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Back Seat Driver: International Schminternational Auto Shows

The Providence Auto Show, which opens tomorrow and runs through Sunday, features at least six concept cars in addition to some 2009 preproduction vehicles and nearly all current models on dealers lots ...

Excuse me, I'm quite forgetting myself. Make that the Northeast International Auto Show.

Oh dear, why is it that so many provincial auto shows feel the need to sex up their titles with "International?" What is international about them? The fact that they include foreign manufacturers?

Not only does Providence have its Northeast International, but Boston has the New England International Auto Show and Hartford the Connecticut International Auto Show.

Even Detroit, which hosts the world's biggest and most important auto show, calls its show the North American International Auto Show.

So does New York - which really is an international city; it calls its show the New York International Auto Show.

So kudos to two of the most important North American shows which eschew the "International" appellation/affectation: the Chicago Auto Show and the Los Angeles Auto Show.

PS Providence Auto Show sounds just fine by me!

- Peter C. T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:30 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Israel Is Set to Promote the Use of Electric Cars

Israel will promote the use of electric cars, embracing a joint venture between an American-Israeli entrepreneur and Renault and its partner, Nissan, according to the New York Times.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with the active support of President Shimon Peres, intends to make Israel a laboratory to test the practicality of an environmentally clean electric car. The state will offer tax incentives to purchasers, and the new company, with a $200 million investment to start, will begin construction of facilities to recharge the cars and replace empty batteries quickly.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:00 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas price falls to one-month low

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Gasoline prices sank to a one-month low, after falling 5.1 cents over the last week to $3.02 a gallon amid worries about a weak economy, the government said Tuesday, according to Reuters and reported by USA Today.
The national price for regular gasoline remained up 85 cents from a year ago, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly survey of service stations.

Lower pump prices reflect cheaper crude oil, whose price

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:18 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Falls As Traders Bet on Weak Demand

Oil futures fell Wednesday, extending overnight declines as many investors indicated they doubt that the U.S. Federal Reserve's surprise cut in its key interest rates will stave off a serious economic slowdown that would dampen demand, according to the Associated Press.

Light, sweet crude for March delivery lost $1.71 to $87.50 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by mid-afternoon in Europe.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:11 AM to Crude oil market | Permalink | Comments 0

GM, Toyota in Dead Heat in 2007 Sales

DETROIT -- General Motors said Wednesday it sold 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide last year, up 3 percent from 2006 but putting it into a virtual dead heat with fast-rising Toyota for the 2007 global sales crown, according to the Associated Press.

Earlier this month, Toyota reported global sales of 9.37 million vehicles, but the Japanese automaker did not release a number down to the last vehicle sold, leaving the sales race too close to call.

Detroit-based GM has held the title of world's largest automaker for 76 years, but Toyota's strong U.S. growth and GM's U.S. sales decline helped Toyota move closer to the top spot in recent years.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:57 AM to GM , Toyota | Permalink | Comments 0