Month: May 2013

It’s hard to understate the growth that the automotive industry experienced throughout the twentieth-century. The industry was one of the most important to the American economy as a whole, as the health of the auto industry was a good indicator of the health of the entire US economy. However, what can sometimes be over looked is the impact that the auto industry had on growth in other industries and new businesses that were founded and then flourished as a result of the presence of the automobile. 

When it comes time to buy a car, one of the key decisions one has to make is whether to buy new or used. To me this is a no brainer. Cars tend to depreciate massively, so why not try to avoid some of that cost? Take the Volkswagen Phaeton, for instance. Albeit an extreme example, the 2002 Phaeton retailed in base trim for $94,600 and now can be had for about $18,000, a $75,000 drop. Are there any prohibitively bad downsides to purchasing used?  I can only think of three reasons and they are largely avoidable.

Chrysler Group has a credit rating of B+, which is four steps below investment grade, but if its performance continues to improve, Standard & Poors…

The automotive industry in China has already beaten U.S. and E.U. car markets and has become the largest in the world. This means that domination of the market by Chinese has become an extremely important issue among the car manufacturers. As you can see below, during March 2013, VW dominated the market.  Out of top 10 models of best seller, 6 were VW’s.

Burma (Myanmar), which has been isolated for years by sanctions imposed upon it because of its military junta, adopted a parliamentary system of government in…

For the first time since 1993 the Detroit 3 have all gained market share in the U.S. In the first quarter of 2013 Ford, GM…