Main page | June 24, 2007 - June 30, 2007 »

Chrysler reveals new details about fuel efficiency effports

The Chrysler Group unveiled more details Thursday about its new engine, transmission and axle programs that aim to improve fuel efficiency, a key component to the company's plan to regain profitability, according to the Detroit Free Press.

More than four months into Chrysler's turnaround plan, several key pieces have been falling into place -- even as the sale of Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management has deflected attention from what's occurring at the Auburn Hills headquarters.

Posted by   at 10:47 AM to Chrysler | Permalink | Comments 0

GM: Tiger Woods will market OnStar, more

Tiger Woods will no longer be the primary pitchman for Buick because General Motors wants a broader role for the golf great, according to USA Today.

Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of North American sales, service and marketing, said GM will use Woods in corporate level marketing and in particular, with its OnStar marketing campaign.

Posted by   at 10:44 AM to GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Senate Adopts an Energy Bill Raising Mileage for Cars

The Senate passed a broad energy bill late Thursday that would, among other things, require the first big increase in fuel mileage requirements for passenger cars in more than two decades, according to the New York Times.
The vote, 65 to 27, was a major defeat for car manufacturers, which had fought for a much smaller increase in fuel economy standards and is expected to keep fighting as the House takes up the issue.

But Senate Democrats also fell short of their own goals. In a victory for the oil industry, Republican lawmakers successfully blocked a crucial component of the Democratic plan that would have raised taxes on oil companies by about $32 billion and used the money on tax breaks for wind power, solar power, ethanol and other renewable fuels.

Posted by   at 10:28 AM to Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 1

GM Developing Detroit Waterfront

General Motors may be devolved from its empire of alliances, but it's still looking laterally to make money. This time, the automaker is looking in its own backyard, as it sets out to develop condos on the Detroit riverfront, according to thecarconnection.com

GM says it will develop six acres just to the east of the GM headquarters building, the Renaissance Center . The complex will be mostly residential, with waterfront lots and river views.

Posted by   at 12:18 PM to Companies , GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler reveals plans to boost fuel efficiency

With higher government fuel economy requirements looming and gasoline prices around $3 a gallon, Chrysler Group on Thursday announced several measures to boost the fuel mileage of its cars and trucks, according to USA Today.

During an event to showcase its 2008 models, the company said its new family of V-6 engines will have the ability to drop to three cylinders when less power is needed, raising V-6 fuel economy 6% to 8%.

The company also plans to place its new two-mode hybrid powertrain in more vehicles, put a clean diesel engine in the 2009 Jeep Cherokee sport-utility vehicle, and upgrade its 5.7-liter Hemi and 4.7-liter V-8 engines to get better gas mileage.

Posted by   at 12:13 PM to Alternative fuels , Chrysler , Companies , Design , Environment , Fuel economy , Technology | Permalink | Comments 1

U.S. refineries not running at full tilt

U.S. refiners are producing far less gasoline than they are capable of making because of planned and unplanned maintenance, USA Today reports.

That has led to a greater reliance on imports and has made U.S. gasoline supplies vulnerable to further disruptions, such as hurricanes, during the busy summer driving season.

U.S. refineries churned out 87.6% of the gasoline that they were capable of producing last week, down from 89.2% the week before and 5.7 percentage points below a year ago, the government said Wednesday.

Posted by   at 12:11 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Tops $69 a Barrel on Nigeria Strike

Oil prices have risen above $69 a barrel as the oil industry began to feel the effects of a general strike in Nigeria, Africa's largest crude producer, according to the Associated Press.

Nigeria's labor unions launched a strike Wednesday aimed at overturning government price increases on gasoline, among other demands that the government already has conceded.

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

Chrysler to increase international dealerships

Chrysler says it plans to add about 100 new dealerships in established markets such as Western Europe over the next two years, as it focuses on expanding sales outside North America, according to Reuters News Agency.
The automaker, which has been losing market share in the United States, says it plans to double last year's sales outside North America to about 400,000 units in the next five years.

Posted by   at 2:28 PM to Chrysler | Permalink | Comments 1

Oil slumps nearly $2 on U.S. stockpile surprise

LONDON - Oil fell nearly $2 a barrel on Wednesday after a U.S. government report showed larger-than-expected increases in crude and gasoline stockpiles in the world's biggest consumer, according to Reuters News Agency.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said crude stocks rose by 6.9 million barrels last week, well over the 100,000 barrels forecast by analysts. Gasoline stocks were up 1.8 million barrels, almost double the market forecast.

Posted by   at 2:27 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: NASCAR could do with a Lewis Hamilton

Did you read the news today? Nine firefighters were killed yesterday while battling a blaze in a furniture warehouse in Charleston, SC, the most killed in the course of duty since six died in a fire in Worcester, Mass., in 1999. (Of course, that does not include the hundreds that died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001.)

My newspaper, The Providence Journal, ran headshots of all nine and arranged them as though in a high school graduation album. What was striking to me were the two black faces - firefighters James Drayton and Melven Champaign - among the nine.

To me it was a sign of changing times in the Southeast, home to NASCAR. But of the 47 drivers currently battling it out in the Nextel Cup Series, none are black. Indeed, the last black driver to win a major NASCAR race - Wendell Scott - did it 44 years ago.

On Dec. 1, 1963, Scott won a Grand National (now Nextel Cup) race in Jacksonville, Fla. and remains the only black driver to have won a major race in NASCAR's 58-year history.

You gotta believe that NASCAR, which, like the NFL, has a highly sophisticated marketing arm, is aware of this and would love to have a black star among its drivers. And now that Formula I has its version of Tiger Woods - Brit Lewis Hamilton who, after wins in Montreal and Indianapolis, cemented his lead in the drivers' championship - NASCAR must be green with envy.

NASCAR may have its roots in the southeast, which is traditionally Good Ol' Boy Country, but as the racial roster of felled firefighters from yesterday's tragic fire in South Carolina shows, the South, it is a-changin'.

Posted by   at 11:41 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota mulls slowing down U.S. plant building, report says

Toyota officials are concerned the company may be expanding its manufacturing operations too quickly in the United States, according to a Wall Street Journal report cited by the Detroit Free Press.

The report says some board members believe Toyota needs to slow the construction of new plants in the United States in the face of difficult market conditions, rising costs and quality issues.

Toyota, which has 13 plants in North America, has been rapidly expanding in recent years with U.S. sales increasing at double-digit rates. Toyota opened a truck plant last fall in San Antonio and a Camry plant this year in Lafayette, Ind.

Posted by   at 11:33 AM to Toyota | Permalink | Comments 0

AMG: Passcode to Absolute Power in a Mercedes-Benz

MUSCLE cars are inseparable from America and the ’60s, their innocence sweetly harmonized by the Beach Boys, their more sinister side chronicled in films from “Bullitt” to “Grindhouse.”

Today’s revival of the old horsepower wars still features familiar Motown combatants like Corvette, Mustang and Charger. But it is Mercedes-Benz, once known for conservative sedans and sleepy diesels, that is overwhelming the competition, according to the New York Times. Forget 400 horses: the AMG division of Mercedes is the new King of Zing, churning out models that top 600 horsepower.

Posted by   at 11:27 AM to Design , Mercedes-Benz , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Mad Scionists: Young, Hip and a Bit Less Square

Since it came on the scene five years ago, Scion has made a point of doing things differently. Toyota’s youth brand can brag of having the lowest average age, about 30, among its owners and of strong customer loyalty.

However, the Scion xB is now arriving at dealers and suggests Scion is growing up, according to the New York Times. The original xB was a small boxy car with attitude. The new one is bigger — a full foot longer than the last xB, 3 inches wider, about 35 percent roomier, 600 pounds heavier, 55 horsepower stronger and about 10 percent more expensive.

It is also less fuel efficient. Fuel economy has declined to 22 city and 28 highway, from 26 city and 30 highway.

Posted by   at 11:16 AM to Companies , Design , Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 0

Crashing Cars When They’re Still a Gleam in the Designer’s Eye

WITH fuel prices high and the pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions rising, automakers are finding themselves in the familiar squeeze of balancing customer wants with government mandates, according to the New York Times.

The most direct path to improving fuel economy — designing cars that are lighter and smaller — presents many challenges, including a population that is bigger and more feature conscious. While clever marketing may overcome that resistance to small cars, federal safety standards cannot be compromised, and the physics of a car crash gives the advantage to larger, heavier vehicles.

Still, development of more compact vehicles seems healthy. General Motors dipped its toe in these waters with a trio of pug-nosed microcar designs for the auto-show circuit this year; the tiny Mercedes-Benz Smart cars will be here next year; and Honda, Nissan and Toyota have all recently added smaller cars to their lines.

Posted by   at 11:10 AM to Design , Safety , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

A Rattletrap East German Icon Has Its Day Again

The first Trabant, the rattletrap car that b ecame perhaps the most enduring symbol of the former East Germany, rolled off the assembly line in Zwickau in the fall of 1957.

To celebrate the car’s 50th anniversary, about 2,000 Trabant owners converged onm the old industrial town last week on a grassy field next to an airstrip, determined, for a weekend at least, to put the Berlin Wall up again, according to a report in the New York Times.

Posted by   at 11:07 AM to Collecting , Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Surprise: Average gas price dips below $3

The average price of regular-grade gasoline has fallen below $3 a gallon for the first time since May 3, according to AAA, the travel organization that tracks prices daily, USA Today reports.

That outdates the government's forecast last week that the average would stay above $3 all summer. But it doesn't guarantee prices will keep falling, especially as oil prices rise.

Posted by   at 10:50 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Nissan Chief: Board to Forego Bonus Pay

Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told shareholders today that the Japanese automaker's board members will forego their bonus pay to take responsibility for poor performance, according to the Associated Press.

Ghosn acknowledged at a hall packed with more than 2,100 shareholders, a record attendance for Nissan, in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, that the company had not met its targets for fiscal 2006.

Posted by   at 10:34 AM to Nissan | Permalink | Comments 0

Strong Fuel Economy Standards Needed

WHEN IT COMES to corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE), the Senate's massive energy bill strikes a reasonable position, according to an editorial in the Washington Post.

All cars and light trucks, up to 10,000 pounds, should have a CAFE of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Each year after that until 2030, CAFE would increase 4 percent over the previous year.

Posted by   at 10:27 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 2

Chinese in Talks to Send Pickups to Mexico

A small Chinese automaker and its New Jersey partner are negotiating with Mexican officials to import Chinese-made pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the first step toward establishing a beachhead in North America, according to the New York Times.

As part of the deal, the partners expect to begin building an assembly plant in Tijuana this year that could export pickups and S.U.V.’s to the United States within a couple of years, said Marc N. Scheinman, a consultant to Chamco Auto of Parsippany, N.J.

Posted by   at 2:45 PM to China | Permalink | Comments 0

Another Spin for ‘Buy American’

General Motors has clearly been hurt by consumers who simply refuse to buy an American brand of vehicle. But the automaker has decided to use its heritage as a competitive advantage rather than a weakness, since it is one adjective that competitors like Toyota and Honda cannot use, according to the New York Times.

“Buy American” has always been an undercurrent in G.M.’s advertising, but the theme has been showing up more forcefully of late. This spring General Motors has run three marketing campaigns centered on its American roots.

Posted by   at 2:42 PM to Companies , GM | Permalink | Comments 0

High Court Says Passengers May Question Legality of Traffic Stops

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that passengers in vehicles pulled over by the police have the same rights as drivers to challenge the legality of the traffic stop when it results in an arrest, according to the Washington Post.

The court said that passengers, like the driver, are "seized" by police when the vehicle they are traveling in is stopped and are thus covered by the Fourth Amendment and allowed to challenge unreasonable searches and seizures.

Posted by   at 2:39 PM to On the road | Permalink | Comments 0

Google plugs in to hybrid car development with $10M

Internet search giant Google hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster, according to USA Today.

But the money, announced Monday afternoon at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle.

Auto development is crushingly expensive, especially when it involves the kind of advanced battery and powertrain technology used in plug-in hybrids.

Though automakers are tight-lipped about what they spend, bringing a plug-in hybrid to market could cost

Posted by   at 2:33 PM to Alternative fuels , Design , Environment , Fuel economy , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Companies help workers save on gas costs

The breathtaking cost of gas has companies adopting programs to curb commuting costs and employees developing more economical alternatives to driving to work, according to USA Today.

Employers are taking action as average national gas prices persist above $3 a gallon. Nearly 90% of employees drive to work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Thirteen percent of companies offer transit subsidies, and 7% subsidize carpooling, according to a 2006 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management. Twenty-six percent allow telecommuting on a part-time basis.

Posted by   at 2:31 PM to Gas prices , On the road , Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

Credit cards cut off gas purchases

As the price of gasoline rises, limits on transaction amounts — or the total dollar amount of gas a customer can pump into their car — are limiting some drivers, according to USA Today.

"Using my Visa card, I commonly hit a limit and I would be standing there scratching my head," Shawn Bloomfield, who pumps premium gas into his SUV, said from his home in Allentown, Pa. "I would always assume it is the gas station setting a limit on how much gas I could purchase. It felt like a ration scenario."

Posted by   at 2:28 PM to On the road | Permalink | Comments 0

Regulators Clear Chrysler Purchase

Federal antitrust regulators have cleared Cerberus Capital Management's $7 billion purchase of Chrysler, according to people close to the deal, the Associated Press reports.

The Federal Trade Commission made its decision before the end of a standard 30-day review, according to two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Early termination of an FTC review typically signifies there will be no conditions placed on the deal.

Posted by   at 2:25 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Crude Oil Futures Top $69 a Barrel

Oil prices rose today, edging above the nine-month closing high reached a day earlier, after labor unions in Nigeria rejected the government's efforts to avert a nationwide strike, according to the Associated Press.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and one of the top overseas suppliers to the United States.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery rose 34 cents to $69.43 a barrel in afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract had risen $1.09 on Monday to settle at $69.09 a barrel, the first closing above $69 since Sept. 1.

Posted by   at 2:22 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Edwards wins at Michigan ending 52-race drought

Carl Edwards snapped a 52-race Nextel Cup winless streak Sunday by holding off Martin Truex Jr. at Michigan International Speedway, according to NASCAR.com

Edwards handily beat Truex to the line to grab his first win since Nov. 11, 2005, at Texas. He celebrated his fifth career Nextel Cup win with his trademark backflip off the window ledge of his car.

Posted by   at 10:44 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

Audi keep their nerve to retain Le Mans title

Audi tightened their recent stranglehold on the Le Mans 24 Hours in France yesterday with another victory on the 75th anniversary of the event, thanks to the efforts of Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner, the Guardian reports.
Their diesel-powered Audi R10 completed the rain-soaked event ahead of the new Peugeot 908 HDi of Sébastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Stéphane Sarrazin.

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

Sensational Hamilton wins US Grand Prix

British rookie Lewis Hamilton won the US Grand Prix overnight to take his second victory in a row and forge 10 points clear of McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso in the Formula One championship, ABC News reports.

Hamilton crossed the line 1.518 seconds ahead of the double world champion for his seventh podium finish in seven extraordinary starts.

Posted by   at 10:36 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 1

Oil Industry Scales Back Refinery Plans

A push from Congress and the White House for huge increases in biofuels, such as ethanol, is prompting the oil industry to scale back its plans for refinery expansions, according to the Associated Press.

That could keep gasoline prices high, possibly for years to come.

With President Bush calling for a 20 percent drop in gasoline use and the Senate now debating legislation for huge increases in ethanol production, oil companies see growing uncertainty about future gasoline demand and little need to expand refineries or build new ones.

Posted by   at 10:09 AM to Gas prices , Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

UAW May Offer Concessions to Chrysler

United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said the union must offer health care concessions to Chrysler similar to those it gave Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. in 2005, according to the Associated Press.

"We've been talking to Chrysler quite frequently - we do need to find a way to fix the problem there now that Chrysler is in a downward mode," Gettelfinger said in an interview on WJR-AM in Detroit. The UAW two years ago gave health care concessions to Ford and GM that saved the companies billions of dollars, but refused to grant the same deal to Chrysler because of its stronger financial condition at the time.

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