automobile

The American auto industry's "Big Three" are on the ropes, claiming to face imminent bankruptcy if the government won't give them billions loans, which looks like it may not happen. General Motors and Chrysler are in the direst shape, with Ford somewhat better off.

While both the concatenation of events leading to this situation and the potential scope of failure are unprecedented, the loss of a brand (or three, or even an entire multibrand manufacturer) is not.

Oldsmobile was a recent single-brand loss. Ditto Plymouth a few years back. Thirty years ago, it was the "Big Four," the fourth being American Motors, which was born from the merger of Nash and Hudson in 1954 and which even in the late 1970s was in trouble. An alliance with Renault failed to save AMC, and it was swallowed up by Chrysler in 1987. The Eagle nameplate survived for a few years after that; Jeep is still with us.

Before that, there was Studebaker. Best known for innovative (or was it outrageous?) styling in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the futuristic Avanti of the 1960s, Studebaker predated the automobile. The company started as a wagon-builder in the mid-19th century, and constructed many of the Conestoga wagons that brought pioneers to the American west. … Read more

Ever wonder what the American automobile industry would be like if it actually made good cars? ZDNet takes it a step further to speculate as to what GM would look like under Steve Jobs' guidance, speculation that is worth further discussion.

No one is suggesting that Steve Jobs has any interest in reforming GM and the U.S. automobile industry, but don't you wish he would? Or for the Microsofties among you, how about Steve Ballmer? Or Marc Benioff? Or anyone from the technology industry?

In technology, we don't have the benefit (and problem) of years of government … Read more

Earlier this month I was in Israel moderating a panel on the myths and realities of alternative energy. The good news to report is that technologists are making steady headway in so-called green alternatives like solar and wind. The bad news is that governments aren't yet providing enough investment support for their ideas.

So it's been more than slightly amusing to watch the media circus around the discovery by the United States Geological Survey that the Arctic may hold around one fifth of the planet's future oil and natural gas reserves. Since that Wednesday announcement, every talking … Read more

Europe loves the VW Beetle, the Renault Twingo, and the Smart. The U.S. has the Mini and will finally get the Smart, too. And recently India proudly presented the spiritual successor to all of these--the $2,500 Tata Nano, a "people's car" that is widely gushed about, not only for its surprisingly slick design but also for its innovations.

In recent years, ecoconcerns, design savvy, and an (urban) willingness to quest for practicality have fostered the trend toward specialized cars that are as small as the niches they serve. While the idea of a small car … Read more

The Tokyo Motor Show 2007, the biggest car expo in Asia, doesn't kick off until Saturday. But two CNET News.com galleries offer sneak peeks at what will be showcased, based on press previews this week.

With exception of a few hot sports cars, most of the debuts are quirky environmental options and high-tech concepts, ranging from mini-minivans to personal transporters. Click here for related gallery.

The more basic four- and two-wheel concept cars are featured here.

Google Transit has been around since late last year, and as early as this February, public transit stops started to pop up on Google Maps, alongside other landmarks and locations, indicating the service was slowly moving into the mainstream. This morning, Google Transit is alive and kicking as a "graduate" of Google Labs. You'll now find a new link on top of your driving directions in Google Maps to toggle the public transit directions, be it bus, train, or boat--assuming you're in one of the 10 U.S. cities (or Japan) with supported transit systems. You'… Read more

A Chery red Fiat may soon be available to the Red consumer.

Fiat Automobiles and Chery Automobile, a Chinese automaker, have signed a "memorandum of understanding" to partner on a joint venture to sell and produce Fiat and Chery cars in China, according to a report from Forbes.

Among the cars planned for production and sale are Fiat's Alfa Romeo, as well as Chery's own brand of cars.

Production, if the partnership is completed, should begin as soon as 2009, with 175,000 cars a year planned to roll out of Chery's Wuhu auto production … Read more

CORONADO, Calif.--The car of the future will apparently have more in common with a kitchen appliance than a lawn mower.

"The future is going to be an automobile that looks like a two-ton Cuisinart," said Josh Wolfe, managing partner of Lux Capital, at the Future in Review conference Wednesday. Wolfe was part of a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Energy on the Nanoscale," in which panelists focused mostly on battery technologies and how those will evolve for cars and other devices.

The night before, researcher J. Craig Venter suggested that fuels derived from algae … Read more