Auto briefs

Grammys to use Chevrolet ‘green’ cars

Chevrolet, on a mission to create a green image for itself, will deliver dozens of stars to next month’s Grammy awards in hybrid and ethanol-ready SUVs as part of a major marketing deal with the show. Presenters, performers and other celebrities will arrive at the Feb. 10 event in Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. The trucks will feature special Grammy badging and will either be battery-electric hybrids or capable of running on E85 ethanol. The Chevrolet Volt plug-in concept — General Motors Corp.’s attempt at creating a battery powered car — also will make an entrance on the red carpet. GM is trying to position its mainstream Chevy brand as an eco-friendly lineup for increasingly fuel-conscious consumers. The award show will provide it exposure, something that helped propel Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius hybrid, from something that was seen as a quirky niche car, into a mainstream hit. In 2003, a handful of celebrities were delivered to the Academy Awards in Priuses.

Ross: Supplier liquidation in 2008

Some auto-parts companies may be forced out of business as auto sales fall in 2008, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross said. "I believe that the result will be the liquidation of one or more of the large, walking-wounded suppliers and that plant closures will finally reduce the excess capacity," Ross said in a speech in Detroit. Ross didn’t name a supplier. He said U.S. sales of cars and light trucks may fall as much as "three-quarters of a million" vehicles this year. Such sales fell by 407,612 vehicles to 16.1 million in 2007. Ross, through his International Automotive Components Group North America LLC , has been accumulating holdings in the auto-parts sector, including purchasing units from Collins

Auto retailers stock rises after rate cut

AutoNation Inc. CarMax Inc . and Group 1 Automotive Inc ., the three largest publicly traded auto retailers, rose in New York trading after the Federal Reserve’s emergency interest-rate cut Tuesday. General Motors Corp. expects the Fed’s move and an economic stimulus package to boost sales. AutoNation, the biggest of the three retailers, rose 6.6 percent in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Richmond, Va.-based CarMax surged 7.3 percent, and Group 1, based in Houston, rose 4.7 percent. The rate cut is "going to provide a greater sense of consumer confidence," Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president for North American sales told reporters at the Washington D.C. Auto Show.

UAE to test 10 of GM’s hybrid vehicles

Dubai will be first in the Middle East to test General Motors Corp.’s "green" cars, as the United Arab Emirates seeks to cast off its reputation as the world’s biggest polluter. "We will bring 10 hybrid cars to be tested by Dubai police and taxis next month," Mary Beth Stanek, director of environment, energy and safety policy at General Motors, told Bloomberg News in Abu Dhabi Tuesday. The U.A.E. emits more pollution per head than any other country, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s "Living Planet" report of 2006.

GM has 19 percent sales gain in region

General Motors Corp ., defending its title as the world’s largest automaker, posted a 19 percent sales gain in its Latin America, Africa and Middle East region last year. The Detroit-based automaker announced sales totals for the region on Tuesday.

Continental AG to cut administrators

DETROIT — Job cuts at Continental AG will be concentrated in the ranks of executives and administrative personnel, said William Kozyra, president and CEO of the German auto supplier’s Auburn Hills-based North American operations. Engineers’ jobs will largely be safe, he said Tuesday at the Automotive News World Congress. The company is looking to pare its Michigan work force of 1,750 following Continental’s acquisition of Siemens VDO last year. In his speech Tuesday, Kozyra said in some cases the combined company has two people for one position. In an interview afterward, he said that such redundancies are mainly limited to management roles in areas where Continental and VDO had produced the same components.

Toyota extends its liftgate warranties

TORRANCE, Calif. — Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A ., Toyota Motor Corp .’s U.S. sales arm, is extending warranty coverage on rear liftgate struts on some 585,000 Siennas from the model years 2004 through 2006. Toyota said it had received reports in recent months of deterioration in the struts that could make it harder to open the rear liftgates or keep them from staying open. Rear liftgate struts are generally covered by Toyota for 3 years or 36,000 miles, but the warranty on these vehicles is extended to six years with no mileage limitations. Owners will be notified starting next month.

Car sales grow 23 percent in Romania

Romanian new-car sales surged 23 percent last year as higher wages and a lending boom gave consumers more money. Car sales advanced to 315,621 vehicles from 256,364 a year earlier, the Bucharest-based Association of Automobile Producers & Importers said. Private debt in Romania rose an annual 55 percent in November amid lower interest rates and as rising wages increased borrowing power. Net monthly wages increased an annual 23.5 percent in November as unemployment hovered near a 15-year low.