The holiday buying season might have been dismal for stores in general, but there is one retailer that’s not crying the blues — Amazon. Its holiday press release reported 2008 sales from Black Friday through December were the best ever in 14 years.
The New York Times says, “Amazon’s press release has all sorts of entertaining factoids: the weight of all GPS devices it sold from Black Friday through December equals Read more…
UPDATE: To see a YouTube video of Ford’s Active Park Assist in action, click on this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW-MhoLImqg
Are you the type who will circle the block several times or drive an extra few blocks to avoid having to parallel park? Ford has an answer for you–at the push of a button.
The Lincoln MKS sedan and upcoming MKT crossover will be the first Ford products to get the Active Park Assist technology.
We drove a herd of 2010 Ford Mustangs last week on the road and at a pretty good racetrack, and we can say with certainty that the muscle car is alive and well in America.
Changes to the 2010 model are relatively minor, with freshened skin and a few suspension improvements that make the car a little more stable and a lot quieter.
The Mustang is still all muscle car, not sports car, so the 4.6-liter V8 remains the star attraction Read more…
The credit crunch is not just punishing those who sell new cars. Used car sales are declining as well.
The AP reports, “Auto retailer CarMax Inc.,” America’s largest retailer of used cars, “said Friday it swung to a $21.9 million loss in the third quarter due to slumping sales and loan loss write-downs in its auto finance arm.” The company “said that same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, tumbled Read more…
This just isn’t Detroit’s year. The Lions finished a winless season, and the city that once stood for great American manufacturing is now shaping up to be ground zero of a prolonged recession. At least the city has the glitz, glamour and money of the 2009 North American International Auto Show to look forward to, right?
Not this year.
The Wall Street Journal reports that this year’s Detroit Auto show will Read more…
Toyota has given a preview of the redesigned Prius that will debut at the Detroit auto show with a video featuring the Blue Man Group.
In the 3.5-minute video on YouTube, the blue dudes check out the new Prius inside and out, backed with the tune “Something’s Coming” by Leonard Bernstein.
There’s a good look at the interior, with its digital gauge package at the top of the instrument panel, and views of the exterior. You even Read more…
Enlightenment for Idiots, by long-time Yoga Journal contributor Anne Cushman, was recently part of a “Top 10 First Novels” list by Booklist: “Cushman’s sensitive novel follows Amanda, a 29-year-old yoga teacher on a tumultuous journey to India.” I’m currently reading this novel and thoroughly enjoying it. For more information visit www.enlightenmentforidiots.com
Maserati cars evoke a strong emotional reaction from customers, says Marti Eulberg, CEO of Maserati North America, who has some quasi-scientific evidence to support her contention.
With previous management posts at BMW, Volvo and Jaguar, Eulberg, 44, knows U.S. luxury buyers. She has been head of Maserati’s North American unit since June.
Maserati cites a study by British insurance company Hiscox on the reaction of men and women Read more…
All three of America’s largest automakers yesterday announced plans to shut down factories for extended holiday breaks – and a carefully worded statement from one of them has some wondering if the plants will ever open again. Both General Motors and Chrysler, after all, have cast doubt on whether they will survive into 2009 without government assistance.
The AP reports, “Chrysler is closing all its North American Read more…
