359 million in cash last quarter in a bull market for luxury vehicles.

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FCA swaps cudgel for counselAuto News

Exactly one year after Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne slammed suppliers for their double-digit profit margins, the company has adopted a more supplier-friendly approach in its purchasing operations.

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Picking up the pieces at TrueCarAuto News

The comeback Scott Painter sought to engineer at TrueCar after a dealer revolt and near meltdown in 2012 now looks incomplete, and the company faces the burden of reinventing itself yet again.

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In playful rivalry, Dodge pokes fun at Volkswagen PassatAuto News

Dodge has been throwing playful darts at Volkswagen for nearly two years in Charger ads that use the Passat as a target of punchlines. Dodge insists it has no sinister intentions in the commercials. Automotive News Staff Reporter Vince Bond Jr.

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Evolving Mini takes aim at high-end brandsAuto News

Mini is changing its marketing and will pitch to the 'executive personality' as products move upmarket, says its North American chief.

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Scion's single-trim strategy benefits dealers but also has risksAuto News

Plenty of automakers limit the number of a la carte options or even packages as a way to reduce manufacturing complexity and time. For Scion, the rationale is different.

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Tesla alters first sales incentive after Virginia cracks downAuto News

Virginia regulators have taken issue with Tesla Motors' new Model S referral program, prompting the maker of luxury electric cars to change the program in that state.

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Honda's $16,000 coupe sells out in Japan after first production runAuto News

Honda has sold out all 8,600 of its new roadsters slated for production this year and is fully booked through June. The only problem: four in five buyers of the $16,000 sports car are over 40.

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