GM Europe’s chief operating officer Fritz Henderson said that governments across Europe, including the British, should step in immediately with cash to prevent the loss of 300,000 jobs. Mr Henderson said GM Europe needed a £2.9 billion injection to stave off collapse and finance the separation of Vauxhall and Opel from the beleaguered parent company. GM Europe’s chief executive Carl-Peter Forster said the closure of Vauxhall’s plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port on Merseyside would have to be considered if there was no support forthcoming from the Government.
“The next step would be the complete closure. Obviously that’s what we try and avoid. But if we don’t get support from the Government we will have to close down.”
The Daily Mail reports on a warning by the UK’s Unite union to Chancellor Alastair Darling. The union told Darling that 100k jobs are at risk by the “imminent” closure of a car factory. “We made it absolutely clear that the prospect of a plant closure will have a devastating effect on UK manufacturing,” Unite’s Derek Simpson told the paper. “Immediate and effective intervention is required from the Government.” That would be a £13b bailout. Yes, yes. Who’s in danger of going belly-up, then? As, the Brits would say, that would be telling. Keep in mind, that the union boys are throwing around the 100k number in the same way that the infamous CAR study claimed 3m U.S. jobs would be lost if Detroit didn’t receive a federal bailout. You know, counting anyone even remotely affiliated with the car biz, like gas station attendants. Anyway, according to the Mirror, “All the major car manufacturers denied they are considering shutting down factories in Britain.” So I’m thinking . . . Vauxhall told its UK CEO to “send the boys ’round.”
Autocar reports that GM will import 100 left hand drive Camaros to the UK. All UK Camaros will come with GM’s 500bhp 422bhp 6.2 liter V8 and will list at 35k pounds sterling ($50k). But will anyone short of the Hamster (get it? He’s short!) actually buy one?
And yes, as with TTAC’s Ten Worst, Detroit gets it between the eyes. From the Aveo (“if Fiesta is the iPhone of ‘minis, Aveo is a pair of polystyrene cups and a shoelace”) to the Sebring (“so bad, even the man at Hertz will wince apologetically as he hands you the keys”), to the Jeep Compass (“winner of the Not Going Down Fighting Award). But thanks to the wild diversity of the UK market, there’s plenty more to chuckle about. Asian oddities like the Ssangyong Rodius (“like the result of a genetic experiment by a blind, fingerless, sadistic scientist”) and the walking dead Nanjing/SAIC/MG F roadster (“it costs £16.5k. A last-gen TF can be had for £4k. Do they think we’re stupid?”). And weird Euro models like the 2CV tribute Citroen C3 Pluriel Charleston, the Mercedes CLC and the practical-to-the-point-of-horror Fiat Qubo. Bloated plutcratmobiles like the BMW X6 and Maybach Landaulet arelauded for representing rude hand gestures to “the environment, poor people and practicality.” Check out Top Gear’s Foreman blog for the full treatment, served up with trademark British acid wit. Meanwhile, the “iPhone of ‘minis” has won What Car?’s Car Of The Year award. The UK car buyers guide calls Ford’s Fiesta “the most complete small car we’ve ever tested.”
Lotus has been developing the Kia Soul’s suspension for UK road conditions since 2008, lending even more appeal to Kia’s new hot box. “The result of our partnership with Lotus is a more composed ride which we think is much more suitable to what our roads can throw at Soul, and additionally, it is also a more exciting car to drive,” Paul Philpott of Kia UK tellsCarscoop. This is the first time Kia has tuned a car specifically for the UK market. It is, however, not the first time the US market been left out in the cold while others get the Lotus-fettled hotness. Perhaps our new president could do something about this?
When Ford unloaded Land Rover on India’s Tata Motors, commentators didn’t see a whole lot of future for the brand. Sure, Landies are known worldwide for bearing the white man’s burden in places where he was eventually kicked-out and replaced by ruthless, genocidal despots. But the western world’s new-found fascination with automotive CO2 levels (of all things) didn’t bode well for Britain’s stilt-borne barges. Even before the transfer, Land Rover has been busy appeasing [both] 4X4-loving tree huggers by hanging-out the greenwashing– paying for carbon credits, stocking the cafeteria with organic cauliflower cheese, that sort of thing. Under its new masters, the planet-friendly spin continues. A press release this morning reveals that Landie’s Gaydon training facility has been converted to Eden Project II.
Kia’s Soul has hit the shores of Britain, and early feedback from the last bastion of English-language automotive print journalism credibility is looking promising. The Soul faces stiff competition in Old Blighty, taking on a pallette of available small cars, wagons and CUVs that American buyers can only imagine. And with European expectations for small car quality as high as they are, if the Soul is going to fall flat the Brits would sure let us know ahead of time. Instead, the reviews seem to indicate that the Soul is no less brand-redefining than Hyundai’s Genesis.
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) is preparing to give police the authority to issue instant fines to motorists accused of making simple, careless mistakes while driving. Under the proposal, police would ticket the alleged crime at £60 (US $90), bypassing expensive court hearings for a majority of cases. The new on-the-spot penalty is designed to increase the number of annual convictions to 30,480, resulting in more than £1.8 million in additional revenue (US $2.7 million).
The extra fines are specifically targeted at drivers with a good record who may have been caught making a simple mistake. Under UK law, “careless driving” represents a non-specific, catch-all category of traffic crime as distinct from specific offenses such as driving while talking on a cell phone, neglecting to wear a seatbelt or speeding. The fixed penalty would apply to anyone “driving in a way that falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver.” Although this fine could be challenged in court, doing so risks the imposition of court costs of up to £2000 if the magistrate rejects the not guilty defense.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is – and soon was – an Anglo-German sports car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive. The standard version of the little critter would set you back just half a mil. If you want one, then better hurry: Production of the SLR will cease in June 2009.
Or, if you want an extra special SLR, and have a little more discretionary cash sitting around, wait until June 2009, because the SLR will go out with a bang. According to the London Telegraph, Mercedes and McLaren will celebrate the death of a legend with “an exclusive SLR inspired by British motor racing legend, Stirling Moss. Only 75 will be made, each costing €750,000 .” At today’s rate, that’s just a little bit over $1m. So for only twice the price you will get … not even a front window.
Oh dear. At one time, The Bentley GT Coupe was the UK footballer’s favourite. And it may still be, given that young men with a supernatural ability to play the beautiful game tend to spend orgiastically, ignoring such petty concerns as depreciation. But the fall-off in automotive values during these recessionary times is enough to give their accountant pause. UK auto industry experts HPI report that “the Bentley GT Coupe is depreciating at £500 ($753.37) more per week than it did 12 months ago. This means owners will lose over £67,000 ($100,874.89) in value, which is 56% of its £120,000 ($180,731.64) new price tag, in the first year. “Looking ahead, the huge rate of depreciation means the more affluent consumers will change they way they shop,” HPI’s Martin Keighley predicts. “Luxury models such as Ferrari and Porsche used to have bullet proof residuals, but with consumer confidence at an all time low these once secure purchase items will not seem so attractive. Buyers are going to be looking at how well a vehicle holds its value before splashing out, which doesn’t bode well for high end models.” Make the jump to see the UK’s worst depreciators.
Even Detroit’s fiercest defenders allow that The Big 2.8 should have thought a little further ahead than a single financial quarter– although they’re sure that Wall Street’s responsible for the shorter-termism. Hey! Anyone remember when Cerberus said they’d be better owners for Chrysler than anyone ’cause they didn’t have to report to Wall Street? You know: we’re quick! Less bureaucracy! More selling! Turn on a dime! Well, a dime’s about all they have left and former ToMoCo Prez Jim Press has dibs on that bad boy. Anyway… even though Toyota isn’t $30b in debt, the Japanese automaker is in full crisis mode. Yesterday, the Prius plant plotzed and they shit-canned executive bonuses. Today, we hear that the diesel engine project with Isuzu is DOA– minus the “OA.” You know that $1m ho’ down the Toyota used to throw for its dealers in Sin City? Gone. Seriously, talk all you want about misplaced Tundras, but these guys don’t dance this mess around. Just-auto {sub] reports that Toyota’s UK Managing Director reckons it could be as long as five years before the automaker’s biz recovers to last year’s level. “We have our forecasts for the next 24 months,” Miguel Fonseca revealed. “But it is very difficult to forecast further. After two years I think there will be a slow recovery, but my own belief is that it will be five years before we are back where we were.” And here’s something The Big 2.8 might have said, I dunno, ten years ago…
Yesterday, voters in the UK city of Manchester overwhelmingly rejected a congestion charging plan. Officials had spent millions promoting the scheme. And yet, with over one million votes counted, all ten boroughs said no to the plan– despite the promise of £2.8b ($4.2b) in mass transit spending from the central government upon approval. The final tally stood at 79 percent against and 21 percent in favor. Officials had hoped to have the complex congestion tax infrastructure in place by 2013 so that they could charge commuters an initial rate of £5 (US $7.50) to drive into Manchester city center during work hours. The average motorist would have paid an extra £1250 ($2500) per year, although once in place the rates would likely have increased.
Kia’s Soul has hit the shores of Britain, and early feedback from the last bastion of English-language automotive print journalism credibility is looking promising. The Soul faces stiff competition in Old Blighty, taking on a pallette of available small cars, wagons and CUVs that American buyers can only imagine. And with European expectations for small car quality as high as they are, if the Soul is going to fall flat the Brits would sure let us know ahead of time. Instead, the reviews seem to indicate that the Soul is no less brand-redefining than Hyundai’s Genesis.
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