8 Articles
Official
Bentley opening new R&D center in Crewe

The world's fastest lorries. That's how Ettore Bugatti referred to cars from Bentley back in the day, employing the British term for trucks, long before the two became sister companies. Those immortal words will come true when Bentley launches its new SUV, which promises not only to be the most luxurious and prestigious but also the first to c

Cobo problems continue: Roof leaks plague Autorama

The latest chapter in the saga of Detroit's dilapidated Cobo Center was written over the weekend during the annual Autorama show. Against a backdrop of gorgeous and valuable hot rods, Cobo itself again became the story thanks to roof leaks that sent dirty water dripping down from the ceiling onto some of the show cars below. The situation angered the show's organizer, who pointed out the abundantly obvious when he told the Alex Nunez

Lincoln going global?

Bringing his experience heading Lexus with him when he defected to Ford, Jim Farley's got his eye on some premium-Toyota style brand growth. Ford's past party line has been that the Lincoln nameplate is strictly for North American consumption, but Farley's been conferring with other Forders like Peter Horbury about taking Lincoln worldwide. Lexus is enjoying rapid growth in markets like Russia and Saudi Arabia, so it's not a new concept for Farley, and Horbury has previous global-brand experienc

Debate rages over super-sizing Woodward Dream Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise is officially 16 miles long, extending along historic Woodward Ave. from about 9 mile Rd. in Ferndale all the way into Pontiac. There's a proposal on the table, however, to expand the Cruise all the way into downtown Detroit where Woodward Ave. originates, rather than having it begin in Ferndale. The argument is that there would be no auto industry without the city of Detroit, so it should be included in the Cruise, as well. To do so would expand the cruise eight miles,

Global clean energy markets to exceed $220 Billion by 2016

The sixth annual Clean Energy Trends report has been released which predicts a four-fold increase in the global clean-energy market over the next decade from $55.4 billion in revenues in 2006 to more than $226.5 billion by 2016. Tracked by the report are four benchmark technologies which can all expect their markets to dramatically rise: biofuels, solar, wind, and fuel cells. Key predictions centred

Toyota plans more purchases from German suppliers

Shinichi Sasaki (pictured), president of Toyota Motor Corp. Europe, stated last week that the automaker plans to increase purchases from such German companies as Continental AG and Robert Bosch GmbH. Suppliers from the Fatherland already provide around 25 percent of the division's parts. According to Sasaki, the increased purchases are part of Toyota's goal to sell more than a million Toyotas and 45,000 Lexus vehicles by the end of 2005.

Toyota risks weakening culture in expansion push

One issue Toyota Motor Corp. faces as the automaker continues its rapid growth is too few experienced management types, especially for its overseas operations. According to Reuters Business Channel, t