Surely, there's a ceiling somewhere...

As if soaring oil prices were not enough we now have to deal with a dramatic increase in the price of the raw materials required for the manufacture of cars. This rise in raw material, in conjunction with the oil price crisis, has caused care manufacturer stock to drop and has led companies to state that they will have to raise prices in order to remain...

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Suzuki is getting bigger, while everyone else is going smaller

Over the past few weeks we have seen company after company go for the manufacture smaller cars, especially in the US where truck sales are dropping. Nevertheless, Suzuki seems to be doing just the opposite. Despite the fall in truck sales, Suzuki has started introducing their own pickup trucks to the US. It seems to me that there is someone in a boardroom...

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Innovative approach to increasing fuel prices

Surprisingly enough, an innovative, greener way of travel in cars is being pioneered in the US. Unsurprisingly, it is an idea that is most popular and originates from the west coast, specifically the San Francisco Bay area. To be honest, it is not that new an idea, however with fuel prices what they are it has become increasingly popular. In a culture...

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Volvo cutting its losses

Volvo's recent announcement that it will be sacking 1200 employees in Sweden and that it will be dropping an additional 300 jobs overseas, along with 500 contractor cancellations, has reignited talks of the company moving towards a potential sale.Volvo is the last of the original Premier Automotive Group left in Ford Motors, after it sold Aston Martin,...

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Toyota to lower sales goal

Yet another consequence of increasing oil prices has struck at Toyota. It is the Japanese car manufacturer that has to adjust to the times, just as other automotive producers. Soaring oil prices have caused a drop in the demand for high consumption vehicles. The world's second largest carmaker has been confronted with diminished demand in the US.The...

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Ford going for smaller, more fuel efficient cars

Not much of a surprise really, more like common sense. With oil prices what they are, even the proudest of American car fans will have to admit it makes sense to drive something small and economic rather than a huge gas-guzzling pickup or SUV. And few people are prouder of the American automotive industry than Ford execs.So it is quite impressive that...

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Japanese reliability surpasses all

Japanese cars have come top of the list in reliablity charts posted by Which? magazine in a study they carried out on 90,000 cars from around the world. Honda, Toyota, Daihatsu, Lexus, Mazda, Subaru and Suzuki took the top 7 places in reliability, however Honda's Civic didn't do quite that well coming close to the bottom of the list (for medium sized...

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Oil prices affecting the way we drive?

Just as air travel is reverting to prices of the past, with airlines cutting their budget travel offshoots , the spike in oil prices is starting to affect the way people drive. As it becomes more and more expensive to go to work, take the kids to school and go shopping, people are having to find new ways of dealing with the current situation. And with...

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Tata creating jobs for Jaguar and Land Rover in UK

When Ford was forced to sell Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors earlier this month so that it could concentrate on it's US business that has been taking losses, Tata executives had stated that they were looking to extend their full support to both Jaguar and Land Rover so that they may achieve their competitive potential.And it seems they were being...

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Mazda's crossover concept car to be revealed in Moscow

The Moscow International Automobile Salon will play host to a new and exciting vehicle, the as of yet unnamed new Mazda concept car. It's been a good year for Mazda, in fact they set their all time record for sales in a fiscal year (April 07 - March 08) and set their all time record for sales in one month in March, and now they will once again attract...

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Honda hydrogen cars hit the road

The first time I read about the potential to build a hydrogen powered car, one that was to emit water vapour as its exhaust fume, I was ecstatic. Obviously, we were only a decade or so away from the flying Delorian, and you all know what that means... hoverboards! Seriously though, it was a beautiful image, to have a car that runs normally and the...

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Diesel for professionals, diesel for racecars, diesel for everyone

Without even looking I can tell if a taxi has pulled up. It's that rumbling diesel engine pulling up to he curb but never switching off. Most people, including myself until recently, thought that diesel meant smelly, noisy and (worst of all) slow. But the popularity of the diesel engine in two very important sectors of driving raises the question...

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Vauxhall Insignia to take on Mondeo and premium rivals

After two posts about redesigning cars to save on costs and lower prices, I think it's time we talk about a new design aimed towards luxury. Vauxhall recently published pictures of the interior of the Insignia, the car to replace the Vectra, and they look impressive. The Insignia is an attempt to overtake the Ford Mondeo as the favourite family car...

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Tata Nano, getting on the competition's nerves

It was only yesterday I was discussing how Professor Gordon Murray was talking about redesigning the car and reducing parts, and after watching an online interview with the designers of the Tata Nano, he is not the only one. Apparently Tata motors designers and engineers had the same idea and after designing and redesigning the car several times they...

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Former McLaren F1 Designer: My Design Will Shake Up The Industry

Designer of the McLaren F1 and many other Formula One cars, Professor Gordon Murray, has been working on a new design for a car, “rethinking the car as we know it” that will shake up the industry, according to his statements to the BBC. After years of experience on the track and in the office designing some of the fastest cars in the world, Professor...

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Who said hybrids were slow?

Slow and boring? I think not, as US based Hybrid Technologies has announced plans to put a hybrid supercar into production by the end of 2009. This stylish lithium-ion sportster holds claims of keeping up with a Porche or a Ferrari and the ability to deliver a minimum of 220 mpg. According to Hybrid Technologies, they will also make available a...

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