Maserati sales up 4-fold in UK & Europe this year

The Maserati Ghibli (pictured) helped Maserati to strong sales in UK & Europe Maserati are on a mission to revive sales for the marque after years of being just an afterthought for car buyers fancying something interesting and Italian. And it seems to be working. The new Maserati Ghibli (and the Quattroporte) are starting to appeal to car buyers in the UK and Europe so much that sales so far in 2014 are up by 420 per cent on 2013, and although the actual numbers aren’t massive, the progress certainly is.

2012 Volkswagen Passat priced at $20,765

The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat, looking to be a big player in the highly competitive midsize segment and the first car to be built at a new Chattanooga, Tenn., assembly plant, will come to market this fall with a base sticker price of $19,995, plus $770 destination charge. The 2012 Passat will be sold with three powertrains and a variety of equipment levels. “The 2012 Passat is a true Volkswagen, offering German engineering, class-leading standard features and superior fuel economy, all for a remarkable value,” said Jonathan Browning, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

Alan Mulally spells out the future

Ford CEO Alan Mulally is famously on-message, handing out business-card-size versions of his business plan to all and sundry, including his “One Ford” mantra. “One Ford” covers a lot of ground, but it's shorthand for Ford becoming a single entity where the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. It's close kin to the concept of building global product platforms that spread costs for product development and parts over the greatest possible volume.