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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