auto industry

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SUV, Pickup Sales Rebound as Price of Gas Drops

But big trucks are becoming scarce as automakers retool for fuel efficient models

(Newser) - Gas prices are down and the sales of SUVs and pickup trucks are accelerating, albeit only into second gear, reports the Wall Street Journal. As gas edges closer to $2, buyers are picking up bargains on the big gas guzzlers dealers couldn’t give away couple of months ago. And...

US to GM on Merger Aid: Hit the Road

Chrysler merger uncertain after $10B request is nixed

(Newser) - A possible merger between GM and Chrysler is now up in the air since the Treasury Department refused late last week to grant GM’s plea for $10 billion to help finance the deal. Treasury officials are trying instead to fast-track a $25 billion loan program to help automakers get...

6 Governors Push Feds for Quicker Auto Industry Relief

Tight credit hurts car sales: Granholm

(Newser) - Michigan’s Jennifer Granholm and five other US governors urged federal officials today to act quickly in delivering financial aid to the auto industry, the Detroit Free Press reports. In a letter, the governors of Delaware, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and South Dakota stress that the credit crisis has hurt...

Auto Bailout Is a Lemon for Taxpayers
Auto Bailout
Is a Lemon for Taxpayers
OPINION
Oct 29, 2008 11:35 AM CDT

Auto Bailout Is a Lemon for Taxpayers

Bankruptcy is just what Detroit needs to straighten itself out

(Newser) - Automakers just got a $25 billion loan from Uncle Sam, but now here GM and Chrysler are again, hat in hand, asking for another $10 billion to facilitate their merger. But the “deal is a lemon,” writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post. Yes, the economy would suffer...

Bankruptcy Looms if GM, Chrysler Don't Get Cash

Lack of progress on merger fuels worries of possible bankruptcies

(Newser) - GM and Chrysler are both on track to run out of cash before the end of 2009 if a merger or major government intervention doesn’t occur, analysts tell the Wall Street Journal. With credit markets choked and rapidly diminishing reserves, experts say bankruptcy, which would carry massive consequences for...

Top Cars We Should Scrap
 Top Cars We Should Scrap 
Oct 26, 2008 4:59 AM CDT

Top Cars We Should Scrap

Coming soon to a compactor near you

(Newser) - The possibility that one of Detroit's Big Three automakers is headed for the scrap heap left US News and World Report wondering which cars Americans could live without. Here are some top candidates:
  • Jeep Commander: This boxy model gets 16 mpg and it shows: sales are down 55%.
  • Dodge Durango:
...

Detroit's Woes Become a Drag for NASCAR

Tanking economy likely to hit NASCAR harder than most

(Newser) - The gloomy economic outlook is putting the brakes on sporting sponsorships everywhere and NASCAR is one of the hardest-hit, the Washington Post reports. Sponsorship cash makes up around 80% of the average racing team's budget, but long-standing partnerships with Detroit’s auto giants and other major backers are running out...

Congress' Big Auto Bailout Mired in Red Tape

Money coming later rather than sooner

(Newser) - Detroit's $25 billion loan is sitting in Washington, the Washington Post reports, and may take more than a year to distribute, despite the auto industry's increasing desperation for the cash. The Energy Department, which was tasked with doling out the money, says various legal and administrative requirements will drag the...

Chrysler Flirts With Nissan- Renault as GM Seeks Credit

Alliance would keep Detroit automaker intact, but expose Cerberus to more risk

(Newser) - Chrysler is considering joining Nissan-Renault, adding a North American arm to the Japanese-French auto alliance that could rescue Chrysler’s operations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Cerberus, Chrysler’s majority owner, prefers a merger with General Motors, but overlap with a Detroit competitor would likely eliminate half of Chrysler’s...

Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford
Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford
Oct 21, 2008 8:46 AM CDT

Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford

Biggest non-family stockowner begins dumping stake, looks to energy instead

(Newser) - Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, an old hand at investing in Detroit, began his Ford escape today, selling 7.3 million shares of common stock in the company at $2.43 per share, the Wall Street Journal reports. As recently as February Kerkorian was building his stake in the embattled automaker,...

Falling Gas Prices Could Put Electric Car Back in Neutral

Surge got automakers in gear, but economic downturn makes new projects tougher

(Newser) - Car companies are revving up work on alternative energy vehicles, responding to higher oil prices that, well, don’t actually exist just now. New cars take about 5 years to roll out, meaning the auto industry can’t nimbly react to price changes: Oil, which cost $130 a barrel just...

Credit Woes Stall GM's Effort to Buy Chrysler

A tight credit market is making it tougher for GM to scrape cash together for offer

(Newser) - A tight credit market and wary investors are slowing GM’s attempts to buy rival Chrysler, and experts say the companies may turn to the US government, arguing that a deal between the two is needed to save the US auto industry, reports the Wall Street Journal. But sources told...

GM-Chrysler Talks Pick Up Speed as Auto Sales Stall

GM, burning through $1B monthly, seeks a cash infusion, cost savings

(Newser) - Talks of a General Motors-Chrysler merger are on the fast-track, the Wall Street Journal reports, with lenders pushing for a deal to be completed as soon as the end of the month. Amid a historically dismal month for US auto sales, GM is scrambling to shore up a bleeding balance...

GM Calls for Help
 GM Calls for Help 
Oct 14, 2008 12:07 PM CDT

GM Calls for Help

Firm reiterates urge for government assistance

(Newser) - General Motors is not thinking of filing for bankruptcy, Reuters reports. Instead, an exec said, "There is a strong need for coordinated federal action" to weather the economic crisis as US auto sales slide. Filing for bankruptcy "would not benefit our customers, our dealers, or our employees,"...

GM/Chrysler Merger 'Too Horrible to Contemplate'

(Newser) - GM and Chrysler are indeed seriously discussing a merger, sources tell Tom Walsh of the Detroit Free Press, which just proves “how desperately some people want to exit the automobile business.” Both companies are already too big—put them together and they’d be “way, way, way”...

Ford CFO Says He'll Step Down
Ford CFO
Says He'll
Step Down
Oct 10, 2008 12:41 PM CDT

Ford CFO Says He'll Step Down

Longtime exec retires after grabbing timely loan ahead of crisis

(Newser) - Ford CFO Don Leclair will retire at the end of the month after 32 years with the company, the struggling automaker said today. Leclair has drawn praise for snagging $25 billion in loans for the company before the credit markets dried up, a move that may ensure Ford’s survival...

In Crisis, Wheels Coming Off for Detroit Automakers

Economic downturn bad news for cars

(Newser) - The situation in Detroit looked bleak before the current economic crisis; now, it looks apocalyptic, the Washington Post reports. As GM’s stock fell 31% yesterday. Adjust for inflation, and the company is worth far less now than it was after the 1929 crash. “It’s devastating,” said...

Toyota Weighs Spinning Off Prius Brand

Larger, smaller versions of popular hybrid would fill out lineup, exec says

(Newser) - Toyota may create a separate brand for the Prius, filling it out with new larger and smaller versions of the popular hybrid, the New York Times reports. Advocating for the creation of the brand is James Lentz, president of Toyota’s US sales, who argues that Prius is already a...

Ford Sales, Off 34%, Key Ugly US Autos Report

Nissan down 37%; Toyota sees 32% drop; GM fares better, but still 16% lower

(Newser) - As expected, early sales reports from automakers paint a dismal picture, MarketWatch reports. Ford reports a 34% drop in US sales in September compared to a year ago; Toyota’s were off 32% and General Motors’ fell 16%, AP adds. Industry-wide, sales are down almost 20% over this time in...

Bush OKs $25B for Car Giants

Money tabbed to help automakers in transition to fuel-efficient vehicles

(Newser) - President Bush today approved the $25 billion in low-interest loans aimed at helping US automakers in their transition to building more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reports. The industry long pushed for the package, estimating the total cost of the makeover at $100 billion. It’s now up the...

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