Saturday, August 30, 2008
A century of General Motors
Legendary execs: 7 notable presidents who helped shape GM
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. was once the largest company in the world, and it has been led by men who were often larger than life themselves. Some of the names are legendary, others remembered only [...]

Saturday, August 30, 2008
General Motors sues to recoup misused worker discounts
Automaker says improper use of employee pricing program cost it $450K.
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
DETROIT — Turns out General Motors Corp.’s employee discount isn’t for everyone.
The automaker, which last week temporarily extended the perk nationally to anyone in a bid to boost sales and [...]

Saturday, August 30, 2008
GM offers more buyouts
Carmaker extends deal to 9,000 salaried workers
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
DETROIT — General Motors Corp. has started offering early retirement to some U.S. salaried workers as the automaker moves to further cut costs.
About 9,000 workers have been offered the deal, according to a source familiar with the plan. [...]

Electric fault spurs big GM recall
Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:02pm EDT
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is recalling 857,735 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield wiper fluid system for a potential short-circuit problem, according to federal safety regulators.
A short-circuit in the system may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke, [...]

Friday, August 29, 2008
Scott Burgess: Commentary
Lineup strong without ‘game changer’

JOLIET, Ill. — As General Motors Corp. showed off its 2009 lineup Thursday, I found myself wondering, "What’s the next Malibu?"
So I posed that question to a table full of GM employees during lunch at the automaker’s annual event to roll out coming models for the [...]

Friday, August 29, 2008
GM ‘09 line fuel efficient
Lutz: New models will lead firm back to profitability
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
JOLIET, Ill. – General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said GM isn’t dead or dying, but poised to build on the success of its most fuel-efficient vehicles with upcoming models that will make fuel [...]

 
Union at GM Daewoo rejects pact
queryvar=”union,at,gm,daewoo,rejects,pact”;

Gary Anglebrandt
Automotive News | August 28, 2008 - 10:09 am EST
 
 
SEOUL — The union at GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. today voted against a tentative agreement, made this week, that ended two months of partial strikes related to contract negotiations.
A spokesperson at General Motors’ South Korean subsidiary did [...]

Automotive News | August 29, 2008 - 6:00 am EST
 
 
 
(Reuters) — Bankrupt U.S. auto parts maker Delphi Corp may end up being liquidated, with some U.S. plants being taken over by its former parent General Motors, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people involved in the bankruptcy process.
Even if that doesn’t happen, GM’s financial [...]

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Analyst: Big 3 may lose $5.6B
Annual earnings loss comes from permanent consumer shift from trucks to small cars.
Alex Ortolani / Bloomberg News
High gasoline prices and the shift away from trucks and sport utility vehicles is hitting Detroit’s automakers hard.
In the United States, they may lose about $5.6 billion annually in earnings as [...]

DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Harry Stoffer
Automotive News | August 27, 2008 - 3:52 pm EST
 
 
DENVER — Ford Motor Co. executives are telling lawmakers and other policymakers that suppliers as well as automakers are in critical need of low-interest federal loans soon.
Ford purchasing chief Tony Brown was part of the automaker’s pitch to policymakers here today at the [...]

 
Chrysler considers selling the Dodge Viper
queryvar=”chrysler,considers,selling,the,dodge,viper”;

Brad Wernle
Automotive News | August 27, 2008 - 10:13 am EST
 
 
DETROIT — Chrysler LLC has put its hand-built Dodge Viper sports car business on the block.
The automaker announced today that it was undertaking a "strategic review" of the Viper business and stressed in a statement that it has not [...]

 
Supplier Cadence seeks Chapter 11 protection
queryvar=”supplier,cadence,seeks,chapter,11,protection”;

David Barkholz
Automotive News | August 26, 2008 - 12:11 pm EST
 
 
The owners of Cadence Innovation LLC sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today after efforts to sell the plastic parts maker failed.
Cadence is a key supplier to General Motors. It makes interiors for the GM crossovers made in Delta Township, [...]

Automotive News | August 27, 2008 - 8:00 am EST
 
 
 
MUMBAI (Reuters) — General Motors will sign an agreement with the western state of Maharashtra for an engine and transmission plant on Thursday, as it steps up the pace in one of the world’s fastest-growing auto markets.
The unit will be located in Talegaon, where GM’s [...]

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
For $75M, Mich. Truck will soon roll out cars
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
WAYNE — Ford Motor Co.’s Michigan Truck Plant is about to get an extreme makeover.
On Tuesday, Ford said it will invest $75 million to retool the plant to produce a new generation of small cars from Europe. It [...]

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Scott Burgess
Better not bigger: New Dodge Ram is a vast improvement in comfort, innovation

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The pickup wars just got a lot more interesting.
Instead of trying to create a truck that is bigger, badder and can tow more manure, Dodge decided to make the 2009 Ram better. It’s a lesson [...]

 
Ford will not hire entry-level workers until mid-2009
queryvar=”ford,will,not,hire,entry-level,workers,until,mid-2009″;

Automotive News | August 26, 2008 - 11:00 am EST
 
 
DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. manufacturing chief Joe Hinrichs today said the automaker does not expect to hire new entry-level, lower wage, hourly workers until mid-2009.
Hinrichs also said Ford intends to release all the hourly workers who have [...]

IIHS Gives GM Crossovers the Top Safety Pick Designation
Date posted: 08-25-2008
DETROIT — General Motors has something to crow about as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives its four crossovers its Top Safety Pick designation. The GMC Acadia "aced" the institute’s front, side and rear crash tests, IIHS president Adrian Lund said in a statement.
The [...]

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Delphi’s emergence from bankruptcy is uncertain
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Nearly three years after Delphi Corp. filed for bankruptcy, its prospects for emerging soon remain deeply uncertain as the Troy-based auto parts supplier faces growing pressure from investors and the government.
Delphi remains mired in Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it [...]

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Big 3 gain loan support
Automakers ramp up lobbying efforts to secure cheap loans for building fuel-efficient vehicles.
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Democrats will back direct government loans for automakers in their platform this week as Michigan delegates and lobbyists for all of Detroit’s Big Three car companies work the [...]

 
GM receives Gulf Arab interest in Hummer buy
queryvar=”gm,receives,gulf,arab,interest,in,hummer,buy”;

Automotive News | August 26, 2008 - 5:00 am EST
 
 
DUBAI (Reuters) — General Motors has received interest from two separate investors from the Gulf Arab region to buy its Hummer brand, the company’s Middle East chief told Reuters on Tuesday.
"For sure, there has been interest from various parties [...]

Monday, August 25, 2008
Daniel Howes
Big 3’s $50B plea is no bailout

Forget the saga of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, if you can. Just in time for this week’s Democratic National Convention, the biggest word accompanying "Detroit" in Denver likely will be the "B" word — as in "bailout."
Except the $50 billion package being sought by friends of [...]

 
Study: Toyota top U.S. lender
queryvar=”study:,toyota,top,us,lender”;

Donna Harris
Automotive News | August 25, 2008 - 12:01 am EST
 
 
In the first half of 2008, Toyota Financial Services replaced longtime leader GMAC Financial Services as the biggest U.S. auto lender, a new study suggests.
The shifts in the captives’ rankings reflect changes in the relative financial health of their parent [...]

 
Nissan to leap into U.S. commercial-truck fray in 2010
queryvar=”nissan,to,leap,into,us,commercial-truck,fray,in,2010″;

Rick Kranz
Automotive News | August 25, 2008 - 12:01 am EST

Nissan’s Larry Dominique: “The beauty of light commercial vehicles is that there are a very limited number of players.”

 
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Nissan is [...]

FUTURE PRODUCTS — GENERAL MOTORS

Jamie LaReau
Automotive News | August 25, 2008 - 12:01 am EST
 
 
DETROIT — The world in which General Motors operates is a very different place from what it was a year ago.
Gasoline prices are at unprecedented highs, the green movement has gained momentum that likely won’t be reversed, the slump in [...]

Saturday, August 23, 2008
GM’s family ties: Automaker’s tradition of on-the-spot jobs for generations fades
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News
M ore than a half century ago, his grandfather inspected the first Cadillac Eldorado as it rolled off a Detroit assembly line. Some 20-plus years ago, his father was among the first assembly line workers at the new [...]

Saturday, August 23, 2008
Big 3 seek $50B in fed loans
McCain now backs help for carmakers; Money sought to retool plants
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Detroit’s Big Three automakers are planning an aggressive push on Capitol Hill as they seek up to $50 billion in low-cost loans to speed the development and production [...]

Friday, August 22, 2008
Oil prices fall over $6 on stronger dollar
Stevenson Jacobs / Associated Press
NEW YORK — Oil prices tumbled more than $6 a barrel Friday — the biggest one-day percentage plunge in nearly four years — after a rebounding dollar and a Russian troop pullback in Georgia sparked another frenzied sell-off.
Crude’s nosedive wiped out [...]

 
Mitsubishi, UAW get one more extension
queryvar=”mitsubishi,uaw,get,one,more,extension”;

Lindsay Chappell
Automotive News | August 22, 2008 - 4:22 pm EST
 
 
Mitsubishi and its American union agreed this afternoon to another extension of their previously delayed contract, which was scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 28.
The sides have agreed to extend the contract one more week for negotiations [...]

 
Fed loans to industry are ‘top priority’
queryvar=”fed,loans,to,industry,are,‘top,priority’”;

Harry Stoffer
Automotive News | August 22, 2008 - 10:56 am EST
 
 
WASHINGTON — When Congress voted last December to offer government loans to automakers and suppliers to retool their factories, the plan seemed an afterthought with an uncertain future. The uproar over a 40 percent increase in vehicle fuel [...]

Friday, August 22, 2008
Chrysler workers get same 2009 vacations
Automaker wants all employees, salaried and blue collar, to take two weeks off next July.
Tom Krisher / Associated Press
DETROIT — Chrysler LLC has decided to keep its requirement that all workers take the same two-week summer vacation.
The company told employees by e-mail on Wednesday that the 2009 [...]

 
Nissan creates large staff of quality inspectors
queryvar=”nissan,creates,large,staff,of,quality,inspectors”;

Hans Greimel
Automotive News | August 21, 2008 - 10:53 am EST
 
 
TOKYO — Nissan Motor Co. is boosting the number of quality control inspectors and engineers more than twentyfold to 5,300. The goal is to halve the number of quality complaints on new cars by 2012.
The company’s Infiniti luxury [...]

 
Wagoner says U.S. market ‘unsteady’ even with incentives
queryvar=”wagoner,says,us,market,unsteady,even,with,incentives”;

Automotive News | August 21, 2008 - 3:45 pm EST
 
 
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (Reuters) — General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner on Thursday said the U.S. auto market remained "unsteady" and it was too early to predict the success of its new incentive offer of employee discounts announced this week.
"It is [...]

 
GM to spend $500 million to launch Cruze in U.S.
queryvar=”gm,to,spend,$500,million,to,launch,cruze,in,us”;

Craig Trudell
Automotive News | August 21, 2008 - 8:40 am EST

ENLARGE

The Chevrolet Cruze will make its global debut at the Paris auto show in October
[...]

Thursday, August 21, 2008
Manny Lopez
Hype for big engine demise is overblown

BIRMINGHAM — Fret not, my big engine brethren, Motor City muscle isn’t going anywhere.
On the contrary, the advancement of V-8 engines is alive, going strong and on track to continue.
That’s good news for Detroit’s automakers, for people who appreciate supercharged cars and for the environment. [...]

Thursday, August 21, 2008
Kicking the tires, with Chinese flair
From waiting room to showroom, it’s a distinct experience for growing ranks of car buyers.
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News
BEIJING — Salesman Wang Haokui takes his post — casually, yet purposefully — near the main door of his Buick dealership.
Within a few minutes, a customer walks [...]

Thursday, August 21, 2008
GM ends plan with Navistar
Automaker’s sale of its medium-duty truck business falters, but may not harm restructuring.
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
General Motors Corp.’s bid to raise cash and streamline its operations took a hit Wednesday after the automaker announced an agreement had fallen through to sell its Flint-based medium-duty truck business [...]

 
New Cadillacs aim to refresh GM luxury brand
queryvar=”new,cadillacs,aim,to,refresh,gm,luxury,brand”;

Greg Migliore
Automotive News | August 20, 2008 - 6:42 am EST

ENLARGE

The new CTS Sport Wagon headlines the list of new Cadillacs.

 
A bunch of [...]

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Scott Burgess
Super ‘Vette: It’s out of this world

MILFORD — Times are tough. Gas prices are high. Housing prices are low. And the car market is collapsing faster than a Jenga tower after six vodka shots.
America needs a superhero.
And when the next caped crusader arrives, he will screech onto the scene in a [...]

 
Escape up, Wrangler down in crash tests
queryvar=”escape,up,wrangler,down,in,crash,tests”;

Harry Stoffer
Automotive News | August 20, 2008 - 12:15 am EST

ENLARGE

The Ford Escape was among four vehicles getting a top pick for safety from the Institute for Highway Safety.
[...]

 
GM boosts used vehicle warranties to help residuals
Certified coverage includes 12 months, 12,000 miles ‘bumper-to-bumper’
queryvar=”gm,boosts,used,vehicle,warranties,to,help,residuals”;

Arlena Sawyers
Automotive News | August 19, 2008 - 4:37 pm EST
 
 
General Motors is making major upgrades to warranties of used vehicles it sells in the U.S. under its GM Certified and Saturn Certified programs.
Brian McVeigh, general manager of GM’s fleet [...]