December 2009
EVs, Solar Power and National Energy Policy: Bob Stempel Looks Ahead
By John O'Dell December 31, 2009Former GM Chairman Turned Alternative Power Advocate Sees U.S. at Tipping Point As 2009 winds own and 2010 dawns with the auto industry, finally, abuzz with talk of alternatives, we thought we'd turn to a guy whose been there and not only done that but still is doing it for a take on how things look. The guy is Robert C. Stempel, the 76-year old former president and chairman of General Motors Corp. - forced out in 1992 in a boardroom putsch only to land on his feet as chairman of battery-maker Energy Control Devices and now as partner more
Phill Update II: Replacement Unit Delivered and Installed With No Fuss.
By John O'Dell December 30, 2009If everyone is treated as well as we have been by the new owners of the Phill home CNG fueling system, it will be a happy new year indeed. ---------- Technicians Jay Jones (left) and Joe Williams carry new Phill unit into garage. ---------- Our natural gas fuel pump, installed back in February 2008, started acting up earlier this month and we called the new service provider - fully expecting that getting it repaired would be long and tortuous process because the original manufacturer had gone out of business and the new owners had moved production to Italy and more
Daimler Says New Small Car Partnership Will Be Announced by Summer
By John O'Dell December 30, 2009Confirming what everyone else has been saying, Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche says the German luxury car maker will partner with another car company to build small cars and will announce its choice of a partner by mid 2010. One company we know is in talks with Daimler about a small car deal is France's Renault, which already is teamed with Nissan. ---------- Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche (left) shakes hands with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at dedication earlier this year of French factory for production of Smart electric cars. Daimler and France's Renault are now talking about a small car more
Toyota Looking To Enter Biofuels Business With Jatropha Plantation
By John O'Dell December 30, 2009Toyota Motor Corp., aiming to take more control of its future, is getting into the biofuels business as a hedge against rising crude oil prices. The automaker, through its international trading arm Toyota Tsusho Corp., intends to begin growing the vegetable oil-rich jatropha plant (right) next year and is in negotiations with a Philippine banana plantation operator for a growing site, according to a Bloomberg news wire report. Toyota Tsusho last year bought a piece of Singapore-based seed research company JOil(S) in order to push development of better jatropha seeds designed for increased yield and hardiness. "We need to more
Government To Give GMAC Another $3.5 billion in Aid
By Michelle Krebs December 30, 2009GMAC Financial Services, which provides vehicle loans to General Motors and Chrysler dealers and customers, reportedly is close to receiving $3.5 billion in additional aid from the U.S. government, on top of the $12.5 billion already received since December 2008, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new capital likely will go its ailing mortgage business, not its car-loan business, the paper said. more
Still Weak Consumer Confidence Picks Up Slightly
By Michelle Krebs December 30, 2009Reinvigorating the housing sector and boosting confidence are considered key components to revitalizing the economy and auto sales, economists say. To that end, the monthly survey by the Conference Board showed consumer confidence picked up slightly in December after rising in November, but still remains weak, largely due to the job picture. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index, which tracks sales in 20 major metropolitan areas, showed that prices of single-family homes were largely flat in October compared with September, another factor that undermines consumer confidence. more
Audi Still Loves Diesel But Confirms Q5 Hybrid SUV for U.S. in 2011
By John O'Dell December 30, 2009Audi will start selling a hybrid version of its Q5 crossover SUV in the U.S. in 2011, the automaker's first hybrid-electric vehicle to be sold in North America. Although it is developing hybrids to remain competitive with rivals, Audi has long maintained that diesel is a more cost-effective way to boost gas mileage for its cars than hybrid technology. Earlier this month, the Audi's clean diesel 3 TDI hatchback, which gets an EPA-rated 42 miles per gallon, was named the 2010 Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal magazine at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. The more
No Deal Yet For Tesla 'Model S' EV Manufacturing Plant, Company Says
By John O'Dell December 30, 2009Although the mayor of the Southern California city of Downey announced last month that his city was Tesla Motors' pick for a new plant for construction of the Tesla Model S electric sedan (right), there's no deal as the year ends. In a brief telephone interview late Tuesday, Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes said that negotiating for an automotive plant site "is a long, complex" process. "I wish I could make an announcement, but there's nothing yet." Reyes, Tesla's vice president for communications, wouldn't confirm that Downey is the location of choice for the Model S plant or say whether more
Ready To Set Record-Low Sales, Chrysler Heads for 2010 in Reverse
By Michelle Krebs December 30, 2009A little more than a month after Chrysler Group LLC outlined a new five-year plan to restructure and reinvigorate the company as it combines operations with Italy's Fiat S.p.A., the market isn't helping Chrysler's plan look any less overreaching: sales plunged again last month; the company is cutting production and layering on incentives; and the new-product pipeline is scanty as ever. Chrysler's limping finish to 2009 and dim prospects to start the new year are underscored by this simple fact: when full-year results are tallied, the company will sell less than 1 million units in the U.S. for the first time more
Car Sales Surged at December's End, Edmunds.com Reports
By Michelle Krebs December 31, 2009Car shopping on Edmunds.com surged in the waning days of December, prompting the Web site to suggest sales for the month may come in higher than previously expected -- and could be the highest non Cash for Clunker month of the year. "The industry potentially could reach a seasonal sales rate of 11.7 million vehicles in December, given the current site traffic trend," noted Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "Our Web site activity is through the roof," added Caldwell. "That makes sense as there are so many bargain-hunters scrambling to get year-end deals and cash in on the sales tax deduction opportunity that expires on more