This whole Economic Downturn is starting to get on our nerves. The Detroit situation was bad enough, but now the crisis is affecting the Tokyo Motor show, and frankly, we don't know if we can take it. We'd share a sob or two with the organizers, if only we could afford to attend the October...Read More»
Okay, perhaps that headline is a little misleading. There isn't a showdown per se, but there has been an interesting development in the cash-for-clunkers saga. As you'll recall, there are currently two versions of cash-for-clunkers working in the House of Representatives: one submitted by Betty...Read More»
Recently, we mentioned that the cash-for-clunkers legislation everyone's been giddy about would soon become a reality--and we had every reason to believe it. At the time, the measure was included as part of a larger, more divisive package on energy reform, but legislators in both the House and the...Read More»
Good news from Washington, cash-for-clunkers fans: leaders in the U.S. House and Senate are hoping to fast-track legislation that would give new car buyers tidy cash rebates in exchange for trading in their older vehicles. Of course, they've been saying that for a while--but then, time moves slowly...Read More»
There's no denying that the world's a little crazy right now, and nowhere is this more visible than in the auto industry. Thanks to the global economic meltdown, car makers have been streamlining and downsizing, wheeling and dealing, with brands changing hands faster than bets at a Shanghai...Read More»
While we're waiting for the other brake shoe to drop at Chrysler, we're happy to report that Ford's picture seems far more rosy. The company's sales analysis and reporting manager, George Pipas, has said that Ford expects to see a slight improvement in sales during the second quarter of 2009. That...Read More»
This morning, Ford announced losses from the first quarter of FY2009. The bad news is, they suck. The good news is, they don't suck as badly as most people expected. It's kinda like walking into a movie theater and expecting Empire of the Ants, but only having to sit through Jaws 2...Read More»
A couple of days ago, we mentioned that Germany's "Cash for Clunkers" program was going gangbusters and that the U.K. and China were implementing variations of their own. We also said that the U.S. congress was considering similar options, and that we'd update you soon. Well, soon is now. Ohio...Read More»
Chrysler co-president Tom LaSorda hopped across the border to Canada yesterday. It was not a leisure trip. LaSorda paid a visit to the House of Commons in Ottawa, delivering some very grim news to those assembled. In a nutshell, he explained that Chrysler's sales in Canada are down by about 27%...Read More»
Well, there's always Michael Moore -- Fellow PBS fans, the Big Three meltdown has a nasty surprise in store: to cut back on expenses, GM will no longer fund the films of Ken Burns. We understand the rationale; we just wish M. Night Shyamalan's backers would make the same move. Like, yesterday...Read More»
We all know that facts and figures are useful tools--up to a point. For example, looking at consumer trends of the past would seem a good way to predict the way consumers will behave in the future, right? However, we also know that facts and figures can be used to justify a variety of things: wage...Read More»
Despite a 2008 that wreaked havoc on car sales, Rolls Royce enjoyed - get ready for this - a 20 percent increase in sales for the '08 model year. It would seem that those who can shell out sick six-figure sums for the gargantuan, opulent, and non-eco-friendly Phantoms and Drophead Coupes aren't...Read More»
It seems we spoke to soon in claming that GM would not ask for more than the $13.4 billion it's been granted in Federal assistance (from a recent post about Chrysler's request for an additional $3 billion). Today, GM COO Fritz Henderson "presented a worst-case scenario" to Congress, according to...Read More»
