AR Index 680.87 +15.54 (+2.34%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 82.90 +4.36
GM 0.61 +0.02
Ford 8.91 +0.02
Dow 10390.11 +45.27 (+0.44%)
From the Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The chief executive of Chrysler Group LLC, a big recipient of U.S. government aid, on Monday criticized European governments for the [...]
It's a commonly held notion that if we had ever managed to annihilate ourselves with a thermonuclear exchange, or perhaps under the weight of unnecessary cell phone use, that once the smoke clears, the cockaroaches would come out from the cracks and crevices to take over the [...]
The phone rang at the shop the other day and this woman wants to set up a time when she can bring in her car for me to put her state inspection sticker on. She explains that she didn't have her registration with her when she brought' [...]
There are days when I really miss Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, especially in a week where we have something like Tiger's self-inflicted soap opera going on. I can see the joke wall now...
Alan Sues: What's the difference between a Cadillac Escalade and a golf ball?
Judy Carne: Tiger [...]
Concept cars have always attracted my attention at auto shows.
Usually it's because it's someting I'd love to see make it through to production.
This time I think it was just the Hot Wheels-style wheels.
The P-NUT (Personal-Neo Urban Transport) an ultra-compact, three-passenger design study' [...]
It comes in threes... Charlie Weis gets canned at Notre Dame, Bobby Bowden gets to "retire" at Florida State, and now Fritz Henderson suddenly resigns as CEO of Government Motors.
The one thing they all have in common is performance relative to the competition, although "performance" is [...]
AR Index 665.34 +9.48 (+1.45%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 78.54 +1.06
GM 0.59 -0.07
Ford 8.89 +0.16
Dow 10344.84 -106.11 (-1.02%)
[...]This is the time of year when we're inundated with all the flash and sparkle the retailers can offer on items you might want to find under your Christmas tree.
So you might want to check out Inside Line's first look at the 2011 Ford Mustang' [...]
Dear Dub, I know it was a tough year in the auto industry, so does that mean there's no Turkey of the Year this year?
Au contraire... we have a group award for turkeys of the year. Let's give it to the boys and girls [...]
AR Index 655.86 -7.70 (-1.16%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 80.20 -2.72
GM 0.66 +0.02
Ford 8.73 +0.02
Dow 10406.96 +43.99 (+0.42%)
It's sort of a classic chiken-or-the-egg scenario when you look at the chart of Ford's stock relative to the other components of the AR Index.
For certain, the dramatic [...]
The week before auto shows for maunfacturers seems like it's the days leading up to Christmas for a little kid. Can we PLEASE open one present early????
That's why today, a week before the official debut at the LA Auto Show, Cadillac unveiled the production form of the [...]
Dear Dub,
I have a Toyota Prius and I'm worried about all the EMF and stray electronic waves messing up my drive by wire and causing unintended acceleration.
So I'm going to cover my entire dash in tinfoil.
Do you [...]
Like we need another place to have our money disappear for no good reason.
At the pumps, it's virtually impossible to find non-ethanol laced gasoline. The "up to 10%" blend has reduced the mileage on my vehicles a solid 10% for the two years I've been forced' [...]
As reported on Inside Line, the Detroit Auto Show is going to have a feature area for electric vehicles named Electric Avenue.
I suppose the manufacurers are hoping to amp up interest in the auto show with a battery of EV's ( they haven't named the' [...]
Research at the University of Waterloo has led four southern Ontario farmers to send straw from soft, white winter wheat to an auto parts plant in Ohio for plastic production that is ending up as third-row storage bins in the Flex crossover vehicle in Oakville.
Sounds like [...]
General Motors Co. has decided to produce the Cadillac Converj, an extended-range electric car using the same technology as the Chevrolet Volt, The Detroit News has learned.
I guess it's the natural followup to the wild success and overwhelmingly positive reaction that the public has had to [...]
AR Index 635.31 +27.34 (+4.50%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 79.12 +0.00
GM 0.58 +0.03
Ford 8.18 +0.60
Dow 10226.94 +437.50 (+4.47%)
I'm still slightly amazed that Ford really has been the driving force in the AR Index right from when I started to record things back in April 2008.' [...]
While I'm not a fan of well-intentioned attempts to make cars safer that lead to drivers thinking they have worry about fewer things while driving, I am 100% for seatbelt use and have been wearing them religiously ever since the late 70's when my brother-in-law the' [...]
Dear Dub,
I was in a tire shop the other day when a guy pulled up in a smart car and came in saying he wanted some new tires. So the fine fellow at the desk said, "Let's go out and see what size they are", and [...]
Ford said on Thursday that beginning in 2010, it planned to be the first automaker to offer inflatable rear seat belts, a technology aimed at reducing injuries to children and elderly passengers in a crash.
Sounds noble enough, and I'll even give them clever on the marketing' [...]
The image is from the Charlie Chaplin classic, "Modern Times", which follows the Little Tramp through his trials and tribulations at a factory.
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, [...]
It's a headline too good to pass up...
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 [...]
How appropriate that on election we have a story about how the US Treasury is considering options for divesting itself of our stake in the auto industry. One of the options it is focuing on is on a series of public offering.
Taxpayers have sunk more than [...]
In just two days of voting, the Canadian Auto Workers pulled off what the UAW was unable to do in weeks -- convince its membership to vote for yet another set of contract changes with Ford Motor Co.
Not only did they agree to the changes in [...]
Going on an all day exursion to Pittsburgh today with a total of about 6 hours of driving, so I thought I'd get my rubbernecking out of the way before the trip by stopping at wreckedexotics.com this morning.
This photo is from the Weird Accidents section.
' [...]Dear Dub,
Now that Cash for Clunkers has put a lot of perfectly good cars into salvage yards, I can finally follow through on an idea I've had for years. I'm going to build the perfect car by using the best parts from whatever source, and [...]
Another historic UAW "victory" as workers at the Sterling Heights axle plant vote down the concessions Ford needs to stay competetive.
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 [...]
China has told the U.S. that it will take steps that could lead to higher tariffs on imports of autos made by GM, Chrysler and Ford.
Steve Collins, president of industry trade group the American Automotive Policy Council, said Wednesday that U.S. officials have told the three [...]
From freep.com
The trusted magazine Consumer Reports heaped praise Tuesday on Ford Motor Co., which continues to gain momentum in the face of the global recession.
"Ford is the only domestic automaker that's producing vehicles with world-class reliability," Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' automotive' [...]
Daniel Howes' column in the Detroit News nails it in his opening paragraph.
Old Detroit lives!
Here, in the week before Ford Motor Co. hopes to maybe, sorta' report encouraging third-quarter earnings, a faction of its United Auto Workers membership is on course to torpedo a [...]
To promote its upcoming extended-range electric vehicle, the Chevy Volt, General Motors is playing a game of "name that color."
If you've seen pictures of the Volt, you're likely already familiar with its greenish-silvery hue. A contest inviting the public to suggest a name for that color [...]
From the TimesArgus.com
Cash for Clunkers put cash in the pockets of new car dealers this summer but left used car dealers scrambling to find pre-owned cars and trucks to sell.
"The problem is we have a demand when we have [...]
Dear Dub,
Where have you been? Are you OK?
Donger Harris
Well I wasn't on sabbatical, that's for sure! I must have stepped on some hidden cosmic trapdoor because if it can go wrong lately it has. It all started' [...]
I'm willing to bet that if you look up the etymology of the idiom, "cut off one's nose to spite one's face", you'll find references to the UAW.
Is it just me, or are we in challenging economic times, particularly in the auto industry? On October 13, [...]
Here's why you don't want the government's fingers in the day to day business pie.
The government has sunk $50 billion into GM and $14 billion into Chrysler. Rattner has long maintained that the money the Bush administration gave the automakers -- roughly $20 billion for GM' [...]
Just in from the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — The shockingly poor financial management of General Motors and Chrysler weakened their case for a government bailout, but officials feared letting the automakers collapse would severely harm the U.S. economy, the former head of the Obama administration's auto [...]
From Gasgoo.com:
Following a robust September when China's auto sales soared 78 percent from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) now forecasts that auto sales in the country would surpass 12 million for the full year of 2009.
' [...]
I live in an area that actually has winters, pretty much every year. And there's snow in the forecast coming up in the next couple of days.
Now understand that I'm coming off an experience yesterday of dealing with what had to be the world's stupidest' [...]
AR Index 611.62 +39.17 (+6.84%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 78.93 +3.86
GM 0.70 +0.06
Ford 7.62 +0.57
Dow 9885.80 +286.05 (+2.98%)
The year-to-date chart is looking like things are moving in the right direction doesn't it? Not bad considering the anchor being dragged along that is GM.
' [...]This looks like it's going to be the week to get out there and take some spectacular fall scenery drives here in the Northeast.
We had to drive from State College to Pittsburgh yesterday and the colors are really starting to come out. With expected temperatures in [...]
The Tokyo Auto Show is this month and auto shows mean concepts, which are one of the things I love about the shows.
This 122 inch long, 43 inch wide two-seater is the Nissan Land Glider concept. You ride tandem-style in this electric vehicle and the body [...]
From the Wall Street Journal:
Mark LaNeve, General Motors sales chief and a longtime executive, will leave the company Oct. 15 for a job with a company in another industry.
LaNeve headed sales and marketing until GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson restructured the [...]
AR Index 572.45 -39.10 (-6.39%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 75.07 -5.56
GM 0.64 -0.07
Ford 7.05 -0.44
Dow 9599.75 -189.61 (-1.94%)
So you wonder why the "imports" (you can hardly call them that anymore) are so attractive to people? Check out "Saturn and Me: GM Loses a [...]
Seems like the demise of Saturn might have been an iceberg waiting to be hit.
Part of what happened when Saturn was born was an attempt to change the relationship between GM and the UAW.
Saturn sales peaked at 286,000 cars in 1995. But that year saw another, [...]
September sales figures for the auto manufacturers were not anything to write home about. The letdown after the "government crack" that was the Cash For Clunkers program has turned into withdrawal symptoms. (Gee, who saw that coming?)
U.S. sales fell 23%, and looking at the three componenets [...]
DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Co. will shut down Saturn now that a deal with former race car driver and auto dealer magnate Roger Penske has collapsed, marking the end of a brand that was supposed to revolutionize the way small cars were built and sold [...]
WASHINGTON — Opening a government meeting on auto safety, the Obama administration reported Wednesday that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a striking indication of the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel.
[...]
AR Index 611.54 +21.94 (+3.72%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 80.63 -2.06
GM 0.71 -0.05
Ford 7.49 +0.66
Dow 9789.36 +10.50 (+0.11%)
First the "or not"... What a shock. They're talking about September auto sales being way down again. Did they really expect sales to continue at the flash-in-the-pan' [...]
Electric cars may eventually be the future, but from where I sit, that future is certainly not now.
Battery limitations seem to be the biggest hurdle, although pricing is starting to look like an issue as well. The Volt is supposed to be [...]
Sort of an interesting "birthday" today as this marks the 84th anniversary of the beginning of construction of the Nurburgring circuit.
The photo of one of my favorite drivers of all time, Jim Clark, airborne at Nurburgring.
Clark won two F-1 championships, and the 1965 Indy 500 [...]
Dear Dub,
I had a disturbing experience the other day. I took a flat lawn tractor tire in to my local shop to have them fix it. They had fixed it once before about 10 years ago but it went flat again.
When I [...]
You're looking at Honda's U3-X, their new 'personal mobility' device that, according to the Daily Mail, "could one day be zipping up and down our streets."
If you're too lazy to walk, just sit in front of the TV like a normal person! And if you're' [...]
WASHINGTON — An auto industry trade group says it supports a ban on texting and using hand-held cell phones while driving in advance of next week's major government summit on distracted driving.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said Wednesday that using a hand-held device to text [...]
From the Washington Post:
After years of trying to make cars sound as if they were riding on air, engineers are considering how they might bring back some noise. They're trying to make some of them -- those silent hybrids -- more audible.
' [...]
AR Index 589.60 -26.43 (-4.29%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 82.69 -0.42
GM 0.76 0.00
Ford 6.83 -0.56
Dow 9778.86 +152.06 (+1.58%)
Another slight drop at the pump this week, although oil and gas prices pretty much seem to have disconnected from reality... which reminds [...]
Chrysler Group LLC Deputy Chief Executive Jim Press owns more than $18 million worth of real estate in some of the country's priciest ZIP codes, but he has financial problems more commonly found on the factory floor, not the boardroom.
According to Oakland County Circuit Court records, [...]
Dear Dub,
I'm certain that hybrids are the way to go rather than diesel for cutting down on oil use. The 2010 Prius already embarrassed the Jetta TDI in the run from LA to LV and back. Is it common in the diesel diehard community' [...]
“Buy American” resonates strongly among car shoppers today, though not all brands are considered equally, according to a new survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
About 80 percent of respondents who are in the market to buy a new car are [...]
Woo hoo! It's auto show time!
Here from the Frankfurt Auto Show is the Weissman Roadster MF5.
The Roadster is basically a soft-top version of the MF5 Coupe, powered by a 500-horsepower BMW V10. The lightweight speedster will accelerate from zero to 60 mph' [...]
AR Index 616.04 -4.88 (-0.79%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 83.11 -0.79
GM 0.76 -0.03
Ford 7.39 -0.04
Dow 9626.80 +185.53 (+1.97%)
When I started the AR Index back in April 2008, I weighted the "New Three" equally. Today's chart shows the relative price of Toyota, GM, and Ford as a [...]
Dub, I want to tell you about my web site (scam website deleted), that the big oil companies don't want you to know about. Just a simple modification that can be done to any car and you can double your mileage using water! They're keeping this idea [...]
In what has to be good news for the cast and crew of Operation Repo, marketing research firm Experian Automotive tells us that auto loans that are 60 days past due rose by 21.2 percent in the second quarter from year-earlier levels.
I wonder how many of [...]
How about some news about a company that didn't take a bailout for a change?
Ford has unveiled a new diesel engine for its Super Duty pickups that it has been quietly developing for the past two years.
The new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 engine, code-named Scorpion,' [...]
If you didn't see this one coming you must have been born yesterday.
The federal government is unlikely to recoup all of the billions of dollars that it has invested in General Motors and Chrysler, according to a new congressional oversight report assessing the automakers' rescue.
[...]
AR Index 620.92 -12.01 (-1.90%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 83.90 -1.29
GM 0.79 -0.01
Ford 7.43 -0.17
Dow 9441.27 -55.01 (-0.58%)
Just looking at positive/negative weeks for the Index in 2009 so far. Not a horrible looking chart even though it would be nice to see everything [...]
Dear Dub,
Do you know a good class action lawyer? My Mazda 3 just eats tires like candy. I can't get them to last more than about 10K miles before one of them is completely shot, worn on the inside or cupped or feathered. I've had [...]
Interesting anniversay today that absolutely nobody remembers, well they remember it for a reason other than the way Ford intended it.
In 1957, Ford proclaimed September 4th to be "E-day" to mark the introduction of the Edsel.
Slick marketing and upbeat claims aren't enough to keep a' [...]
From CNNMoney.com
The auto industry temporarily awoke from its slumber last month thanks to the U.S. government's "Cash for Clunkers" program, led by a 17% sales jump at Ford Motor Co. and higher sales from Japan auto makers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.
Why [...]
AR Index 632.92 +7.49 (+1.20%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 85.19 -0.56
GM 0.80 +0.05
Ford 7.60 +0.19
Dow 9496.28 -13.00 (-0.14%)
Like the title says, I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to the relationship between reality and the price of crude oil or gasoline. But the' [...]
Dear Dub,
Do you happen to know the record for time/miles between oil changes? A little voice told me that you would be the guy who would know.
I really don't like to spend any money that I don't have to on my car, so [...]
Gee, even Dub Schwartz saw this one coming.
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 18% in August from July in the U.S. on the popular "Cash for Clunkers" government program, but still remain down 6% from a year earlier, [...]
Whether Cash For Clunkers was a success, or whether it even was a good idea is another topic for another day. Today I'm interested in (and isn't that the self-centered point of a blog, what interests me?) the makeup of the most purchased and most clunkerized vehicles.
[...]AR Index 625.43 +6.50 (+1.05%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 85.75 +2.04
GM 0.75 -0.12
Ford 7.41 +0.04
Dow 9509.28 +373.94 (+4.09%)
Things continue to look up for the AR Index (despite dragging along GM) and I thought it would be interesting to use a chart of Ford's stock price [...]
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina sheriff's office has paid more than $1 million to a local auto repair shop for service and maintenance despite the fact that the county has its own fleet service department.
The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported Sunday [...]
Dear Dub,
I think anyone classifying the Chevy Volt as a "hybrid car" has it all wrong. GM calls it an "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" because it is not propelled by more than one source of power. It's always powered by electricity - the onboard generator [...]
One of the morning hosts on WRSC FM 103.1 here in State College just got a speed camera ticket from Maryland in the mail. Apparently not only the guilty are getting them though...
Maryland Students Use Speed Cameras for Revenge
High school [...]
VW workers strike in Mexico
Workers at Volkswagen AG's plant in Mexico -- the only one in the world turning out the Beetle -- went on strike Tuesday after negotiations for a salary increase collapsed.
The union, which represents 9,400 [...]
AR Index 618.93 -20.66 (-3.23%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 83.71 -1.07
GM 0.87 -0.09
Ford 7.37 -0.35
Dow 9135.34 -202.61 (-2.17%)
In case you hadn't noticed, we're in the midst of a complete disconnect between reality and prices at the pump.
It doesn't matter what actually happens' [...]
We all know about GM declaring bankruptcy, dropping brands, and cutting back where they can. GM has been cutting back on sponsorships on everything from professional baseball to NASCAR. In July, Gm ended its 51 year sponsorship of the Buick Open tournament, In 2008 GM ended a [...]
Dah-dah-dah... dah, dah DAH!
This is.. Schwartzcenter!
Our top story...
In the first step toward a merger that will take until 2011 to complete, sports-car maker Porsche signed a deal to sell 42% of its auto division to Volkswagen for $4.7 [...]
Cash for clunkers! Step right up and get your free money!
Did everyone forget we're talking about government bureaucracy here?
Dealers across the country are reporting that reimbursement issues continue to stall the wildly popular incentives program. They have submitted requests for rebates on 338,659 vehicles sold,' [...]
Would you buy a new car on ebay? You may get your chance.
From MercuryNews.com
The new-car sales experiment between General Motors and San Jose e-commerce powerhouse eBay begins today in California, and both companies will be closely watching the results — particularly GM, which [...]
AR Index 639.60 -28.05 (-4.20%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 84.78 -2.41
GM 0.96 +0.43
Ford 7.72 -0.61
Dow 9337.95 +51.39 (+0.55%)
The recent runup in Ford & Toyota finally took a little breather and it appears investors actually took profits (imagine that) out of those stocks this [...]
Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG said it delivered 109,923 vehicles in July, 13 percent less than in the same period a year before. BMW saw a 0.3 percent increase in sales of its Mini-branded cars, whilst Rolls-Royce vehicle sales fell 56 percent.
[...]
Dear Dub,
Well I thought about what you said last week and I think I'm going to trade in my not-really-a-clunker to take advantage of this free money they're giving out.
No-Longer-Undecided
Good luck with your new ride... and your new debt... and your [...]
Film director Juhn Hughes passed away this week, and whil that might not seem to be automotive in nature, he did bring us some memorable car related moments on film.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - After all, Cameron's father DID leave the garage unlocked. Who wouldn't take the' [...]
Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. auto suppliers aren’t being considered for any new federal aid and must expect that their business will shrink as the market changes, the Obama administration’s chief industry adviser said.
The network of partsmakers “continues to function,” and [...]
The Road Runner could always right through the "Free Bird Seed" signs and avoid the various ACME traps that Wile E. Coyote set up for him.
Why aren't we as smart as that?
The Vice President is calling cash for clunkers "an unqualified success". If you ignore' [...]
AR Index 667.65 +73.45 (+12.36%)
Stocks of individual interest
Toyota 87.19 +7.31
GM 0.52 +0.12
Ford 8.33 +1.06
Dow 9286.56 +178.05 (+1.95%)
Well at least two of the new Big Three are trending in the right direction. And Ford was the only one to have an increase in sales [...]
