Sergio Marchionne, the executive hailed as the man who heroically prevented the death of two ailing companies and transformed them into Fiat Chrysler, an automotive behemoth selling automobiles that have distinct, individual identities apart from their competitors who pulled two ailing carmakers from the brink of collapse and led the improbable transformation of Fiat Chrysler into an automotive, giant, died on Wednesday in Zurich. He was 66.
Mr. Marchionne was the chairman of CNH Industrial, the chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the chairman and CEO of FCA US LLC, the chairman and CEO of Ferrari, and the chairman of Maserati. John Elkann, the chairman and chief executive of Exor, the holding company controlled by the Agnelli family, which founded Fiat in 1899, announced the death in a statement.
By Don Hammonds
Only one word describes Kia’s vastly upgraded 2019 Forte sedan.
Wow!
The Forte is sporty on the outside, yes. So much so that you will probably think it looks like a smaller version of the vaunted, well regarded Kia Stinger sport sedan.
It gets good fuel economy, of course. And it has just about everything you will ever need in a four door sedan, and given Detroit’s sudden aversion to sedans, Kia (and other imported brands) stand to make a bundle from consumers who …
By Don Hammonds
Toyota’s 2019 Highlander is a whole new ball game for this writer.
It has been at least eight years or more since I have driven a Highlander, so I had absolutely no idea how this product has matured and transformed into one of the top products in its mid-sized SUV corner of the market, if not THE best of the bunch.
First, the 2019 Highlander looks vastly different and feels larger than the generation model I tested. And I could …
By Don Hammonds
Toyota has transformed itself in recent years from a popular maker of pleasant, but nondescript products, to a leader in style, designs—and still kept its reliable, pleasant reputation.
For 2019, that trend, which began with the ubiquitous Camry midsized sedan last year, now continues with fresh looks and features all around.
Here’s the scoop:
Avalon, which pretty much has been the beauty queen in past years for Toyota’s sedans lineup, continues that role with an elegant,contemporary luxury sedan with all kinds …
By Don Hammonds
Hyundai, arguably one of the auto industry’s most fiercely competitive companies, is hitting the road this year with a slew of new models that, like others in the brand’s lineup, are likely to be among the top picks of each model segment.
In fact, if there’s a market segment in which Hyundai does not have a strong product to do battle with the competition, we can’t think of one.
Here’s what you can look for in 2019:
Santa Fe
All-new for this …
By Don Hammonds
Cadillac’s big news for 2019 is of course, their chic XT4, which basically is the entry level ticket if you want to nab a Cadillac for your driveway or garage.
[caption id="attachment_9839" align="alignnone" width="5700"] 2019 Cadillac XT4 Sport[/caption]With knife-edge styling that is similar to the popular XT5 SUV, the XT4 has a price range of $35,790 to $38,290. Power comes from a 2.0 liter 237 horsepower turbocharged four cylinder engine that gets 23 to 25 miles per gallon city …
