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September 8, 2008 1:09:34 PM CDT

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Stories related to: SUV

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  • September 2008

    • Sales Skid Again for GM, Ford, Toyota

      Bloomberg  |  Sep 3, 08 3:10 PM CDT

      Sales Skid Again for GM, Ford, Toyota

      (Newser) - General Motors, Ford and Toyota reported dramatic declines in sales for August stemming from the weak US economy and record gas prices, Bloomberg reports. Ford's domestic sales plunged 27% and GM's 20%, and both automakers will cut second-half production by the tens of thousands. Toyota fared better, down just 9.4%, though all saw large declines in the sales of SUVs. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • economy  • Ford  • Toyota  • auto sales  • SUV

    • Small Cars Carry Big Price Tags

      USA Today  |  Sep 3, 08 10:57 AM CDT

      Small Cars Carry Big Price Tags

      (Newser) - With sales of SUVs and trucks dwindling, car companies have begun to push smaller, more fuel-efficient models—but not for the same small prices. Without the $10,000 profit that was typical on SUVs, automakers can no longer sell cars like the Ford Focus for an average profit of $100. Some are using extras to lure higher-spending customers. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • General Motors  • Ford  • Honda  • cars  • SUV

  • August 2008

    • GM Plans New Chevy Compact

      Detroit News  |  Aug 21, 08 4:55 PM CDT

      GM Plans New Chevy Compact

      (Newser) - General Motors will invest $500 million to build its new compact car in the US, the Detroit News reports. The Chevrolet Cruze, expected to get about 45mpg, will go into production in 2010 in Lordstown, Ohio. The ailing automaker, once heavily reliant on SUVs, continues to alter its production line to meet demand for small, fuel-efficient cars. GM's US sales are down 18% this year, led by a 23% decline in truck sales. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • auto industry  • General Motors  • fuel efficiency  • SUV  • Chevrolet  • compact

    • SUV Apocalypse Nears

      Daily Green  |  Aug 17, 08 10:04 AM CDT

      SUV Apocalypse Nears

      (Newser) - America’s obsession with super-size cars seems to be running out of gas. The Daily Green reports on the seven signs of the SUV apocalypse: The numbers: Sales of small cars were up 11% in the first half of the year, while SUV and truck sales were down by 14% and 23%, respectively. The demand: The unofficial waiting list for GM’s new electric offering, the Chevy Volt, is 33,000-strong. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • electric cars  • SUV  • used cars  • gas consumption  • Jeep Grand Cherokee

    • Small Dips in Gas Prices Send Drivers Back to SUVs

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 12, 08 2:04 PM CDT

      Small Dips in Gas Prices Send Drivers Back to SUVs

      (Newser) - Oil prices have been falling since mid-June, and though it’s debatable whether speculators or market fundamentals drove the boom (and now possible bust), it is clear that $4 a gallon gas crimped demand. But for how long? With prices now again below that psychological threshold but still $1.19 more than a year ago, auto industry data suggest that even mild relief could reverse the trend toward fuel efficiency, the LA Times reports. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • oil price  • gas  • hybrid car  • oil prices  • fuel efficiency  • electric cars  • SUV

  • July 2008

    • Chrysler to Scrap Leasing

      Detroit Free Press  |  Jul 26, 08 12:07 PM CDT

      Chrysler to Scrap Leasing

      (Newser) - Chrysler will no longer offer auto leases through its financial arm, due to the declining value of used automobiles, particularly trucks and SUVs, the Detroit Free Press reports. Instead, it plans to focus on financing, which could lead to better deals for those who buy cars through loans. Given the present economic climate, “Chrysler is just trying to minimize risk,” one industry-watcher said. More »

      Tags

      Chrysler  • SUV  • trucks  • car dealers  • lease

    • GM Will Cut Salaried Jobs, Benefits to Survive Slump

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jul 15, 08 9:42 AM CDT

      GM Will Cut Salaried Jobs, Benefits to Survive Slump

      (Newser) - General Motors will cut salaried jobs, accelerate factory closings, and eliminate health care coverage for many salaried retirees in order to raise $15 billion to survive the industry's deep downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. GM will also suspend dividends, sell some assets, lower capital spending, and cut production of pickup trucks and SUVs. More »

      Tags

      US economy  • auto industry  • General Motors  • SUV  • job cuts  • downturn

    • Keep the Hummer: Save America's Soul

      Washington Post  |  Jul 12, 08 2:00 PM CDT

      Keep the Hummer: Save America's Soul

      (Newser) - Sure, the Hummer is more of a "cartoon" than a vehicle, a ridiculously over-the-top gas-guzzling monstrosity. But the unbridled optimism it takes to manufacture it—and to fill up the tank—is what makes it uniquely American, writes Matthew DeBord in the Washington Post . If GM axes it, or, heaven forfend, takes it hybrid, we’ll lose yet another chip off the American soul. It's just too cool to die. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • hybrid car  • America  • SUV  • Hummer  • American  • optimism

    • Toyota Will Make Prius in US

      Wired  |  Jul 10, 08 5:00 PM CDT

      Toyota Will Make Prius in US

      (Newser) - Toyota plans to start producing its super-popular Prius hybrid in the US, Wired reports. With inventories overwhelmed by demand, the firm will move production lines to a Mississippi plant intended to produce SUVs. The factory won’t make its first Prius until 2010, but with no sign of abating gas prices, Toyota is betting hybrid demand will be even higher then. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • fuel efficiency  • cars  • SUV  • Toyota Prius  • Prius  • Japanese auto industry  • factory

    • Sinking SUV Values Slap Drivers

      Washington Post  |  Jul 2, 08 10:19 AM CDT

      Sinking SUV Values Slap Drivers

      (Newser) - The end of America's love affair with the SUV is turning into an expensive divorce, the Washington Post reports. Drivers wanting to get rid of the gas-guzzlers as pump prices hit $4 a gallon are losing a lot of money on the sales—if they can even find buyers. Some SUV owners find themselves owing the bank more than their vehicle is worth. More »

      Tags

      auto sales  • SUV  • SUVs  • used cars  • vehicles

  • June 2008

    • Plunging Truck Sales Drive Ford Deeper Into the Red

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 21, 08 9:12 AM CDT

      Plunging Truck Sales Drive Ford Deeper Into the Red

      (Newser) - Ford's recovery plans have been sent careening off the road by the continuing drop in truck and SUV sales, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company, which now expects this year's losses to top 2007's $2.7 billion, has given up hope of being back in the black by 2009. The ailing Detroit giant has cut production again and delayed the launch of its new F-150 pickup. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • Ford  • Chrysler  • automaker  • SUV  • trucks  • pickup trucks

    • RIP Hummer: Symbol of Eco-Defiance Is a Goner

      Washington Post  |  Jun 4, 08 9:02 AM CDT

      RIP Hummer: Symbol of Eco-Defiance Is a Goner

      (Newser) - General Motors announced yesterday that it was considering selling the Hummer brand, which begs the question: To whom? Who exactly wants the most reviled division in automotive history, asks Frank Aherns of the Washington Post. With gas at $4 a gallon and counting, no one’s really interested in SUVs that “get 15 miles per gallon downhill with a tail wind.” More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • SUV  • Hummer

    • GM to Close 4 Truck/SUV Plants, Reassess Hummer

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 3, 08 8:44 AM CDT

      GM to Close 4 Truck/SUV Plants, Reassess Hummer

      (Newser) - GM will close four of its North American truck and SUV factories, the company announced today, as the public interest in gas-guzzlers wanes. The Hummer brand is also under “strategic review,” with all options on the table, "from a complete revamp of the product lineup to a partial or complete sale of the brand." The fully electric Chevy Volt, on the other hand, “is a go.” More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • electric cars  • SUV  • trucks  • Hummer  • Rick Wagoner  • factories

  • May 2008

    • Sales of Hybrid SUVs Stuck in Neutral

      New York Times  |  May 31, 08 11:15 AM CDT

      Sales of Hybrid SUVs Stuck in Neutral

      (Newser) - As sales drop for traditional SUVs, GM and Chrysler have high hopes for hybrid versions of their popular truck-based vehicles—but sales thus far haven’t been impressive, the New York Times reports. GM has sold 1,100 of its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids—pacing far behind the company’s goal of 12,000 a year. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • General Motors  • Chrysler  • hybrid car  • SUV

    • SUV Credit Crunch Rolls Over Ford

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 30, 08 10:18 AM CDT

      SUV Credit Crunch Rolls Over Ford

      (Newser) - Ford's plans to get back in the black are being forced off the road by woes at its lending arm, the Wall Street Journal reports. The auto giant made a lot of cut-rate loans on trucks and SUVs in recent  years and has been unable to recoup losses on bad loans through repossessions because of the plummeting resale value of bigger vehicles. More »

      Tags

      Ford  • SUV  • trucks  • credit  • used cars  • repossessions

    • $4 a Gallon? Keep It Coming!

      New York Times  |  May 28, 08 5:05 AM CDT

      $4 a Gallon? Keep It Coming!

      (Newser) - The ideal presidential candidate wouldn’t pledge to cut gas prices—but would promise instead never to let them fall below $4 a gallon, writes Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times . The high prices are finally forcing America to use fuel-efficient cars—and that’s crucial for the environment, and frees us from foreign oil dependence, Friedman notes. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • auto industry  • energy  • hybrid car  • SUV

    • SUVs Plunge in Value as Drivers Turn to Smaller Cars

      CNN  |  May 24, 08 8:21 AM CDT

      SUVs Plunge in Value as Drivers Turn to Smaller Cars

      (Newser) - SUVs are falling out of fashion fast as gas prices go through the roof, CNN reports. As drivers downsize to more fuel-efficient vehicles, gas-guzzlers are filling up used-car lots—but there aren't many buyers. The biggest SUVs—like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition, and Chevy Suburban—are dropping in value by the thousands, a dealer reports. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • auto industry  • Ford  • SUV  • SUVs  • vehicle  • drivers  • pickup trucks

    • GM's SUVs May Get Smaller

      Lef Lane News  |  May 9, 08 2:55 PM CDT

      GM's SUVs May Get Smaller

      (Newser) - General Motors has long used truck chassis as the foundation of its largest SUVs: the Escalades, Tahoes, and Yukons. But with fuel costs going nowhere but up and stricter fuel standards on the horizon, GM is considering switching those models to lighter car-sized underpinnings when they come up for redesign in 2012, Left Lane News reports. Is the 90’s mega-SUV a dying breed? More »

      Tags

      Congress  • General Motors  • car  • fuel efficiency  • SUV  • SUVs

    • Small Cars Surge Amid Sky-High Gas Prices

      New York Times  |  May 2, 08 8:44 AM CDT

      Small Cars Surge Amid Sky-High Gas Prices

      (Newser) - Facing ballooning gas prices, many Americans are turning to smaller cars, with about one in five vehicles sold in April a compact or subcompact, the New York Times reports. That compares to one in eight 10 years ago. “It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here,” said Ford’s chief sales analyst. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • car  • auto sales  • SUV  • vehicle  • subcompact

  • April 2008

    • Gas-Guzzlers Will Cost Londoners $50 a Day

      Los Angeles Times  |  Apr 3, 08 11:39 AM CDT

      Gas-Guzzlers Will Cost Londoners $50 a Day

      (Newser) - In a move to make drivers of gas-guzzlers “pay for the environmental damage they cause,” London’s mayor is imposing a CO2 charge: beginning in October, every private vehicle driven in the central city that doesn’t meet tough emissions standards will cost its owners $50 a day, the Los Angeles Times reports. The new charge comes on top of the existing $16 congestion charge. More »

      Tags

      Great Britain  • London  • carbon emissions  • gas  • SUV  • Ken Livingstone  • tax

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