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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Auto Industry

Started by D Lim; Last updated by SeacoastNH

Auto Industry

So long, Model T: gasoline has turned to biofuel, Detroit to Tokyo, and the 8-cylinder to a hybrid engine. Can carmakers shift gears to keep up with the times?

Stories

Stories 81 - 100 of 549

  • April 2009
    • 'Car Bubble' Blows Up on Automakers

      'Car Bubble' Blows Up on Automakers

      (Newser) - The housing boom brought a car bubble along for the ride, and now that one has burst, so has the other, reports the Washington Post . Thousands of cars are sitting on lots and likely to stay there. “You had a huge number of cars being sold," says Steven Rattner, the head of President Obama’s auto industry team. “So I don't think it is prudent to assume the sale levels are going back to those levels.” More »

    • April Fooled: Coulter Buys Obama Detroit NASCAR Ban

      April Fooled: Coulter Buys Obama Detroit NASCAR Ban

      (Newser) - Car & Driver managed to punk at least one blogger with an April Fools’ item about President Obama banning bailed-out automakers from NASCAR: Ann Coulter, reports left-leaning watchdog Media Matters. “With their racing budgets deemed ‘unnecessary expenditures,’” the article read, “GM and Chrysler are ordered to cease racing operations at the end of the season.” Coulter’s response was a livid one. More »

    • China Plans to Lead Way in Electric Cars

      China Plans to Lead Way in Electric Cars

      (Newser) - As US automakers continue their late push into the market for hybrids and electric cars, they may soon have a major new competitor to worry about: China. Beijing, which barely registers in the auto world today, has begun a major investment push and plans to join the world leaders in making electric vehicles in three years and pass them after that, the New York Times reports. More »

    • More Big Auto Sales Drops: GM Off 45%, Ford 41%

      More Big Auto Sales Drops: GM Off 45%, Ford 41%

      (Newser) - Automakers got hammered again last month, with Detroit’s Big Three all reporting big sales drops today. Ford’s light-vehicle numbers were down 41%, the AP reports; General Motors’ fell 44.7% and Chrysler’s 39.3%, the Wall Street Journal adds. Foreign manufacturers weren’t immune, either, with Toyota’s sales diving 39% and Volkswagen tumbling 19.7%. More »

    • Sinking Car Sales May Be on the Rebound

      Sinking Car Sales May Be on the Rebound

      (Newser) - Figures to be released today are likely to show a third straight month of annualized new-car sales below 10 million, the Wall Street Journal reports—but there’s a chance those numbers have hit bottom. Considering the size of the American consumer market, today’s figure “is about as low as it's going to get,”  says an analyst. More »

    • Rival Bankruptcies Spook Jealous Ford

      Rival Bankruptcies Spook Jealous Ford

      (Newser) - Ford Motor Co., the lone member of the “Big Three” not to accept government help, is suddenly looking across town with dread and a touch of jealousy, the Wall Street Journal reports. A bankruptcy at GM or Chrysler could wreak havoc on Ford’s supply chain, as shared suppliers or dealerships buckled, all while giving the bankrupt competitors an edge by allowing them to exact deeper concessions from unions and creditors. More »

  • March 2009
    • New GM Boss: Bankruptcy 'More Probable'

      New GM Boss: Bankruptcy 'More Probable'

      (Newser) - In his first press conference as CEO of foundering GM, Fritz Henderson today made it clear he wasn’t afraid to talk bankruptcy, saying it was now “more probable,” and that he might even decide to declare bankruptcy before his 60 days were up. “We will do it in court, or we will do it out of court, but we will get the job done,” he said. More »

    • Ford to Make Car Payments for Buyers Who Lose Jobs

      Ford to Make Car Payments for Buyers Who Lose Jobs

      (Newser) - With auto sales battered by the recession and tight credit, Ford is offering a payment protection plan to reassure consumers delaying buying new cars because of job-loss fears, the AP reports. The automaker will cover payments of up to $700 each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury if consumers lose their jobs. The program will run until June. More »

    • Obama Fully Invested as CEO-in-Chief

      Obama Fully Invested as CEO-in-Chief

      (Newser) - Though he entered office with relatively little business experience, the past week has seen President Obama assume the role as “the most powerful player in American business today,” Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei write for Politico. “He’s realizing, ‘Hey, the economy’s mine now, and I better do it my way,’” a source says. “So the administration is collaring people and letting them know who’s in charge.” More »

    • Was Obama Tough Enough?

      Was Obama Tough Enough?

      (Newser) - Barack Obama gave GM and Chrysler some tough love yesterday. Too tough, or too much love? Here’s what the papers are saying: Obama “delivered a believable, sharp, and necessary ultimatum,” says the Washington Post. He rightly demanded union concessions, and put bankruptcy back on the table. But the Chicago Tribune thinks Obama should have gone straight to bankruptcy. “An ultimatum is more believable if you haven't just failed to follow through on a previous one.” More »

    • Auto Plan Drives GOP in Different Directions

      Auto Plan Drives GOP in Different Directions

      (Newser) - Republicans were caught off guard by Obama’s auto moves yesterday, and they responded in wildly different ways, Politico reports. Some complained the president hadn’t been hard enough on GM and Chrysler, while others groused that he’d been harder on them than he’d been on Wall Street. Still others, like California’s Darrell Issa, said he’d “struck the right chord.” The reason? Parochialism. More »

    • Obama's Auto Crackdown Worries Bailed-Out Banks

      Obama's Auto Crackdown Worries Bailed-Out Banks

      (Newser) - After the Obama administration kicked out GM’s boss and said two of the Big Three automakers may benefit from bankruptcy, CEOs of banks bailed out by the government are wondering if there's a bull's-eye on their backs, the Washington Post reports. The risk of such a crackdown has been “heightened,” says a financial lobbyist, and the biggest banks are the most likely to be in the crosshairs. More »

    • Auto Intervention Puts Obama on Risky Road

      Auto Intervention Puts Obama on Risky Road

      (Newser) - President Obama's intervention in the auto industry puts him on a risky road through uncharted territory, David E. Sanger writes in the New York Times . Making decisions for an industrial giant like GM is a totally different enterprise than stepping in with the likes of AIG, Sanger writes—especially when the feds' promise to back warranties makes it a guarantor for blown transmissions as well as loans. More »

    • White House Favors Managed Bankruptcy for Chrysler, GM

      White House Favors Managed Bankruptcy for Chrysler, GM

      (Newser) - The Obama administration’s favored plan to rescue GM and Chysler is a managed bankruptcy that would relieve them of their biggest liabilities by splitting the carmakers into “good” and “bad” components, the Wall Street Journal reports. The “good” GM would  comprise profitable brands like Chevy and Cadillac as a standalone concern. The “good” Chrysler would become a subsidiary of Fiat, if that deal is finalized. More »

    • Wagoner: Optimist, Survivor, Martyr?

      Wagoner: Optimist, Survivor, Martyr?

      (Newser) - During Rick Wagoner’s 9-year stint at the wheel, GM lost its place as the world’s top automaker, cut tens of thousands of jobs, and saw shares fall from $70 to less than $3. But through it all Wagoner fended off all challengers—including the likes of Kirk Kerkorian—and remained unflaggingly optimistic, the New York Times observes. Even on the way out the door, he told employees to “ignore the doubters, because I know it is a company with a great future.” More »

    • Ousted GM Boss Gets $20M Retirement Payout

      Ousted GM Boss Gets $20M Retirement Payout

      (Newser) - If Rick Wagoner is upset about being forced out of his job as GM’s CEO, his $20 million retirement package should provide some consolation, ABC News reports. Though Treasury rules prevent Wagoner from collecting severance pay, the ousted exec is still eligible for an “Executive Retirement Plan” and a “Salaried Retirement Plan,” which totaled $20.2 million as of last year. More »

    • Auto Team: Chrysler Needs Bankruptcy, Fiat Deal

      Auto Team: Chrysler Needs Bankruptcy, Fiat Deal

      (Newser) - Chrysler cannot become viable on its own, says the White House's auto task force, recommending “quick and surgical” bankruptcy restructuring and the proposed Fiat partnership as the automaker's best shot at survival. The administration will provide Chrysler 30 days’ more working capital to finalize a deal, but the federal lifeline will then cease, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

    • Auto Task Force: GM Plan Not Viable

      Auto Task Force: GM Plan Not Viable

      (Newser) - GM’s current restructuring plan isn’t going to cut the mustard, President Obama’s auto task force declared in its stinging assessment for the White House. The memo accuses GM of relying on rosy, unrealistic projections for sales, burning through too much cash, expecting too much from the rollout of the electric Chevy Volt, and giving itself until 2014 to reach many of its goals. The team will force out most of GM’s directors, on the heels of last night’s ouster of CEO Rick Wagoner. More »

    • German Demand for New Cars Outstrips Supply

      German Demand for New Cars Outstrips Supply

      (Newser) - German auto dealers are mulling a problem that their counterparts around the world would love to have: A crushing demand for new cars. New auto sales shot up 21% in February, and could go higher this month, the Christian Science Monitor reports, thanks to the government’s “scrapping bonus,” which gives consumers about $3,300 if they return their old car and buy a new one. More »

    • No, Rush, California Isn't Banning Black Cars

      No, Rush, California Isn't Banning Black Cars

      (Newser) - Relax, Rush Limbaugh: California is not going to outlaw your favorite car color. The California Air Resources Board said yesterday that it isn’t, and never was, planning to ban black rides to mitigate greenhouse gases, the LA Times reports. A report to the CARB about the advantages of more reflective paint sent Limbaugh into high gear Thursday; the radio host railed against infringement of auto-owners rights on the air and his website proclaimed, “Tyrants Want to Ban Black Cars.” More »

Stories 81 - 100 of 549

Journalists gather by electric vehicle Hyper Mini, foreground, and other cars displayed at the opening ceremony of Nissan Motor Co.'s new Advanced Technology Center in Atsugi, west of Tokyo, Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The new facility underlines Nissan's determination to develop environmental and safety technologies that are increasingly critical...
Journalists gather by electric vehicle Hyper Mini, foreground, and other cars displayed at the opening ceremony of Nissan Motor Co.'s new Advanced Technology Center in Atsugi, west of Tokyo, Tuesday,...   (Associated Press)
Unsold 2007 Yukons sit in a long row outside a GMC Truck dealership in the south Denver suburb Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, May 27, 2007.  General Motors Corp., the auto industry's top seller, said Friday, June 1, 2007 it's sales rose 9.7 percent in May.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Unsold 2007 Yukons sit in a long row outside a GMC Truck dealership in the south Denver suburb Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, May 27, 2007. General Motors Corp., the auto industry's top seller, said Friday,...   (Associated Press)
Unsold 2007 Ions sit in a long row outside a Saturn dealership in the south Denver suburb Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, May 27, 2007.  General Motors Corp., the auto industry's top seller, said Friday, June 1, 2007 it's sales rose 9.7 percent in May. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Unsold 2007 Ions sit in a long row outside a Saturn dealership in the south Denver suburb Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, May 27, 2007. General Motors Corp., the auto industry's top seller, said Friday,...   (Associated Press)
Models pose next to Roewe 750, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation's (SAIC) self-branded car, at the launch ceremony in Shanghai, China in this Oct. 24, 2006 file photo. Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. and Nanjing Automobile Corp., two of China's biggest domestic car companies have formed a partnership to develop new models...
Models pose next to Roewe 750, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation's (SAIC) self-branded car, at the launch ceremony in Shanghai, China in this Oct. 24, 2006 file photo. Shanghai Automotive Industries...   (Associated Press)
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British Cars
British Cars   ((c) Fleur-Design)
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%u041D%u0430%u0448%u0438 %u043C%u0430%u0448%u0438%u043D%u044B   ((c) LancerenoK)
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 061
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 061   ((c) al_green)
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 119
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 119   ((c) al_green)
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 126
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 126   ((c) al_green)
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 097
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 097   ((c) al_green)
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 138
27_29-07-2007_Silverstone 138   ((c) al_green)
8C - Studio, Front
8C - Studio, Front   ((c) emilgh)
Something Old, Something New
Something Old, Something New   ((c) Timothy Lloyd)
Whitehead Autotest
Whitehead Autotest   ((c) stepbar)
Whitehead Autotest
Whitehead Autotest   ((c) stepbar)
porsche
porsche   ((c) the_moment)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
The Globalization of the Automobile Industry   (Medialink (YouTube))
Chris Davies on the German car industry lobby   (EUXTV (YouTube))
Cars Dont Work On Ice   (romanian92 (YouTube))
Fast Cars Drifting   (someguy217 (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

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Automaker
Wikipedia

Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. In 2005, 67 million automobiles (cars and light trucks) were produced worldwide. In 2006 16 million new automobiles were sold in the...

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