The car business is tuning into a mutual admiration society.  Volkswagen wants to be like Toyota, Toyota wants to learn from Nissan. Now, GM wants to learn from Volkswagen. GM’s Vice Chairman Stephen Girsky says that the new benchmark for GM is Volkswagen. (Read More…)

Before the Tokyo Motor Show, we were told that the Juke Nismo on display there is a prototype only, to gauge customer reception. If customers react positively enough, the car will be made. If not, forget about it.

Apparently, Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura heard nothing but positive remarks because … just watch the video until the end and hear what he says.

The long-awaited pent-up demand is finally here, and it’s here to last – at least into the first quarter of 2012, says Edmunds.com. A “mini-bubble” of new car sales has been identified, and it could make for a good start of 2012 say the car-counters of Edmunds. (Read More…)

Some claim the Japanese don’t import enough cars. After what happened on Sunday near Shimonoseki, Japan, high value imports should experience a sudden blip.

On a freeway in southern Japan, at least 10 supercars were involved in what The Telegraph calls “likely to be the most expensive car crash outside of a car racing track.” Total damage is estimated at around $4 million. (Read More…)

It looks like Carlos Ghosn is tired of talking about the inaction of the Japanese government with regards to the killer yen. He told his people to start packing. The Nikkei [sub] reports today that Nissan will stop making in Japan newly developed cars for export from Japan.  New cars will be produced at overseas plants.

“Under current foreign exchange rates, there can be no shipments from Japan of totally new projects,” Nissan’s COO Toshiyuki Shiga said. According to the report, anything with a new chassis that is intended for foreign markets will begin its life in those foreign markets. Says The Nikkei: (Read More…)

The Church of The True Saab reports rather breathlessly that a YADTFSS (yet another deal to finally save Saab) has been found. The organ that prides itself to have knowledge of insider information (which it usually never releases) relies on Sweden’s TTELA, which says (translation courtesy Church of The True Saab : ) (Read More…)

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! If you have enough followers on Twitter and the like, Chevrolet might give you a free 2012 Sonic. Not for keeps. But for 3 days. It’s the new long-term tester of the 140 character age.

According to Automotive News [sub], General Motors has hired Klout, a company that ranks a person’s “social influence.” Well, social networking influence. In the past, people with high Klout scores received free review copies of software, deodorant, or coffee. Now, they get a car. (Read More…)

Despite still not having been amalgamated into the sprawling Volkswagen empire (blame the lawyers,) Porsche wants to do its share for Volkswagen’s all-out assault to the top. According to Strategie 2018, sorry, make that according to “Mach 18,” the Volkswagen empire wants to be on top in all respects before the decade ends. A small sports car company with barely 100,000 units won’t bring much volume, but they will try as much as they can.  “Porsche aims to double its annual U.S. sales within seven years by dramatically expanding its product lineup — while maintaining its U.S. dealer body at almost the same size,” Automotive News Europe [sub] reports.

Porsche won’t even shy away from the unthinkable – like bringing diesels to America. (Read More…)

After the tsunami had hit Japan, Monday morning production experts said that production must be spread over many places in the world, just to be safe. Mention this to people at Honda, and they’ll strangle you in a polite Japanese way.

The Nikkei [sub] writes that Honda will temporarily shut down its plant in Taiwan, because it is lacking parts coming from Thailand. Honda says: (Read More…)

For quite some time, Carlos Ghosn had been the booh-leader against the strong Japanese yen. At the sidelines of the Tokyo Motor Show, he launched into his so far strongest worded tirade against the “abnormal” yen. He told the Japanese government to learn from the Swiss, and to basically peg the yen to another currency. (Read More…)

We at TTAC get our fair share of complaints once in a  while. (They usually start with a “b” and end in “ias.”)

We are nothing compared to Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear.  The likewise UK site Carbuzz chronicled the biggest complaints against Clarkson.  According to The Guardian, “Clarkson, who flew out to China to film a new series of Top Gear as the row erupted on Thursday, issued an apology.”

Is Saab betting on being saved by a man with a mile log rap sheet? We are not talking Vladimir Antonov. We are talking Alex Mascioli.

On Wednesday, Swedish Automobile N.V. including Saab Automobile AB published its 3rd quarter 2011 report. It is a report written in red ink. It talks about the well documented troubles with China and GM. It mentions that there is “a memorandum of understanding for a conditional agreement for the sale of Spyker Automotive business to North Street Capital with net proceeds for Swan of EUR 32 million.”

The report then says:

“The future of Swan will depend on the outcome of these negotiations.”

A lot has been written about the Chinese aspect. Very little is known about the mysterious North Street Capital, LP, of 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830. Some claim it works out of a virtual office. The company is so discrete that its website shows a white page (at least on my browser.) What is known is that the alleged hedge fund is owned by an alleged car enthusiast (aren’t we all) by the name of Alex Mascioli. His track record in the world of car racing and the world of finance is sketchy at best. Whoever hinges the future of Swan on Mascioli and North Street Capital should do some due diligence.

The State of Connecticut has a long rap sheet on an Alexander Mascioli, born in 1975. (Read More…)

The German new car market appears to be unimpressed by the European tribulations. Germans bought 269.144 new cars in November, up 2.6 percent compared to November 2010. This according to registration data released by the German Kraftfahrtbundesamt.

(Read More…)

Regular Vehicle Sales Japan November 2011

All things are relative: Now that we are comparing with absolutely dismal numbers in the preceding year, November car sales in Japan look downright healthy. Sales of new cars, trucks and buses were 252,236 units, up 24.1 percent from a year earlier in November, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association says. The numbers do not include sales of separately reported minivehicles. (Read More…)

November was a rough month on our analysts. The surprisingly strong showing of Chrysler threw everybody’s aim off. Real-time powered Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds takes the top spot again – but with a degree of precision that would have landed her back in the field in the preceding months. She won because the others did worse. (Read More…)