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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! Jul 2, 2009 - Are The Dice Getting Warmer?
DETROIT (Dow Jones)--A Nissan North American executive said showroom traffic patterns over the past 60 days are showing signs of some stabilization in the U.S. auto sales market. "Given the past 60 days, we are looking optimistically at July, August and September," Al Castignetti, Nissan North America's vice president and general manager said in an interview Wednesday. "It appears that more customers are getting credit." Auto makers have been searching for some relief since last year's downward spiral in the economy and tightening credit markets hit automotive purchases. Nissan North America's U.S. sales fell 23.1% to 58,298 vehicles in June compared with the same period a year earlier. Castignetti said the auto maker sold 2,137 Cubes during the vehicle's first full month of sales, beating internal projections. "We have seen better traffic and an increase in the quality of customers during May and June," he said. "They are showing signs of better attitudes." The Cube seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it stylings, but seeing a red one yesterday at least got me out of the image of the white Cube looking like a household appliance!
Jul 1, 2009 - Check Your Math
Look at the headlines from two Reuters stories this morning... Japan overall auto sales -14.5 pct in June Doesn't that mean that larger vehicles are selling better (less worse if you prefer) than mini-vehicles? I thought the rollerskates were the wave of the future, weren't they? Go figure.
Jun 30, 2009 - Checking The Pulse
Stocks of individual interest Dow 8529.38 +190.37 (+2.28%) Maybe the pulse isn't as strong as we'd like, but there still is a pulse in the North American auto market and it has a chance to grow stronger. Just like the doctor tells us, diet and exercise will work wonders for the health of GM
Jun 29, 2009 - Watching The Signs
“We saw the automotive slowdown beginning in probably August of last year,” said Larry Patton, the general manager of four Oklahoma and Texas stations. Mr. Patton said his ad sales bottomed out at the end of 2008. “I think everyone saw the bankruptcy coming and slowed down anyway,” he said. His ad revenue has been better since then, declining about 12 percent through May over the same period last year, and was down only about 5 percent in June from June 2008, he said. It's the age-old question. Which came first, the car sales, or the advertising revenue? One things for sure, each cannot exist without the other, and what's looking up for one indicates that things will be looking up for the other. Read more at the NY Times
Jun 28, 2009 - Rubbernecking
I especially like looking at the weird accidents like this one where the driver of the vehicle had just gotten a ticket and was so angry he didn't realize he was in reverse when he tried to peel away. I bet the follow up ticket made him happy too!
Jun 26, 2009 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Jun 26, 2009 - Nanny State
On the surface, it sounds like an idea that nobody should disagree wtih... require manufacturers to hav sun-reflecting glass on cars sold in California to keep them cooler during hot weather, reducing the amount of air conditioning their drivers and passengers need. In turn, that will improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All practically wonderful in every way, right? Why stop there? Why not force (that's what require really means) manufacturers to reduce the amount of glass on cars so there's less area for that nasty solar energy to heat up the interior or your car? That retooling can't possibly cost the manufacturers anything, nor will it add anything to the cost of the car for the consumer, right? And just in case you think that I'm off base and this is just a good idea that's not going to lead to further meddling, check out the LA Times article where it says: A proposal to require so-called "cool paints" was removed from the regulation under consideration today after the auto industry complained it might have to stop selling black cars in California... Adding reflective windows would raise the cost of a new car by about $111.... The windows would cool a sedan's interior by an estimated 14 degrees Fahrenheit or 12 degrees for a pickup or SUV. The standard would be even higher in 2014. Wouldn't banning air conditioning in cars be cheaper to implement, reduce the cost of vehicles, improve mileage performance and reduce emissions too? Or maybe a tax on air conditioning use. Yea, that's the ticket. The nanny state is so good at things like this. It's stupidcaliforniaisticlegislativenonsense
Jun 25, 2009 - Auction Fever
This reminds me a lot of the fever that the auctioneer tries to build up (and usually does) at an auction. People wind up paying a lot more than they should for things once they get into "don't want to miss out" mode.
Jun 24, 2009 - Oh, That Guy
“We’re not saying these technologies are nonsense,” Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America Inc., said yesterday in a telephone interview. “For us the appeal of the clean diesel technology is that it is here right now.” It's still a bit of an uphill battle for diesel in the U.S. as that impression that a lot of folks have of diesels being noisy and smelly is a hard thing to overcome. Read more at Bloomberg.com
Jun 23, 2009 - The Weak SisterAR Index 505.69 -32.17 (-5.98%) Stocks of individual interest Dow 8339.01 -273.12 (-3.17%) My focus today (pardon the pun) is on how Ford has gotten itself back into the game over the last couple of months, at least as far as its part in contributing to the AR Index. Just before the end of March it appeared that both GM and Ford were on the rebound a bit, but then came the government fingers in the pie forcing out Rick Wagoner at GM, followed by the bankruptcy all that money we threw down a black hole was supposed to stave off, and you can see the result. If GM continues to run in a flat line, I may have to consider another stock to replace it as a gauge of the health of the auto industry. Any nominations?
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