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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Nov 18, 2009 - And The Lucky Ones Are...
I'm still not sure how a car that's not going to make Dollar One in profit is going to turn GM around and get me my $165 back (roughly the amount spent on the bailout for every man, woman, and child in the US) The markets will no doubt be picked to maximize sales and buzz, but the car is going to have to stand or fall on it's own merits and not the hype.
Nov 17, 2009 - Green LightsAR Index 663.56 +28.25 (+4.45%) Stocks of individual interest Dow 10406.96 +180.02 (+1.76%) Lots of green this week as everything is up and the news seems good. Somehow they're even calling a $1.2 billion loss at GM in less than a quarter a positive sign. (I'll believe we're getting our money back when I see it) The only place I'm seeing red, and it's a good red, is that prices at the pump eased again as the speculators were unable to have their way, although as the three recent bumps in the graph show, that have been trying!
Nov 16, 2009 - An Eye On You
The Dutch government is to become the first country in Europe to introduce a green tax to replace annual road tax on cars. And you thought we heard grumbling here about things like red light cameras!
Nov 11, 2009 - Disconnect?
I guess it's the natural followup to the wild success and overwhelmingly positive reaction that the public has had to the Volt. Oh right. The Volt hasn't even hit the road yet, is priced too high, isn't projected to make a profit, and is never, ever going to live up to the ridiculous claim of 230 MPG. Bob Lutz said it would have been easier financially to produce a Cadillac electric vehicle first because a premium brand would command a higher sticker price, which in turn would help defray the cost of lithium-ion batteries. Great idea. Let's make an even more expensive electric car with what has to be a more limited electirc range due to all the luxury appointments you're going to put on it (got to maintain that Cadillac image) and that will turn GM right around. Um, yea, right. Other than the "gotta have the latest gadget" crowd I don't see the general car buying population clamoring for this.
Nov 9, 2009 - Out Of Juice
The move by Fiat SpA marks a major reversal for Chrysler, which had used its electric car program as part of the case for a $12.5 billion federal aid package. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Electric vehicles may very well be the future, but given the state of battery technology at the moment, they're nothing more than experiments, or attempts to appear "green" since you don't want to be accused of not being green right now. Got to keep up with the Joneses!
Nov 5, 2009 - That's MY Job
I was reminded of the film while reading an interesting op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about how Ford is making it comeback, and how the UAW is throwing a real monkey wrench into the works. The real issue is the job classifications. Ford's UAW contract has lots of them, governing who can and who can't perform specified tasks on the factory floor. So if a machine breaks down, an assembly line can come to a halt while everyone waits for the worker with the proper classification to arrive at the scene. If other workers nearby are perfectly capable of fixing the machine, well, that doesn't matter. The number of job classifications is less than it was a decade ago, but it's still far too many to maximize a factory's efficiency. The classifications and attendant work rules are enforced by union bureaucracies—members of each plant's shop committee, grievance committee, health and safety committee, etc. They're all paid by the companies, as are their legions of corporate counterparts. One man's feather-bedding is another man's job. All this begs a fundamental, and uncomfortable, question. Can a UAW-represented car company compete effectively, long term, with its nonunion competitors? At the very least, companies organized by the UAW have lots of extra costs to bear at their factories located in the U.S. The UAW members at Ford may want it to still be the heydey of their power and influence, but they really need to catch up with modern times before they're left behind wondering what happened to their jobs. Read the entire article at wsj.com
Nov 4, 2009 - News Funnies
As Chrysler sits on blocks, what will Fiat do to fix it? Given that some folks have suggested that Fiat is an acronym for Failure In Automotive Technology or Fix It Again Tony, the headline gave me a little chuckle. Whatever their plan is, it's going to have to be a good one.
Nov 3, 2009 - Get Out And Vote!
Taxpayers have sunk more than $50 billion in bailout and bankruptcy financing in GM and more than $14 billion in Chrysler this year. About half of the debt was wiped out in bankruptcy at both companies. The government received 9.85 percent equity in Chrysler, and 60.8 percent equity and $2.1 billion of preferred stock in GM, and $13.8 billion in debt obligations between the two companies. Yep, that sure is an attractive IPO. I can't see anything wrong with this plan, can you? Read more at reuters.com AR Index 607.97 +6.68 (+1.11%) Stocks of individual interest Dow 9789.44 -78.52 (-0.80%)
Nov 2, 2009 - What A Difference A Bridge Makes
Not only did they agree to the changes in the contract that put them in line with the deals with GM and Chrysler, they did so by voting 83% in favor as opposed to roughly the same percentage in opposition at the UAW plants. Will Ford start to migrate work to Canadian plants? It's not that long a trip over the Peace Bridge to the competetive side of the falls. Read the entire article at freep.com
Oct 30, 2009 - Let The Celebration Begin
Under the terms of the agreement, Sterling Axle was supposed to get new rear-wheel drive work that would have added about 100 jobs. Now, union sources fear that work will be given to Getrag Corp., a German supplier with a nonunion factory in North Carolina. Local union leaders also were told Ford is considering outsourcing other components made at the plant, where 80 percent of workers voted against ratification. "I don't think people here really understood that the work we had been promised was contingent on ratification," said Sterling Axle UAW member Brian Pannebecker, who voted in favor of the agreement and is now helping to organize a petition in support of revote. Exactly what did you think was going to happen here guys? I'm hopeful in that there seem to be at least of few UAW members who realize that the choice is between "winning" and working. Read the rest of the article at the Detroit News
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