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Once again, the UAW-Transplant battle has produced the most memorable auto-related quote today, as union boss Bob King tells Reuters
If we don’t organize the transnationals, I don’t think there is a long-term future for the UAW
The stakes in the UAW’s crusade were already high, but with this latest gem, King confirms that that it’s all or nothing. Which is an interesting way to frame a campaign that even the objective reporters at Reuters are forced to conclude is something of a fool’s errand. After all, it’s not as if the UAW hasn’t tried to organize transplant factories before, and they have yet to come close to succeeding. But with the rhetoric turned up to “11,” the UAW is on a one-way trip to destiny… and King’s best last-minute pitch to the defiant transplants is
We want to be on the cutting edge of labor relations. That is the opportunity for all these companies.
A tempting idea, to be sure, but now that King has informed the world that the union’s alternative to success is death, the transplants have more incentive than ever to say “thanks, but no thanks.” And it’s already starting. Is this the beginning of the end of the United Auto Workers?
Having abandoned its unloved Nagare design language, Mazda has offered only two hints at its new stylistic direction so far, the Shinari concept and a design study on a forthcoming iteration of the Mazda3. And though both hint at how Mazda will express its “Japanese Alfa Romeo” ambitions, neither is obviously a near-production design. But with these just-released renderings of the Mingai Concept, Mazda is bringing its new design language ever closer to reality, as we’re looking at a future CX-5 compact crossover aimed directly at Hyundai’s hot Tucson (ix35 in Europe). It’s a sleek, Shinari-influenced design that proves that the brand’s cleaner, classier design direction can impart any segment with an upscale vibe. In fact, with mild alterations to the grille, this could almost be the rumored Italian-built Alfa compact CUV. For a brand that wins as many accolades for its fun-to-drive performance as it does ridicule for its “deranged Pokemon” styling, this is clearly a good direction to be headed in.
My friend Ash Sutcliffe of China Car Times reports that Chrysler will be bringing the Dodge Caliber to China, for production at the Guangzhou Auto / Fiat joint venture. (Read More…)
I am in the process of helping one of my female friends purchase a new car. The problem is, she has no idea what she wants! This is a fairly urgent matter too, because she is currently driving a high mileage 2003 Buick Century, which has been overheating with alarming frequency. The repairs it needs do not make financial sense at this point.
Anyway, the price range that she is looking in is between $15,000 and $25,000 Canadian. Some cars we have already looked at new, are a 2011 Scion Tc, a 2011 Ford Fiesta SES, a 2011 Honda Civic SE, and a 2011 Mazda3 Sport GS. Some cars we have looked at used are a 2007 Ford Fusion SEL w/2.3L, a 2007 VW Jetta 2.5L with Lux pack, and I am trying to convince her to look at a 2007 Lexus IS250 AWD. (Canadian winters rule out anything rear wheel drive).
Porsche’s planned “Baby Boxster” has been a divisive issue for fans of the Zuffenhausen brand: on the one hand it holds the promise of a pure, low-cost entry to the Porsche driving experience; on the other, it’s a neo-914, a Volkswagen first. And with VW and Audi versions planned as well, what on earth would be the point of Porsche offering a third version of a mid-mounted, inline-four-powered roadster? Luckily that’s not a problem Porsche will have to worry about, as the firm’s R&D boss has confirmed to Autocar that
We have a four-cylinder boxer engine under development.
After a less than enthusiastic welcome, Nissan is pulling its Made in Japan Cube from the European market, less than a year after its introduction. Journalists loved the car. But customers hated its shape and high price. (Read More…)
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group, announced plans to bring the hecho en Mexico Fiat 500 to China. According to Gasgoo, Marchionne told reporters during the Detroit Auto Show that half of the 120,000 units built in the Toluca factory is destined for North America. The other half will be exported to China and Brazil. (Read More…)
The residents of six cities with a combined population of over 2.7 million voted last year to outlaw the use of automated ticketing machines on their streets. The photo enforcement industry is now working overtime to make up for lost ground by expanding operations into states where neither red light cameras nor speed cameras have been well received. Lobbyists are hopeful that Indiana could be the next state to reconsider.
Not many folks remember Mazda’s Chevette competitor, the rear-drive Mazda GLC. OK, it was more of a Toyota Starlet competitor, but there’s a certain Chevette-ness about its lines. I spotted this super-rare machine at a Denver self-service wrecking yard yesterday. (Read More…)
All Chinese drive bicycles, make that cheap QQs. No, all Chinese drive big Buicks, I mean, all Chinese are chauffeured around in A6s and Mercedes S-Class.
All wrong. So, what do Chinese really drive? (Read More…)
Sajeev raised an excellent point in today’s piece on the 1974 Ford pickup regarding visibility. Like a few of the regular TTAC readers, I was driving when low belt lines and great visibility were considered cool, as well as functional. As much as I love my four year old BMW 3-series, I find the visibility out the rear to be atrocious. And, compared to a mid-80’s 3-series or a 2002, it is downright dangerous. How much of this bloat and reduced glass area is due to ”safety standards” and how much is fashion?
Because TTAC’s readers include both consumers of automobiles and the workers who design and build our four-wheeled friends, this seems like the perfect topic to settle in one of our friendly community discussions. After all, the most interesting questions about modern automobiles tend to come down to the chicken-and-egg relationship between the manufacturer’s ability to cultivate needs and sell the solution to them, and “true” consumer demand (as witnessed by the fact that neither side of this divide sees itself in as being “in the driver’s seat”). Certainly the Camaro pictured above points to the stylistic benefits of a tiny greenhouse: surely a Zeta-platform vehicle doesn’t need to have so little glass to meet crash test standards. At the same time, it’s likely not a coincidence that dramatic improvements in safety have been accompanied by a tightening of greenhouses.
So, to the designers and engineers in the house we ask: how important is reducing the amount of glass in a vehicle improve safety test performance? To what extent does this issue drive design? And to the consumers we ask: are you really asking for ever-tightening greenhouses in the name of fashion? Can you identify a point at which introducing more glass to a design makes a car look dorky but creating a tighter greenhouse hurts usability (and possibly even active safety)?
We are in some preliminary discussions which we agreed to keep confidential so we will do that
But apparently not all the transplants are playing ball… both in terms of the discussions themselves as well as King’s commitment to confidentiality. Unfazed by King’s threats, Honda tells Bloomberg [via Kausfiles]
Honda has had no dialogue with the UAW and has no interest in a discussion with them. The issue of union representation is ultimately one for our associates to decide and, for more than three decades, Honda associates have spoken loudly and clearly by choosing to reject UAW outreach efforts.
In 2007 Jaguar started the most intensive make-over in the brand’s history with the redesigned XK. While the look was drop-dead gorgeous, the interior was more evolution than revolution when you consider the direction the XF and new XJ have taken. Now that the world has managed to catch its breath after the shock of […]
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