Auto News
November 19, 2008 – 3:53 pmBMW To Mass Produce Electric Mini
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s largest maker of luxury vehicles, plans to start mass producing an electric vehicle as early as 2010, with hundreds test-driving the Mini E starting next spring.
German Firm To Run Chrysler Axle Plant
Chrysler LLC announced a deal Tuesday with ZF Friedrichshafen AG to have the German company run day-to-day operations at the automaker’s new axle plant.
Chrysler Is On Life Support
Chrysler LLC will soon be operating on life support without a loan from the U.S. government. Based on revelations by CEO Robert Nardelli today in a Senate Banking Committee hearing, the automaker may fall below the amount of cash it needs to operate before the end of this year.
Mulally: Bankruptcy Process Would Devastate Sales
Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said today that there is no effective way for one of the Detroit 3 to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection without crippling the domestic auto industry.
Ford Is Rolling Out A Risky Strategy
The U.S. auto industry might be in crisis and Big Three executives might be appealing to Congress for a $25-billion bailout, but judging by Ford Motor Co.’s plans for this week’s L.A. Auto Show, Detroit’s No. 2 carmaker seems to be feeling just swell.
Mazda Deal To Give Ford More Cash
Ford Motor Co., reeling from plunging U.S. car sales and a sinking share price, will raise about $540 million selling part of its stake in Japanese affiliate Mazda Motor Corp. to ease cash concerns.
2010 Mercury Milan Revealed
Like the Ford Fusion, Mercury’s Milan has received a complete overhaul for the 2010 model year.
Hot For Fusion Hybrid
The big news for Ford Motor Co. is not the stylishly restyled sedan triplets the company will unveil this morning at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
2010 Mazda3 Unveiled
Following the release of some teaser photos in October, Mazda today full revealed its 2010 Mazda3 sedan, which has been completely redesigned for the coming model year.
Ford Offering Big Deals
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will offer employee pricing, zero percent financing and cash incentives on a variety of its vehicles in a move to boost interest in its vehicles amid one of the worst sales downturns in the industry’s history.
GM Canada Beset By Pension Crisis
The General Motors of Canada Ltd. pension funds had a shortfall of $4.5-billion as of last November - before the stock market collapse - creating a massive financial headache for the Ontario government and pension cuts for retired employees if the company falls into bankruptcy protection.
Solarworld Offers To Buy GM’s German Unit
Solarworld AG, Germany’s third- largest solar company, will offer to buy the German operations of General Motors Corp.’s Opel division and transform it into a green carmaker.
GM Revises Volt Interior
General Motors today released a single photo depicting the 2011 Chevrolet Volt’s revised interior.
Nissan’s New Box Arrives Next Spring
Thanks to notoriety gained through the press and internet, Nissan is finally bringing its take on the box to the United States with the debut of the new third-generation Cube
Motor Trend Names GT-R As Car Of The Year
Motor Trend Magazine on Tuesday named the Nissan GT-R as its 2009 car of the year, saying that it delivers a world class level of performance at a much more affordable price.
Ghosn Says Auto Industry Consolidation Likely
Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Wednesday that he expects the current crisis in the auto industry will soon lead some carmakers to consolidate.
Toyota Will Layoff Temporaries
With its vehicle sales sagging along with the rest of the auto industry, Toyota said yesterday its Georgetown, Ky., plant will lay off most of its 500 temporary workers early next year.
Toyota Shows Natural-Gas Camry
There are fuel sippers, and then there are fuel shunners. The Toyota Camry hybrid concept unveiled Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show that runs on compressed natural gas falls into the second category.
US Carmakers Fail To Improve Resale Values
Detroit’s auto makers continue to lag behind Asian and European competitors in car resale value, an important consumer gauge.
Brands Put Through Workouts For A Pickup Showdown
Pickups are like elections, they bring out the best and worst in people. No other vehicle draws the loyalty and fierce competitiveness that a pickup does
What’s Really Killing Detroit
It’s easy to point fingers but hard to pin down a single cause. Here are six big issues - and what they really mean for the future of the Big Three automakers.
NADA: Cutting Dealers Isn’t ‘Restructuring’
Congressional demands for auto industry restructuring that include eliminating dealerships could do more harm than good, says the head of the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Jaguar Dealers Regain Customer Satisfaction Title
Jaguar dealers returned to their place atop customer satisfaction rankings released today by the market research company J.D. Power and Associates, while Asian brands continued to be at the bottom.
Keeping A Foot In The Car Door
The governments of Canada and Ontario need to stay in lockstep with the negotiations in the United States on the parlous condition of the North American automobile industry, lest Canada be left out and lose much of its auto sector.
The Big Question For Carmakers
Yesterday, federal Industry Minister Tony Clement and Ontario Economic Development Minister Michael Bryant announced they would be teaming up, superhero-style, on a mission to represent Canadian interests in Detroit and Washington as the United States considers a bailout of the Big Three automakers.
Ontario Auto Sector To Shrink
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is warning that the province will end up with a smaller auto sector, even if there’s a bailout for struggling automakers.
Ministers Head To U.S.
A delegation of federal and provincial officials is headed to the U.S. Wednesday to investigate how a proposed U.S. bailout of automakers could affect Canada.
Canadian Carmakers Seek Proportional Aid
General Motors, Chrysler and Ford are seeking aid from the Canadian government that is “proportional” to what the U.S. will offer, a top executive at GM’s Canadian unit says.
Auto Execs Plea For Lifeline
The Detroit Three auto makers are warning of a “catastrophic collapse” of the entire U.S. economy if Washington fails to throw the industry an emergency $25-billion lifeline.
Surprise: Japanese, Korean Carmakers Want Detroit Bailout
Considering the home states of some of the Republican Senators opposed to a $25 billion bailout of Detroit, a cynic might concede that they are doing Asian automakers’ work for them. After all, Republicans who have criticized the planned aid package for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler include those from states where Japanese and Korean automakers have factories.
Let Detroit Go Bankrupt
IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.
The Silent Elephants In The Room
Inside the hearing room on Tuesday where the CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler asked for government loans to help them bridge the Recession, there were two elephants in the room that got no time for testimony. And I don’t mean missing Republicans.
Democrats Seek To Lower Expectations
Top Senate Democrats suggested Wednesday that a bill to rescue Detroit’s Big Three automakers was stalled and challenged the Bush administration to take steps to save the industry if congressional efforts falter.
Auto Execs In The Hot Seat
Chief executives of the three U.S. automakers tried to persuade key members of the Senate that they deserve at least $25 billion in government loans to help the industry survive the current economic recession, and that the taxpayers can expect to be repaid in the future.
US Should Guide GM In A Chapter 11
Tony Cervone, a spokesman for General Motors, has a warm and friendly way to summarize his ailing company’s ongoing dance with disaster.
Detroit Chiefs Back On Hill For A Second Day
The chief executives of Detroit’s Big Three automakers will press their case again for emergency government aid to a House committee, even as the chances of getting assistance appears slim.
Automakers Look To Dazzle China
Smoke and flashing lights, female dancers in white go-go boots — the world’s top automakers put on dazzling shows Tuesday as they wooed Chinese buyers with their latest models.
Report: Chinese Eyeing GM, Chrysler
Chinese automakers SAIC and Dongfeng are said to be considering acquiring the assets of General Motors and Chrysler, according to a report by China’s 21st Century Business Herald.
China’s Auto Industry Presses For A Bailout
Do Chinese automakers need a bailout? China’s car industry is quietly pressing Beijing for government help as it copes with a jarring slowdown, top Chinese auto executives said in interviews here on Tuesday.
Serbia Bids Farewell To Yugo
Why does a Yugo have a defroster on the rear window? To keep your hands warm while you push it. That’s just one of the “Yugo jokes” about the cheap and much-maligned subcompact that won notoriety for being one of the worst cars ever exported to the United States.
