auto industry

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Against the Odds, Maserati Sales Jump

12-MPG, $115K sports car sees 20% US growth so far in '08

(Newser) - Buoyed by wealthy, middle-aged men who can afford to defy high gas prices and a plummeting economy, sales of Maserati luxury cars are up in the US this year, Bloomberg reports. Common brands like Lexus and BMW have seen sales fall, but the very rich don't skimp when they see...

Toyota Will Make Prius in US
 Toyota Will Make Prius in US 
Jul 10, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

Toyota Will Make Prius in US

Swap at SUV plant shows how fast industry is adjusting to fuel costs, demand

(Newser) - Toyota plans to start producing its super-popular Prius hybrid in the US, Wired reports. With inventories overwhelmed by demand, the firm will move production lines to a Mississippi plant intended to produce SUVs. The factory won’t make its first Prius until 2010, but with no sign of abating gas...

Pensions, Benefits Have GM Stalled
Pensions, Benefits Have GM Stalled
OPINION
Jul 10, 2008 9:28 AM CDT

Pensions, Benefits Have GM Stalled

Automaker hamstrung by 1950s promises to unions—maybe fatally

(Newser) - General Motors is suffering as oil prices surge and consumer spending wanes, Roger Lowenstein writes in the New York Times. But the biggest, and perhaps fatal, culprit of its recent troubles—with stock prices near a 50-year low—are the generous health care and pension benefits it agreed to lavish...

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma
 Fiat 500:
 Mini Package,
 Max Charisma 
PRODUCT REVIEW
Jul 9, 2008 11:59 AM CDT

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma

A sexy and economical European delight that's fun to drive and cheap to operate

(Newser) - Add adorable to 40-plus miles per gallon and you get the Fiat 500, an Italian compact that, despite taking a while to go from 0 to 60, brings a new sweetness to the term eye candy, Dan Neil writes in the Los Angeles Times: "It's fun to look at,...

GM May Cut More Jobs, Brands
 GM May Cut More
 Jobs, Brands 
Jul 7, 2008 9:01 AM CDT

GM May Cut More Jobs, Brands

Only Cadillac, Chevy deemed safe as automaker struggles to return to profitability

(Newser) - GM is considering slashing thousands of white collar jobs, while simultaneously selling off or discontinuing even more brands, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a furious attempt to return to profitability. For years GM has resisted shrinking its large stable of brands, even as rivals Ford and Chrysler committed to...

Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota
 Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota 
Jul 2, 2008 4:53 PM CDT

Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota

11.5% June drop in US sales blamed on low inventory of popular small models

(Newser) - Popularity is proving quite the pickle for Toyota: Dwindling supplies of hot sellers like its hybrid Prius fueled the 11.5% drop in US sales last month, Reuters reports. With a waiting list 6 months long, Prius sales fell 26%—even as rival Honda bumped its sales 13.8% thanks...

Volt Could Spark GM Bailout
 Volt Could Spark GM Bailout 
OPINION
Jul 2, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

Volt Could Spark GM Bailout

Electric car may be speedy route to green image—and help

(Newser) - GM is about as likely to turn a profit with the Chevy Volt as the Edsel is to make a comeback, Holman W. Jenkins Jr. writes in the Wall Street Journal. But the ailing automaker may be aiming to improve its image rather than sell cars. With the automaker's image...

What's Hot? Some Guzzlers Among the Sippers

Sales of hulking vehicles held up by rich, families

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices have predictably driven sales of gas-sipping vehicles such as Honda’s Fit and Toyota’s Scion xB, which have seen increases of 64% and 59% respectively, reports the Wall Street Journal. But guzzlers such as Toyota's Sequoia and Tundra are also selling surprisingly well (29% and 8....

White House Ignored EPA Pollutants Email

Bush & Co. refused to open report mandated by Supreme Court

(Newser) - The White House didn’t like the findings in a Supreme Court-mandated report on pollutants from the EPA—so it simply refused to open the email, the New York Times reports. Instead, the administration has successfully pressured the agency into releasing a watered-down, recommendation-free report. Among the omitted sections: analysis...

Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi on 2009 Models
Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi
on 2009 Models
Jun 25, 2008 8:30 AM CDT

Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi on 2009 Models

The struggling automaker will have wireless Internet options available

(Newser) - Struggling automaker Chrysler—the weakest of Detroit’s Big Three—is looking to the information highway to gain an advantage. To the dismay of some highway safety experts, the automaker will offer wireless Internet access as an option in all of its 2009 models, the Los Angeles Times reports.

GM, After 16% Sales Dive, Eases Finance Options

No-interest loans, for up to 6 years, on models including pickups and SUVs

(Newser) - General Motors is offering no-interest financing for up to 6 years on a selection of its 2008 automobiles in an effort to boost US sales, which plummeted 16% in May, Bloomberg reports. Soaring gas prices have hurt sales across the board, and falling trade-in values and general tightening of purse-strings...

Plunging Truck Sales Drive Ford Deeper Into the Red

Shift away from large vehicles means a rocky road ahead for Detroit's Big 3

(Newser) - Ford's recovery plans have been sent careening off the road by the continuing drop in truck and SUV sales, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company, which now expects this year's losses to top 2007's $2.7 billion, has given up hope of being back in the black by 2009....

High Gas Prices Are Good for Detroit
 High Gas Prices
 Are Good for Detroit 
ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2008 12:25 PM CDT

High Gas Prices Are Good for Detroit

Demand rising for electric alternatives, so makers, legislators must seize moment

(Newser) - Sky-high gas prices are finally pushing top US auto-makers to turn out fuel-efficient vehicles, and both Detroit and Washington should keep the pedal down to make a permanent change in how, and what, Americans drive, the US top car salesman tells the Wall Street Journal. "You have to tell...

RIP Hummer: Symbol of Eco-Defiance Is a Goner

Villified car will be tough for GM to unload

(Newser) - General Motors announced yesterday that it was considering selling the Hummer brand, which begs the question: To whom? Who exactly wants the most reviled division in automotive history, asks Frank Aherns of the Washington Post. With gas at $4 a gallon and counting, no one’s really interested in SUVs...

Obama Makes Nice With 'Sweetie' Reporter

Back in Michigan, Dem apologizes again, answers her original question

(Newser) - Barack Obama again did penance for calling a Michigan TV reporter “sweetie,” giving an eight-minute interview yesterday to Peggy Agar, three weeks after causing an uproar by using that term of endearment in brushing off a question she asked. At the time, the candidate apologized for his “...

GM to Close 4 Truck/SUV Plants, Reassess Hummer

Public taste turns away from big cars

(Newser) - GM will close four of its North American truck and SUV factories, the company announced today, as the public interest in gas-guzzlers wanes. The Hummer brand is also under “strategic review,” with all options on the table, "from a complete revamp of the product lineup to a...

Sales of Hybrid SUVs Stuck in Neutral
Sales of Hybrid SUVs
Stuck in Neutral
May 31, 2008 11:15 AM CDT

Sales of Hybrid SUVs Stuck in Neutral

New truck-based models save gas, but they're still costly

(Newser) - As sales drop for traditional SUVs, GM and Chrysler have high hopes for hybrid versions of their popular truck-based vehicles—but sales thus far haven’t been impressive, the New York Times reports. GM has sold 1,100 of its Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids—pacing far behind the...

Norwegian Electric Car Will Cruise US Streets

Vehicle can log up to 110 miles on single charge

(Newser) - An electric car that can travel up to 110 miles when fully charged will hit select US cities next year, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Think City, from Norwegian automaker Think Global AS, is already on the road in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and will set American consumers back...

Used Hybrid Market Soars
Used Hybrid Market Soars
May 28, 2008 10:22 AM CDT

Used Hybrid Market Soars

But buyers beware pricey replacement batteries in aging green cars

(Newser) - The rising price of gasoline has heated up the used hybrid market, leading Newsweek writer Keith Naughton to wonder about the staying-power of the pricey battery the part-electric cars run on. Initial fears that Prius batteries would die well before the expected life of the car have proven unfounded, and...

$4 a Gallon? Keep It Coming!
 $4 a Gallon?
 Keep It Coming! 
OPINION
May 28, 2008 5:05 AM CDT

$4 a Gallon? Keep It Coming!

High prices are finally forcing Americans to fuel-efficient cars: Friedman

(Newser) - The ideal presidential candidate wouldn’t pledge to cut gas prices—but would promise instead never to let them fall below $4 a gallon, writes Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times. The high prices are finally forcing America to use fuel-efficient cars—and that’s crucial for the...

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