auto industry – News Stories About auto industry - Page 31

Jul 24, 2008 9:51 AM CDT

NASCAR Fans Sneer at Toyota

Japanese automaker's success comes as American firms are in slump

(Newser) - In an effort to curry favor with millions of American NASCAR fans, Toyota joined the league’s top circuit 2 years ago, but fans aren’t warming to the Japanese automaker, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many fans felt betrayed last year when champion racer Kyle Busch traded in his...

Ford Posts $8.7B Loss,
Will Make Fewer Trucks

Earnings

Jul 24, 2008 9:08 AM CDT

Ford Posts $8.7B Loss, Will Make Fewer Trucks

Writedowns lead to ugly quarter

(Newser) - Ford Motor Co. lost $8.67 billion in the second quarter and will retool two more North American truck and SUV plants to build small, fuel-efficient vehicles, the company announced today. The net loss includes $8.03 billion in writedowns due to a decline in the value of its truck...

Shopping in US Looks Like the 1970s: Analyst

Jul 20, 2008 8:01 PM CDT

Shopping in US Looks Like the 1970s: Analyst

Automotive industry, discounters predict permanent shift

(Newser) - Retailers and marketers are closely watching American shopping trends, knowing that recession habits can linger for years, the AP reports. Studies show that 63% of Americans have cut down spending by coupon-cutting, biking to work, and buying store brands. They're also buying smaller cars and shopping at discounters. "We...

McCain Flips
on Emissions Standards

Jul 18, 2008 3:37 PM CDT

McCain Flips on Emissions Standards

After favoring a national norm, candidate says states should decide

(Newser) - John McCain seemed to flip-flop on auto-emissions standards today, telling a group of General Motors engineers he supported states’ rights to set their own levels, the Detroit News reports. McCain told the newspaper last month he supported a nationwide standard. Automakers support a national standard because they fear the expense...

Smart Car Scores Big on Cute

Jul 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT

Smart Car Scores Big on Cute

Tiny rides now trendy, even for big car people

(Newser) - Mercedes’ Smart cars are selling brilliantly—the US waiting list is 30,000 long—and the tiny two-seater's performance at the gas pump isn't the whole story. Yes, they’re the most fuel-efficient non-hybrids around, but only barely—some Hondas and Toyotas almost match their 33mpg. There's also the cute...

Drivers Order Big Extras for Small Cars

Jul 17, 2008 2:12 AM CDT

Drivers Order Big Extras for Small Cars

Downsizing buyers want jumbo comforts in smaller vehicles

(Newser) - American drivers are ditching their SUVs for smaller vehicles in droves—but they're cramming in all the extra comforts they can, reports the New York Times. Buyers are spending thousands on bonus features such as heated leather seats and top entertainment systems. The trend gives a rare glimmer of hope...

Eyeing US Market,
VW Plans Tenn. Plant

Jul 16, 2008 8:42 AM CDT

Eyeing US Market, VW Plans Tenn. Plant

Company hopes Chattanooga factory will improve market share

(Newser) - Volkswagen will invest around $1.6 billion to build a factory in the US—20 years after the closure of its last plant, Der Spiegel reports. VW hopes to have the plant, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., running by 2011, and operating at a rate of 150,000 cars per year....

GM Will Cut Salaried Jobs, Benefits to Survive Slump

Jul 15, 2008 9:42 AM CDT

GM Will Cut Salaried Jobs, Benefits to Survive Slump

Company aims to cut costs to boost liquidity, cope with lower sales

(Newser) - General Motors will cut salaried jobs, accelerate factory closings, and eliminate health care coverage for many salaried retirees in order to raise $15 billion to survive the industry's deep downturn, the Wall Street Journal reports. GM will also suspend dividends, sell some assets, lower capital spending, and cut production of...

GM to Announce New Round
of Major Cuts

Jul 15, 2008 2:37 AM CDT

GM to Announce New Round of Major Cuts

$4 gas threatens workforce, car and truck production

(Newser) - General Motors is expected to announce another big round of cost-cutting measures today, Bloomberg reports. Insiders say the ailing automaker, hit hard as consumers leave gas-guzzlers standing in car lots, is likely to slash thousands of jobs and reduce production of trucks and SUVs for the second time in two...

Keep the Hummer:
Save America's Soul

OPINION

Jul 12, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

Keep the Hummer: Save America's Soul

Yes, it's obnoxious; that's why we need it

(Newser) - Sure, the Hummer is more of a "cartoon" than a vehicle, a ridiculously over-the-top gas-guzzling monstrosity. But the unbridled optimism it takes to manufacture it—and to fill up the tank—is what makes it uniquely American, writes Matthew DeBord in the Washington Post. If GM axes it, or,...

Against the Odds, Maserati Sales Jump

Jul 10, 2008 5:40 PM CDT

Against the Odds, Maserati Sales Jump

12-MPG, $115K sports car sees 20% US growth so far in '08

(Newser) - Buoyed by wealthy, middle-aged men who can afford to defy high gas prices and a plummeting economy, sales of Maserati luxury cars are up in the US this year, Bloomberg reports. Common brands like Lexus and BMW have seen sales fall, but the very rich don't skimp when they see...

Toyota Will Make Prius in US

Jul 10, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

Toyota Will Make Prius in US

Swap at SUV plant shows how fast industry is adjusting to fuel costs, demand

(Newser) - Toyota plans to start producing its super-popular Prius hybrid in the US, Wired reports. With inventories overwhelmed by demand, the firm will move production lines to a Mississippi plant intended to produce SUVs. The factory won’t make its first Prius until 2010, but with no sign of abating gas...

Pensions, Benefits Have GM Stalled

OPINION

Jul 10, 2008 9:28 AM CDT

Pensions, Benefits Have GM Stalled

Automaker hamstrung by 1950s promises to unions—maybe fatally

(Newser) - General Motors is suffering as oil prices surge and consumer spending wanes, Roger Lowenstein writes in the New York Times. But the biggest, and perhaps fatal, culprit of its recent troubles—with stock prices near a 50-year low—are the generous health care and pension benefits it agreed to lavish...

Fiat 500:
Mini Package,
Max Charisma

PRODUCT REVIEW

Jul 9, 2008 11:59 AM CDT

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma

A sexy and economical European delight that's fun to drive and cheap to operate

(Newser) - Add adorable to 40-plus miles per gallon and you get the Fiat 500, an Italian compact that, despite taking a while to go from 0 to 60, brings a new sweetness to the term eye candy, Dan Neil writes in the Los Angeles Times: "It's fun to look at,...

GM May Cut More
Jobs, Brands

Jul 7, 2008 9:01 AM CDT

GM May Cut More Jobs, Brands

Only Cadillac, Chevy deemed safe as automaker struggles to return to profitability

(Newser) - GM is considering slashing thousands of white collar jobs, while simultaneously selling off or discontinuing even more brands, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a furious attempt to return to profitability. For years GM has resisted shrinking its large stable of brands, even as rivals Ford and Chrysler committed to...

Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota

Jul 2, 2008 4:53 PM CDT

Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota

11.5% June drop in US sales blamed on low inventory of popular small models

(Newser) - Popularity is proving quite the pickle for Toyota: Dwindling supplies of hot sellers like its hybrid Prius fueled the 11.5% drop in US sales last month, Reuters reports. With a waiting list 6 months long, Prius sales fell 26%—even as rival Honda bumped its sales 13.8% thanks...

Volt Could Spark GM Bailout

OPINION

Jul 2, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

Volt Could Spark GM Bailout

Electric car may be speedy route to green image—and help

(Newser) - GM is about as likely to turn a profit with the Chevy Volt as the Edsel is to make a comeback, Holman W. Jenkins Jr. writes in the Wall Street Journal. But the ailing automaker may be aiming to improve its image rather than sell cars. With the automaker's image...

What's Hot? Some Guzzlers
Among the Sippers

Jun 25, 2008 10:03 AM CDT

What's Hot? Some Guzzlers Among the Sippers

Sales of hulking vehicles held up by rich, families

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices have predictably driven sales of gas-sipping vehicles such as Honda’s Fit and Toyota’s Scion xB, which have seen increases of 64% and 59% respectively, reports the Wall Street Journal. But guzzlers such as Toyota's Sequoia and Tundra are also selling surprisingly well (29% and 8....

White House Ignored EPA Pollutants Email

Jun 25, 2008 9:34 AM CDT

White House Ignored EPA Pollutants Email

Bush & Co. refused to open report mandated by Supreme Court

(Newser) - The White House didn’t like the findings in a Supreme Court-mandated report on pollutants from the EPA—so it simply refused to open the email, the New York Times reports. Instead, the administration has successfully pressured the agency into releasing a watered-down, recommendation-free report. Among the omitted sections: analysis...

Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi
on 2009 Models

Jun 25, 2008 8:30 AM CDT

Chrysler Plans Wi-Fi on 2009 Models

The struggling automaker will have wireless Internet options available

(Newser) - Struggling automaker Chrysler—the weakest of Detroit’s Big Three—is looking to the information highway to gain an advantage. To the dismay of some highway safety experts, the automaker will offer wireless Internet access as an option in all of its 2009 models, the Los Angeles Times reports.