Industry
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It wasn't so long ago that people were deriding Ford for mortgaging the Blue Oval itself, key investors were dumping shares into the open market and the company was forced to sell off its stake in Mazda. But now a study is saying things have turned around, with Ford's image improving in relation to General Motors and Chrysler. It's not surprising to find that 63% of American buyers have a 'positive perception' of Ford, though the rise from a 41% rating before Chrysler and GM approached the government for loans in 2008 is huge. "The fact that Ford did not take government loan money appears to...
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Fiat wants to form new company to combine Chrysler and GM EuropeFiat has confirmed that it wants to acquire General Motors' European operations and to do so the Italian auto giant may form a new company to combine its Fiat car brands (Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo) along with Chrysler and any acquired GM entities. The information was revealed in a statement issued...
Jeremy Weber -
Chrysler to close 8 U.S. plants by 2010This past week’s bankruptcy announcement for Chrysler means the decisions will be coming hard and fast. The carmaker has already confirmed that overlapping models and some slow-sellers will be dropped but there will also be a lot more cutbacks as revealed by new bankruptcy documents filed...
James Martinez -
Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli sheds light on resignationNews of Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's departure has been making the rounds recently, but now the resigning chief has shed some light on the matter. Unlike his former counterpart at General Motors, Nardelli insists that he was not asked by the Obama administration to step down from the helm at...
James Martinez -
Honda looking to invest in Pioneer’s automotive unitIn-car technology is becoming almost as important to modern-day car shoppers as to what actually lies beneath the hood, and for that reason Honda is looking to invest a significant amount of money into electronics giant Pioneer. The information was first revealed by a Honda spokesman who explained...
Jeremy Weber -
White House confirms bankruptcy plans for Chrysler, Nardelli to step downThe White House has announced Chrysler's entry into bankruptcy protection today, with talks between the Treasury Department and the carmaker failing to reach an agreement on the last day before the auto industry task force’s restructuring deadline. No further talks are planned but President...
Ralph Hanson -
It’s official. Chrysler and the UAW have come to an agreement, with members of the nationwide union group ratifying an earlier proposed agreement by a strong majority. According to UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, the union realizes that the contract concessions that have just been ratified are "painful" for their active and retired workers, but the move will "help preserve U.S. manufacturing jobs and give Chrysler a chance to survive." Perhaps the most important stipulation of the agreement is the fact that the UAW has accepted to swap around $5.3 billion of debt owed to it for an...
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Chrysler and UAW reach agreementIt’s official. Chrysler and the UAW have come to an agreement, with members of the nationwide union group ratifying an earlier proposed agreement by a strong majority. According to UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, the union realizes that the contract concessions that have just been ratified...
Ralph Hanson -
Poll: most Americans will buy a new American car within two yearsDespite the troubles in Detroit and Washington for U.S. carmakers, almost three-quarters of the buying public say they'd buy American - and over half of U.S. consumers are in the market for a new car within two years, according to a recent survey. The news is a glimpse of silver lining in the cloud...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: UAW will get 55% stake in ChryslerIn a hugely positive step for Chrysler, the carmaker announced on Monday that it had reached a deal with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union, while also agreeing to revised labor terms with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. With just a few days left before the April 30 deadline for...
Nelson Ireson -
Honda profit dives 77% but remains in the blackHonda has made some very tough decisions over the past 12 months to reduce costs, including canceling development of its V10-powered NSX successor and pulling out altogether from the 2009 F1 season, but the moves deserve commendation as they have helped the carmaker remain profitable at a time when...
Jeremy Weber -
Daimler agrees to offload 19.9% stake in ChryslerLast October Daimler was forced to write-down the value of its remaining 19.9% stake in Chrysler to zero, yet up until now the German auto giant was still trying to sell the shares. Daimler has announced today that is has reached an agreement to unload its remaining stake in Chrysler, while also...
James Martinez -
It’s official. Pontiac will be phased out from General Motors’ portfolio by 2010 as revealed today in the carmaker’s updated Viability Plan, designed to speed the restructuring of its operations in the U.S. into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more cost-competitive unit. The latest Viability Plan was included in an exchange offer whereby GM is also offering certain bondholders shares of GM common stock and accrued interest in exchange for certain outstanding notes that total some $27 billion. One of those bondholders is the U.S. Treasury, which, under the plan offered...
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Government preparing for possible Chrysler bankruptcyAs the April 30 deadline for Chrysler to restructure its business looms closer, the Treasury department has begun to prepare a bankruptcy filing for the struggling carmaker. The news highlights the severity of Chrysler's situation should it fail to enact a deal with Italian auto giant Fiat, but the...
James Martinez -
Ford posts $1.4 billion loss during first quarter, expects to break-even by 2011Ford has cemented its position as the most viable carmaker out of the Detroit 3, with the company’s first quarter financial results showing some very promising figures. Ford is the only Detroit 3 carmaker operating without federal bailout loans and while it still posted a $1.4 billion loss...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi rules out U.S. production for now, needs more local salesAudi currently has no assembly or production facilities in North America but was reportedly considering starting a local operation to help avoid currency fluctuations from importing popular models from overseas. The company has announced today that it is postponing its decision on a North American...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chrysler creditors offer to swap debt for equityChrysler's race to turn its debts into equity took a major turn for the better today, with an offer from a group of banks and hedge funds that hold almost $7 billion in debt. The group is proposing to exchange around $2.5 billion of Chrysler's debt, but only in exchange for close to 40% of the...
James Martinez -
3 Chrysler plants under consideration for Fiat re-toolingNegotiations between Chrysler and Fiat regarding an alliance have now turned to production capabilities, and an anonymous source has revealed that three Chrysler plants are under consideration for possible re-tooling, at which point they will build Fiat vehicles, as well as Chrysler-badged vehicles...
Ralph Hanson -
The U.S. government may soon become a substantial shareholder in General Motors if a new plan to convert all of GM's debt to equity goes forward. On Friday, President Obama's task force on the industry ordered GM to prepare a plan to convert all of its debt - about $48 billion in total - to equity. That would give the federal government about $13.4 billion in equity thanks to the taxpayer-funded loans disbursed over the last several months. GM will likely make the debt-for-equity swap announcement sometime in the next two weeks, according to inside sources speaking with Reuters. The process...
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Volkswagen may overtake Toyota by Q1 endFor a long time it seemed that Toyota's position as the world’s biggest carmaker was virtually unassailable, but now industry analysts are predicting that for the first quarter of 2009, the Volkswagen Group may have finally overtaken the Japanese carmaker in volume. While the results are not...
James Martinez -
GM says Pontiac and GMC are safe, updated restructuring plan coming tomorrowGeneral Motors is currently seeking a buyer for Hummer, is looking to sell a stake in Opel, plans to cut its ties with Saab, and is open to almost anything with Saturn, but despite the drastic moves the auto industry task force established by President Obama is still seeking more. After rejecting...
James Martinez -
McLaren Splits Off Automotive Group, New Unit To Be Headed By Ron DennisHaving recently parted company from Mercedes Benz, hired a new design director and started work on a new supercar, the team at McLaren is as busy as ever, but still not busy enough, it seems. To add to their plate, McLaren Group has spun its automotive division off to form a separate company...
James Martinez -
Lamborghini says 2008 most successful year ever for companyIn spite of a world-wide economic crisis, Lamborghini has just announced a profit rise of almost 30% in 2008. In a year filled with turmoil in the automotive world, Lamborghini actually managed to move forward, selling 24 more units than the previous year to give it sales of 2,430 cars. In total...
James Martinez -
Bondholders consider increased debt-for-equity-swap as GM bankruptcy loomsGM's decline over the course of this year wasn't enough to convince bondholders and the UAW to grant any concessions, but recent reports that the carmaker was in precautionary preparations for filing a Chapter 11 may have galvanized action on the part of the bondholders. Allowing GM to go to...
Ralph Hanson