Saturn Hybrid debuts as NYC taxi

A Saturn VUE Green Line recently was put into service as a taxi in New York City.  This is the first GM vehicle to be approved by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission since 1996 when GM discontinued the rear wheel drive Caprice. GM's goal is to show other taxi operators that the VUE Green Line is an affordable hybrid taxi vehicle.

The VUE Hybrid vehicle , now in service, has received very favorable comments from the driver and customers, according to owner/operator Placida Robinson. The Hybrid VUE has a sunroof and premium stereo system. It also the lowest priced hybrid SUV on the market—MSRP under $23,000. The VUE Green Line was an attractive fit for Ms. Robinson because it met the Commission's hybrid requirement, was competitively priced (under $23,000 MSRP), and offered excellent cargo capacity. She says that customer reaction has been very positive so far. Riders apparently like the hybrid and have commented that as taxis go, it's one of the nicer ones they've been in.

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Former Chrysler exec booted from Wal-mart

In the “we called that one” department, Julie Roehm, who had been a rising star at Chrysler when she jumped ship to Wal-mart, has been fired from the nation's largest retailer, according to reports in The New York Times today.

Roehm, 35, gained fame at Chrysler for buying Dodge the sponsorship in the controversial Lingerie Bowl, a television spectacle of women in lingerie playing football. The sponsorship proved so controversial, Chrysler withdrew.

On the heels of that fiasco, Roehm landed Dodge a sponsorship at pre-Super Bowl party hosted by one of the lad magazines. The party reportedly had women dressed in animal costumes and captured in a cage being towed by a Dodge Magnum, a report not confirmed as we weren't invited.

Similarly racy marketing efforts at Wal-mart proved part of her un-doing. She turned the normally stodgy shareholder meeting into a Broadway extravaganza, according to The Times. She then oversaw production of a holiday TV ad, dubbed “Sexy” inside the company. It portrayed a couple discussing racy lingerie in front of their family. The ad drew customer complaints and was pulled.

Her hire at Wal-mart seemed an odd one from the start, not only for her unconventional marketing tactics but also for her persona. Roehm always dressed to the nines in exquisite and expensive apparel. It was hard to imagine her even setting foot in a bargain-basement Wal-mart store.

Turns out it wasn't a perfect fit.

We figured she was a goner when Black Friday retail sales showed Wal-mart down from last year while others had increases.

In riveting detail, The New York Times reports that Roehm got the boot from Wal-mart, not for the company's performance but for her alleged behavior. After an internal investigation that led to her firing, Wal-mart accused Roehm of a too-close relationship with a lower-ranking colleague, in violation of the retailer's policy forbidding fraternization with a subordinate. Wal-mart also charged her with inappropriately accepting gifts and meals from would-be advertising agencies during the company's search for a new one.

Roehm defended herself to The New York Times saying her style and persona as a change agent raised eyebrows at Wal-mart.

Question now is where will she show up next.

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Ford ships Edge, MKX

And finally, Ford has begun shipping to dealers its critically important Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers.

The vehicles had been delayed by manufacturing problems. Ford wouldn't detail the problems; they are rumored to be a parts supply issue or manufacturing problems at the company's Oakville, Ontario, assembly plant.

Ford has touted the Edge, in particular, as the most important vehicle launch of the year.

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And another one bites the dust

Ford announced another top executive is leaving the company.

Mark Schulz, 54, Ford executive vice president and president of international operations, will retire early next year. His imminent departure was suspected when he failed to show up at the important Beijing motor show in November, with a full schedule of events and press interviews planned.

Schulz was responsible for Ford business in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific as well as global activities of the Premier Automotive Group, which consists of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. He was also in charge of the partnership with Mazda. Of late, there has been some speculation that Ford's stake in Mazda may be sacrificed as part of the effort to raise much-needed cash.

More executive departures are possible. Ford just passed the deadline for blue-collar workers to accept retirement or buyout, accepted by 38,000 workers. Now salaried workers are approaching their deadline to take the deals.

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Would you buy a Ford built by temps?

Temporary workers will help build the Lincoln Town Car since so many Ford employees took buyouts this week

With nearly half of its workforce accepting buyouts, Ford is recruiting temporary workers to help build cars at its Wixom, Mich., assembly, something it is likely to have to do at its other plants as well.

Ford announced this week that 38,000 hourly workers, or 46 percent of its U.S. hourly workforce, had accepted early retirement or buyouts of $35,000-$140,000 by the Nov. 27 deadline. That puts Ford ahead of its goal of cutting 30,000 hours jobs by the end of 2008.  Meantime, Ford is taking applications for temporary work at its suburban Detroit plant that produces the Lincoln Town Car. (It once built the now-defunct Lincoln LS and Ford Thunderbird, which were curtailed due to poor sales.)  Temporary workers will receive no benefits nor will they accrue union seniority. They will receive the starting pay required under Ford's UAW contract of $16 per hour.

A Michigan auto analyst was quoted by a Detroit-area newspaper saying what Ford is doing at its Wixom, Mich., plant, likely will be done at its other plants as well. Temporary workers will be required to keep Ford's plants running in light of the huge acceptance of worker buyouts.  It causes one to wonder. For years, automakers have preached that extensive training of experienced workers results in vehicle quality. How can Ford sustain quality when its vehicles are built by temp workers who are not compensated as well as the permanent employees they work alongside of and they have no prospect for a future job or job security?

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GM's Got Some Explaining to Do

And, on the subject of plug-in hybrids, GM's got some explaining to do—at least to one 15-year-old car enthusiast I know in Michigan.

When he read about GM's plan for the plug-in hybrid, his immediate reaction was: will its performance be comparable to gas-powered cars? how much will it cost in electric bills to re-charge it? how long will recharging take? how will it be re-charged on a cross-country trip? and where's the electricity to charge it coming from; that is, what kind of power-generation plant?

I suspect many others have these same questions.

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Saturn: GM's environmental division

Image: General Motors Photo/Steve Fecht

Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak introduces the new Saturn Aura Green Line hybrid at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday. The Aura Green Line will deliver at least a 25-percent fuel economy improvement over the non-hybrid Aura XE, for a premium of less than $2,500.

General Motors is smartly positioning Saturn as its environmental division, an appropriate position many of us outsiders (and some Saturn/GM insiders) have been advocating. At this week's Los Angeles show, Saturn/GM took another step toward establishing Saturn as the GM environmental brand with the introduction of the Aura. Green Line, a hybrid version of Saturn's new midsize sedan that goes on sale next year. Further, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced in Los Angeles that GM would introduce a plug-in hybrid, a technology to be demonstrated on a Saturn Vue sport utility.

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