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Nissan Plans

2007 Nissan Altima
Scion's tC Release Series 2.0 Coming to N.Y., Too
Scion's latest Release Series 2.0 will show off its goods at the New York show, too - but this time the special edition is based on the brand's two-door tC coupe. On sale in mid-April, the tC 2.0 gets Blue Blitz paint, 17-inch wheels, side and curtain airbags, and a new stainless-steel grille. A Pioneer sound system is outfitted, too, and comes with three months of standard XM service, along with an iPod jack. Scion says only 2600 copies will be built, to be sold for $18,260 each.
Sweeping Buyout Planned at GM
The United Auto Workers has reached agreements with Delphi Corp. and General Motors Corp. on a restructuring plan that will speed up the retirement or transfer of more than 100,000 blue-collar workers from both companies.
GM officials also said the
agreement will include a combination of early-retirement incentives and other
considerations to help reduce employment levels at both GM and
"When we announced the capacity rationalization and employment reduction plan late last year, we said we'd be working with UAW leadership to develop an accelerated attrition program that would help us achieve needed cost reductions as rapidly as possible, while at the same time responding to the needs of our employees," said GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner.
"We are pleased that this
agreement will help fulfill that important objective. In addition, the agreement
will enhance the prospects for GM, the UAW, and Delphi to reach a broad-based
consensual resolution of the
The program will be offered to all
GM hourly employees, but overall acceptance rates will depend on individual
employee decisions. The program also permits the flow of UAW-represented
"We remain focused on the
transformation of
The agreement is subject to
approval by the Bankruptcy Judge overseeing
In a key portion of the
agreement, GM said it will provide substantial financial support under the
proposed plan, which is subject to bankruptcy court approval. GM also
agreed to take back 5000 workers as part of the agreement, which capped off more
than a week of intensive negotiations between GM,
GM has pledged to assume the
financial obligations related to the lump-sum payments to be made to eligible
Delphi
The proposed plan for eligible
BMW Opens New Northern Test Facility
BMW
has opened a new test facility in
The
69-acre facility includes a 0.46-mile track, a 0.41-mile long area for
testing-driving dynamics, heated and cooled tarmac tracks, a hill with slopes
between 10 and 25 percent, and tracks for driving and braking on different types
of roads. Close to the BMW facility, the test-drivers can drive on the prepared
ice "rink" of the frozen
One of the systems to be further tested up north will be BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. In 2005 BMW applied it to 25 percent of all BMWs sold worldwide. This means that BMW sells more AWD vehicles than any other premium brand. This year, BMW will not only offer the X5 and X4 with xDrive, but also the Touring versions of the 5- and 3-Series. In 2008 BMW plans an entirely new model with a coupe-like design, higher seating position, and the xDrive system.
Since the introduction of the 325ix in 1985, around one million BMWs with AWD have been sold, of which more than 500,000 with xDrive. -Henny Hemmes
Group 1 Rises to
Group 1 Automotive, a
95-dealership publicly-owned network based in
The 100 top-volume dealers posted an increase of only 0.6 percent in their new-vehicle sales last year. AutoNation, Inc., the nation's largest dealer, posted a 4.6 percent decline in new-unit sales, to 391,698 from 269 dealerships. UnitedAuto Group, which rose 0.1 percent to 178,157 units, is in the runner-up spot. Third-place Sonic Automotive increased 2.6 percent, to 143,757 sales. The six publicly-owned dealership groups, also including sixth-place Asbury Automotive and eighth-place Lithia Motors, sold slightly more than one million new vehicles last year, or 39.7 percent of sales of the entire top-100 roster.
In line with a dealership growth
trend at most mega auto retail collections, Group 1 bought six domestic
franchises and a BMW store in 2005. UnitedAuto announced an agreement Tuesday to
purchase the Motorwerks BMW/MINI dealership in
High Definition Growing as OEM, Aftermarket Installation
The enhanced High Definition (HD)
radio system, pioneered already on BMW's 6-Series and 5-Series luxury cars as a
factory-installed accessory, is growing rapidly and will be offered as an OEM
feature by eight automakers in the near future, says Bob Struble, president and
CEO of iBiquity Digital Corp., the HD technology inventor. Addressing the
Automotive Press Assn. in
"Customers with the first HD radio setups really enjoy the benefits of having static-free and sound-enhanced reception," Struble said. "HD provides CD quality on FM stations and FM quality on AM stations. BMW charges $499 for the HD radio option, but we're looking at lower prices as more automakers and stations get on board and an aftermarket HD addition to existing auto radios priced south of $200 rolls out."
Struble said that dealer or
independent garage installation of HD radios could start as early as this fall.
Buyers of the new system can access either or both of the two satellite radio
services, he said. The company can be reached at www.ibiquity.com. -

FROM THE SOURCE headlines from the latest press releases
Chrysler Group today announced new appointments at five of its powertrain and vehicle assembly plants. "The mission of the entire Manufacturing team is to build quality Chrysler, Jeep(R), and Dodge vehicles safely and efficiently," said Frank Ewasyshyn, Executive Vice President - Manufacturing, Chrysler Group. "Each of these executives has demonstrated the experience and expertise needed to help us do that and I congratulate them on their new appointments."


Name | Symbol | Last | Change |
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Autobytel, Inc. | ABTL | 4.55 | |
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Autoliv Inc. | ALV | 57.25 | |
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AutoNation Inc. | AN | 21.80 | |
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ArvinMeritor Inc. | ARM | 15.40 | |
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American Axle & Mfr. Holdings Inc. | AXL | 18.04 | |
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Ballard Power Systems Inc. | BLDP | 6.39 | |
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BorgWarner Inc. | BWA | 60.20 | |
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Cummins Inc. | CMI | 107.00 | |
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Dana Corporation | DCN | 0.66 | |
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DaimlerChrysler AG (ADR) | DCX | 56.86 | |
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Dura Automotive Systems | DRRA | 2.3445 | |
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Eaton Corporation | ETN | 71.83 | |
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Ford Motor Company | F | 8.15 | |
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General Motors Corporation | GM | 22.01 | |
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Gentex Corporation | GNTX | 17.51 | |
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Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | 13.75 | |
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Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR) | HMC | 30.58 | |
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Johnson Controls Inc. | JCI | 77.44 | |
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Lear Corporation | LEA | 18.10 | |
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Magna International Inc. | MGA | 75.40 | |
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Motorola Inc. | MOT | 21.81 | |
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Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR) | NSANY | 23.61 | |
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Sonic Automotive Inc. | SAH | 28.39 | |
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Siemens AG | SI | 91.65 | |
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Sirius Satellite Radio | SIRI | 4.86 | |
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Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) | TM | 108.97 | |
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TRW Automotive Holdings | TRW | 24.10 | |
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Tower Automotive Inc. | TWRAQ.PK | 0.12 | |
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United Auto Group Inc. | UAG | 44.89 | |
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Visteon Corporation | VC | 4.59 | |
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XM Satellite Radio Hold. | XMSR | 21.12 |
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