Every year, cars get better. Every year, cars get more expensive. It’s been the rule since Henry Ford put doors on the Model T in 1911. But it doesn’t always apply in a recession. The cost of the average car will almost certainly continue to climb for the foreseeable future, as the cost of everything from the metal and plastic and rubber that…
And so it’s come to an end — this week-long look at automakers and their YouTube channels. We’ve been amused, intrigued, and sometimes bitterly disappointed by what we’ve seen. Now it’s time to announce the best (and worst) in show. But first, a couple of notes. First, we were surprised by the varied quality of YouTube channels we reviewed. Some…
GM’s CEO, Ed Whitacre, is calling it quits. He’s the company’s third CEO in 18 months, which makes Daniel Akerson the company’s fourth CEO in 18 months. [TheCarConnection] GM’s also landed a $5 billion line of credit that could help it file an IPO later this year. Coincidence? [TheCarConnection] Volkswagen doesn’t just have an NMS up its sleeve…
Yesterday, we launched a little friendly competition: a comparison of automakers’ YouTube channels. We were curious to see which qualify as must-see web TV and which ought to be canceled ASAP. Monday was devoted to U.S. brands, and today, we’re moving across the pond for a look at their “European” competitors. We say “European” instead of European…
It may sound like some strange factoid hurtling in from a parallel universe, but ragtop shoppers, take heart: sometimes, convertibles are cheaper in summer. How can that be? We’ve seen automakers introduce convertibles in the dead of winter–when people are most receptive to the idea of a warm summer day and a topless ride. Other manufacturers…
The Basics: With updated engines and an all-new 335is model, the 2011 BMW 3-Series improves on its formula of luxurious performance.The 2011 BMW 3-Series is a sporty midsize luxury car available in coupe, sedan, and convertible models. It competes primarily with the Audi A4/A5 family, Infiniti G37, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, each offering a…
The Basics: The 2011 BMW 1-Series doesn’t see many changes for the new model year, but the few it does get are significant, making the 1-Series a technological standout in the entry-level luxury sports car market. Appearance is largely unaltered for 2011, with the love-it-or-leave-it styling a deciding factor for some. The 1-Series gets a new…
The 2011 BMW 5-Series sedan has earned a distinction the last-generation four-door never could–it’s been named a Top Safety Pick. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the new 5er its best possible score, after performing its series of crash tests, tests that are more rigorous than those performed by the National Highway…
A recall has been issued on all 2010 and 2011 BMW 5-Series and 5-Series Gran Turismo models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revealed on its website today. The recall is due to a problem with the affected cars’ fuel level sensors, which can see them indicate more fuel than there actually is in the tank. Essentially…
The global economy is giving mixed signals right now. On the thumbs-down side, unstable unemployment numbers and see-saw stock markets. On the upside, job creation, the return of venture capital, and slowly increasing GDPs (at least in most parts of the world). In the auto industry, GM and Chrysler continue to recover from their losses over the…
