July 2008
Giant Sucking Sound Actually Coming From Asia
By Michelle Krebs July 31, 2008By Bill Visnic It's official, at least as quantified by a reputable new study: all the good American jobs have gone to China. A study released this week by the Economic Policy Institute links the ever-ballooning trade deficit with China as costing 2.3 million U.S. jobs from 2001 to 2007. China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001. more
Chrysler Talks Partnerships With Fiat and Tata, Reports Say
By Michelle Krebs July 31, 2008Chrysler is discussing possible alliances with foreign automakers including India's Tata Motors and Italy's Fiat,  according to media reports. In recent weeks, Chrysler reportedly has discussed with Tata the possibility of selling and even assembling Jeeps in India, according to sources quoted by Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. Chrysler also reportedly is talking with Fiat to lease factory space for car production and possibly share distribution with the Italian automaker, looking to return to the U.S. with its Alfa Romeo brand next year. Fiat also is considering selling its popular 500 small car here. more
Nation's First Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Plant on Fast Track
By Scott Doggett July 31, 2008With almost daily announcements of initiatives aimed at chopping the price of fuel at America's pumps, West Virginia, one of the nation's most prolific coal-producing states, is making a serious move to leverage the lumpy black stuff for transportation fuel by fast-tracking construction of a commercial-scale plant utilizing a proven coal-to-gasoline process. The coal-to-liquids plant, which will be the first in the U.S., could be up and running as quickly as three years from now, according to published reports, at a cost of some $800 million. The planned facility is in Marshall County, located not far from the major more
Meeting of Minds Offers Hope, But With A Dash of Gloom
By John O'Dell July 30, 2008By John O'Dell, Senior Editor PORTLAND, Ore. -- I'm sitting in my hotel room after a day of panels and seminars at the 2nd running of an event called Meeting of the Minds, and am wishing I had a better one than was issued as original equipment. This is a by-invitation gathering of about 250 people, mainly concerned with transportation and urban planning, and was convened to consider, as the confab's subtitle states: The Innovations We Need for More Sustainable Cities. The reason an automobile writer, albeit one specializing in green issues, was invited (and I have to confess I'm not the more
Stop the Speculating: A Hybrid Lotus Is in the Works, Perhaps Even Five
By Scott Doggett July 30, 2008For reasons that mystify us, quite a few blogs today were speculating that Lotus might - might - be developing on a hybrid sports car. One of the better blogs wrote: "The words of Lotus' head man Mike Kimberley support this notion when he says that the automaker wants to offer 'guilt-free, high performance motoring.' " We hadn't seen that quote and the blog give any indication when and/or where it was uttered. But the fact is, Lotus Group CEO Mike Kimberley (pictured here) has been much more forthcoming than that. In the September/October issue of "proActive: The official more
Honeywell to Provide Turbochargers for Ford's Initial EcoBoost Engines
By Scott Doggett July 30, 2008Honeywell International has been selected by Ford Motor Co. to develop turbochargers for the first of its EcoBoost engines , which will initially appear in next year's 2010 Lincoln MKS. The new turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine will perform like a large V-8, but will deliver the fuel economy of a V-6, Honeywell announced today. To help bring the new engine to market, Honeywell says it leveraged the latest advances in turbine design and materials to optimise the performance and ensure the reliability of its gasoline turbo technology. The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 will deliver upwards of 340-plus pound-feet of torque more
Volkswagen Overtakes Ford as No. 3 Automaker Worldwide
By Scott Doggett July 30, 2008Ford Motor Co. started taking large steps away from gas guzzlers and toward a fuel-efficient lineup earlier this month, but the efforts came too late to prevent Volkswagen from overtaking it for the No. 3 spot among automakers by global sales volume. The change reflects sales figures the two automakers recently provided for the first half of this year. If sales trends hold true through the remainder of this year, the new world order among automotive giants will be Toyota in the No. 1 position, followed by General Motors, Volkswagen and Ford, respectively. Toyota led GM at the half by more
General Motors Seeks Approval to Build Chevy Volt's Gasoline Engine in Flint
By Scott Doggett July 30, 2008General Motors has applied for permission to build a factory in Flint, Michigan, with the intention of manufacturing the gasoline engines for the Chevrolet Volt there - if the city provides major tax incentives. "We're still working on the business case for that," GM spokeswoman Sherry Arb told Green Car Advisor today. "Right now we're in the process of applying for tax incentives for a potential investment. That's simply part of the process to build a business case. We can't say categorically that it will be built there or it won't be at this point." The city made famous more
Spain Taking Steps to Put 1 Million Electric Vehicles on Nation's Roads by 2014
By Scott Doggett July 30, 2008Spain's government aims to have 1 million electric cars on the roads by 2014 as part of a plan to cut energy consumption and dependence on expensive imports, Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian (right) said on Tuesday. "Electric vehicles are the future and the driver of the industrial revolution," Sebastian said in testimony to a congressional panel. Sebastian recently unveiled government plans to cut energy use by 10 percent over two years in a bid to save $7.87 billion annually as oil prices soar and Spain suffers a severe economic slowdown. The plan will cost $381 million and contains 31 more
July Incentives Set 2008 Records, Edmunds.com Estimates
By Michelle Krebs July 31, 2008By Michelle Krebs SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- With automakers expected to report Friday that car and truck sales plunged to near-historic lows in July, it's no surprise that manufacturer incentives have reached all-time highs for the year. Edmunds.com's estimates put July at the industry's highest level of incentive spending for the year so far and the highest level this year for not only for the domestic automakers but also the Japanese and European manufacturers. more