New York Show Gets G6 GXP
The good Vibes are leaving
GM To Sell Isuzu Stake
GM and Isuzu are in discussions to figure out how the world's biggest
automaker can dispose of its stake in the Japanese truckmaker. GM says it wants
to sell its interest in Isuzu Motors Ltd., which now equals about 7.9 percent of
the Japanese company's shares. GM has approached two Japanese financial
institutions about taking on its share of the company, which has all but
disappeared from the
GM:
Turnaround Is Working (3/26/2006)
Company says new pricing plan, cuts
are righting the ship despite looming engineering cuts.
New Fuel-Econ Rules to Boost Truck Mileage
After months of evaluating new mileage proposals, the Department of Transportation has set higher fuel-economy levels for light trucks and SUVs beginning in 2008. The new rules will raise the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) for trucks from 21.6 mpg today to 24 mpg by 2011. By then the CAFE rules will also include SUVs weighing up to 10,000 pounds, which will add vehicles like the HUMMER H2 and the biggest Chevy Suburbans to the fuel-economy rules for the first time. The new rules could save up to 10.7 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the affected vehicles, and could cost up to $200 per vehicle in technology needed to boost fuel economy in those vehicles. Passenger cars will continue to be held to a 27.5-mpg fleet average.
Suzuki Brings XL7, SX4 to
Suzuki confirms that the new XL7 sport-ute is coming to April's
2006
New York Auto Show Preview (3/26/2006)
For the capital of the world,
some global introductions.
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 7 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.
GM Says Pricing Is Working
Despite an anticipated one-percent decline in its first-quarter market share, General Motors' marketing czar insists the automaker's "value pricing" strategy is working. Since last autumn, the troubled automaker has trimmed prices on the vast majority of its cars, crossover, and light trucks, while slashing back on its incentives. And the strategy is paying off, asserted GM Vice President Mark LaNeve, through rising retail sales, higher residuals, and increased awareness among buyers who might otherwise ignore the offerings from the General's eight North American brands. Even so, "there's a strong sense of urgency to show results," the executive admitted, and a lot of challenges yet to overcome. So is GM's gas tank half full or half empty?
Acura Bringing MDX Concept to

2007 Acura MDX concept
2006
New York Auto Show Preview by Marty Padgett (3/27/2006)
For the
capital of the world, some global introductions.
Chrysler Adds Long-Wheelbase 300

2007 Chrysler 300 Long Wheelbase
Ford Reviving Hurricane Engine?
The Detroit News reports that Ford's efforts to develop a rival
to Chrysler Group's HEMI engine could be revived. The so-called "Hurricane"
engine has been put back into development by Ford Americas president Mark Fields
as a means of keeping the company's F-Series truck atop its class. The Hurricane
project had been cut in Ford's massive budget slashing last year; the News
says the plan now recognizes the need to stay competitive with power
offerings not only from Chrysler, but now from
Could
Prospects for a new Cobo Hall, home to the
DaimlerChrysler Kills Four-Door Smart Forfour
In the latest chapter of DaimlerChrysler's expensive foray into microcars, the company will spend another $1.2 billion on its smart division to cancel production of the forfour four-door it developed with Mitsubishi Motors. If approved by Mitsubishi, the end of the forfour will turn smart into a one-car brand - and will end the division's autonomy entirely, as operations will be folded into the Mercedes brand. The brand could be profitable at that point, DC officials say, even with the launch of the updated smart fortwo in 2007. Smart stopped building its Roadster model last year.
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