The Crank: Despite headlines, Government Motors still has our money

By John LeBlanc Interpreted one way, General Motors chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre’s announcement this week that the U.S. automaker has paid back $8.1 billion in government loans a full five years ahead of schedule could be considered “good” news. Especially considering where GM was less than a year ago.

2010 New York Preview: Are GM’s EN-V concepts the future or folly?

[svgallery name=”GM_EN_V”] By John LeBlanc As a follow up to last year’s two-seat Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility concept developed with Segway, Government Motors brought to last year’s New York auto show, the U.S. automaker has released details of a trio of new Electric Networked-Vehicles (EN-V) concepts for this year’s Big Apple show media days, […]

Design versus Safety: The ongoing battle

[svgallery name=”2010 Buick LaCrosse”] Photos and story by John LeBlanc Form versus function. It’s the Battle Royale behind most automakers’ closed doors, fought between the aesthetic wishes of the design team and the slide-rule-wielding safety engineers. Sometimes, the slide-rulers win. Take for instance the 1972 Volvo Experimental Safety Car.

Crystal Ball: The Future is Small

By John LeBlanc Eventually, historians will write that the past decade was one of the most tumultuous and significant eras in the auto industry—the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001; the roller-coaster of fuel prices; the public’s growing environmental and road safety awareness; the rise of the Chinese automakers; the fall of the Detroit Big […]

Canadian Saab picnic won’t save doomed brand

By John LeBlanc Have you heard? The Saab Club of Canada is planning a “Save Saab” rally on Saturday. The idea is to get the “attention” of the Swedish brand’s parent General Motors and to send a message that Saab should be sold, rather than shut down. I truly sympathize. But you Saabistas are a […]

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