L.A. Times - Auto Industry News

Aston Martin, Maserati coupes two sides of the same envy-inducing coin

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A pair of evenly matched super-luxury sports cars have distinctly different personalities.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage and the Maserati GranTurismo S are beautiful, irrelevant cars -- an evenly matched set of luxury-performance cuff links.

State considers pay-as-you-drive auto insurance

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A plan that charges motorists based on miles driven could cut fuel use, pollution and traffic as well as lower premiums, say backers. Opponents worry about privacy issues.

An alliance of insurance companies and environmentalists wants to bring a new kind of mileage-based auto insurance to California and charge motorists only for the number of miles actually driven.

GM to sell assets, borrow money and cut jobs to raise up to $15 billion

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The cash-strapped automaker, facing bankruptcy rumors, says it will also suspend its dividend to increase liquidity. It expects to post a large loss in the 2nd quarter.

Short on cash and facing bankruptcy rumors, General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that it would suspend its dividend, sell assets worth as much as $4 billion, borrow an additional $2 billion to $3 billion and lay off salaried workers, among other steps.

Why is there traffic in Los Angeles? People and jobs are concentrated in different areas

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Also: Updates on Metro's proposed sales tax hike for mass transit.

Someone recently asked me a simple question: Why is there traffic?

Car rental companies caught short as demand for smaller vehicles soars

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The industry's economic model gets turned on its head as more customers reject gas-guzzlers.

David Sikorski went to a Hertz in Austin, Texas, last month to rent a car for a business trip to Dallas. He'd booked a fuel-efficient mid-size sedan, hoping to keep expenses down on the 400-mile round trip.

Gas-guzzling SUVs and light trucks become an obstacle for marketers

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Detroit and ad agencies are trying to come up with ways to pare down inventories of the now-unpopular vehicles.

It's the ultimate marketing challenge: Persuading people to buy something that they don't seem to want anymore.

The Alfa Romeo MiTo finally lives up to the fantasy

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Where are the hot-cool small cars, the drive-all-night cars, the panties-on-the-mirror cars? Where they've always been: In Europe. Here's a look at two of them: The Alfa Romeo MiTo and the Fiat 500 .

Fiat 500: Budget-wise and Mini-splendored

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Europe's Car of the Year is fun to own and drive -- not least because of its fuel economy.

Where are the hot-cool small cars, the drive-all-night cars, the panties-on-the-mirror cars? Where they've always been: In Europe. Here's a look at two of them: The Fiat 500 and the Alfa Romeo MiTo .

Toyota to build Prius in U.S., scale back truck production

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Toyota Motor Corp. will start producing the Prius in the U.S. for the first time as the Japanese automaker adjusts its U.S. manufacturing operations to meet demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Commuters spend less on food, movies and clothes because of gasoline costs, survey finds

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Almost half of Americans who drive to work are spending less on dining out, going to the movies or buying clothes because of higher gasoline costs, according to a survey by CareerBuilder, the largest U.S. jobs website.