Monthly Archives: April 2011

NLRB Issues Complaint against Boeing for Unlawfully Moving 787 Airline Work to A Non-Union Facility in South Carolina

Specifically, the Machinists union charged that the decision to transfer the line was made to retaliate against union employees for participating in past strikes and to chill future strike activity, which is protected under the National Labor Relations Act. Continue reading

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Truck Underride Guards Fail in Crashes so IIHS Wants New Rule

In 2009, 70% of the 3,163 people who died in all large truck crashes were occupants of cars or other passenger vehicles. Underride crashes makes death or serious injury more likely since the upper part of the passenger vehicle’s occupant compartment typically crushes as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle safety cage. Continue reading

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EU Car Sales Dip 2.3% in Q1 2011, March Worse at -5%

Sales woes for light vehicles in the European Union continued in March as registrations totaled 1,558,915 new cars, a decline of 5% compared to what was a weak March for EU car sales last year. The month counted on average … Continue reading

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Fiat to Show Italian Vehicles, Culture at New York Gallery

FFiat Brand North America will open on 21 April the Fiat Gallery at 18 Wooster, a lounge in the Soho district of New York City. Visitors can experience the Fiat brand during the 11 days coinciding with the 2011 New York International Auto Show. Continue reading

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Priority Registration Coming for 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Earth Day Launch for New Ordering Web Site

The Prius plug-in hybrid will be Toyota’s first application of lithium ion batteries. Current Prius models have successfully used nickel metal hydride batteries since the Prius was introduced in Japan in 1997 as the world’s first mass produced hybrid. Continue reading

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$5 Fuel Tipping Point for U.S. Electric Car Consideration. Consumer Expectations – Globally – at Odds with EV Realities

Interest or consideration is an important precursor to actually electric vehicle sales, but while EV consideration is a necessary condition it is not sufficient to tip the balance in favor of electric vehicles as customer expectations are wildly out of touch with EV reality. Continue reading

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April U.S. New Vehicle Retail Sales Strong But Inventories Drop

However, the pace isn’t expected to be sustainable as inventory dries up, especially among small cars, and becomes a more widespread problem toward the end of April and into May Continue reading

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Toyota Cuts May Auto Production in North America

On average, around 85% of the parts and materials for the 12 North American-built Toyota and Lexus models are sourced from 500 suppliers in North America. While production of some parts and materials continues in Japan, Toyota says it is working closely with affected suppliers in order to minimize the impact, which appears to be considerable and ongoing. Continue reading

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Chevrolet Sells 1.1 Million Vehicles in Record 2011 Q1

The latest Chevrolet expansion bodes ill for the future of Opel/Vauxhall. These old world brands, steeped in history and baggage, will increasingly be relegated to regional European labels – until they can be rationalized – someday – under the Chevrolet Bow Tie. Continue reading

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Lousy Economy Lowers U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Emissions in 2009 represent the lowest total U.S. annual GHG emissions since 1995. These numbers reflect the most up to date data at the time of publication. Continue reading

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Global Share of Emerging Auto Markets Exceeds Matures

The marketshare of global light-vehicle sales coming from so-called “emerging” markets has surpassed share from economically mature regions, led largely by growth in China, according to J.D. Power and Associates. “Mature markets like the United States, Western Europe and Japan … Continue reading

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Great Leap Forward! GM China Announces Five Year Plan to Double Sales by Introducing 60 New and Upgraded Models

In fact, due to a job creating industrial policy dictated by the Communist Chinese government, China is actually benefitting from leverage as all western automakers must establish joint ventures with local Chinese companies – some of them former munitions makers and military suppliers – in order to gain access to the lucrative market. Continue reading

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Volkswagen Debuts Most Fuel-Efficient VW Beetle Ever

In 1998 the “New Beetle” returned, successfully riding a wave of nostalgia that was triggering automotive retro designs – including the Ford Thunderbird, BMW Mini, Chrysler PT – creating another generation of Beetle owners, most of whom thought WW2 was a history class. In yet another irony, the new Beetle was a mere sales footnote in Germany, where buyers thought the design too frivolous – no Love Bugs for them. All told about 500,000 New Beetles were sold in the U.S. – 10% of the original Beetle’s U.S. volume, as the competition in small cars had heightened considerably, notably by the Japanese Big Three – Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Continue reading

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Ford to Double White Collar Workers in China by 2015

Ford Motor Company will double the number of white collar workers in China by 2015, the company said ahead of a recruiting effort to take place next week at the Shanghai Motor Show. All told some 1,200 new jobs will … Continue reading

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Volkswagen Group Sets Q1 and March Sales Records

By posting what was a 13.7% increase Europe’s largest automaker outperformed the overall market, which grew 8.1% based on preliminary Q1 results. Continue reading

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