Sabtu, 31 Januari 2009

End of line for four generations at GM?

End of line for four generations at GM?

From left, United Auto Workers family members Mike Green, Rollin Green and Richard Green pose for a portrait at the UAW Local 652 in Lansing, Mich. For seven decades, the Green family has built Chevys, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs. For four generations, the Greens have built Chevys, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Pontiacs and Cadillacs. But with GM's future uncertain, the family may have reached the end of the line.


M Q3 net dips 93% on forex loss
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Indias largest tractor and utility vehicle maker, recorded Rs 26.7 crore net profit for the quarter ending 31 December, a 93.3per cent decline from the profit in the corresponding period of the previous year as the sales of its vehicles declined. The Rs 182 crore foreign exchange loss in the quarter also tapered the profit of the company.

Jumat, 30 Januari 2009

Cold War for car buffs
By Martin Zimmerman Got a bad case of auto-related Cold War nostalgia? The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has the cure.
Country star Rich sends Detroit a sonic bailout

John Rich â€John Rich â€" of the duo Big & Rich â€" has written a song called “Shuttin’ Detroit Down,” an anthem for the rank-and-file workers.


Tata Motors posts Q3 loss of Rs 263 cr
Tata Motors Ltd has posted a net loss of Rs 263.26 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2008, as compared to net profit of Rs 499.05 crore for the corresponding quarter the previous fiscal. It is the company's first quarterly loss in seven years.

Kamis, 29 Januari 2009

Ford's quarterly loss worse than expected at $5.9 billion

Ford's quarterly loss worse than expected at $5.9 billion
The loss caps the automaker's worst year. CEO Alan Mulally says the company will not need government help like GM and Chrysler, at least for now. With vehicle sales and revenue crashing in all its markets worldwide, Ford Motor Co. on Thursday reported a worse-than-expected $5.9-billion loss for the fourth quarter but continued to insist that it could operate without help from Washington.
Ford reports $5.9 billion fourth-quarter loss

Icicles form on the grille of a Ford truck on a dealer’s lot in Omaha, Neb. Ford reported a $5.9 billion fourth-quarter loss Thursday, and said it still has no plans to seek federal aid.Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it lost $5.9 billion in the fourth quarter and burned through $5.5 billion in cash as sales slumped.


UK's largest union backs govt bailout for Tata's JLR
Tata Motors' case for state financial aid for Jaguar Land Rover today received support from Britain's biggest trade union, which wants the government to provide help by Christmas, as Tata has injected

Rabu, 28 Januari 2009

Checkered fate: Honda S2000, Cadillac XLR go buh-bye

Checkered fate: Honda S2000, Cadillac XLR go buh-bye
By Dan Neil The days have come and gone for the Cadillac XLR and Honda S2000 -- and you can bet other pricey niche products are slouching toward the gallows too.pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/aUTJc4Kd0fiuWMbRHXvp56CWiYQ/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/aUTJc4Kd0fiuWMbRHXvp56CWiYQ/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pimg src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/dY--DbsF19M" height="1" width="1"/
Toyota to recall over 1 million vehicles worldwide

Toyota will recall more than 1.35 million Vitz and two other models globally to repair defects. (The Vitz is known a the Yaris in the United States.)Toyota Motor Corp said Wednesday it would recall more than 1.35 million Vitz and two other models globally to repair a defect in the seatbelt, a component in the exhaust system or both.


Selasa, 27 Januari 2009

L.A. port's clean-truck program running on empty

L.A. port's clean-truck program running on empty
Funding for a $20,000 incentive for purchaseers of clean-fuel trucks has dried up. Some trucking firms have spent millions of dollars on greener fleets, anticipating the cash. br/br/ It sounded like a good deal: The Port of Los Angeles offered to pay $20,000 incentives as part of its Clean Trucks Program, launched Oct. 1 in conjunction with the neighboring Long Beach port to reduce pollution from trucking fleets serving the harbor.pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/FPTNqO682J8ks4untSc1UiJC8ho/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/FPTNqO682J8ks4untSc1UiJC8ho/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pimg src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/GgOVjUNz-Nw" height="1" width="1"/

Senin, 26 Januari 2009

Green rules will challenge automakers, purchaseers

Obama clearing way for California emissions waiver
The president will ask the EPA today to allow says to set their own, stricter rules for auto emissions, sources say. br/br/ President Obama will direct the EPA today to rethink about a Bush-era decision that stopped California and more than a dozen other says from setting their own stricter limits on auto emissions, according to sources familiar with the matter.pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/9farh3TVwa1pDsu7dQKsfIQnRCw/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/9farh3TVwa1pDsu7dQKsfIQnRCw/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pimg src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/fRnesmIilU0" height="1" width="1"/
Green rules will challenge automakers, purchaseers

Automakers were thinking green at the Detroit auto show this month, showing off models such as this electric Jeep Wrangler.President Barack Obama wants automakers to make greener vehicles at a time when General Motors and Chrysler are hanging by the thread of a huge government loan.


Minggu, 25 Januari 2009

Chrysler exec sees automaker ?viable? by spring

"We're going into a better season," Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Jim Press says of the company?s fortunes.A top Chrysler LLC executive says the automaker should be viable by springtime because of its restructuring, introduction of new and improved vehicles, and higher sales.


Jumat, 23 Januari 2009

Harley?s profit schildren, will cut 1,100 jobs

2010 Ford Mustang GT: Embracing the spirit of change
If Ford can reform a chintzy, gimpy, flubbery, moronic mess that was the Mustang, anything is possible. br/br/ What interests me about the 2010 Ford Mustang might not interest you. I could stay up all night reading about taller tire sidewalls and their effect on suspension settings. You? Maybe not so much. I'm positively Nelly over the car's stiffer chassis -- hubbah! -- and cold air induction. You, on the other hand, might have more important things to think about. Maybe your dog has a kidney stone. Maybe feral parrots have taken up residence in your hair. Look, I'm no mind reader.pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/mFtt0D3xUDqnRa8oe41BYgLz-Ns/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/mFtt0D3xUDqnRa8oe41BYgLz-Ns/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pimg src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/yEJWtGx7p9E" height="1" width="1"/
Harley?s profit schildren, will cut 1,100 jobs

Harley-Davidson motorcycles are reflected in the chrome of a police bike at a dealership, in Omaha, Neb. Harley said Friday it will cut 1,100 jobs over two years and close some facilities as it grapples with a slowdown in demand.Harley-Davidson Inc. said Friday it will cut 1,100 jobs over two years, close some facilities and consolidate others as it grapples with a slowdown in motorcycle sales.


Rabu, 21 Januari 2009

Italian job: Fiat angles for a comeback

Hummer tops in 'ticketability'
According to the study, drivers of the Hummer H2 and H3, with 1.07 tickets per 100,000 miles, were 4.63 times more likely to get a ticket than the average driver. pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/OCcvZ3Xoa4I7jqIC6BSz-ZFh3PI/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/OCcvZ3Xoa4I7jqIC6BSz-ZFh3PI/i" border="0" ismap="true"/img/a/pimg src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/Cg0HH-_7uhg" height="1" width="1"/
Italian job: Fiat angles for a comeback

Fiat ? led by CEO Sergio Marchionne ? and Chrysler have agreed to form a strategic alliance that would give the Italian auto empire a 35 percent stake in the troubled U.S. carmaker and could eventually bring it full control.The joke used to be that Fiat stood for Fix It Again, Tony! But the Italian automaker is positioned for a comeback in the U.S. after an absence of more than two decades.


Senin, 19 Januari 2009

Chrysler, Fiat reportedly in partnership talks
Fiat is talking with Chrysler LLC to form a strategic partnership that could lead to the Italian car maker taking a stake in its U.S. peer, an industry publication said.

Sabtu, 17 Januari 2009

Kicking the tires on presidential limousines
Franklin Roosevelt frequently traveled in an open touring car nicknamed the 'Sunshine Special.' Barack Obama's new limo is more like a hardened missile silo on wheels. br/br/ The hugest collection of retired presidential limousines is ensconced here at the Henry Ford Museum in a frozen-moment procession that starts with Ronald Reagan's 1972 Lincoln Continental and ends with Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 horse-drawn brougham carriage. And already, a shameful secret is revealed: Teddy's two-seater was probably an import.img src="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/~r/latimes/classified/automotive/highway1/~4/upzABmXUdlE" height="1" width="1"/
New motorbikes aim for low cost, high mileage

Mark Blackwell, vice president of Victory Motorcycles, unveils his company?s CORE concept motorcycle at the 28th annual International Motorcycle Show, in New York Friday.Motorcycle makers showcased cheaper and more fuel-efficient models at the nation?s premier motorcycle show Friday, as the industry tries to navigate a tough economic road.


UK's hugest union backs govt bailout for Tata's JLR
Tata Motors' case for say financial aid for Jaguar Land Rover today received support from Britain's massivegest trade union, which wants the government to provide help by Christmas, as Tata has injected

New motorbikes aim for low cost, high mileage

Kicking the tires on presidential limousines
Franklin Roosevelt frequently traveled in an open touring car nicknamed the 'Sunshine Special.' Barack Obama's new limo is more like a hardened missile silo on wheels. The largest collection of retired presidential limousines is ensconced here at the Henry Ford Museum in a frozen-moment procession that begins with Ronald Reagan's 1972 Lincoln Continental and ends with Theodore Roosevelt's 1902 horse-drawn brougham carriage. And already, a shameful secret is revealed: Teddy's two-seater was probably an import.
New motorbikes aim for low cost, high mileage

Mark Blackwell, vice president of Victory Motorcycles, unveils his company?s CORE concept motorcycle at the 28th annual International Motorcycle Show, in New York Friday.Motorcycle makers showcased cheaper and more fuel-efficient models at the nation?s premier motorcycle show Friday, as the industry tries to navigate a tough economic road.


Jumat, 16 Januari 2009

Race on for automakers to go electric

New Insight hybrid pulls into view, but Prius isn't sitting still
Honda gets serious about the hybrid competition just in time to see Toyota's new-and-improved model. In the style of the Pentagon -- where generals prepare to fight the last war, rather than the next -- Honda launched a salvo at the Toyota Prius this week, only to discover the enemy had moved.
Race on for automakers to go electric

A plug is seen extending from the Chevrolet Volt electric car during the 2009 Detroit auto show.Just a few years ago, automakers took a scattershot approach to alternative fuels. But now a consensus is forming that the all-electric car is the wave of the very near future.


Rabu, 14 Januari 2009

Automakers talk of stabilizing the price of gas

Tesla to make batteries for Smart EV
Telsa has been selected to provide the batteries and chargers for Daimler's Smart EV and plans to deliver 1,000 batteries this year and next.
Automakers talk of stabilizing the price of gas

Automakers are rolling out more hybrids then ever, but fear if gas is cheap when they get to market, consumers won't buy them.Inside the research centers of GM, Ford, and Chrysler, the companies are spending billions to develop plug-in electric cars at a time when gasoline has dropped below $2 per gallon.


Minggu, 11 Januari 2009

Carmakers' hopes ride on minis

Carmakers' hopes ride on minis
GM unveils the Spark at the Detroit auto show, another sign the industry is thinking small. With the economy crashing, Americans are tightening their belts and automakers are ready to sell them smaller pants.
Automakers show new sense of sobriety

It's not exactly austere, but the Detroit auto show is being done more thriftily this year.  For a show that?s normally heavy on the ritzy parties and celebrity sightings, there?s an unusual sense of practicality at this year?s Detroit auto show.


Sabtu, 10 Januari 2009

Buzz building as Detroit auto show nears

Buzz building as Detroit auto show nears
Despite the current economic mess, carmakers will still compete for the world's attention at the Detroit auto show starting Sunday.
Ford says new Fusion to lead class in mileage
Ford Motor Co. on Friday said the conventional version of its new Fusion sedan will get the best gas mileage in the highly popular mid-size segment of the U.S. market.
Motormouth: Obama picks his wheels
It?s only a few days before Barack Obama finally becomes president. I?m excited about it.
UK's largest union backs govt bailout for Tata's JLR
Tata Motors' case for state financial aid for Jaguar Land Rover today received support from Britain's biggest trade union, which wants the government to provide help by Christmas, as Tata has injected