L.A. Times - Auto Industry News

Tesla near deal to build cars in Downey

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The City Council is expected to vote on an agreement that could clear the way for the electric vehicle maker to build a factory on the site of the former space shuttle plant.

Downey is hoping that for electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., the third time is a charm.

GM's sale of Saab falls through

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Swedish automaker Koenigsegg Group cancels its proposed acquisition, marking another failure by General Motors to sell off some of its automotive brands. Closing Saab is now a possibility.

General Motors Co.'s plan to sell its Saab unit to a specialty Swedish automaker has collapsed, frustrating another attempt by GM to prune its roster of automotive brands and potentially spelling the end of the Saab brand.

Electric-car maker Tesla said to be planning stock offering

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The California firm reportedly is filing for an IPO soon. Some analysts wonder how much interest it would spark among investors, given the implosion of shares of ethanol producers.

Will investors get charged up over a stock offering by California electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc.?

Getting a charge out of Nissan's Leaf

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

This thought came to me as I was piloting the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle prototype around Dodger Stadium last Friday: When gasoline-powered cars sleep at night, they dream of being electric.

GM plans to pay back its government loans early

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The automaker, announcing a smaller-than-expected third-quarter loss, says it could pay $1.2 billion to the U.S. and Canada next month and be rid of the debts by June. Analysts question the idea.

Borrowing a page from the playbooks of Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, General Motors Co. is moving to repay its federal loans early.

Nissan is turning over a new zero-emission Leaf

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The electric car, which made its U.S. debut Friday in L.A., is set to go on sale in select markets in the U.S., Europe and Japan next year and go global in 2012.

On the vast expanse of asphalt outside Dodger Stadium, Nissan Motor Co.'s new electric car made its U.S. debut Friday, zipping quietly through a maze of orange cones on its way to what the Japanese automaker hopes will be the top of the clean transportation class.

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing: The mind-blowing 1950s version was cooler, but . . .

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

To compare this model to the first modern sports car is unfair. This one has a low center of gravity and explosive bolts in the doors, but that one was a minor miracle.

It goes about a zillion miles an hour, looks tougher than jailhouse steak and has explosive bolts in the doors, but before getting to the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing, if I may, a nod to the old (1955-1957) Gullwing.

World's cheapest car is starting to enrich India's Tata Motors

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The automaker is producing only about 100 of its $2,200 Nano cars a day but hopes to ramp up to 1,000 a day next year. Analysts expect it to put millions of new Indian drivers on the road.

The tiny Nano cars made by India's Tata Motors are starting to hit the road in that country after a land dispute forced the relocation of the car's manufacturing plant and delayed its launch.

Runaway Toyota cases ignored

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Safety investigators dismissed numerous reports of sudden acceleration, then said data were lacking.

More than 1,000 Toyota and Lexus owners have reported since 2001 that their vehicles suddenly accelerated on their own, in many cases slamming into trees, parked cars and brick walls, among other obstacles, a Times review of federal records has found.

Toyota is sued over concerns of sudden acceleration

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A lawsuit filed Thursday by two Los Angeles County residents claims that the majority of Toyota and Lexus vehicles made since 2001 contain defective components that can cause unintended acceleration.

Two Los Angeles County residents have sued Toyota Motor Corp., alleging that the majority of Toyota and Lexus vehicles made since 2001 contain defective components that can cause unintended acceleration.