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GM ending production of Monte Carlo coupe

General Motors is shutting the production of its Monte Carlo coupe at its Oshawa plant in Canada in June, according to leftlanenews.com. Despite a model update and a new V8 and a slight uptick in sale in 2006, sales have fallen 60 percent early this year. In addition, Chevrolet expect sales of its 2008 Malibu to cut into potential Monte Carlo sales further.

Posted by   at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Institute finds bumpers weak in fender-benders

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing the results of a new series of crash tests today (New Low-Speed Crash Tests: Costly damage is the rule when bumpers don't bump). The tests were designed to find out how well modern bumpers protect cars in low-speed collisions like the kind that happen in commuter traffic. The tests were at 3 mph and 6 mph.
The institute says the tests were intended to measure how much crash damage happens because cars don’t have bumpers that can withstand what should be minor fender benders. It found some midsize cars sustained $4,500 damage in just one 6 mph crash test into a barrier that represents the bumper of another vehicle.
A lot of the damage happens because bumpers slide under or over the bumper they’re hitting. This is especially a problem when cars hit SUVs or vice versa.
Cars were once required to have bumpers that could withstand a 5 mph hit, but that rule was rolled back by the Reagan Administration. It also tested a 1981 Ford Escort that met the old standard to show that it could handle the new bumper tests with little or no damage.

Posted by   at 12:06 PM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Losses increase at Delphi

Bankrupt Delphi Corp., the leading American auto-parts maker, said its fourth-quarter loss increased to $853 million due to costs to reduce its unionized workforce, according to the Detroit Free Press. The Troy-based company, which said sales fell 5.9% to $6.4 billion, was spun off from General Motors Corp. in 1999 and is cutting costs in an effort to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

Posted by   at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota to build 8th U.S. plant in Mississippi

Toyota plans to invest $1.3 billion to build its eighth North American assembly plant in Blue Springs, Miss., according to the New York Times. The plant will employ 2,000 workers, the company said. Production, slated for the Highlander, is expected to begin in 2010 and reach 150,000 vehicles annually.

Posted by   at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

DaimlerChrysler okays deal with China's Chery Motor

Even as it's getting shopped around, Chrysler closing in on deal to bring Chinese-made cars to the United States, according to a report in today's USA Today. DaimlerChrysler approved a deal to team with Chery Motor to develop small cars that could be sold in the USA and Europe.

Posted by   at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford in dispute with diesel maker

Ford's diesel engine supplier, International Truck and Engine, has quit shipping the engines as of last Thursday, according to a report in Tuesday's USA Today as a result of a warranty dispute. The paper quotes International spokesman Roy Wiley: "They haven't paid us. We can't continue to build excess inventory. We're a just-in-time manufacturer." International shut its Indianapolis engine plant on Monday, idling 1,200 workers and Ford said it may halt production of its F-Series trucks.
The dispute goes back to problems with 6-liter diesels that International supplied for previous Ford heavy-duty trucks beginning in 2002, the paper said.

Posted by   at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Dan Neil on Mercedes-Benz Bluetec diesel technology

Speaking of clean diesel from Mercedes-Benz, see Los Angeles Times' auto columnist Dan Neil's written and video review of the company's E320 Bluetec diesel. The video include a shot of him warming a bagel in its exhaust and then eating to make the point that emissions are "that clean."

Posted by   at 4:33 PM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Mercedes to unveil concept diesel at Geneva show

Mercedes-Benz will unveil its Vision C 220 Bluetec diesel concept car at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, according to leftlanenews.com. The company says the car achieves 43 miles per gallon. The Geneva Motor Show opens March 8 and runs 10 days.

Posted by   at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments 3

Chrysler no longer considered too big to fail

Check out Micheline Maynard's analysis of the crisis at Chrysler and the possible sale of the No.3 domestic in the New York Times' SundayBusiness. In particular, she points out, this crisis is different from the one in 1979 when the automaker was considered "too big to fail," and was bailed out by the government.

Posted by   at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments 0