Daily Edition: Mar. 29, 2006

GM Axes Engineers in Latest Cuts

GM's "Black Tuesday" ended with the departure of several hundred salaried employees, most of them engineers, from the company's workforce across the country. GM says it axed fewer than 500 jobs at 30 of its outposts across the country in the latest round of cuts. The company plans to lay off seven percent of its white-collar employees this year. Last week, the company announced a major deal with the UAW to offer buyouts to more than 100,000 hourly employees at its manufacturing sites. GM also confirmed that its first-quarter market share for 2006 stood at 24 percent.

Dunne: Who's Afraid of the Chinese Wolf?

So much din comes out ofChina, it's tough to separate fact from fiction - or to distinguish the crucially important from the "so what?"

When China announced that vehicle exports had surpassed imports for the first time in 2005, the world wasn't sure whether to panic or yawn. Lazy exhales are safe for now. But do brace for some shocks by 2009.

Made-in-China vehicle exports grew 121 percent to 172,639 units in 2005. Within this total, passenger cars galloped to 31,124 units - up from 10,114 the year before. That is spectacular growth, to be sure. But it is expansion from a small base. In fact, exports accounted for less than three percent of China's total vehicle production. And the vast majority of those car and truck exports were shipped to poor countries.

Sixty percent of exports were light trucks produced by four Chinese state-owned companies - Dongfeng Motors, Jiangling Motors, the Jianghuai Automotive Company, and Foton, part of the Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation. If you have never heard of these truck companies, it's probably because you do not live in their primary overseas markets - Syria, Algeria, and Vietnam.

Dunne: Who's Afraid of the Chinese Wolf? (3/25/2006)
Make no mistakes - the Chinese are coming on four wheels.

TCC Drives: 2007 Cadillac Escalade

Ever since the first 'Slade hit the streets, back in 1999, this massive SUV has proven the product of choice among rappers and rock stars. And if the looks we got tooling around San Diego during Caddy's recent preview were any indication, the new '07 model is likely to maintain its image as the king of all bling.

To be honest, I never quite understood the appeal of the original Escalade. It was a quick fix, little more than bolting a Cadillac wreath-and-crest onto a GMC Yukon Denali, and didn't really come together. The second and third-generation models were progressively better. The new version is, without question, the best yet. Though it does suffer from a few notable flaws, the 2007 Escalade is arguably the best full-size domestic ute on the market.

2007 Cadillac Escalade (3/26/2006)
Bigger, better, and blingier.

WJR Auto Report: Getting Traction at GM

I recall a sci-fi show, when I was a kid, where an astronaut stood on the moon, half in sunlight, half in shadow, freezing and burning at the same time. That's likely the way GM Chairman Rick Wagoner feels these days. There's certainly been some good news for troubled General Motors, but it's consistently offset by the bad. Retail sales are up, for example, but overall sales - and market share - are down, again. A buyout for workers at Delphi generated some big headlines, but now it looks like the equally-troubled supplier is still pushing for a confrontation with its union workforce, and could face a strike at the end of the week. GM's newest models are getting great reviews, but not one is in the Top 10 list of the oft-quoted Consumer Reports magazine. Somehow, the automaker just can't gain the necessary traction, and that's a problem for Wagoner, who has an increasingly worried board, and its newest, activist member, Jerry York, heating things up. Right now, Wagoner might be thinking about a nice vacation. Perhaps some spot on the dark side of the moon? -TCC Team

BMW China Partner Brilliance Sets 2007 U.S. Rollout

The first Chinese-built car to go on sale in the U.S. could be the Brilliance M1 sedan, produced by Brilliance China Automotive, Ltd., and targeted for a North American rollout in 2007. Brilliance China is a joint-venture partner of BMW AG. Importer Jeff Suh, president of Global Holdings International, says he plans to bring in vehicles from Brilliance and two other Chinese automakers and is setting up charter dealerships in Las Vegas and Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Brilliance M1, says Suh, will be priced from 30 percent to 50 percent below comparable sedans, and "will have premium quality."  The M1 was to have gone on sale in Europe last fall, according to Ward's Automotive Reports, but was delayed by regulatory issues. Called the Zhangua in Asia, the Brilliance M1 will be taken on a nationwide tour starting this June in San Francisco, says Suh. Several U.S. distributorships have been selected, and dealerships will be established on a 1000-per-vehicle sales basis per year.

The other large Chinese automakers planning export launches in the U.S. are Chery Motors, whose U.S. importer will be promoter Malcolm Bricklin's Visionary Vehicles, LLC, and Geely Automobile Company, whose 7151 CK sedan debuted in January at the Detroit North American International Auto Show. The Chery and Geely launches in the U.S. are not scheduled until 2008. Global Holdings also plans to import cars from smaller producers Foton Auto and Boading Tianma Auto. -Mac Gordon

  

FROM THE SOURCE headlines from the latest press releases

PRNewswire

American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) has been revving its engines at record pace, and U.S. sales have never been stronger. Thanks to an inspired product lineup that includes the media-acclaimed 2006 Grand Vitara, ASMC sold more vehicles in 2005 than any other year in its history. Now the company sets its sights on the 2006 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) and the global debut of its next head-turning vehicle, the all-new 2007 Suzuki XL7 crossover SUV, which delivers expressive adaptability and redefines the midsize SUV. In addition to unveiling the XL7, Suzuki also will introduce to the North American market the all-new 2007 SX4, which delivers bold attitude and performance in a compact sport X-over with all-wheel drive (AWD). Both vehicles will be featured during Suzuki's 2006 NYIAS press conference on April 13, at 12:05 p.m., at the Suzuki display (#1215, Level 1) in the JacobJavitsConvention Center . With two new vehicle introductions scheduled for New York, rising sales and increases in its market share, ASMC is capturing consumers' attention.

Name	Symbol	Last	Change
Autobytel, Inc.	ABTL	4.72	+0.10 (+2.16%)
Autoliv Inc.	ALV	56.39	-0.21 (-0.37%)
AutoNation Inc.	AN	21.32	0.00 (0.00%)
ArvinMeritor Inc.	ARM	14.92	-0.28 (-1.84%)
American Axle & Mfr. Holdings Inc.	AXL	18.07	-0.33 (-1.79%)
Ballard Power Systems Inc.	BLDP	7.05	+0.04 (+0.57%)
BorgWarner Inc.	BWA	60.41	+0.08 (+0.13%)
Cummins Inc.	CMI	104.65	-1.38 (-1.30%)
Dana Corporation	DCN	0.66	0.00 (0.00%)
DaimlerChrysler AG (ADR)	DCX	55.47	-0.17 (-0.31%)
Dura Automotive Systems	DRRA	2.23	+0.06 (+2.76%)
Eaton Corporation	ETN	71.21	-0.05 (-0.07%)
Ford Motor Company	F	8.13	+0.07 (+0.87%)
General Motors Corporation	GM	22.75	-0.18 (-0.78%)
Gentex Corporation	GNTX	17.09	-0.22 (-1.27%)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber	GT	13.98	-0.03 (-0.21%)
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	HMC	31.09	-0.18 (-0.58%)
Johnson Controls Inc.	JCI	76.32	-0.58 (-0.75%)
Lear Corporation	LEA	16.95	-0.19 (-1.11%)
Magna International Inc.	MGA	74.41	-0.36 (-0.48%)
Motorola Inc.	MOT	21.94	-0.23 (-1.04%)
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	NSANY	23.71	-0.30 (-1.27%)
Sonic Automotive Inc.	SAH	27.72	-0.17 (-0.61%)
Siemens AG	SI	90.06	+0.27 (+0.30%)
Sirius Satellite Radio	SIRI	4.94	-0.07 (-1.40%)
Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR)	TM	107.52	-1.73 (-1.58%)
TRW Automotive Holdings	TRW	23.02	-0.30 (-1.29%)
Tower Automotive Inc.	TWRAQ.PK	0.105	-0.005 (-4.55%)
United Auto Group Inc.	UAG	42.70	-0.74 (-1.70%)
Visteon Corporation	VC	4.51	-0.17 (-3.63%)
XM Satellite Radio Hold.	XMSR	21.03	-0.15 (-0.71%)