Ferrari and Mercedes videos celebrate social-media milestones

Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz shared a moment last week when Ferrari's Facebook page cracked 8 million fans and Mercedes' hit 2 million video views. They celebrated in similar but different ways. Ferrari took its 458 Italia and burned the digits 8,000,000 in rubber on some asphalt.

Rolls Royce for the People – China’s Geely builds a RR Phantom

The Geely GE - A Chinese Rolls Royce! Plagiarised cars are not new. China has been making them for years (to the ongoing consternation of  Western car makers), and Mitsuoka in Japan make a whole range of cars that ‘pay homage’ to classic cars of the past.

For new CAFE rules, automakers place high-stakes tech bets

Game-changing 2015 fuel economy rules are forcing vehicle development teams to make high-stakes bets on expensive technologies--bets that will separate the winners from the also-rans. Not only do federal rules target a 2015 fleet average of 35.5 mpg, up from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks; they force automakers to bet on different technology packages for each vehicle segment. Companies that do best at mixing technologies while keeping down costs will have an advantage when buyers wince at higher stickers.