auto industry – News Stories About auto industry - Page 35

Dec 4, 2007 6:30 PM CST

30K Americans Ordered... This?

Daimler's new fuel-savvy car in high demand before 2008 release

(Newser) - American orders for a new fuel-smart car are already swamping its German manufacturer, the AFP reports. Some 30,000 Americans have already put down $99 on Daimler's Smart Fortwo in anticipation of its January arrival—but some analysts say the tiny two-seater will end up parked in a country that...

Nov. Sales Languish for Big 3

Dec 4, 2007 8:35 AM CST

Nov. Sales Languish for Big 3

Ford and GM announce production cuts as US sales slump continues

(Newser) - Ford and GM will join Chrysler in cutting production in early 2008, reports the Wall Street Journal today, following sluggish November sales and anticipated weak demand driven by continued economic fallout. Only Ford saw a modest 0.6% improvement in US sales last month, while GM sales were down 11%...

Congress Set to Require 35mpg on US Autos

Dec 1, 2007 8:35 AM CST

Congress Set to Require 35mpg on US Autos

Lawmakers agree to measure upping mileage 40% by 2020

(Newser) - Lawmakers have hammered out a deal to force US automakers to improve fuel efficiency, the New York Times reports. The measure requires cars and SUVs to get 35mpg on average by 2020, an improvement of 40%. It is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law as part of...

VW Opens Russian Factory

Nov 29, 2007 5:51 PM CST

VW Opens Russian Factory

Auto maker may find stiff competition already there

(Newser) - Volkswagen is attempting to break in to the Russian auto market by opening a major factory in the town of Kaluga, 100 miles southwest of Moscow. They are not alone: Der Speigel reports that Volvo and Renault already produce cars there, and GM, Ford and BMW have all grabbed substantial...

Toyota Unveils Driving Simulator

Nov 26, 2007 1:34 PM CST

Toyota Unveils Driving Simulator

Huge dome rocks and rolls on rails

(Newser) - Toyota today unveiled its new driving simulator, a 7-meter-across dome with 360-degree imaging that mimics the experience of real driving by rocking on a rail. Toyota will use the simulator to test safety features without endangering drivers, see how tiredness and intoxication affect driving, and develop safety features for specific...

Motor City Going for Green

Nov 24, 2007 3:02 PM CST

Motor City Going for Green

Automakers blame environmental concerns for falling sales

(Newser) - Auto industry bigwigs at the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit this week seem finally to have gotten the message on cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles; one after another they cited going green (or at least greener) as the path to more competitive cars and trucks. GM honcho Robert Lutz admitted that...

Cadillac CTS Wins Car of Year

Nov 20, 2007 7:57 AM CST

Cadillac CTS Wins Car of Year

(Newser) - Cadillac's CTS won Motor Trend’s 2008 car of the year honors today, reports the AP. Editors said the $32,990 entry-level luxury sedan stood up to BMW and Mercedes, and proves Detroit can build a competitive sedan—despite years of focusing on SUVs and trucks. "The CTS obliterates...

Analysts See Steep Sales Slide for Big 3 in '08

Nov 19, 2007 7:49 AM CST

Analysts See Steep Sales Slide for Big 3 in '08

(Newser) - Automakers are predicting a mildly soft sales year for 2008, but analysts warn a “poverty effect” caused by an imploding housing market could send US light auto sales skidding as much as 9.4% to their worst year since 1993, Reuters reports. “I’m just not sure how...

Chrysler Plan Cuts Dealers, Overlapping Models

Nov 17, 2007 2:09 PM CST

Chrysler Plan Cuts Dealers, Overlapping Models

To return to profitability, car maker may restructure its vehicle and dealer lineup

(Newser) - Clued-in dealers say Chrysler is considering a restructuring plan to simplify its lineup: Chrysler dealers would sell all the company’s passenger cars, Jeep dealers would carry only Jeeps and SUVs, and Dodge dealers would handle commercial trucks and pickups. The reorganization would allow Chrysler to eliminate overlapping models and...

Hybrids Lag in Resale Value

Nov 14, 2007 5:10 PM CST

Hybrids Lag in Resale Value

Not one cracks the top 10; Volkswagen rules the roost

(Newser) - No hybrids cracked the top 10 in a new report on the projected resale value of vehicles, the LA Times reports. The Kelley Blue Book predictions have 3 models from Volkswagen and 2 from Honda, but none of the gas-saving newbies. Brand-new hybrids remain strong sellers, one analyst says, but...

Hybrid Trucks Get Stuck
in Neutral

Nov 12, 2007 4:50 PM CST

Hybrid Trucks Get Stuck in Neutral

Technology remains too expensive, leading to low demand, higher prices

(Newser) - Hybrid truck sales are sputtering because the technology is too expensive, and companies ordering vehicle fleets won’t pay extra for environmental benefits alone. But without bulk orders, economies of scale aren’t kicking in. One truck company president says government tax breaks or subsidies are needed to boost hybrid...

Big Industries Joust Over Energy Prices

Nov 8, 2007 2:18 PM CST

Big Industries Joust Over Energy Prices

Companies strive to suit their own ends in tug-of-war over green policies

(Newser) - US industries are at each other’s throats over energy policy as each sector tries to protect its own interests. A prime example came last year, when Dow Chemical's push for tougher automobile fuel-economy standards—which would help keep a lid on Dow's oil expenditures—ran afoul of automakers, who...

GM’s Wagoner Weathering
the Storm

Nov 8, 2007 9:31 AM CST

GM’s Wagoner Weathering the Storm

Despite $39B loss, he's earned respect, making progress

(Newser) - CEO heads are rolling on Wall Street as third quarter red ink stains their reps and boards act to soothe shareholder worries with new management, cost cutting, and reorganization. But it's business as usual in Detroit, where GM CEO Rick Wagoner just announced a staggering $39 billion loss, reports Business ...

$39B Charge Puts Brakes on GM's Earnings

Nov 7, 2007 7:23 AM CST

$39B Charge Puts Brakes on GM's Earnings

Automaker could post biggest loss ever, nearly $70 per share

(Newser) - In what’s likely to be the largest net loss in its history, GM today will announce earnings that include a $39 billion tax charge costing it nearly $70 per share. The charge rear-ends the automaker after a quarter that saw strong US sales and a positive labor pact with...

More UAW Locals Nix Chrysler Deal

Oct 24, 2007 8:10 AM CDT

More UAW Locals Nix Chrysler Deal

Four Indiana plants join six others in voting down proposed contract

(Newser) - UAW workers at four Chrysler plants in Indiana last night rejected the embattled contract negotiated by their leaders with the automaker, adding to the six defeats by rank-and-file voters over the weekend. Some smaller locals have approved the contract, says anti-contract organizer Bill Parker, but the larger ones are rejecting...

Court Overturns Volkswagen Law, Takeover Likely

Oct 23, 2007 8:31 AM CDT

Court Overturns Volkswagen Law, Takeover Likely

Porsche to exercise control in VW

(Newser) - The EU’s highest court today overturned a 47-year-old German law that protected Volkswagen AG from takeover, opening the door for a long-rumored Porsche coup. Porsche already owns 31% of VW, but the law capped their voting rights at 20%. With that impediment gone, “I see Porsche flexing its...

Chrysler Deal Faces More Rejections

Oct 21, 2007 11:02 PM CDT

Chrysler Deal Faces More Rejections

After 6 locals vote down proposed contract, UAW steps up lobbying

(Newser) - UAW members at three auto plants rejected the proposed pact between Chrysler and their union this weekend, bringing to six the number of locals who have voted down the deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a last-ditch effort to salvage the agreement, union leaders are focusing lobbying efforts...

In Europe, Cars Go the Way
of Cigarettes

Oct 20, 2007 9:31 AM CDT

In Europe, Cars Go the Way of Cigarettes

Auto advertising to carry warning labels about emissions

(Newser) - Carbon health warnings for cars are coming to Europe. Under a European Parliament plan expected to be approved this week, 20% of the space in print car advertising will have to be devoted to cigarette-style warnings about vehicles' carbon emissions and fuel efficiency. The most polluting vehicles will also face...

It's a Plane! It's a Car! It's ...

Oct 11, 2007 6:33 AM CDT

It's a Plane! It's a Car! It's ...

A Massachusetts company's breakthrough makes aero-auto hybrids a closer reality

(Newser) - A new vehicle suitable for both air and road travel could be available within two years, reports MIT's Technology Review. By recently producing the world's first automated folding wing, Massachusetts company Terrafugia, Inc. came a step closer to creating the Transition, a "light sport aircraft" that works on the...

Strike Over After Chrysler, UAW Reach Deal

Oct 10, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

Strike Over After Chrysler, UAW Reach Deal

Tentative contract, said to follow model set by GM pact, brings peace

(Newser) - Chrysler and the United Auto Workers reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract this afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reports, just hours after UAW members walked off the job at Chrysler plants. The agreement is said to follow the pattern set by last month's General Motors pact, which...