Touting $2B profit, Ford drives home its status as automaker that didn’t fail
Posted by Staff (04/27/2010 @ 4:17 pm)
Ford posts $2B profit for first quarter 2010 then jacks up production! Hopefully this is a sign of better things to come in the NA auto industry. Ford is launching the all new Fiesta this year with the redesigned Focus coming in early 2011 so this might be the beginning of a healthy run as both new vehicles have potential to be big sellers!
From the Detroit Free Press:
 America’s renewed enthusiasm for Ford continues unabated, as reflected in today’s eye-popping numbers from the Dearborn automaker’s first-quarter report.
While an improving U.S. economy pushed up the pace of overall car and truck sales by 14% in early 2010, Ford’s deliveries in North America zoomed 56% — up to 547,000 vehicles from 350,000 in the first three months of 2009.
The bottom-line result: a $2-billion pretax profit, reversing a loss of the same size a year ago.
Read the full article here.
Fiat designs should surprise
Posted by Staff (04/27/2010 @ 4:14 pm)
If quality and price are equal, what will be the deciding factor in an auto purchase? Fiat/Chrysler hopes you said “design” because look for their new cars to have plenty of “flair”. This is a smart move and it takes advantage of Fiats tools in their toolbox with top designers in house from all of those stylish brands at their disposal. If Fiat pulls this off look for marketing and design to lead them through this lull of new product and excitement.
From the Detroit Free Press:
TURIN, Italy — The world is still waiting to see what kind of auto design emerges from the alliance of Italy’s Fiat and U.S. Chrysler. One thing is clear: There’s a lot of Italian flair to draw on, in the person of Fiat’s design chief Lorenzo Ramaciotti.
Ramaciotti helped design everything from the high-end Ferrari Enzo to the economical Peugeot 407 during his career at independent styling house Pininfarina. Expect some surprises ahead.
“Italian design can’t be repetitive. It must be a design that is a little surprising, with something innovative from one model to the next,” said Ramaciotti during an interview in his modest office at Fiat’s Centro Stile, decorated with logos of the six Fiat brands whose style he commands.
Read the full article here.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Cadillac XTS Concept Shown at Beijing Auto Show
Posted by Staff (04/26/2010 @ 7:00 pm)
Cadillac has one sleek and elegant ride in the upcoming XTS if it’s to be real close to the concept. The Beijing auto show was fortunate to have this beauty in it’s presence and when it hits the road my guess is that sales will be strong. The interior is off the charts and hopefully an engine that resonates with buyers is part of the package.
From AutoGuide.com:
Ever since a report a few weeks back that Cadillac had signed off on production of the XTS Concept, execs at GM’s luxury arm have tried to deny any such thing. But last week GM decided to showcase the car at the Beijing Auto Show, and have released a gallery of new photos – indicating the XTS is moving ahead.
Read the full article here.
Nissan collects $650,000 from buyers who just want to be first
Posted by Staff (04/26/2010 @ 6:55 pm)
Looks like demand is there for the new Nissan Leaf but how many can they build? With this type of excitement and demand around vehicles like the Leaf and the upcoming Chevy Volt electric cars might finally be for real in the marketplace. Both companies need to answer the call and get these machines rolling off the assembly lines early and often.
From AutoNews.com:
In three days, U.S. consumers gave $656,865 to Nissan for the chance to buy a Leaf electric sedan when it arrives in December.
Ain’t capitalism grand.
Starting on Tuesday, April 20, consumers could pony up $99 for what was called a refundable reservation fee. By Friday morning, 6,635 would-be buyers had charged the fee to their credit cards.
For their money, they got…well, nothing, really.
This is not a deposit on the car. It doesn’t count against the $32,780 sticker price.
Read the full article here.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Ford unveils minicar for China at Beijing show
Posted by Staff (04/26/2010 @ 2:20 pm)
This new minicar from Ford shows us just how important the Chinese market has become. The Ford Start compact will go after the fast growing minicar segment in China that the Blue Oval needs to play a larger role to be a major player in China.
From the Detroit Free Press:
 Ford said Thursday it plans to build what may be its first-ever three-cylinder engine for a car in China and is showing the engine in a concept car called the Ford Start at the Beijing Auto Show.
The Ford Start showcases a 1.0-liter, direct-injection, turbocharged engine that Ford said it plans to begin building in the “near future.”
Eventually, Ford expects to introduce the engine, which will be part of Ford’s EcoBoost engine family, in all regions, including the U.S., said Ford spokesman Mark Schirmer.
Read the full article here.
Chevy’s 8 1/2 Foot Bed Longhorn Truck Hauls More Ass
Posted by Staff (04/26/2010 @ 2:16 pm)
The headline on this piece was too good to pass up!
From theTruthAboutCars.com:
Take a good look at this Chevy truck’s bed, if you can: six inches from the front of the bed, there’s a seam. That’s where the extra inches were welded on to make a Longhorn, America’s only 8 1/2 foot long production pickup. Why bother with six extra inches? To make room for one more Hooters girl, obviously. Weight distribution, for the ever larger slide-in campers that were all the rage back then. The C30 Longhorn could take a twelve foot camper, without the horrendous sway that was so common to see back then, with folks trying to haul camper and big families in their half-ton trucks. How many vacations turned (over) into nightmares? This nice truck with a 402 CID big block is available for sale, with an asking price of $14,500! Not to be left out, Ford had a solution to the camper problem too.
Read the full article here.
Cadillac Converj Rises From The Dead at Beijing Auto Show
Posted by Staff (04/26/2010 @ 2:12 pm)
Is it or isn’t it? Rumors were strong and and judgment passed that the Cadillac Converj was dead and now it shows up in Beijing. That’s right the Cadillac Converj is back into the “still kicking” mode and just might see an assembly line one day in the future. GM needs to build this vehicle as it is one of the sleekest cars on the circuit.
From AutoGuide.com:
Cadillac’s Converj electric car, reported to be dead, has made an appearance at his year’s Beijing Auto Show, sparking speculation that the opulent alternative fuel vehicle is still alive and kicking.
The Converj, which mates the Chevrolet Volt’s electric powertrain with the features and amenities of a Cadillac, can travel about 40 miles on electric power alone, and then uses a gasoline motor for propulsion. The car can be plugged in to recharge its batteries as well. And did we mention it looks awesome?
Read the full article here.
Global brands face threat of rising China car quality
Posted by Staff (04/24/2010 @ 5:29 pm)
We keep reading about the rising auto sales in China but what about the Chinese brands taking their show in the road? This is a good piece on how the Chinese automakers are rising fast in regards to quality and could be major players in some key markets pretty quickly.
From AutoNews.com:
 BEIJING (Reuters) — When Ric Hull first looked at launching Great Wall Motor pickup trucks in Australia last year, he considered rebranding them, worried their obvious Chinese origins would raise questions about their quality.
Ateco Group, Hull’s auto importing and dealership company, decided against marketing the low cost models under “GWM” label, instead embracing the trucks’ made in China credentials, and sales are booming.
“We initially thought: do we resolve the brand question, do we call them GWM? But then we thought that people would know anyway, and that seems to be working very well,” Hull said.
Read the full article here.
Buick shows star power in China
Posted by Staff (04/24/2010 @ 5:24 pm)
The Beijing auto show is opening and guess who is making a statement there? It’s Buick and if anyone ever wondered why GM kept Buick this show is one of the main reasons. Buick is still on fire in China and it shows no signs of relenting.
From the Detroit News:
 Beijing — In China, Buick has a cachet that might surprise many Americans.
The brand struggles with image problems at home, but Buick has been crucial to General Motors Co.’s success in China.
In this market — the world’s largest — Buick attracts the kind of young, wealthy customers that GM dreams of capturing in the United States.
“The average Buick customer is 28 years old, university educated, fast-tracked in his company, with a wife who has a career,” said GM China President Kevin Wale.
Buick is one of GM China’s strongest brands, with sales up 53 percent this year. The automaker is showcasing three Buick models at China’s premier auto show here that feature some of the latest European and American technology: the Excelle XT hatchback, and new Regal and LaCrosse sedans.
Read the full article here.
Prius Minivan approved for launch in 2011
Posted by Staff (04/17/2010 @ 8:48 pm)
Word out here, is that Toyota will launch a 2011 Prius Minivan and guess what? It will be great on gas or electric or both and will probably be a solid seller for Toyota. The Prius has had it’s share of problems recently but the brand is still very strong and Toyota has plans to capitalize on that success.
From theTruthAboutCars.com:
 According to Reuters, The Nikkei is reporting that Toyota has approved a “competitively priced Prius hybrid minivan” for production in 2011. The new model will be the first Prius-branded vehicle in a long-rumored campaign by Toyota to stretch the nameplate to new models (future additions to the Prius line could include a compact model, based on the FT-CH concept). Depending on the timing of its release relative to the forthcoming plug-in Prius, it could also be the first lithium-ion battery-powered Toyota hybrid. Toyota will initially produce the new batteries in-house, before migrating production to a plant run by its joint venture with Panasonic. Toyota has not yet given details about pricing, performance, or even which markets this new minivan will initially be rolled out to.
Read the full article here.
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