Auto Industry

Honda Passes Safety Test for 2010

Brickell Honda — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:08:38 -0500

Only 27 new vehicles made the list for the safest cars of 2010. In 2009, 94 vehicles made the list for top safety cars, which are 67 less than this year. Apparently the safety rating got a lot tougher, like the addition of a new roof strength requirement. The roof strength requirement aims to protect passengers against rollover crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety added the roof strength test to address the increasing circumstances where people are injured or killed in accidents.

Yee-haw! Texas Dominates Best-Performing Cities Index

Dan Macsai — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:28:32 -0500

Perhaps that famous photo illustration should read, "Everything's bigger--and better!--in Texas." Lone Star cities, led by Austin (#1) and Ft. Hood (#2), lassoed nine of the top 16 spots on this year's Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best-Performing Cities Index, which ranks U.S. metros based on their ability to create and sustain jobs.

The Ultimate Greenwash: GM Might Change Its Corporate Logo From Blue to Green

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:25:50 -0400

It's not a done deal yet, but GM is reportedly considering a change from its traditional blue logo to a green one that shows consumers it is lean, green, quick-thinking and focused on fuel efficiency. A word of advice for GM: this is a bad idea.

T. Boone Pickens, Kleiner Perkins Back Upstart U.S. Automaker V-Vehicle

Clay Dillow — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:13:55 -0400

VC powerhouse Kleiner Perkins and Texas oilman T. Boon Pickens, two outspoken advocates of green transit technology, have teamed up to provide V-Vehicle Company $100 million to bring a “high quality, environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient car” to market in the U.S. Though details on the product itself are vague, the company’s choice of the descriptor “fuel-efficient” suggest it will be a highly-economical internal-combustion automobile.

Feedback

Fast Compnay Staff — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Kid Stuff

"Boy Wonder," our April article about Chris Hughes, drew largely appreciative comments at FastCompany.com. "A pure sign of the changing social-media environment," wrote one. "Acknowledge it, embrace it, or move aside." With GM and Chrysler on the ropes, there was more controversy about our piece on how to save the auto industry.

U.S. Government: Chevy Volt Can't Save GM From Itself

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:30:52 -0400

The Chevy Volt was supposed to be GM's golden ticket, the thing that could save the ailing car company from becoming a relic in the automotive world. But according to the U.S. government's automotive task force, the all-electric Volt isn't enough to save GM.

The Big Three Big-Top

Seth Kahan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:22:47 -0400

With so many jobs in the balance and their fingers in so many pies I don't want any of the top three automakers, Chrysler, GM, or Ford, to fold up their tents. One way or another I want them get their acts together and turn themselves into viable businesses, contributing to America's economic engine.

UK Funding "Green" Range Rover Production

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:31:32 -0400

First the U.S. gave car companies a bailout, and now the UK has joined in to keep the vehicle industry from dying a horrible death.

Easter Island Comes to Detroit

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:15:34 -0500

When I saw the photo on the cover of the NY Times this week of the congregation at the SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1

Good Riddance, John Dingell

Adam Penenberg — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:19:21 -0500

Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democratic and for decades a pawn of the auto industry, was ousted yesterday as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. If you wonder how American automakers could have ended up with tin cup in hand, begging the government to bail them out for egregiously ignoring the needs of consumers and the environment, look no farther than Dingell. He gutted the agency entrusted with regulating the auto industry and ensured that car companies never had to improve fuel efficiency or safety.

It's Truly Amazing What's Happened To The American Auto Industry During The Past Forty Years

Ross Reck — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:06:54 -0400