BLOG: Luca Ciferri
U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, May 21
|
Fiat-Chrysler's global vehicle sales were 394,100 units last month, up 10.8 percent compared with the same month a year before, according toContinue reading "U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines" » May 21, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment | Permalink
Looking for a Chinese car in Shanghai
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 19If I were an executive at a Chinese domestic automaker, I would be very worried. Why? It is difficult to find a Chinese-brand car on the streets of Shanghai, the country's largest city with more than 23 million inhabitants.
I experienced this first hand visiting the city for the auto show. During a long bus ride from the Shan ...
Continue reading "Looking for a Chinese car in Shanghai" » Apr 19, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
BMW, Audi show off rival visions
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, April 2The escalating rivalry among Germany's premium automakers was fully on show at the annual financial results conferences of Audi and BMW.
Audi gave two strong messages to industry watchers and reporters at its event in Munich last month:
- • Audi is not just a single brand. It now oversees Volkswage ...
Continue reading "BMW, Audi show off rival visions" » Apr 2, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
The LaFerrari is a Ferrari first
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 6The new LaFerrari supercar is the first model entirely designed by the company's internal styling center and it looks like more in-house products will follow, but Ferrari's boss says that is not a bad sign for longtime partner Pininfarina.
Ferrari has relied on Italy's Pininfarina to design nearly all its production cars sinc ...
Continue reading "The LaFerrari is a Ferrari first" » Mar 6, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
The end is near for the French flagship sedan
Posted 6:00 am U.S. ET, Dec. 12France will no longer have a domestically produced flagship when output of the Citroen C6 ends later this month. The C6's demise marks the end of an era in France that reached its pinnacle in the 1950s. That was when the first Citroen DS sedan arrived.
The iconic shark-shaped car proved that the French could compete with an ...
Continue reading "The end is near for the French flagship sedan" » Dec 12, 2012 6:00 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Expect another number surprise from BMW
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Dec. 6BMW is expanding the numbering system it uses to identify its models.
The company will introduce a coupe named the 4 series next year. In a few years, expect another new number -- the 2 series.
The role of the 2 series will be the same of the 4 series:
Continue reading "Expect another number surprise from BMW" » Dec 6, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
In LA, SUVs take inspiration from BMW
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Nov. 29At this year's Los Angeles auto show, it seems that BMW X1s are everywhere.
A cute blue vehicle I passed looked just like an X1 SUV. Actually, it was a Mazda CX-5 that resembled an X1 from the side, but had a nose and tail different than the X1.
On the Toyota stand, there was a concept for the new RAV4. I thought I was seeing things again. The side lo ...
Continue reading "In LA, SUVs take inspiration from BMW" » Nov 29, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
The not so prophetic story of the Fiat 500L
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Nov. 28The proverb "No man is a prophet in his own land" perfectly fits the Fiat 500L small minivan, which has its North American debut today at the Los Angeles auto show.
The 500L is built in Serbia in a factory that once produced Yugo cars. Only 1 percent of the production will be sold in the Balkan country. The rest will go to ...
Continue reading "The not so prophetic story of the Fiat 500L" » Nov 28, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Why this is Alfa Romeo's last chance
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Nov. 13Alfa Romeo has been a never-ending headache for Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.
"The Alfa issue is complicated and simple at the same time. Alfa is a great, world-renowned brand, but it is selling fewer cars than planned," he told me during our first interview in October 2005.
Seven years a ...
Continue reading "Why this is Alfa Romeo's last chance" » Nov 13, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
A merged Opel-PSA could be a catalyst for reform of Europe's auto industry
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Oct. 15General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are mulling combining their toxic assets -- Opel/Vauxhall and PSA's core auto manufacturing arm -- into a joint venture, according to media reports. If the plan goes ahead, it could have big implications for Europe's ailing auto industry.
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas says a "bad c ...
Continue reading "A merged Opel-PSA could be a catalyst for reform of Europe's auto industry" » Oct 15, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
How VW made the Golf sexier
Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Sept. 5Adding a few inches in length, width and height, generation after generation, makes a new car roomier but the added interior comfort usually results in a boring-looking exterior. Volkswagen used some clever tricks to avoid this dilemma, making the new Golf longer, wider and sexier than its predecessor
The reason the new Gol ...
Continue reading "How VW made the Golf sexier" » Sep 5, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
