“What would Google do?” is not only a meme in media theory but the title of a Jeff Jarvis book, where he uses the question as shorthand for looking at old problems in new ways. Now Mike and Maaike, the pair of designers who created Google’s G1 phone (the first based on its Android software), [...]

More than 70 years ago, during the first electric car boom in the U.S., a well known company emerged from the city of Detroit.  The company, called Detroit Electric went out of business near the onset of the Great Depression, but their name live on today. The name, now owned by a Dutch company has [...]

These days, every mile per gallon counts. But the Obama Administration is now trying to cut down on our carbon, too. So under new fuel-economy rules starting in 2012, cars and light trucks will need to adhere to stricter diets of MPG and CO2. Opinions on how automakers will meet these stringent new rules are [...]

When it came to buying Opel, Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne told GM and the German government: “If you have a better offer, take it.” They both took Magna, along with its Russian partners Sberbank and GAZ, because that consortium offered a better competitive arrangement and fewer job cuts in Germany. The deal wasn’t slated to be [...]

Sometimes, the car industry is a strange and magnificent place, full of rainbows and unicorns and sweet, sweet rides. Other times, it’s confusing as all get out. This is one of those times. Last summer, we mentioned that Nissan was allegedly planning a convertible version of its popular Murano SUV. The general response from you [...]

President Obama’s comments at a recent prime time press conference drew criticism from some domestic automakers as being inaccurate. In his closing statements, he picked plug-in hybrids as the model for his hopes and expectations for the American car industry. No problem with his choice. Many believe that plug-ins do provide the best immediate answer to [...]

Though it’s still short of bankruptcy, the parting out of General Motors’ corporate structure is underway, and the latest word has Fiat and Magna emerging as rivals over a majority stake in Opel. The gang over at Motor Authority have dug up word from several German officials that shows a clear preference for Magna as [...]

Many of us ABers being in our early- to mid-30s, we’re less amazed that another of our ilk has risen to a decisive government position. We are, after all, a generation on the rise. The surprising part about Brian Deese’s story is that he’s been instrumental in shaping the Obama administration’s moves to save General [...]