Main page | June 2007 »

Backseat Driver: A Blogger's Apologia

A few weeks ago, my employer, projoCARS.com. which is the auto Web site of The Providence Journal, decided to run my ugly mug on the cover of the projoCARS section. This is apparently an inducement to get people to read my blogs, which are a combination of articles I have found while trolling at various Web sites and which I think are interesting and small comments - like this one - under the cover of Backseat Driver.
This move put the onus on me to ratchet up my blog. I had started writing it about a month ago and at first it was pretty much of an afterthought. I started devoting more time to it, and hopefully more people have started to read it.
But sometimes I feel I let my readers down. This past week, for example, I have been filling in for my editor and so have been preoccupied in putting the projoCARS section out - leaving little time to devote to my blog. Other times, I am out reporting all morning and so get to the blog late.
So this explains why my blog varies in range and depth. Don't expect that to change - it's the nature of the beast, given that I wear a number of hats around here.
And I have another confession to make. I am a nitwit because I have only just discovered how to read your comments and how to respond to them. I am now going through them and answering each one. It will take a bit of time and I will certainly respond to any new ones when they come in.
In the meantime, keep blogging me, even if you want to be rude! It's all part of the dialogue.
Cheers

Posted by   at 11:55 AM to projocars | Permalink | Comments 0

And Gas Saver Makes Three Cars in the Driveway

With gas prices well over $3 a gallon nationwide, many drivers are lining up to buy small cars, but hundreds of thousands of consumers aren’t giving up anything to downsize, according to The New York Times. Instead, they are simply adding pint-size transportation to their driveways, parked alongside their S.U.V. or pickup.

Posted by   at 11:02 AM to Fuel economy , Gas prices , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Do trees make it OK to drive an SUV?

If you plant some trees, is it OK to drive an Escalade?
The question isn't as silly as it sounds, according to USA Today. People worried about global warming increasingly are trying to "offset" the carbon dioxide — the leading greenhouse gas — they spew into the atmosphere when they drive, fly or flick on a light. One idea popular with the eco-conscious is to have trees planted for them. You get to keep driving and flying, but those trees are supposed to suck in your trail of carbon.

Posted by   at 10:53 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota fixing engine failures in new Tundra truck

Toyota said earlier this week that it has found in a handful of its much-hyped new Tundra pickups a defect that caused the engines to fail, according to USA Today.
Toyota has reports of camshafts breaking in the 5.7-liter V-8 engines of about 20 Tundras so far. The flaw was due to a manufacturing defect by a subcontractor. All of the engines are being replaced.

Posted by   at 10:51 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Costly convertibles aren't always safest

Test scores released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found several affordable convertibles that offer better crash protection than their more expensive competitors, USA Today reports.
Conducting tests on 10 new midsize convertibles for the first time, the institute gave its top scores to two expensive convertibles — the 2007 Saab 9-3 and 2007 Volvo C70. Both vehicles, which start at nearly $40,000, received the highest scores on front, side-impact and rear crash protection tests.

Posted by   at 10:48 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

A Sleeping Beauty Since ’62, Rare Bugatti to go on block

The car collecting world is buzzing about this weekend's auctio of a French grand touring car from 1938, a Bugatti Type 57C Atalante coupé, one of only about 40 built, that has been garaged since 1962, according to The New York Times.
The Atalante, owned by a member of one of New York’s most prominent families, has not moved from its garage space — it is now sandwiched between a old Farmall tractor and a 1949 Jaguar Mark V sedan — in a New York City suburb for 45 years. It will be auctioned on June 3 by Christie’s at the Greenwich Concours d’Élégance, at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Conn. Christie’s estimates the car will sell for $300,000 to $400,000.

Posted by   at 9:15 AM to Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

From a Bad Marriage, Pretty Babies

AS Daimler and Chrysler negotiate their separation, the sedan widely regarded as the best design to come from their marriage, the Chrysler 300, might imagine itself in a movie moment, The New York Times reports.
In a bittersweet scene, the divorcing mom and dad are ruefully proud of their lovely daughter: “At least our marriage produced her!”

Posted by   at 9:05 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

On This Run, Way More Bandits Than Smokeys

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the movie “Smokey and the Bandit,” a Burt Reynolds romp that starred a 1977 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, a driving event called the Bandit Run 2007 was held from May 15 to May 17, according to The New York Times.About 200 participants in 85 cars traveled the 660 miles from Texarkana, Tex., to Atlanta, the route traveled in the movie. The event was open to anyone; owning a Trans Am with gold striping and a “thunder chicken” graphic on the hood, was not required.

Posted by   at 8:59 AM to Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil rises to $71 on supply worries

Crude oil rose to $71 a barrel in London today, near a nine-month high, as a strike in Nigeria threatened more of the country's output and Iran remained defiant over its nuclear program, according to Reuters.
Rising tension surrounding two of the world's leading oil producers have coincided with lower OPEC supply and relatively low gasoline stocks in top consumer the United States before the onset of peak summer demand.
London crude climbed 28 cents to $71.00 a barrel by early afternoon. It hit a 9-month high of $71.80 on Thursday. U.S. crude rose 75 cents to $64.93.

Posted by   at 10:51 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

GM gets SEC request, details Delphi exposure

General Motors said says U.S. securities regulators have requested documents relating to its accounting for financial hedges and adds that a parallel inquiry at its former finance arm could force it to restate past results again, Reuters reports.
GM also said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had set its estimated exposure to bankrupt auto parts maker Delphi Corp at $7 billion and could take a $1 billion charge this quarter related to the restructuring of its former subsidiary, Reuters says.
The SEC's request for information marked the latest accounting setback for GM, which pledged to tighten its financial controls after twice restating results and delaying its fourth-quarter report.

Posted by   at 11:32 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 1

Cars are getting bossy when it comes to high-tech safety

Cars are getting to take over the driving, according to USA Today.
For example, using radar technology developed for military aircraft, an experimental BMW on a test track senses when it's about to crash and simultaneously flashes a red light on the dash, primes the brakes, pushes back on the gas pedal, closes the windows and sunroof, moves the seat upright, cinches the seat belt and adjusts the air bag deployment.
If the driver doesn't hit the brakes fast or hard enough, it will do that, too.

Posted by   at 11:23 AM to Companies , Safety , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Cutting up DCX not a done deal

The selling of Chrysler is not a done deal -- yet, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Cerberus Capital Management will spend the next few weeks -- if not months -- finalizing the deal, conducting further double-checking and settling details before signing on the dotted line to acquire the Chrysler Group from DaimlerChrysler AG.

Posted by   at 12:17 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Calif. officials push strict fuel rule

California officials pushed federal environmental regulators on Tuesday to approve the state's plan for a 30% cut in greenhouse gases from cars and trucks, saying automakers had overplayed their challenges to meeting the targets, according to the Detroit Free Press.

If successful, California's plan would set up strict new fuel economy goals of about 43 miles per gallon by 2016 that automakers might be forced to follow nationwide.

Posted by   at 12:14 PM to Environment , Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 0

NYC's taxi fleet will be green by 2012

The city's yellow taxi fleet will go entirely hybrid within five years, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday, according to USA Today.
"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City," Bloomberg said. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes.
Nearly 400 fuel-efficient hybrids have been tested in the city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months, with models including the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and the Ford Escape.

Posted by   at 12:07 PM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Prices Fall Below $66 a Barrel

Oil prices pulled back as investors sold contracts before their expiration Tuesday, and before the government's weekly inventory report, the Associated Press reports.
News of a partial oil production shutdown in Alaska and a government report predicting a busy hurricane season failed to boost prices, AP reports.
The June contract for light, sweet crude, which expires Tuesday, fell 86 cents to $65.41 a barrel in afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The July contract also dropped 88 cents to $65.99 a barrel.

Posted by   at 2:31 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Tarbox taking over Anderson Chrysler Jeep in Attleboro

After 38 years of being locally owned, Anderson Chrysler Jeep on Pleasant Street, Attleboro, Mass., is being sold to Tarbox Motors of North Kingstown, according to the Sun Chronicle. Tarbox will take over the business tomorrow, and will retain the 30 employees who work there.
The reason for the sale, General Manager Gerry Farinelli, 66, said, is that "some of us are getting old. We want to enjoy other pleasures in life."

Posted by   at 2:16 PM to Local dealerships | Permalink | Comments 0

BP Shuts 100,000 Barrels of Alaska Oil

BP said it will shut down 100,000 barrels, or one quarter, of its Alaskan oil production for a "few days" after discovering a water pipeline leak, the Associated Press reports.
Analysts said the temporary loss of output at Prudhoe Bay should not have a dramatic impact on world oil markets, but with supplies already tight and crude futures trading near $66 a barrel, any snag in the industry tends to make energy traders jittery.
Light sweet crude for June delivery fell 32 cents to $65.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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

Drivers cut back — a 1st in 26 years

The average American motorist is driving substantially fewer miles for the first time in 26 years because of high gas prices and demographic shifts, according to a USA Today analysis of federal highway data.
The growth in miles driven has leveled off dramatically in the past 18 months after 25 years of steady climbs despite the addition of more than 1 million drivers to the nation's streets and highways since 2005, USA Today reports.
Miles driven in February declined 1.9% from February 2006 before rebounding slightly for a 0.3% year-over-year gain in March, data from the Federal Highway Administration show. That's in sharp contrast to the average annual growth rate of 2.7% recorded from 1980 through 2005, the paper says.

Posted by   at 10:57 AM to Fuel economy , Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Study: Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions soar

Warnings about global warming may not be dire enough, according to a climate study that describes a runaway-train acceleration of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, USA Today reports.
Fueled by rapid growth in coal-reliant China, rates of carbon dioxide emission from industrial sources increased from 2000 to 2004 "at a rate that is over three times the rate during the 1990s," says a report released by the journal Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences.

Posted by   at 10:55 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Job cuts won't fix Chrysler

Chrysler's new owners, Cerberus Capital Management LP, will need concessions from the UAW to trim costs and become competitive with Japanese automakers, industry experts say, but labor cuts alone will not turn Chrysler into a success, according to Detroit Free Press business writer Joe Guy Collier.
Chrysler estimates that Japanese automakers, such as Toyota Motor Corp., have a $30-an-hour labor cost advantage, counting benefits and special provisions, and the gap could grow to $45 an hour by 2009 without changes to the UAW contract, Collier reports. Chrysler, Ford and GM begin contract talks this summer with the UAW, presenting an opportunity to rework labor costs for all three automakers.

Posted by   at 10:24 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

How’s My Driving? Dial My License Plate

In “American Graffiti,” the character played by Richard Dreyfuss spends much of the movie pursuing a mysterious woman played by Suzanne Somers, who drives a white Ford Thunderbird. If only they'd had SameLane, a service that allows drivers to call strangers on the road by dialing their license plate numbers into cellphones, The New York Times reports.
A CB radio for this century, SameLane is aimed at commuters stuck in traffic, long-haul drivers fighting fatigue and good Samaritans trying to help people with broken taillights and such.
To use the service, which goes live on Monday, drivers register their cellphone and license plate numbers with SameLane, which sends them bumper stickers identifying the drivers as part of the SameLane network. After spotting a member, drivers dial a company number, punch in the license plate number of the car they want to reach and wait for SameLane’s computers to connect the call.

Posted by   at 10:16 AM to Accessories , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Fifty, Finned and Fabulous

1957 was a Golden Era for automobile design, but a fleeting one that would end before the year was out, according to a fascinating feature in The New York Times.
“I think 1957 was a high-water mark for Ford design; Chrysler as well,” said Greg Wallace, manager of General Motors’ Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich.
The enduring popularity, not to mention collectibility, of Chevrolet’s 1957 cars “speaks for itself,” he said, adding, “The ’57 Chevy was quite simply the best-looking car of the entire postwar era.”

Posted by   at 10:11 AM to Auto industry , Companies , Design , Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

G.M.’s Mr. Horsepower Has an Electric Conversion

Speaking at a taping of “Wait Wait ...Don’t Tell Me!” the quiz program on National Public Radio, Robert A. Lutz, vice chairman at General Motors, declared Thursday night that the Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid-electric concept car that G.M. unveiled at this year’s Detroit auto show, may be among the most important vehicles that G.M. has ever developed, The New York Times reports.
Lutz has long been considered one of Detroit’s ultimate “car guys,” for whom no vehicle could be big enough, powerful enough or fast enough. He is the father of the V-10 Dodge Viper and has championed automobiles like the 1,000-horsepower Cadillac Sixteen.
Lutz said he was more excited about the Volt that he was about the Dodge Viper. “I think this can bring about the revolution and really make us independent of foreign oil and solve all the other problems," he said.

Posted by   at 10:03 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Design , Environment , Fuel economy , Marques , People in the News , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices on the march again

Oil prices climbed today on continued concerns that U.S. refiners are not producing enough gasoline to meet peak summer demand, the Associated Press reports.
The upward trend was held in check, however, with news from Nigeria that a key pipeline hub that had been taken over by protesters for nearly a week had started pumping again.
Light, sweet crude for June delivery gained 34 cents to $65.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by noon in Europe.

Posted by   at 9:40 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices getting up to record levels

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline hit a record high of $3.18, rising more than 11 cents over the past two weeks, according to a nationwide survey released Sunday, the Associated Press reports.
The latest figure topped the record of $3.07 set two weeks ago, which had been the highest price since the average cost of a gallon of gas hit $3.03 on Aug. 11, 2006, according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the country, AP said.
The latest price also beat the previous inflation-adjusted record of $3.15 per gallon in March 1981, AP said

Posted by   at 9:36 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 2

Backseat Driver: The sexy Jaguar XK120

Is there any sexier car than the Jaguar XK120 which was launched in London in 1949 and became an overnight sensation? The two-seater sports car was powered by a duel overhead cam 3.4 litre inline 6 engine, the XK engine whose basic design was used until 1994; the 120 designation referred to the top speed of 120 m.p.h. making the fastest production car of its time.
Yes, it's fast. But the XK120 followed the Jaguar SS100 with the classic boxy lines that dominated prewar auto design. By contrast, the XK120 is all curves, raking back from a massive front end to the snug cockpit and bubble of a trunk. The hood is pure pudenda, flanked by the curved quarter panels whose lines lead right to the low slung doors.
Last week I took a short ride in John Sweeney's 1954 convertible XK120 around the back roads of Portsmouth. Sweeney, the former executive director of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, had driven the white beauty down for a curtain raiser for Mark Hurwitz's 2007 Newport Concours d'Elegance which takes place May 26-28.
He told me he drives the car regularly and it certainly had plenty of pop for the few miles we spent on the road. He said the car easily does 85 m.p.h. on the highway and "doesn't even breathe hard at that speed."
He also said he never puts the top up because it is not only cumbersome but also unnecessary as the rain whips right over the car once he's powering along at 40 m.p.h. I didn't think to ask about sitting in traffic.
The 120 was succeeded by ever more powerful and more appointed versions - the XK140 and the XK150 - which included such luxuries as indicators (Sweeney used his arm to signal a turn), better brakes and rack and pinion steering - until 1961 when the more masculine and muscular looking E-Type Jaguar made its debut.
But for a few years, the world was blessed with a car that combined top-flight performance - a version of the XK120 won the Le Mans race in 1951 - with the most erotic design ever to grace the roads.

Posted by   at 2:43 PM to Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas Pump Prices Rise, Futures Mixed

Gasoline prices set more records at the pump today, while gasoline and oil futures prices turned mixed after the previous session's big advance, according to the Associated Press.
Retail gasoline prices rose 1.5 cents overnight to a national average price of $3.129 per gallon, a new high, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Posted by   at 2:40 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Prices Hover Below $65 a Barrel

Oil prices were steady today on persistent concerns that U.S. refiners are not producing enough gasoline to meet peak summer demand following reports of more refinery snags, according to the Associated Press.
Light, sweet crude for June delivery edged down 10 cents to $64.76 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange mid-afternoon in Singapore, after topping $65 a barrel in early morning trading. The contract on Thursday climbed $2.31 to settle at $64.86 a barrel, the highest close this month.

Posted by   at 9:55 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Groups: Gas costs families $1,000 more a year than in '01

U.S. families paid $1,000 more on average for gasoline last year than in 2001, as higher prices at the pump ate up a hefty portion of the increase in their paychecks, two consumer groups said yesterday, USA Today reports.
The average U.S. household paid $2,277 for gasoline in 2006, up 78% from 2001, according to estimates from the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports. The numbers are similar to other estimates, including those from Moody's Economy.com.

Posted by   at 9:49 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota Unveils New Luxury Hybrid Vehicle

Toyota's commitment to hybrid automobiles was on full display today when it unveiled in Tokyo its most expensive gasoline-electric vehicle yet - the $124,000 luxury Lexus LS sedan, according to the Associated Press.
Executives at Japan's No. 1 automaker are fully convinced that hybrid cars are the way of the future. And they're betting that growing consumer concern about the environment - and higher gas prices - will lure even wealthy buyers to the new model, which went on sale Thursday in Japan and will arrive later elsewhere.

Posted by   at 9:44 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Crude Oil Futures Rise Above $63 a Barrel

Oil prices rose Thursday on comments by a top OPEC leader that the oil cartel will not pump more crude to meet an expected surge in demand during the summer driving season, the Associated Press reports.
The concerns surfaced despite a U.S. government report that showed domestic gasoline stockpiles increased last week.

Posted by   at 9:43 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Nice doggy! (Or: What's in a name?)

Maybe it's that no one in my extended family works for Chrysler or that until Monday's announcement that it had purchased a controlling stake in the automaker, I'd never even heard of Cerberus Capital Management, writes Detroit Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson.But my first reaction -- before I stopped to consider the impact on Michigan's economy or the U.S. auto industry or Chrysler workers -- was to wonder why a company with $60 billion would name itself after a three-headed monster, he writes.

Posted by   at 11:07 AM to Analysis | Permalink | Comments 0

The rise, fall, rise and fall of Chrysler

Check out this timeline of the history of Chrysler from asap's Stephanie Hoo and Peter Hamlin who trace the roller coaster ride of the venerated brand. Be sure to click on the interactive section.

Posted by   at 10:45 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Experts say oil refineries stretched too thin

Record gasoline prices have exposed the shortcomings of the aging U.S. refining system, but there are no quick fixes, a panel of energy experts told lawmakers Tuesday, according to USA Today.
That suggests gas prices will be vulnerable to refinery outages through the summer and one expert said gas shortages are possible, the paper reports.

Posted by   at 10:38 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Chevy Sequel Fuel-Cell Goes 300 Miles

General Motors claims to have the first electrically driven fuel-cell vehicle capable of going 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen - on public roads, according to thecarconnection.com.
Sequel's 300-mile route acrossNew York State began at GM's Fuel Cell Activity Center in Honeoye Falls, near Rochester, and finished in Tarrytown, just north of New York City, where a GM assembly facility was closed more than a decade ago.

Posted by   at 10:35 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Design , Fuel economy , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Board Clears Way for Chrysler Sale

DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board today formally cleared the way for the sale of most of the company's money-losing U.S. unit, Chrysler Group, to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, according to the Associated Press.

Posted by   at 10:32 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Congress Urged to Ease Pain of Gas Prices

The average U.S. household is already spending $1,000 more per year on gasoline than it did five years ago, two consumer groups say in testimony they plan to present to a House Judiciary Committee task force today, according to the Associated Press.
That's an increase of 85 percent, and rural households have been hardest hit because they spend about 20 percent more on gas than urban residents, the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union said, citing Labor Department figures, AP reports.

Posted by   at 10:27 AM to Consumer rights , Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Boston near top of cities with rude drivers

For the second consecutive year, rude Miami drivers have earned the city the title of worst road rage in a survey released Tuesday, according to CNN.
Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.Miami motorists said they saw other drivers slam on their brakes, run red lights and talk on cell phones, according to AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance, CNN reports

Posted by   at 10:13 AM to Traffic | Permalink | Comments 0

Cerberus Goes Where No Firm Has Gone Before

In the last year, private equity firms have broken the mold over and over again. They have bought technology and finance companies, previously thought unsuitable for buyouts. The deals have gotten bigger; the financing more creative.
But with an agreement to take control of Chrysler, private equity is venturing into virtually uncharted territory, according to The New York Times.
While private equity firms have bought troubled industrial companies in the past and dealt with unionized work forces, no one has tried to grapple with a company with the problems the size of Chrysler’s and with a union as powerful as the United Automobile Workers.

Posted by   at 10:12 AM to Analysis , Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

A Corporate Divorce on the Cheap

Nine years after they exchanged vows at a huge, lavishly choreographed news conference in London, Daimler and Chrysler signed their divorce papers Monday at a sparsely attended briefing in an auditorium at an aging Mercedes-Benz factory here.
As bookends, the two news conferences vividly illustrated the dashed dreams of the Daimler-Chrysler marriage, according to The New York Times' Mark Landler

Posted by   at 10:08 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler buyout deal is a test for the U.A.W.

Can private equity investors fix Chrysler for good, and can they avoid a confrontation with the United Automobile Workers union, Micheline Maynard asks in an analysis in The New York Times.
These are the most pressing questions to arise from the deal announced Monday for Cerberus Capital Management, which specializes in restructuring troubled companies, to pay a total of $7.4 billion to take control of Chrysler, with most of that money to be invested in the newly independent company.

Posted by   at 10:03 AM to Analysis , Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Washington State outlaws text messaging and driving

Add typing to the list of distractions being outlawed across the country. CBS5.com from Seattle reports that the Washington state legislature has followed through with a bill that bans text messaging while driving, according to thecarconnection.com
While handheld cellphones are banned in several states, banning text messaging is the new frontier as PDAs and smartphones and text messaging become more popular. New Jersey and Arizona are also studying texting bans, the Web site reports.
The Washington law was proposed after a 2006 accident in which a driver on a Seattle highway caused a five-car accident while reading his BlackBerry at the wheel.

Posted by   at 9:50 AM to Consumer rights , Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

DaimlerChrysler 1st-Quarter Profit Rises

DaimlerChrysler's first-quarter profit rose even as the loss widened at the Chrysler Group it has agreed to sell to a private equity firm, the Associated Press reports.
The German-American automaker earned $2.67 billion in the January-March period. Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a profit of $1.88 billion.
The Chrysler Group, which is being sold to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in a $7.45 billion deal announced yesterday, lost $1.98 billion before interest and taxes, compared with a profit of $857 million a year earlier. The loss was the result of a $1.2 billion in restructuring charges.

Posted by   at 9:44 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Web Videos Let Car Buyers Survey Their Many Choices

ONE of the most dreaded buying decisions is becoming still tougher, according to the New York Times. Auto manufacturers now sell about 280 different cars in the United States, up from 208 at the start of the decade. In five years that number is expected by market researchers to reach 340.
The Internet’s solution to this problem sounds suspiciously like its answer to everything else these days: more video. But in this case, analysts said, it could help buyers, carmakers and automotive Web sites — at least in the short term.

Posted by   at 10:27 AM to Consumer rights | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas: What you pay depends on where you are

Gas prices vary widely across the USA. There are several reasons for the disparity, according to USA Today, including competition, taxes, gasoline blends, distance from refineries and even land values.
Nationwide, the average price for regular gasoline on Friday was $3.042 per gallon, up fractionally from the previous day, according to motorist club AAA. That price was nearly 9% higher than a month ago and about 5% higher from the same date last year.

Posted by   at 10:24 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford, Acura Earn Top Crash Test Scores

The 2007 Acura MDX sport utility vehicle and the 2008 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable passenger cars received top scores in new crash tests released Monday by the insurance industry, according to the Associated Press.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave its highest score of "good" in frontal, side and rear-impact testing for the vehicles, built by Honda Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co.

Posted by   at 10:22 AM to Companies , Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Cerberus to Buy 80 Percent of Chrysler

German-based DaimlerChrysler will sell almost all of money-losing Chrysler to a private equity firm for $7.4 billion, backing out of a troubled 1998 takeover aimed at creating a global automotive powerhouse, the Associated Press reports.
Eighty percent of Chrysler Group, burdened by high pension and health costs and declining market share in the United States, will be sold to Cerberus Capital Management, which is taking a huge risk by agreeing to take on billions of dollars in pension and retiree health care costs at Chrysler, AP said.
Chaired by former U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, Cerberus has steadily been building strength in the automobile business. It led a consortium that bought a majority stake last year in General Motors Acceptance Corp., the financial arm of GM, and plans to invest in ailing auto parts giant Delphi, AP said.

Posted by   at 10:18 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Oil Prices and the Violence in Nigeria

Oil prices - and by extension gasoline prices - have been kept on the high side in recent months partly because of the continued violence directed against oil pipelines, installations and workers in the southern Delta region of Nigeria. The West African nation's oil output has been cut by as much as 25 percent.
Nigeria is the world's 6th biggest producer of crude oil and a major supplier to U.S. refineries; It's oil has a low sulfur content and is only a transAtlantic crossing away.
But radical groups are seeking a greater share of oil wealth for the nation - certainly for the inhabitants of the southern, oil-rich Delta region - and reparations for the pollution in the region.
The main group, the shadowy Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), was formed early last year and is motivated and well organized. It operates as a guerilla / pirate group, running gunboats in and out of the dense mangrove swamps that line hundreds of miles of shoreline. Favored tactics have been the blowing up of pipelines and the kidnapping of oil company personnel for political leverage and/or ransom.
The damage to oil installations and harrassment of personnel could force some oil companies to pull out, which would seriously affect world oil supplies and prices.
Certainly, there is no light at the end of this tunnel in the short term: Earlier this week, MEND said it had initiated a month-long campaign to unleash mayhem on Western oil facilities.

Posted by   at 11:32 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Magna's partnership with Russian tycoon might bolster Chrysler bid

Magna International, the Canadian auto parts maker believed to be the leading bidder to buy the Chrysler Group, announced a $1.54-billion Russian financing deal yesterday that gave a new twist to possibilities for the struggling automaker, according to the Detroit Free Press.
By the end of the day, Magna chairman Frank Stronach was speculating about building Jeeps in Russia.

Posted by   at 10:52 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Honda promises hydrogen sedan in '08

Honda says it will put a sleek hydrogen fuel-cell sedan into limited production next year and also will sell a unique mass-market hybrid in the USA within two years, priced less than the $25,000 Civic hybrid, according to USA Today.
The automaker announced the vehicles yesterday at a demonstration of prototypes of the FCX fuel-cell sedans it will offer in the USA next year.

Posted by   at 9:50 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Prices Climb on Supply Worries

Oil prices rose Friday after a report from the IEA raised concerns about the market's ability to meet an expected jump in demand for oil products, the Associated Press reports.
The International Energy Agency said today that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries needs to raise output soon and raised concern over the ability of refiners and OPEC's willingness to meet a 1.6 million barrels a day jump in oil product demand in June.
With the start of summer driving season only weeks away, analysts are concerned that gasoline supplies, though rising, won't meet demand. And continuing violence in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and a leading supplier to the United States, has also been supporting higher oil prices.

Posted by   at 9:41 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Prices Stable Except for Gasoline

Inflation at the wholesale level eased slightly in April even though gasoline prices surged for a third straight month, according to the Associated Press.
Wholesale prices rose 0.7 percent last month, down slightly from a 1 percent jump in March, the Labor Department reported Friday. The big force driving the increase was an 8.2 percent jump in gasoline prices, which followed increases of 8.7 percent and 5.3 percent in the two previous months.

Posted by   at 9:38 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 1

Summertime is for car lovers

The New York Times has put together a list of national and international car-related activities now that summer is here. Whether it’s a concours or a swap meet, or some of the world’s most prestigious races, spring brings more than enough activities to keep an auto enthusiast happy — and busy.

Posted by   at 1:23 PM to Racing , Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Nigerian violence continues to push oil prices up

Oil prices rose Thursday despite a U.S. report showing that stocks of gasoline, crude and distillate fuels all rose, as markets worried about violence in Nigeria, Africa's largest producer and a leading supplier to the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Light, sweet crude for June delivery rose 66 cents to $62.21 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by afternoon in Europe. Brent crude for June gained 82 cents to $66.02 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
See my blog tomorrow for an analysis of what's going on in Nigeria.

Posted by   at 1:01 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Research reports offer limited info

For anyone who has actually ordered a copy of his or her credit report and seen the kind of shambles of wrong dates, addresses, figures etc listed there, the news that Carfax, which sells histories of used cars, is facing court judgement can hardly be a surprise.
A class-action suit claims Carfax deceived customers by concealing the limits on the information it collects about crash damage. An Ohio judge will decide on Friday whether to approve a settlement.
Carfax is a great idea. With the wealth of computerized information available, it is smart to download it to prepare reports on almost anything. However, as with credit reports, there are limits.
I signed up with Carfax to do research on a used Volvo and on a story about buying used cars. I found the service moderately useful, but limited. In some cases meticulous lists of services followed each other like a definition of reponsible consumership. Then the vehicle was apparently sold and great blanks appeared in the record.
Meanwhile, grand assurances were made about the overall condition of the car - that it had not been flooded, in an accident, etc. But as the car's driver's door was of a different shade of silver than the rest of the body, it seemed to me that some work had been done on it that was serious enough to warrant a paint job.
And then there was the stange experience of the standard one-month account being terminated after only a few days because of some fear I was putting it to commercial use. I never found out what the worry was but suspect it was because I opened the account from my office. It was hard to get through to a human being and in the end my service was reinstated following a tart exchange of emails.
I bought the car anyway and so far so good - apart from a nasty knock when I put it into reverse. Certainly, it's a vast improvement over my old car.
Point is, these reports purport to show the whole picture and all too often that is not the case. But reading down a list of approved items can provide a peace of mind which is quite valid - so long as it is treated as merely a piece of the puzzle.

Posted by   at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

GM joins green group

General Motors yesterday became the first automaker to join the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a group whose goals include reducing greenhouse gases by at least 60% by 2050 and creating economic opportunity for its member organizations, according to The Detroit Free Press.
GM was one of 14 organizations that joined the 3-month-old partnership, known as USCAP, this week. Others included Midland-based Dow Chemical Co., Johnson & Johnson and Shell.

Posted by   at 10:48 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Carfax in showdown over completeness of reports

AN Ohio judge will decide on Friday whether to approve the settlement of a class-action suit against Carfax in which consumers could receive coupons worth about $20 and the lawyers representing them $566,000, according to The New York Times.
The suit claims that Carfax, which sells vehicle histories to consumers worried about buying used cars, deceived customers by concealing the limits on the information it collects about crash damage.
Some consumer groups oppose the settlement, saying consumers get no meaningful compensation and Carfax is not being forced to make clear in what way its information is limited.

Posted by   at 10:41 AM to Consumer rights | Permalink | Comments 0

Senate Committee Approves 35-MPG CAFE

A proposal raising fuel-efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 was approved by a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, according to thecarconnection.com. The measure, which included the biggest change to federal fuel economy standards in more than 30 years, would increase the nationwide fleet fuel economy average by about 40 percent from current levels of 25 mpg for cars and trucks.

Posted by   at 10:29 AM to Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota enjoys profit rise, 7th straight year of record sales

Toyota Motors' first-quarter profit quarter climbed 9% as the automaker marked its seventh straight fiscal year of record sales amid robust demand for its Corolla, Camry and Lexus models, according to USA Today.
Toyota, which topped General Motors in worldwide vehicle production and sales in the first quarter for the first time ever, reported a quarterly group profit of $3.67 billion.

Posted by   at 10:23 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices seen holding at around $3 a gallon

The average U.S. gasoline price will hover near the $3 mark this summer and will set a record for the season, according to USA Today citing the Energy Department.
The average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline will be $2.95 this summer, up 11 cents from the average last year and 14 cents higher than the price predicted a month ago, the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department's statistical arm, said in a monthly report.
Unanticipated refinery closings heading into the busy summer driving season along with strong demand for gasoline worldwide led to the higher price forecast, the EIA analysts said.

Posted by   at 10:21 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Natural-gas powered car in the doldrums

The natural-gas powered car is a paradox, writes Chris Woodyard in USA Today.
The fuel is readily available, North American-produced and virtually pollution-free. Many motorists could even fill up in their own garages every night just like they would power-up with one of the gas-electric plug-in hybrids still under development.
But no one seems to care. Not government officials. Not auto executives. Not consumers. Not even some environmentalists.
Most major automakers offered them in the 1990s, primarily for government and corporate fleets, but today, when natural gas offers a common-sense, immediate and ecological relief valve to the nation's dependence on foreign oil, only one major automaker still makes a production model — and sales stink.

Posted by   at 10:13 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: AAA offers so much more

How many of you realize that AAA will register your car and renew your license if you are member? No more moaning and groaning about visits to the DMV. And that's not all.
I recently took out a small auto loan with AAA at a very reasonable rate. And while going through the paper work, I was astonished to find out that AAA offers all sorts of loans - 1st mortgages, 2nd mortgages, home equity loans, unsecured loans, personal lines of credit, credit cards ... plus full service insurance services including home, auto and personal as well as liability, life, long term care, business ...
Robert P Murray, AAA Southern New England Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, said it can offer the services at lower rates because it is a club made up of dues-paying members. All you have to do is become a member.
I shall be writing an extended article in the next few weeks focusing on AAA's increasing range of services.
In the meantime, check out my story and Steve Szydlowski's photographs this Saturday on the AAA/Ford Auto Skills State Finals which take place Thursday. Ten teams of high school automotive students will be competing to diagnose and repair deliberately 'bugged' vehicles. Should be fun.

Posted by   at 11:56 AM to AAA | Permalink | Comments 0

Obama: U.S. Auto Fuel Efficiency Lacking

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday faulted U.S. automakers for failing to do what foreign manufacturers have accomplished in producing fuel-efficient vehicles, according to the Associated Press.

Posted by   at 10:30 AM to Alternative fuels , Auto industry , Design , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices, consumption both climb

With gasoline prices again reaching $3 a gallon, you might expect people to say they’ve had enough. But for the most part, Americans aren’t doing much more than complaining, according to The Providence Journal's Timothy C. Barmann.
average price of a gallon of self-serve regular grade gasoline in Rhode Island yesterday was $2.999 a gallon, according to a survey of local dealers by the state Office of Energy Resources. That’s up 10 cents from last week. Nationally, the average price broke a new record at $3.07 a gallon, up nearly 20 cents from two weeks ago, according to a survey by oil analyst Trilby Lundberg.

Posted by   at 10:28 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

For DaimlerChrysler, there's more to a deal than cash

The price for the Chrysler Group might not matter as much to DaimlerChrysler AG officials as shedding the division's huge pension and health care liabilities does, according to the Detroit Free Press.
If the German company can get a deal where those liabilities -- which have been estimated to be in the $16.5-billion to $19-billion range -- are eliminated from its balance sheet, it might accept a sale price that on its own would seem low, the Free Press has learned.

Posted by   at 10:46 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Bang & Olufsen promises “best-sounding” Bluetooth

Audio expert Bang & Olufsen is claiming to have raised the bar on the quality of hands-free Bluetooth cellphone car kits for drivers, accroding to thecarconnection.com.
This is the Earset 2, which its maker claims can banish background noise from the conversation. Supported by air vents and a bass port, it's claimed to reproduce the human voice with the highest degree of accuracy. It fits to the ear via the standard B&O three-way adjustable surround.
Earset 2 has a range of up to ten meters, 100 hours of standby and four hours of talk time. It's priced at $349.

Posted by   at 10:30 AM to Accessories | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices on the march

Trilby Lundberg's biweekly survey of gas prices nationwide has some unwelcome news for drivers, according to thecarconnection.com. The Lundberg survey says we're now paying the highest prices ever for gasoline on average across the nation-and it's not even peak driving season.
Lundberg reports that the average price of a gallon of gas nationwide is $3.07 a gallon, about 20 cents higher than last week. Two weeks ago, the number was $2.87.

Posted by   at 10:27 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Buying a certified car doesn't always mean what it says

Certified used cars have become popular over the last five years, favored by consumers worried about getting a lemon when they buy used. A guarantee from an automaker that the car checks out is peace of mind for which an increasing number of people are willing to pay extra, sometimes $2,000 or more. But some consumers are finding that certified does not protect them, according to The New York Times.

Posted by   at 10:25 AM to Companies , Consumer rights | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford to Close Cleveland-Area Plant

Ford said it will close its casting plant in Brook Park, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, in 2009. The plant employs 1,218 hourly and salaried workers, according to the Associated Press.
The company also will shutter Cleveland Engine Plant 1 in Brook Park for at least a year starting in two weeks. It employs 577 workers, AP said. A second engine plant at the complex just west of Cleveland will remain open.

Posted by   at 10:17 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota's success pleases proponents of 'lean'

While everyone at Toyota was happy when it is was announced last week that it had sold more cars and trucks than General Motors, the news was also music to another group, according to USA Today.
That group is the industry of experts and consultants who sell the no-waste business regimen known as lean manufacturing, a regimen that is popular due almost entirely to Toyota's success.

Posted by   at 10:05 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Proposal gives automakers until 2020 to hit 35 m.p.g

Automakers would have until 2020 to raise the fuel efficiency of their cars and trucks to an average of 35 miles per gallon under a key U.S. Senate proposal, which includes several clauses Detroit automakers have pushed, giving federal regulators power over future rules, according to the Detroit Free Press
The amendment offered Friday by Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, will be the starting point when the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee meets Tuesday to consider passing a fuel economy increase to the full Senate.

Posted by   at 11:45 AM to Alternative fuels , Auto industry , Environment , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

GM auto business on the rise

General Motors' core automotive business showed renewed signs of improvement Thursday even as big losses in its residential mortgage unit caused the automaker's first-quarter earnings to plunge, according to USA Today.
GM narrowed its loss in its critical North American automotive operations through cost cutting while continuing to see strong growth in overseas sales, especially in emerging markets.

Posted by   at 11:44 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler sales up worldwide

Automaker DaimlerChrysler's car sales at its Chrysler Group rose considerably last month outside the North American market, according to USA Today.
Sales in April rose 17% with 18,289 cars sold, the German-American automaker said, while sales from January-April rose 14% from the same time a year ago with 780,859 cars sold. The increase was evident in its key markets — Europe and South America — but the company said sales were also strong in emerging markets, particularly the Middle East.

Posted by   at 11:42 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Herb Chambers has charm and moxie

What's the opposite of painfully shy?
How about Herb Chambers.
Projo photograper Steve Szydlowski and I went to Chambers' local Cadillac dealership yesterday to interview New England's biggest auto dealer and the next thing we know we are floating over the city in his private helicopter on our way up to his new Lexus dealership in Sharon, Mass.
The dealership, which is scheduled to open June 1, is a $30 million extravanganza which Chambers himself calls "the craziest thing I've ever done."
Certainly it's on a scale that boggles the mind. Apart from the money, consider the sheer size - 110,000 square feet with a showroom with 50-foot windows that is capable of holding 40 cars. And behind that, 50 service bays immaculately laid out in a light, spacious hall.
Upstairs, the customer waiting area is equipped with a coffee bar, flat screen TVs, a fireplace and children's play area. The bathrooms look like they belong in a five-star hotel and even the staircase is extra wide to give the sense of space and luxury.
Chambers has clearly gone over the top with this building - but that is a relative term when talking about a man with 38 dealerships who is currently having a yacht built in Germany that will be 257 feet long and have a crew of 22.
Chambers is larger than life, and you can read my report and see Steve's photographs in the projoCars section of this Saturday's Providence Journal.

Posted by   at 11:17 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 1

More farmers planting corn for ethanol

Farmers in some of the most unlikely places are planting corn this year as demand for the grain to make ethanol has led to skyrocketing prices, sparking a corn rush throughout the USA, according to USA Today.
U.S. farmers are expected to plant the largest corn crop since World War II this year, switching acreage from soybeans, cotton, rice and other crops and planting on land that has been sitting idle for years. The move is in response to soaring demand for ethanol, commonly produced from corn in the USA.

Posted by   at 10:07 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices jump on Nigerian woes

Oil prices rose Thursday after reports of more attacks on oil workers in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer, raised worries about supplies, according to the Associated Press.
Gunmen kidnapped at least 19 people in less than 24 hours in three attacks - seizing people from a vessel managed by a subsidiary of Italian oil firm Eni SpA, from a South Korean company's power plant construction site and from a bar near an oil compound, officials and witnesses said. At least one police officer was injured.

Posted by   at 10:00 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

BMW profits down 38 percent in first quarter

BMW said Thursday its first-quarter profit dropped 38 percent as it spent more money on launching new models and because last year's figure included a one-time gain, according to the Associated Press.

Posted by   at 9:58 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

GM profits down 90 percent in first quarter

General Motors' first-quarter profit fell 90 percent compared with a year ago, according to the Associated Press.
The company cited losses in the home lending operations of its former financial arm.
It was the second consecutive quarterly profit for the nation's largest automaker, which said in Thursday's report it had record vehicle sales worldwide and improvements in its automotive operations in the latest quarter.
But the profit of $62 million, or 11 cents a share, for the January-March period was down from $602 million, or $1.06 per share, a year ago.

Posted by   at 9:55 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: See Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'

I finally got around to seeing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and recommend it highly. Even though it has long seemed to me obvious that our carbon emissions had to be having an impact on the world's atmosphere, I was surprised and pretty horrified by the weight of evidence the former vice president and president elect has built up.
Certainly, Gore has focused attention on this issue like no one else and the move underway toward alternative fuels, for example, is bound to gain even more momentum.
Gore quickly defines global warming - the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that prevents the escape of reflected sunlight .
He then demonstrates through a series of charts how the modern era is burdened by a global population of about 6 billion compared with 2 billion when he was born; and how the burning of fossil fuels that started in earnest with the coal-fired factories of the industrial revolution in the 19th Century has caused the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to literally go off a chart that traces the data over 650,000 years through ice cores from Antartica!
He then points out evidence of a changing environment, including the number of 'record' hot years, the increase in major storms including Hurricane Katrina, the rapid retreat of the world's glaciers and the ongoing meltdown in the Arctic.
The evidence is overwhelming and it's astonishing that there is still a cadre of drivelers who continue to belittle the entire concept.
The documentary, which won an Oscar, is basically a lecture which he admits he has given "over 1,000 times." Well, practice makes perfect and the presentation is extremely tight and focused.
He ends it by pointing out that the technology exists to avert disaster; what we need is the political will. The notion that the current administration of former fossil fuel executives has any interest in this is risible; hopefully, a changing of the guard in 2008 will include a renewed focus on this very serious and growing problem.
But there is always the possibility that by the fall of 2008, we will have already experienced a monumental catastrophe that will make Katrina seem like a picnic. For while the move is on to alternative fuels, consider that China is planning to build 500 new coal-fired power plants over the next decade, according to an NPR report this morning.

Posted by   at 12:39 PM to Alternative fuels , Environment , Oil , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Analysis: Economy slows April car sales

Check out business writer Sarah Webster's analysis of the dip in car sales last month in the Detroit Free Press.
"U.S. consumers, whose confidence is being sapped by a sluggish housing market and rising fuel prices, purchased just 1.3 million new vehicles last month, she writes. "That's a decline of 7.6%, or 110,000, compared with sales a year ago -- the worst monthly sales drop this year....
"Automakers told the Free Press that when confidential fleet sales to rental car companies and other businesses are excluded, consumer purchases in dealer showrooms were even worse."

Posted by   at 12:24 PM to Analysis , Auto industry , Companies | Permalink | Comments 1

Touching up Lamborghinis

If you have the money to buy a Lamborghini, then you have the money to have it modified anyway you want. Here's a squib from leftlanenews.com highlighting how some of the nouveau owners have had their Lambos altered.

Posted by   at 12:15 PM to Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford, Toyota GM sales slumped in April

April auto sales were so slow that even Toyota reported a decrease from the same month last year. General Motors and Ford also reported decreases in U.S. sales while Chrysler had a small increase, according to the Associated Press.
Most analysts expected that U.S. sales would be down due largely to the slumping housing market, rising consumer debt, no pent-up demand for vehicles and gasooine prices at or near $3 per gallon.

Posted by   at 3:43 PM to Companies , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: The Mercedes-Benz Maybach seems to be for old folks only

A recent report finds sales of DaimlerChrysler's Maybach ultra uxury limo continue to be disappointing and having inspected one at the recent New York Auto Show, it doesn't surprise me. I mean, who are they making these things for?
For those of you who haven't seen one, the Mercedes-Benz Maybach is a giganto limo - the Maybach 62 is so long its rear seats can fully recline - that costs in the neighborhood of $300,000 to $450,000.
But those rear seats look to me so plush as to be almost claustophobic. Sure, they can be raised lowered, heated and some even have magic massage fingers. And they are surrounded by a bevy of conveniences - TV, wi-fi, refrigerator, writing table, etc etc. The roof can be programmed to be clear or opaque and black curtains can be drawn all round the rear compartment to allow for a complete snooze. (I was going to say privacy, but that might imply hanky-panky and it's hard to imagine that being much fun in such a cluttered environment.)
No, the Mercedes-Benz Maybach seems to be built for a passive lifetyle, for the kind of rich old codger or haughty dowager of a bygone age. By contrast, we live in an age dominated by the notion of an active lifestyle.
For example, it may be sour grapes, but I don't think most baby boomers are attracted to the eternal holiday style of retirement. To be sure, many of us will keep working because we need to. But many of us, from all walks of life, want to keep involved.
And that goes for wealthy moguls. Sure it's fun to be driven around, but not in a cocoon of luxury. Wealth today buys the active lifestyle for old and and young and to many it's more prestigious to be seen driving, or being driven in, a luxury power monster BMW or Bentley than to be seen lolling in the back seat of a luxury limo.
I may be wrong - I usually am - but somehow I don't see Kirk Kerkorian (89) looking passively out from behind the curtains of a Mercedes-Benz Maybach.

Posted by   at 9:47 AM to Companies , Design , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Auto makers can run but they can't hide from EPA

The emissions noose around the auto industry is getting tighter, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to limit carbon dioxide emissions, according to thecarconnection.com which cited the Washington Post.
The industry's longtime political protector, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., has warned automakers there is probably no chance of preventing Congress and the Bush administration from raising fuel economy standards.

Posted by   at 9:42 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 1

Forget about the car, how about that mower

Lawn lovers may not realize that push-power mowers spew as much pollution in an hour as 11 cars, and riding mowers emit as much as 34 cars, according to the Washington Post.
Though outdoor-equipment makers have been subject to regulation and have reduced emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency and California wanted more stringent rules for the $8 billion industry. This meant that to achieve further reductions in pollutants, engine makers would probably have to use catalytic converters to clean up exhaust.

Posted by   at 9:38 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford's new exec looks into the future

Susan Cischke Cischke, Ford's new senior vice president for sustainability, environment and safety engineering, admits that her vision is a little fuzzy when she looks more than two decades into the future, but she still sees an internal combustion engine, albeit one smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient than the engines of today, according to the Associated Press.

Posted by   at 9:22 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0