US Ports Awash in Foreign Cars

2011 disasters knock Toyota into 3rd place

(NEWSER) - General Motors is back on top of the world less than three years after its bankruptcy and restructuring. The company is once again the world's top-selling automaker, with 9 million sales worldwide in 2011, almost a million more than second-placed Volkswagen. Toyota, which took top spot from GM in 2008, fell into third place after production cuts caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand. More»

Chrysler, VW saw huge gains

(NEWSER) - Americans may be worried about the economy, but they still need to get where they’re going. Auto sales beat expectations last month, rising 14% to 994,721, their fastest sales pace since August 2009, reports the AP . Chrysler led the pack: The automaker’s sales jumped 45%, Reuters reports. Close behind was Volkswagen, whose sales soared 41%; Hyundai, Nissan, and Ford also saw double-digit gains. More»

VW Beetles, small SUVs most popular for women

(NEWSER) - Women seem to agree on the cars they want to drive—just nine vehicle models have more female registrants than male, according to a survey of vehicle records. The top pick for women is the Volkswagen Beetle, and after that, a strong preference for small sport-utility vehicles emerges, the LA Times reports. The top 9:

1. Volkswagen Beetle
2. Nissan Rogue
3. Hyundai Tucson

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

(NEWSER) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of countries, not only for copyright restrictions but for potential unintended hilarity: see Mazda’s “Bongo Friendee” van and Daihatsu’s “Naked” minicar. The result is the green-sounding Leaf. More»

Ford, GM have best month of 2009

(NEWSER) - Some actual good news for the auto industry: All three US automakers saw sales of new cars jump from April to May, reports the New York Times. Granted, sales are still way down compared to last year, but the month-to-month leap offers a glimmer of hope among the bankruptcy headlines. Ford did best, with sales up 20% from April and down 24% from the previous May, the smallest yearly decline among all major automakers since October. More»