Carmakers

Logan Nakyanzi Pollard: Who will be the history makers? — You. Why are GM/Ford/Chrysler in so much trouble? You. You decided you wanted better cars. Why is Obama the next president-elect? You decided you wanted change. Why is there terrorism? Some of you, yes some of you, decided this was a good idea. Bush's begun his exit interviews and his wife Laura's launched into full humanitarian mode. So while you're waiting for Obama to take office and kick it up a gear, who else will make history now that the Bushes will soon only have time to focus on the blueprint for that new presidential library and the plight of... [Tags: afghani women, anglican bishop, anglican communion, archbishop of canterbury, bishop gene robinson]

GM: Bankruptcy Not An Option For Industry — WASHINGTON — General Motors Corp. President Fritz Henderson said Wednesday bankruptcy isn't a viable option for struggling U.S. automakers, maintaining that a new retooling plan can save the industry. Henderson said that General Motors is ready to undertake a host of steps needed to resize, but said that "to win, you've got to win with product and technology. ... And we do not want to give consumers a reason not to buy our cars and trucks." General Motors is ready to undertake a host of steps needed to resize, Henderson asserted in an interview on NBC's "Today" show as the... [Tags: automakers, car makers, concessions, congressional leaders, corporate jets]

It keeps getting worse — NEW YORK — U.S. auto sales plunged 37 percent in November to their worst level in more than 26 years, dashing expectations that this dismal year for vehicle demand had found a bottom, and adding more ammunition to the Detroit automakers' case for a congressional lifeline. Every major automaker reported a year-over-year sales decline of more than 30 percent on Tuesday. The Detroit carmakers were among the worst hit, with GM's U.S. sales falling 41 percent and Chrysler LLC's dropping 47 percent. Their overseas rivals posted abysmal results as well. Toyota's sales tumbled 34 percent, while Nissan's dropped 42 percent... [Tags: ammunition, auto sales, automaker, carmakers, chrysler]

First November Auto Sales In, Prove People Are Scared To Buy Cars [Carpocalypse Now] — November car sales numbers are coming in and they’re what you expect them to be — horrendous. Ford is down 31% month-to-month with last year. Toyota fell even further at 33.9%. That's successful compared to GM's 41% drop. Even Honda is down 31.6%. What's going on? Carpocalypse Now is going on, that's what! The entire auto industry is screwed at the moment, and it's not just the U.S. automakers. Since Toyota’s and Honda’s numbers are in the crapper it points to what we've been saying from the start. This is less an issue of a problem with our dear domestic... [Tags: accessible credit, auto industry, auto sales, automakers, car makers]

Ford, Toyota Sales Plunge in November — The two carmakers said sales for the month slowed by 30% and 34%, respectively.... [Tags: carmakers, ford, ford toyota, plunge, toyota]

US Automakers Consider Selling Saab, Volvo — STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The Swedish government confirmed Monday it is in talks with General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. after a report that the U.S. automakers are seeking support for their struggling Swedish brands Saab and Volvo Cars. "We are obviously in talks with Saab, Volvo, GM and Ford all the time, considering the difficult situation," government spokeswoman Lisa Warn said. Warn declined to give details on the talks, but said the European Union's tough competition regulations restrain the options for the Swedish government should it wish to support the Swedish-based car industry. Officials at GM-owned Saab and Ford-owned... [Tags: american government, american interests, automaker, automakers, car industry]

Recession-hit automakers brace for grim US sales — WASHINGTON — Walloped by the recession, automakers' U.S. sales are plummeting as hard-to-get credit, job losses and other stresses make many Americans wary of taking on big-ticket financial commitments. Auto sales for November, released Tuesday, are expected to show a drop of 36 percent from a year ago to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 10.2 million vehicles, according to Joseph Amaturo, analyst at Buckingham Research. Those sales figures would include the Big Three Detroit car makers as well as foreign companies that sell vehicles in this country. Later Tuesday, General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC will... [Tags: auto companies, buckingham research, car makers, credit crunch, detroit car]

Automakers Reporting Back To Congress — Executives from Detroit's Big Three carmakers are back on Capitol Hill Tuesday to make a new pitch for $25 billion in federal loans. The executives were grilled during their first visit, and have retooled their pitches. Dustin Dwyer reports for Michigan Radio.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: automakers, capitol hill, carmakers, congress, dwyer]

Detroit's Big 3 Will Try Again To Get Federal Loans — Executives from the top three U.S. automakers return to Washington this week. They're going to try, again, to convince Congress to give them federal loans. They say they need the money to avoid an industry collapse. Two weeks ago, Congress sent them away empty-handed. Some lawmakers were angry the carmakers didn't have a plan for how they would spend the $25 billion in low interest loans.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: automakers, carmakers, collapse, congress, e mail]

New Deal 2009? Three Plans to Rescue the Economy and the Earth with Public Transportation — Image via apolloalliance.org. Change is definitely in the air these days. President-elect Obama is putting together his plans for some sort of New Deal-like program, which he has said will include massive investments in building public institutions like schools, renewable energy and infrastructure. Meanwhile, advocates for all sorts of policies are busy putting together their own proposals for the new administration in Washington. And with everyone from Wall Street traders to Detroit car makers bombarding the government w...... [Tags: all sorts, car makers, detroit car, earth, economy]

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The pony car makes a comeback — For '60s muscle-car fans and young tuners alike, there'll be four offerings by spring -- a Dodge Challenger (out now), a Ford Mustang, a Chevy Camaro and a Hyundai Genesis. It's going to be a long, cold, lonely winter for carmakers, but spring could be heavenly for hot rodders (if they have some dough).... [Tags: 60s, camaro, carmakers, chevy camaro, dodge]

UPDATE 1-German carmakers make fresh move to cut output — * Porsche schedules 8 days of production stops at main plant... [Tags: carmakers, porsche]

Nissan pulls out of Detroit, Chicago auto shows — The Japanese carmaker joins Suzuki, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover and Mitsubishi in sitting out the Detroit event. It is the only one to back out of Chicago's. Add Nissan to the list of carmakers dropping out of the 2009 Detroit auto show -- and mark it as the first to bail on Chicago's.... [Tags: carmaker, carmakers, chicago auto, detroit auto show, ferrari]

Wired-o-Nomics: Too Big to Succeed? — It seems like forever but it has actually been only been 52 days since Congress thought the better of providing any bailout money to financial institutions to stave off global economic ruin. They heard the arguments for and against, checked the election calendar, and voted down a $750 billion package. The market immediately tanked. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 600 points the next day to close at 10,365 (which frankly seems pretty bullish these days). So lawmakers took another look at it. They heard the arguments for and against, checked the election calendar, watched with as... [Tags: bailout plan, big three automakers, carmakers, chrysler bailout, dow jones]

It's Not All Green At The L.A. Auto Show — It's a strange time for a big party — especially for the auto industry. Still, the show must go on. We attended a preview of the L.A. Auto Show and found a capsule view of the problems car makers are facing in the United States — one part financial disaster, one part environmental enthusiasm with a splash of fur.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: auto industry, car makers, e mail, financial disaster, fur]

Environmentalists Speak Out On Euro Auto Bailouts — "In contrast the European plan sounds rather more like a blank check, and a very large one at that," warned Mr. Dings and Mr. Fodor. They also call it "astonishing" that the European car industry now is asking for loans to develop fuel efficient models and accuse the industry of spending the last 15 years "attacking each and every proposal of the European Union to legislate on new car fuel efficiency." "It is clearly not in the public interest that any further loan even be considered until the European car industry drops opposition to the original proposal of the European... [Tags: ancient pyramids, blank check, car fuel efficiency, carmakers, emission limits]

Automakers Get Deadline To Make Their Case — WASHINGTON — Detroit's embattled automakers have two weeks to show a skeptical Congress how a multibillion-dollar lifeline will help them keep the industry from imploding. A bailout-shy Congress punted a $25 billion auto industry rescue on Thursday, as Democratic leaders said they wouldn't help the beleaguered Big Three until the companies presented them with a plan showing how the federal funding would stabilize their faltering industry. "The executives of the auto companies have not been able to convince Congress or the American people that this government bailout will be its last," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. He said... [Tags: auto companies, auto workers, automakers, bailout, car makers]

Crisis Not Egalitarian: Ferrari, Rolls, Maserati Sales Hold — LOS ANGELES — With the U.S. all but certainly in a recession and many skittish consumers hesitant to buy even a Honda Accord, it would seem the last thing anyone would need is a $400,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom. But sales of many high-end luxury cars are bucking the trend of plummeting car sales, and their makers and industry watchers at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week are confident that they will weather the industry downturn just fine. Models in spaghetti-strap dresses circled Maserati's display at the show, which opens to the public on Friday, while Italian executives in fine suits... [Tags: alms, auto executives, autodata, car purchase, carmakers]