It’s easy to chastise the Volkswagen Group for Dieselgate — for gaming emissions tests — and for management’s tone-deaf responses to systematic malfeasance at the giant German automaker. VW, of course, has been trained by friendly and lenient German authorities to take only a passing interest in government mandates and policing. German car companies and …
The end of car companies as we’ve known them for 100 years
A shocking truth about the car business is that it won’t be the car business for much longer. Right before our very eyes, a relic of the 20th century – the auto industry built on steel and oil — is speeding to become something different and quite unrecognizable — at least to the likes of …
2016 Escalade: $107,000 dinosaur — and guilty pleasure
The Escalade is the one vehicle that certainly won’t be at home at the new Cadillac House in New York City. This hulking, powerful and luxurious SUV (sport-utility vehicle) may be Caddy’s priciest, most profitable and most recognizable vehicle, but it’s not the future. The future of Cadillac is not a pickup-based truck that shares much …
The mind-boggling story of Tesla and its bankers
I had vowed to give a rest to any and all things Tesla Then this week happened. Here’s more evidence that Tesla Motors is a stock play working hard to enrich the few and mislead the many: * Goldman Sachs has raised its rating to “Buy” from “Neutral” and has set a price target of …
June 9, 2016 | Commentary, First on the Grid 1 Comments (0) |
Plug-in hybrids: from novelty to mainstream, seemingly in a blink
Plug-in hybrids were once a novelty. But no more. Battery-electric cars with on-board gasoline generators are rolling into dealer showrooms in growing numbers. Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, McLaren (if you have $1 million-plus to spend) — pick a car company and you’ll find it in the plug-in hybrid business. What an amazing development. At the …
Read more