TROLLHATTAN, Sweden — Saab Automobile, a newly independent company, named a new design director late last week, and filling the position is Jason Castriota, who is a former Bertone and Pininfarina designer. He had apparently worked previously on Ferrari and Maserati models. In his new role heading up design at Saab, he reports to chief executive officer […] [Read More]

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — BMW of North America announced new management appointments within its sales division Friday. As part of the moves, the automaker said Bob Frisch, vice president of the Western region will retire. Taking his place will be Arturo Pineiro. Additionally, Kevin Coon was named vice president of the Central region. Frisch, VP of the […] [Read More]

BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. — Toyota announced last week that it is resuming construction at its Mississippi plant and will soon hire 2,000 associates to build the Corolla in the fall of 2011. Toyota had postponed finishing construction at the Mississippi facility when the economy tanked. By building the Corolla at this facility, the automaker stressed that […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Never before in the 24 years J.D. Power and Associates has compiled its U.S. Initial Quality Study have domestic brands performed this well. J.D. Power revealed the 2010 report Thursday, and for the first time domestic brands demonstrated higher initial quality than import nameplates. Overall, the firm revealed the 2010 industry average […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler revealed another development Thursday the automaker believes further makes the days of a bulky owner's manual in a vehicle glove box a thing of the past. The manufacturer rolled out what it contends is the industry's first smartphone vehicle-information application. The first app is connected with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. […] [Read More]

DETROIT — In an interesting turn from years past, General Motors announced this week that most of its U.S. plants will forgo traditional summer shutdowns to help meet buyer demand for popular Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, crossovers and trucks. Nine of the 11 assembly plants will continue to operate during the traditional shutdown period […] [Read More]

DEARBORN, Mich. — Lincoln recently announced that its first hybrid, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, is now the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America, as certified by the EPA. "The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid provides a real choice in the marketplace for customers looking for a vehicle that not only makes a statement about who they […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — When Edmunds.com released its latest True Market Value Predicted Price Trends, the site spotted seven new vehicles expected to buck typical summertime movements and become more expensive later in the year. That list of vehicles included the 2011 BMW 5 Series, 2010 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500, 2010 Honda Civic, 2010 Lexus GS […] [Read More]

LIVERMORE, Calif. — Nissan North America Wednesday unveiled the first of two new West Coast training centers for dealership technicians who will service the automaker's evolving lineup. The Livermore Training Center located about 45 miles east of San Francisco is geared to provide dealership technician product training support for the Northwest region, which covers northern California, […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. — Scion announced today that it has launched a special vehicle customization challenge for active duty military personnel. The "Battle of the Builds" contest is designed to attract attention and tap into the creativity and teamwork of today's U.S. military and challenge them to design a customized Scion xB. On May 3, teams of […] [Read More]