After having had a look at the calendar, the German government appears to have written off any chances of solving the increasingly puzzling Opel mess before the national elections. (September 27). In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said that Opel has enough money to last through January. Which is code for “don’t expect anything soon.” And he has an ace up his sleeve . . .
Post-clunker mortem, CNNMoney says 700,000 clunker-traders “probably got a good deal.” The rest, not so much. “If you bought a car without a clunker in the last month, you’ve overpaid.” Ya think? “During the weeks the Clunkers program was in effect, buyers of the Toyota Corolla paid 29% closer to the full sticker price than before the program started, according to data from Edmunds.com. Prices were also higher on other popular models. Ford Escape prices were 13% closer to full sticker, and Ford Focus prices were 12% closer . . . on a dollar-for-dollar basis, car buyers were getting less car for their money after negotiating the deal.” And now?
ChryCo finally acknowledges that denying outstanding liability claims while taking taxpayer money was kind of a dick move.
In a letter sent today to Members of Congress, Chrysler Group LLC
announced that the company will accept product liability claims on vehicles
manufactured by Chrysler LLC (now OldCarco LLC) before June 10, 2009, and
involved in accidents on or after that date. On June 10, 2009, Chrysler
Group purchased substantially all of the assets of Old Carco.
A tipster writes:
Long-time reader here. I’m sure you hate anonymous tips as much as the next internet pontificator, but I’m gonna throw one your way anyway. You noted a few days ago that some NUMMI capacity could potentially move to the Blue Springs, MS, plant. The word here in Tupelo is that equipment has been quietly moving into the facility at night for the last few days. Supposedly, they’re trying it out to see if they can make use of the place. NUMMI would make a logical source of that equipment if the rumor is true. I’m not much of a 2am spy run type of guy, so I’m afraid rumor is all I have to go on.
The Wall Street Journal shows TTAC some love in a piece titled “Americans Renew Their Love For Cars—Online.” Acerbic? Us? We’ve changed, we swear!
Yes, that is what I’d truly like to be. For if I were a big GM supplier, they’d pass the big old savings on to me. And if that doesn’t make you want to break into song, you’ve never dealt with a Mr. Bo Andersson. Yes, now that Andersson has taken his fight to make the world a less cheerful place to Russia (where such causes are far better rewarded), GM’s supplier relations are going swimmingly. Andersson’s replacement, Bob Socia, has told GM’s suppliers that under his benevolent reign, GM purchasing will split any future cost savings on parts even-steven with the supplier. Of course, it’s up to the supplier to come up with the cost savings, but c’mon. Really. Just, c’mon. “We think this decision will help generate enthusiasm in the supply base for doing business with the new GM,” say GM spokesfolks. And guess what? They’re right! [via Automotive News [sub]]
State-owned stakes in the Russian auto firm AvtoVAZ, truck builder Kamaz and engine firm Avtodizel are being merged to create the first national auto conglomerate of the Carpocalypse. AvtoVAZ chairman Boris Alyoshin is stepping down, and will be replaced when the merger is complete. A new firm, created out of Russian Technologies, has been formed as a holding company for the government stakes which amount to 37.8% of Kamaz, 25% of AvotVAZ and 30% of Avtodizel. Renault owns another 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ. But underlying weakness in the merging firms and the complication of government-owned conglomerate governance raise concerns for the latter-day Leyland. “It is hard to see any synergy from the unification of the passenger car producer and the heavy truck maker,” Alfa Bank analyst Georgy Ivanin tells AFP. “The decision making process in both companies may slow as the management structure gets more complicated.” Not to mention the “been there done that” factor.
Toyota’s board has voted to end production at its NUMMI plant starting in March 2010, reports the AP [via sfgate]. The factory in Fremont, California, was a joint venture between Toyota and GM, but its future was first cast into doubt when GM announced it was withdrawing after discontinuing the Pontiac Vibe built there. The state of California discussed incentives to keep Toyota (and its 4,600 jobs) at the plant, but Toyota’s 1 million unit global capacity reduction was the higher priority. It’s possible that state incentives could lure other OEMs to the factory, but local incentive-grubber Tesla has already declined pursuit of NUMMI on the grounds that it was more factory than the start-up could handle.
The combination of bikinis and purported eco-friendliness is like catnip in Southern California, and Angry Green Girl knows it. Still, is a hybrid-only carwash “greener” than just going through the auto-wash? Maybe the minimal amounts of clothing help bring down the overall carbon footprint.
In a very short time, Hyundai has made an amazing transformation from basket case to the automotive equivalent of a “nice girl” – dependable, easy to live with, and undemanding. But can Hyundai get its nice girls to do tequila shots and dance on tables from time to time? The conventional wisdom was that the much-heralded Genesis sedan and coupe would be the Hyundais that bucked the trend, but they were variations on the same old Hyundai theme. As it turns out, the rebel Hyundai is an unlikely one – the Elantra Touring, a five door hatchback version of the Elantra sedan. Unlike the sedan, which has all the excitement of C-SPAN, the European-developed Touring has the same eager, quick-to-corner, drive-me-until-I-cry-uncle feel that you normally find in a Mazda 3, with the interior space of a midsize sedan and hatchback practicality tossed in as part of the deal.
To boil it down to a single word, Sebring. GAZ’s main mass-market model is the Volga Siber, a Russian-market adaptation of the previous generation Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Stratus. As Der Spiegel points out, that’s not enough to go to war with even in the Russian market, and GAZ’s bosses want Opel to bring modernity to their products. GM is terrified about the prospect of having to compete against Opel in Russia, reports the AP. But those fears could be overblown. “Even if GM completely stops doing any research and doing any product development, maybe [GAZ is] going to catch up with them in five or ten years at the earliest,” says Serguei Netessine of the Wharton Business School. Just in case though, GM is investing in its Daewoo-based European Chevy lineup, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the search for an Opel buyer has cost over $1 billion so far. And it’s only just starting to get properly nasty.
Volkswagen plans a seven-passenger SUV for the American market. VW North America jefe Stefan Jacoby explains the move to the Freep by saying Vee-Dub “would not chase parts of the market such as pickups where VW couldn’t stand out.” Seriously.
A couple of hours before the official unveiling of their new 9-5, the ailing Swedish brand has released pictures and a press release for the new car. (Nice to have Saabsunited for English versions :-D) It’s the Aero-version that’s being presented, and . . . well . . . I don’t know how this car is going to make any impact on car buyers not already into Saab. At the same time, Saab has released a new world-wide commercial campaign on their 9-3X, called Changing Perspective. Saab is a relatively small car manufacturer in the global market, which over the years has driven many innovations, from turbo technology and seat heating to effective use of alternative fuels. “Now we’ll bring back an even larger share of the production and initiatives to Sweden, and then we also want to take a starting point based on what actually makes us unique,” says Annika Priou, Marketing Communications Manager. Good lycka with that.
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