Monday, September 15, 2008 Ford Fiesta draws raves in Europe But Americans must wait until 2010 while small car is modified for U.S. government requirements. Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News SIENA, Italy – Ford Motor Co. is hoping its new Fiesta will be the little car that could. The subcompact is [...]
Monday, September 15, 2008 Ike-effect: Varied pump price spikes Storm idles refineries in Gulf, destroys 10 platforms John Porreto and Mark Williams / Associated Press HOUSTON — Pump prices jumped above $5 per gallon in some parts of the country Sunday as Hurricane Ike, which caused less destruction than feared, left refineries and pipelines idled [...]
Here comes Kandi: Chinese cars arrive- — for golf communities queryvar=”here,comes,kandi:,chinese,cars,arrive-,—,for,golf,communities”; Lindsay Chappell Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST ENLARGE Kandi vehicles cannot legally be driven on highways. Top speed is 25 mph. A new brand of Chinese vehicles suitable for golf and retirement communities has landed in the [...]
#1 sale-killer: Credit, not fuel prices queryvar=”#1,sale-killer:,credit,not,fuel,prices”; Mary Connelly Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST DETROIT — Tight credit has replaced high gasoline prices as the chief impediment to selling a new vehicle, top Chrysler executives say. Deborah Meyer, Chrysler LLC’s chief marketing officer, says dealers and consumers [...]
Toyota asks truck suppliers: No layoffs queryvar=”toyota,asks,truck,suppliers:,no,layoffs”; Lindsay Chappell Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST ENLARGE The line at Toyota’s San Antonio truck plant before it was idled on Aug. 8. Toyota suspended production of the Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV for three months, starting Aug. 8, because of [...]
NEWS ANALYSIS Richard Truett Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST If Congress funds a $25 billion loan program to finance production of more fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are poised to take quick advantage. By contrast, Chrysler LLC trails far behind. And import automakers such as [...]
The Mexican Astra queryvar=”the,mexican,astra”; Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST ENLARGE A prototype of the Saturn Astra. General Motors hopes to dodge the weak dollar that inflated the price of the current Saturn Astra compact with the next-generation model, shown during testing. The current Astra, a rebadged Opel, is [...]
Even Vette production takes a hit queryvar=”even,vette,production,takes,a,hit”; Amy Wilson Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST ENLARGE Sales of the Corvette fell 8.5 percent in the first eight months of this year. DETROIT — The automotive recession is even taking its toll on a car often cited as recession-proof: the [...]
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Ralph Kisiel Automotive News | September 15, 2008 – 12:01 am EST ENLARGE Engineer Kate Remley: Wireless signals in auto plants can bounce off metal surfaces, hindering their reception. Pretesting systems in labs helps prevent this. Losing a cell phone signal usually is no big deal. Just redial the number. But if [...]
