March 2009
GM's Do-Over Not Likely To Diminish Automaker's Efforts To Green Itself
By John O'Dell March 31, 2009Late-Bloomer GM Has Several Green Programs; Vows Chevy Volt Safe From Cuts By Terril Yue Jones, Contributor The Obama administration's 60-day extension for General Motors Corp. to take its revitalization plan back to the drawing board and try once more, with feeling, ratchets up the pressure on the automaker to rethink its financial and labor issues and to come up with a plan to design and build greener cars that people want to buy. In dressing down GM and Chrysler LLC on Monday, President Barack Obama criticized bad management decisions and said tough choices were ignored. The automakers must ask more
GM Close to Decision on Hummer
By Michelle Krebs March 31, 2009By Michelle Krebs DETROIT -- General Motors' newly appointed CEO Fritz Henderson said a decision on the future of Hummer is close. Henderson said as his first press conference as CEO Tuesday that he had originally set a March 31 deadline to decide whether to sell or eliminate the Hummer brand. However, he said GM remains in talks with "several interested parties -- not just one" on the possible purchase of Hummer. "We don't have a decision today but within weeks or days -- not months -- we'll be making a judgment on a sale or not," Henderson said. more
Obama Embraces "Cash For Clunkers" Program to Stimulate Auto Sales
By Greg Johnson March 31, 2009Late last year, Republican and Democratic members of a House committee urged then President-elect Barack Obama to consider using some of the money in his proposed economic stimulus plan to pay motorists to take older, dirtier vehicles off of the roads in return for cash that could be used to buy cleaner, more-efficient models. Obama, it turns out, was listening. Sandwiched in between the monumental news about General Motors and Chrysler, the president on Monday proposed a fleet modernization program that would include a "generous credit to consumers who turn in old, less fuel-efficient cars and purchase cleaner cars." Obama said that more
GM's Henderson: "We Will Get the Job Done"
By Michelle Krebs March 31, 2009By Michelle Krebs DETROIT -- Frederick "Fritz" Henderson, the newly appointed CEO of General Motors, said in his first press conference Tuesday that the automaker understands what the U.S. government wants from GM and promises to get the job done. "We will get the job done," Henderson told reporters emphatically with confidence and calm. "We'll do it in court or we'll do it outside of court. But we will get the job done." more
GM Announces Suite of Incentives With Payment Protection Plan
By Michelle Krebs March 31, 2009By Michelle Krebs DETROIT -- General Motors Tuesday announced a comprehensive package of customer incentives and protection it calls GM Total Confidence. The elements of GM Total Confidence, which are in addition to zero- or low-interest financing incentives, cash rebates and customer loyalty promotions, include: - car payment protection for the first 24 months of ownership so that if the buyer loses income, GM makes nine payments of up to $500 per month; - a protection plan that ensures the value of a buyer's trade-in; - OnStar's safety and security plan for a year as standard fare; - fully backed, 5-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty with roadside assistance and courtesy transportation. more
Fiat's Marchionne Is Bound for Detroit
By Michelle Krebs March 31, 2009DETROIT -- Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne immediately headed to Detroit Tuesday, a day after President Barack Obama,gave Chrysler and Fiat only 30 days to pull together a deal if they had any hope for obtaining another $6 billion from U.S. taxpayers. A Chrysler spokesman late on Monday announced a "framework agreement" with Fiat, reflecting progress since the two sides presented the broad outlines of a prospective alliance in January. "It's one step closer to the definitive agreement," a Chrysler spokesman said. Under that framework, however, the Fiat's initial stake would be lowered to 20 percent from the originally planned 35 percent, according to various media more
Ford Launches Expansive Package of Incentives With a Charitable Twist
By Michelle Krebs March 31, 2009By Michelle Krebs DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor announced Tuesday a comprehensive package of incentives it is calling the Ford Advantage Plan that includes a payment protection plan like Hyundai's as well as zero-percent financing and a charitable donation element. "Consumers remain anxious about the economy and their own outlook for the future," said Ken Czubay, Ford's vice president of sales and marketing in a statement Tuesday morning. "We at Ford want to do our part to rebuild faith in the marketplace by offering payment protection on every new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle for up to a year if our customers lose their more
California Will Require Vehicle Service Providers To Check Tire Pressure
By Greg Johnson March 31, 2009File this one under "think global and act local" - with a duplicate copy under "is this really necessary?" On March 26, the California Air Resources Board voted to require the state's 40,000 automotive services suppliers to check the tire pressure of every vehicle serviced. CARB's rationale for the new rule that will take effect in 2010 is to improve fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. The rule is designed to eliminate 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by reducing statewide annual fuel consumption by 75 million gallons. (Californians consume about 15 billion gallons of fuel per year.) more
GM, Chrysler Lag Industry Leaders in Green Tech Patents, Study Finds
By John O'Dell March 30, 2009Report by PatentCafe.com shows GM to be light on green technology patents versus other major automakers. By Robert E. Calem, Contributor As President Obama was criticizing General Motors Corp. and Chrysler this morning for falling short on their efforts to produce viable survival plans, we turned up a new report on the health of various automakers' patent portfolios - a report that underscores both companies' problems, particularly in the area of green car technologies. The "Automaker Patent Assets Intelligence Report" by PatentCafe.com studied the patent portfolios of GM, Chrysler, Ford Motor Co.,Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen - the largest automakers in the U.S., more
Congress Mulls Bovine Flatulence as EPA Readies Greenhouse Gas Decision
By John O'Dell March 31, 2009As the federal Environmental Protection Agency moves closer to an expected ruling that greenhouse gases are harmful to the environment, there's more than tailpipe emissions from autos at stake, it appears. It is true that cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, boats and other forms of motorized transport that burn carbon-based fuels do pump carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. That's led most sentient observers to believe that once the EPA issues its expected "endangerment" ruling and says greenhouse gases pose a public health threat, national regulation of automotive GHG emissions will follow. But there are other emissions, more