The giant panda has been largely unchanged for millions of years. Evolution made some nips and tucks, but mostly let the species be. Perhaps because the design is right. Strong, capable, cute as . . . well . . . as a Mini Cooper, also largely unchanged since last we looked. So, is no news good news or has the Mini been left behind?
The Detroit News can’t seem to decide. On the one hand, they say, “the White House next month will name its top auto adviser to oversee an effort to boost the sagging manufacturing sector.” On the other hand, they quote White House spokesfolks as saying, “Ron Bloom is doing a great job on the auto task force. There are no plans to shut down or repurpose the auto task force, and we expect Ron to continue to do a great job.” So what happened to rumors that the Presidential Task Force On Autos (PTFOA) will be gone by September? The DetN is too worked up about the bright future of US “manufacturing policy” to care. And with GM and Chrysler out of bankruptcy court, one has to assume that the focus will be shifting away from the auto industry. At least until the next bailout.
Dodge doesn’t compete in NASCAR to test new technology. Nor does NASCAR highlight fundamental attributes of Dodge vehicles the way, say, Subaru’s rally competition does. So why stick around when resources are so tight? “NASCAR fans love performance and Dodge fans love to win,” explains Michael Accavitti, Director of Dodge Brand and SRT Marketing at Chrysler Blog. “It’s always been a match made in heaven and we intend to remain involved in the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future.”
Rick Hamilton writes in:
I am seriously considering buying a Factory Five or Superperformance Cobra. I would like to know if there is any real downside to owning one (lots of maintenance, cramped foot area, etc). I noticed one seller said “if you are over 5′9″ do not buy this car.” Somewhere else I read “some models are 4″ longer to accomodate taller drivers.” Is that really a factor to consider at 5′10″?
The board of GM convened on Friday to finally decide Opel’s fate. The board did as expected: It did nothing. They left everybody hanging. The board decided to not decide anything.
According to Reuters, the GM board desperately needs critical information from the German government. To wit: What state financing would be available if GM would sell Opel to their darling RHJ International, and not to Magna, which is favored by Germany.
Excuse us?
Do we have a serious case of highly contagious ADD, which has befallen the complete GM board? We thought it had been made perfectly clear:
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The Brazilian-market 2010 Chevrolet Agile has debuted, possibly providing a preview for the forthcoming Aveo replacement.
Women are responsible for an increasing number of drunk-driving arrests, according to data released today by the NHTSA. FBI statistics (PDF) show that DUI arrests of men fell 7.5 percent between 1998 and 2007, while the arrest rate for women climbed by nearly 29 percent in the same period. In absolute terms though, men still drink and drive far more: 626,371 DUI arrests of men were made in 2007, compared to 162,493 for women. According to NHTSA’s new Alcohol Impaired Drivers Involved In Fatal Crashes study (PDF) though, state-by-state analysis confirms that women are working towards evening the score.
Have you ever looked at something and just are not able to see the point of it? The Simpsons, Kim Bauer, RC Cola and Michael Bay’s career all spring to mind, but right now I’m more confused than a chameleon standing next to a rainbow. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chrysler are raising production of their minivans at their plant in Windsor, Ontario. More precisely, they are raising production of their right hand drive, diesel minivans for export (naturally). This will be the first time RHD minivans are built at Chrysler’s Canadian plant.
Anonymous sources tell the Wall Street Journal that former Toyota executive and current Chrysler Deputy CEO Jim Press will leave the Pentastar by the end of November. Press, who currently serves as a special adviser to Sergio Marchionne tells the WSJ ,”I don’t think anything has been released about management changes,” echoing Chrysler’s official “no comment.”
Chinese battery/auto firm BYD has been on a roll since Warren Buffett took a ten percent stake in it last year. BYD recently snagged a technology-sharing agreement with VW, and just agreed to supply SAIC with its batteries. In fact, in the nine months since Buffett invested in BYD his $230 million investment has increased its value by an estimated $1 billion. Which is a good enough return for Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway Co-Chairman Charlie Munger to call BYD CEO Wang Chuan-Fu “a combination of Thomas Edison and Jack Welch—something like Edison in solving technical problems, and something like Welch in getting done what he needs to do. I have never seen anything like it.”
According to Wired Magazine, the Chinese Taikonauts of the Shenzhou 7 mission have each purchased a Chinese-market Volvo S80L because “the car is safe, built locally, and the ‘brand image expresses premiumness and is not ostentatious.’” You know, as opposed to “because they were compensated for their marketing pull.” “We are very proud to have the four astronauts as Volvo owners,” enthuses Volvo Cars China CEO Alexander Klose. “Volvo will convoy these heroic astronauts on land, with our premium quality and holistic top notch safety. We look forward to their greater contributions to China’s space cause.”
The AP [via Google] reports that 13.9m shares of Old GM were traded last Thursday alone, raising the obvious question: why? “There are people who think they are buying the new General Motors. Stop. You’re not. You’re buying the detritus,” says Harlan Platt, a finance professor at Northeastern. And Old GM’s spokesfolks agree. “We’re not in any way promoting the trading of it,” says Old GM spokesman Tim Yost. “We have no legal right to stop the trading. That’s well beyond the purview of any given company.” And though some are trading Old GM for short-term profits, a number of traders seem to be buying Old GM stock out of ignorance or unfounded optimism. One Detroit-area investment advisor explains: “the thing about people in the Detroit area is we’re homers,” he said. “We want to root for the home team. A lot of times people will do that, more with their heart than with their head.” But does Detroit’s hometown loyalty extend far enough to motivate people to buy stock in a liquidating company?
It may come off as odd to road test a French car in Sweden. Play along because as you’ll soon discover no country’s better-suited for the Renault Kangoo. During my brief sojourn in Sweden, I’ve decided Swedes are the Earth’s most utilitarian people. Nowhere else in the Western world do the women own as few shoes or the men know as few jokes. In automotive terms, the Swedish penchant for simplicity has translated into a decades-long love affair with the most utilitarian of all automotive species: the station wagon. The Kangoo is Renault’s foray into the compact hauler market. On paper, it’s a shoo-in: it’s even uglier than an estate, it’s more practical and it consumes less fuel with the optional diesel engine! In other words, what French car could possibly be more Swedish?
At least 20 of the 789 dealers cut by Chrysler during its restructuring are still owed money for vehicles they sold before their wind-down. According to FOX Business News, NADA has been receiving complaints from the dealers. “This situation is unacceptable,” says a NADA spokesman. “The dealers got 26 days notice they would be closing. It’s been two months now and to not pay dealers even a portion of what they are owed is outrageous.” Chrysler’s response? Be cool. “All dealers will be paid monies due to them for incentives and warranty work,” Chrysler tells FOX Business. “On July 28 Chrysler notified its former dealers that the payments were delayed, due to unforeseen complexities as a result of the bankruptcy reorganization, but they will receive final monies due to them.” Unforeseen complexities? Oh, boy . . . .
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