Suzuki showing signs of distress, scaling back U.S. operations

Struggling Suzuki is shrinking in many ways. Insiders say the company is slashing marketing while sales and the dealer roster dwindle. The many signs of trouble: -- In a market up 13 percent through March, Suzuki was down 2 percent to just 6,561 sales.

Ford Cortina: 50 years ago today…

Ford are celebrating 50 years since the first Ford Cortina was launched and changed the car landscape forever. The Ford Cortina went on to sell an impressive 4.3 million during its twenty year life, eventually turning in to the Ford Sierra and then in to the Ford family car of today – the 2013 Ford Mondeo (which, interestingly, can be had with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine – smaller even than the 1200cc of that first Cortina). That first Cortina was the start of Ford’s dominance of the UK car market, leading to an unbroken run of 35 years as the best selling car brand with most of the Cortinas, almost 3 million of them, built at Dagenham – in the days Ford actually built cars here.

Kia K900 luxo-barge debuts in Los Angeles

Kia unveiled the K900 rear-wheel drive executive sedan at the LA Auto Show on Wednesday. Kia plans for it to compete in the full-size luxury segment starting in the first quarter of 2015. The company's new halo car comes wrapped in a handsome and brawny package, but it still managed to squeeze in a cute tiger nose grille.