How about the OPEC independence plan for economic prosperity? According to panel of economists A recent CNNMoney survey of 18 economists found that conflict with Iran is now seen as the biggest threat to the US economic recovery. Such an event it is believed would push oil prices towards $200 per barrel and push the [...]

July Sales Up, But Inventory Hinders Recovery By Dale Buss August 2, 2011 The July U.S. auto market remained in a suspended animation of sorts as carmakers and consumers appeared to be waiting out some crucial factors, though Tuesday’s short-term resolution of the U.S. debt-ceiling crisis removed at least one source of economic anxiety. Industry-wide [...]

Woman with Toyota FJ40 needs a tow from a muddy trail ride

Power, Paint Industry’s Latest Japan Recovery Concerns By Bill Visnic March 28, 2011 Although the notion of losing some unique automotive paint finishes seems a trivial concern in the context of the devastation and ever-present nuclear threat Japan faces in its struggle to recover from an enormous March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the inability to [...]

VIDEO: Do November Sales Suggest a Recovery is in the Works?December 02, 2010 November marked the second consecutive month of a 12-million plus seasonally adjusted sales pace for the U.S. auto industry. Does that mean a true recovery is in the works? Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl and analysts Karl Brauer, Jessica Caldwell and Michelle Krebs [...]

2011 Chevrolet Cruze (Courtesy: GM) Enlarge Photo For much of this year, automakers overall have become smarter about controlling inventories and slowing production to match still-tepid demand at dealerships. But it looks like some assembly plants are (or will be) roaring back to capacity for a while: A number of new 2011 models, such [...]

U.S. auto sales in 2010 and 2011 will continue to crawl — not walk or run — out of last year’s recession, according to forecasters at the Auto Industry Hot Topics Conference here. “It’s going to be a long crawl out of this, but we’re crawling in the right direction,” said David Wyss, chief economist [...]

What’s Really Holding Back the Auto Recovery?August 25, 2010 By Karl Brauer Three years after the recession that started in December, 2007, and according to various economic indicators, one year into an economic rebound that began around July of last year, the strength of the recovery remains open to debate. But using these dates as a baseline and comparing [...]

Trucks Hitching Up Bigger Share of Market in RecoveryAugust 10, 2010 By Dale Buss Pickup-truck sales gained more traction last month, and industry executives are starting to believe that their biggest and most profitable vehicles can be counted on to haul an even larger share of the fledgling recovery for the rest of the year [...]

Buckle Up, Industry Recovery Is Going to Be BumpyJuly 27, 2010 By Bill Visnic When June figures showed total industry vehicle sales dropped 10 percent from May and were up just 14 percent compared with a feeble June of last year, it became more or less official: the auto sector recovery – you know, the one [...]