Frank Stephenson resigns as Alfa Romeo design head

Frank Stephenson, head of Alfa Romeo design, has announced that he will step down from his position. Stephenson, who has been with the Fiat Group for the past six years, says his resignation is independent of Fiat’s decision to name former Pininfarina design director as head of the Fiat Group’s design team. According to [...]

2009 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS

Aston Martin confirmedthat its high-performance Vantage V12 RS would make production last month, and now spy photographers have spotted the upcoming car undergoing testing at Germany’s Nürburgring. The Vantage V12 RS concept was first shown when the automaker christened its new design studio earlier this year and made its official auto show debut at [...]

Toyota to nearly double investment in Subaru-maker Fuji

Wednesday’s unconfirmed reports have Toyota nearly doubling its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, which owns and manufactures Subaru vehicles. In 2005, Toyota acquired 8.7 percent of FHI, and it is expected to increase that stake to 17 percent shortly. The move would infuse FHI with about $275 million in cash that would be partly [...]

Chrysler first of Big Three to cut free life insurance for retirees

Chrysler has announced that it will be cutting its free life insurance program for its white-collar retirees. Under the former plan, retirees were given a life insurance policy at no charge that was equal to their last year of pay for anyone who retired before 2003, or $50,000 for anyone who retired after that [...]

2009 MINI Cooper Convertible

The redesigned MINI Cooper hardtop was unveiled about 20 months ago, but the new Cooper Convertible has yet to receive its public debut. It has been a while since spy photographers have shot pictures of prototypes of the new model, but finally a new batch has arrived. Sources are telling us that this new [...]

GM adds MapQuest, on-the-go destination input functionality to OnStar

General Motors on Tuesday announced two new navigation services to complement OnStar’s Turn-by-Turn live operator service already offered. The first, dubbed Destination Download, allows drivers to input their destinations while on the go with the press of a button that will advise an OnStar operator of their destination, who will then upload directions to [...]

2010 Lincoln MKT

The Ford Flex-based Lincoln MKT has been given the green light by Ford execs and it appears as though the crossover’s development is progressing on schedule. Spy photographers spotted a mule for the MKT sitting outside a Ford facility early this year, but the latest images were taken on the freeways of Detroit. As [...]

Ferrari considering Indian expansion

On February 25th, Ferrari kicked off its Magic India Discovery. The event will continue until May 8th and will see two Ferrari 612 Scagliettis cover over 7,000 Indian miles. But in addition to proving the durability of the cars, the event has also shed some light on Ferrari’s future plans. Gabriele Lalli, head of [...]

March, first quarter sales slump for Big 3, Toyota

March has seen U.S. vehicle sales declines from the Detroit big three that are Chrysler, Ford and GM as well as the giant from Japan that is Toyota, no doubt a result of rising fuel prices and an economy that seems to be on a crash course. It was GM’s worst March since it [...]

Japan launches new program to encourage elderly drivers to hang up keys for good

Officials in Japan believe they have discovered a solution to make the roads of Japan a little safer: encourage the elderly to give up their licenses. As a part of a new safety initiative launched on Tuesday, Police and even local business are encouraging elderly motorist to hang up their keys for good. According to [...]