David Cole: Automotive partnerships are 'critical' David Cole, chairman of the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, believes the domestic automakers need to take a serious look at further collaborative opportunities. In this video interview at CAR's Management Briefing Seminars...

Craig AdamsI don't blame government for our ills, and I don't believe government is the ultimate answer ..., but they sure can help us along the way. The economic indicators aren't as bad as most believe, and the best thing...

Courtesy photoToyota's crossover vehicle, the 2009 Venza, was engineered in Michigan. • Video interview: CAR's David Cole says automaker partnerships "critical" TRAVERSE CITY - The automotive industry, struggling to overcome decades of stagnant culture defined by a lack of innovation...

Paula Gardner is editor of Michigan Business Review in Ann Arbor and Oakland. So much for the escalating drama that's become the story of Detroit. Kwame Kilpatrick is still leading the city, and he won't face more court sanctions over...

Nathan Bomey | Ann Arbor Business ReviewBeth Lowery (left), vice president of environment, energy and safety policy for General Motors, and John German, manager of environmental and energy analysis for American Honda Motor Co., shared countering viewpoints about whether automakers...

The automotive industry needs to develop a targeted lobbying effort that educates Washington lawmakers about the challenges the industry faces, executives said today at a conference in Traverse City. Jay Baron, CEO of Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, said...

Nathan Bomey | Ann Arbor Business ReviewMary Ann Wright, CEO of Johnson Controls-Saft and vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls Inc.'s hybrid systems group, speaking on a panel Tuesday morning at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing...

Automakers and suppliers today will discuss the urgency of the need for rapid fuel economy improvements at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City. Among those appearing today at the conference: -Mary Ann Wright, CEO of...

Nathan Bomey | Ann Arbor Business ReviewBruce Brownlee, senior executive administrator of external affairs for Toyota Planning Center, led the York Township operation's engineering of the 2009 Venza. The 2009 Toyota Venza, which was engineered in the Ann Arbor area,...

Nathan Bomey: Automakers need to pursue partnerships The first day of the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City featured several suggestions that the domestic automakers need to pursue partnerships to return to profitability. In this video...

Businesses too often neglect to leverage Web hits statistics from their own Web sites to determine where they should focus their innovative expertise, a Google executive told automotive companies today. Jim Lecinski, managing director of the central region of Google's...

Nathan Bomey | Ann Arbor Business ReviewPhil Martens of ArvinMeritor and Arvin Innovation speaking at the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City. As consumers demand vehicles powered by hybrid technology, the automotive industry desperately needs a...

Nathan BomeyNathan Bomey is in Traverse City covering the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars. The theme of the day is overcoming unprecedented global economic challenges that are destabilizing automotive manufacturing operations throughout the world. This is the 44th...

Ford Motor Co. expects that it will be selling as many cars as trucks and SUVs combined within five years. Bennie Fowler, Ford's group vice president of global quality, said Ford projects that cars will represent about 38 percent of...

Perhaps the most ironic thing about the automotive industry's struggles is that as a whole, the industry has kept prices low and improved its vehicle offerings at the same time. Jay Baron, CEO of Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research,...