GM’s famed Willow Run plant closed for good at the close of business yesterday, reports Automotive News [sub], and will revert to a Motors Liquidation trust unless it finds a buyer in the next week. To memorialize the closing of one of Michigan’s most iconic assembly plants, and a symbol of the “Arsenal of Democracy” we present the following passage from Michael Elliott’s book “The Day Before Yesterday” [via Time]:
Did unions, management, civic leaders and just about everyone else in Michigan mismanage the postwar years? Of course. But the real point about Detroit is not that it fell so far, but that it once rose so high. Its economic success during World War II and the immediate aftermath was a freak of geopolitics. With most of the rest of the world (including some regions that were as technologically advanced as Michigan) consumed by war, only the U.S. and Canada were able to develop the high-tech industries of scale that were needed to fight the Axis powers. So successful were those North American industries in developing a mass middle-class standard of living that three generations of Americans were seduced into assuming that the prosperity of Detroit’s golden age was normal and how America should be. It was nothing of the sort. It was an accident of world war, and the sooner we recognize its transitory, contingent nature, the shorter will be our mourning for its passing.
huge success following the introduction of the Kizashi,
but the numbers don’t really back that perspective up. With 21,347 brand-wide sales year-to-date, the Suzuki brand about as popular as the Dodge Nitro, and only 5,269 of those sales were Kizashis. For a product that was supposed to keep Suzuki in the game in North America, there’s no way around the fact that Kizashi hasn’t “moved the needle.” On the other hand, Suzuki hasn’t done much to market the Kizashi (outside the pages of R&T anyway), and Suzuki is trying to turn things around with a series of ads that are kind of a weird mix of GM’s “May The Best Car Win” selective comparison strategy and Chrysler’s “World’s Best Vehicle (?)” absurdity. There’s been some mainstream media chatter about Hyundai and Buick’s ability to attract luxury brand buyers now that “value for money is the new black” (gotta love that MSM)… and Suzuki clearly wants in on the anti-snobbery bandwagon. But are these ads enough to put Suzuki on the radar? (Read More…)
The California legislature’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) blasted a public-private partnership deal between the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and investors for the development of Doyle Drive. The plan was to give a private company, Golden Link, a 30-year lease on this vital southern route to the Golden Gate Bridge to perform needed renovation to the route. The state would pay the consortium $173 million for finishing the road, followed by $28.5 million in “availability payments” each year the road is open.
While ice cream trucks can be quite menacing, an ex-ice cream truck crudely repurposed for a home health-care business should make you want to flee in terror. (Read More…)
Usually, unions take to the streets when their company is supposed to be sold. In Italy, unions demand the sale of their company.
In Milan, union representatives marched to the German consulate and handed the consul a letter in which they demand that Fiat lets Alfa go and that Volkswagen takes over.” With the letter delivered, the demonstrators grabbed megaphones and shouted: “Alfa has no chance with Fiat. We want Volkswagen!” Scusami?(Read More…)
Though the final numbers are not quite in yet, according to well-respected Brazilian car market journalist Joel Leite, writing for Brazilian car site webmotors.com.br, the big losers in 2010 are clear. I for one am quite shocked. Of all makers and importers in Brazil, only four lost share. The rest were all able to keep up with market growth and even gain share. Ready? Brazil’s losers are …
China’s Capital Beijing received a largely unwanted Christmas present yesterday: Drastic curbs on new car registrations. “Under the new regulations, vehicles purchased starting today will be subject to strict new restrictions,” reports Global Times, “setting off a last-minute, car-buying spree last night.” (Read More…)
European auto executives have been freaking out about a possible Chinese invasion for some time. In fact, Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne has even admitted that he “bought” into Chrysler in hopes of forming a company capable of selling five million units per year globally, the number he felt an automaker needed to hold off the Chinese. And though Chinese production certainly has its advantages, Chinese brands haven’t had much luck in mature markets. Brilliance left Germany under a cloud after its cars failed crash tests, the Jiangling LandWind became infamous after its run-in with the ADAC crash test crew. But, as Bertel has noted, no Chinese automaker can give up on the idea of attacking Europe. Great Wall, which has already been banned from Italy for copyright infringement, has committed $130m to a Bulgarian plant from which it plans to build knock-downs of its suspiciously-familiar vehicles for the European market. But, as these Great Wall promotional images prove, even if GW’s low-cost (€5,000) Chinese cars are up to snuff, the brand still has a long way to go on the marketing front.
It was the best of cars. It was the worst of cars. A silver 2001 Saab 9-5 was slowly making it’s way through the auction lane. It was a base model… and yet loaded. This silver 9-5 base came with a leather interior, sunroof, a 9 speaker Harman-Kradon stereo system, and heated seats for the front and rear. It was also a museum piece. No interior wear. No paint chips. The only thing worn on it was the Saab emblem in front… which is typical. 60+ dealers were in the lane that day. But most were looking at the usual finance fodder. I bought the Saab for $2250 (plus $115 fee) and weighed my options.
When Chrysler re-launched under Fiat, its Five Year Plan called for the Italian automaker’s dual-clutch transmissions (known at Fiat as Twin Clutch Transmission, or TCT) to make their way to the group’s D-segment models by the end of 2010. But here we are, at the end of 2010, and the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Intrepid have not been equipped with the fuel-saving transmissions. So what’s the deal? The only news on the topic comes from InsideLine which reports
By 2013 this TCT gearbox will be offered with all inline-4 and V6 engines from Fiat and Chrysler in North America. The aim is to have C-plus and D-segment cars like the Chrysler 200, V6-equipped Jeep models, and future Alfa Romeo Giulia lead the way with the TCT gearbox here.
But starting when? And with what vehicles? With Ford already offering dual-clutch transmissions in the Fiesta (with more to come), and Hyundai about to bet big on dual-clutch boxes next year, Chrysler is on pace to lag two years behind the market leaders. For a brand in Chrysler’s position, that’s a recipe for perennially playing catch-up on a crucial technology.
No, this isn’t a LeMons car. Nor is it some hillbilly answer to the age-old question, “What good is an old German luxury sedan?” Rather, it’s a Kamerawagen, designed for filming of some sort. Presumably it was converted back when the six-cylinder, five-speed E32 “Siebener” on which it is based was new.
More pictures and a link after the jump; thanks to Mirko for the heads-up.
Is it a coincidence that, on the day the newswires fill up with reports of renewed cooperation between Aston Martin and Daimler’s Maybach brand, the British sportscar firm has released a video with the theme “one engine, one ethos”? After all, before Aston built a hideous concept on the Mercedes GL platform and Maybach asked Aston to develop a four-door concept, the assumption was that Aston wanted Mercedes engines to replace its aged Cologne-built V-12. Now, possibly motivated by Lotus’s engine flip-flop, it seems that Aston is taking pride in its elderly but unique 12-banger. Which seems like a smart move: high-end buyers often care more about pedigree than absolute performance, and being seen as an independent house rather than an engine customer shop certainly helps cultivate that image… even if it means sticking with an engine that’s based on a pair of Ford V6s. Especially when those two V6s sound so damn enchanting.
I am at the point where the little niggles my 240 wagon possesses are no longer a part of its charm. For replacement (which, in actuality I will keep it, but take it off of the daily roster,) I have decided that I want a Panther. My budget is capped at 13k, and even that is a bit rich for my tastes. I know for sure that I do not want some jacked-up P71, so I am leaning heavily toward the Grand Marquis/Town Car. Which one would be the best? Should I stay above the `03 model year? I am looking to make my move after the first of the year, so I hope my asking to make this speedy doesn’t make me seem like a jerk. Thank you in advance!
sounding out a partnership in which Aston Martin could take engine technology from the German carmaker in exchange for building the cars
“Aston Martin needs engines and nobody at Daimler wants to let the Maybach brand die,” said one industry insider.
The problem is that the only fruit of these years of rumored Aston-Daimler flirtations has not been AMG-engined Aston sexiness, but rather the unloved GL-based Lagonda Concept. But Automotive News [sub] cites German media reports that say Daimler has
commissioned a mock-up of a new Maybach limousine that would use know-how and parts from Aston Martin. The new Maybach could debut at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show
We always thought this deal would be as easy as bunging a 6.3 into the Vantage and calling it good (OK, we knew it wouldn’t be that easy), but Daimler’s inexplicable desire to revive Maybach complicates things considerably. Especially considering that Aston’s only recent four-door is actually contract built in Austria by Magna. Still, given Aston’s other tie-ups, this partnership could be a lot worse.
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