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With annual sales of fewer than 70,000 cars, Jaguar — despite its name — is vulnerable prey in the broader premium car jungle.

Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corp.’s president-designate, began his serious rise to the top during my 12 years as Automotive News’ Tokyo-based Asia editor from 1995 to 2007. So I’ve been watching him for years. James B.

Bob Maguire has always seemed sensible and reasonable. The former chairman of NADA is a family man, a proud patriot and has been a loyal second-generation General Motors dealer in Bordentown, N.J., for decades.

Most people would agree that the domestic manufacturers and#x2014; General Motors, Chrysler and Ford and#x2014; have too many franchised dealers. The problem is paring those numbers to a reasonable total for the sales volume that their brands have today.

One of the yellow-badge guys was having dinner at the Palace Cafe Sunday. He handed his camera to the people at the next table to show them what looked like photos of a big, empty warehouse. “This is NADA?” another conventioneer asked incredulously.

Supported by profits from joint ventures with foreign automakers, Dongfeng Motor Group, is moving quickly to build cars under its own brand.

Nobody is about to deny Schaeffler Group CEO Juergen Geissinger’s recent statement that, “both companies are facing great challenges and have no time to lose,” in referring to Schaeffler’s merger with Continental.

Nearly three years after Ford Motor Co. began actively pursuing dealership consolidation, the landscape for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury retailers is quite different.

For volume-starved North American auto parts suppliers, the proposed Chrysler LLC alliance with Fiat S.p.A may look like an opportunity to gain a new customer. Message to suppliers: Get in line.

Chrysler is feeling some pushback and#x2014; from Democrats, not just Southern Republicans and#x2014; on its plan to take U.S. government loans and team up with Italian automaker Fiat S.p.A. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.