Category Archives: people

Ford Motor Pays CEO Mulally More than $29 Million in 2011

Ford Motor Company paid Alan Mulally, president and CEO, $2,000,000 in salary and $5,460,000 in cash bonus in 2011. Mulally’s total compensation, including the value of long-term stock options, was $29,497,572. Continue reading

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Anti Nuke Weapon Org Targets Automakers Selling in Iran

In the view of some, this is a perfect example of the hypocritically bad behavior of global corporations supporting terrorism and repression abroad in the pursuit of profits against the policies of their home governments, whose democratic laws financially protect them and provide for the well being their major stockholders and executives. Continue reading

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DENSO Exec Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing on Auto Parts

The plea agreement, which is subject to court approval, requires Imai serve one year and one day in a U.S. prison, to pay a $20,000 criminal fine and to cooperate with the department’s ongoing investigation. Imai is charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act, which normally carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $1 million or greater criminal fine for individuals. Continue reading

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Lockheed Martin Fined $15.85 Million for Taxpayer Rip-off

“It is troubling that a large defense contractor with long-established contractual ties with the United States failed to undertake appropriate measures to ensure the integrity and validity of the costs it submitted to the United States,” said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. It is more troubling that seven years of fraud when revealed took another seven years for the Federal government to resolve. Continue reading

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AIG Repays Taxpayers $1.5 Billion, Still Owes $45 Billion

During the financial crisis, overall support for AIG through Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York totaled approximately $182 billion. The remaining $45 billion investment consists of Treasury’s investment ($35.7 billion) for which it holds 1.248 billion shares of AIG common stock a whopping 70% of outstanding common stock. Then there is the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which lent $9 billion to AIG. Continue reading

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EU Automakers Protest Globalization as Trade Policy

Call it pragmatism or pure hypocrisy, but the Association of European Automakers – ACEA – is protesting trade negotiations to open markets. This is the so-called globalization that many – if not all- of its parent automaker companies previously used to break or weaken unions as they moved jobs away from their older, established manufacturing sites. Now, the effect of globalization is coming home to an impoverished European roost as the EU opens up formerly protected markets to developing countries, some of which produce automobiles. Management and remaining workers are in danger of losing their jobs this time. Continue reading

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Charlie Sheen in Fiat ‘House Arrest’ Spot to Air Nationally

In the spot, a crowd cheers Sheen as he races through a luxurious home in a Fiat 500 Abarth. Screeching to a stop, Sheen exits the vehicle, sporting an ankle monitor, as Catrinel Menghia, the same woman featured in a previous “Seduction” spot flirtatiously approaches him. It seems perfect for the sophomoric humor crowd. Continue reading

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BizJet Pays $11.8 M Fine under Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

BizJet International Sales and Support will pay an $11.8 million criminal penalty to resolve charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for bribing government officials. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based aircraft maintenance company with links to Lufthansa was under investigation by the Department of Justice for bribing government officials in Latin America to secure contracts to perform aircraft services for government agencies. Continue reading

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Los Angeles and Chicago Top OnStar Good Samaritan List

A Good Samaritan call occurs when an OnStar subscriber contacts an OnStar advisor to report another motorist’s situation requiring emergency assistance because of a vehicle collision, flat tire or response to an Amber Alert. Continue reading

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Unemployment Unchanged in February as Politicians Blather

Alan B. Krueger – Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and an employee of President Obama – said, “Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the economic policies that are helping us dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the recession that began at the end of 2007, including measures to help the sectors that were most severely harmed by the bubble economy that misdirected investment and created too few durable jobs.”

Critics said only the fact that Krueger issued the statement electronically prevented his nose from growing longer while delivering it. Continue reading

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DOE Nixes Carbon Motors Loan in Midst of Taxpayer Subsidy Storm

How you view this depends on what you think of the role of government should be – if any- in nurturing the U.S. economy and promoting energy independence, among other thorny issues. Herewith, two, admittedly simplified interpretations:

– a needed correction after the ‘green jobs’ that were supposed to be established by such subsidies were revealed as just the latest lies from politicians;
or
– simply the squealing of corporate pigs when feeding at the taxpayer trough was stopped

And there remains another real issue about whether there is much – if any – thinking behind the proper role of vast government subsidies, but don’t look for that debate in the sound-bite campaign now under way. Continue reading

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Fisker Automotive Makes Tom LaSorda CEO

Nevertheless, the future of Fisker is not clear. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Department awarded Fisker $529 million in loans as part of an effort to help development of so-called advanced-technology vehicles. Part of the loan was for redeveloping a closed General Motors plant in Wilmington, Delaware – home state of vice president Joe Biden – to build a small electric car, code named Nina – that has yet to appear. Fisker said that about one-third of the total loan amount – $190 million – has been drawn, mostly for Karma design and development. Continue reading

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Ex HP Exec to Head GM’s Global Information Technology

The latest senior executive change follows the appointment last week of insider Jon Lauckner, 54, as vice president and chief technology officer. Both appointments are crucial to GM’s ongoing recovery. Less obvious to automotive media, though, is the importance of IT in a global corporation of GM’s size and complexity. Continue reading

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Web Wacko of the Month – Quicksilver Magazine on IIHS

A reader sent me a copy of Quicksilver, the magazine of the International Mercury Owners Assn., whose winter 2012 issue contains a piece by John Harvey claiming that the well publicized offset crash test between a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1959 Bel Air was rigged. It is Harvey’s contention that the Bel Air did not have an engine in it when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crashed the disparate Chevys in a spectacular 40 mph impact. This is pure, unadulterated hooey. The Bel Air was in running condition, and the offset crash test was conducted in the presence of the news media. The Bel Air – its engine forced rearward into the occupant compartment, has been on display ever since at the IIHS Vehicle Research Center. Continue reading

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Another Two Honda Recalls for Fires and Tailgate Struts

Honda is experiencing something similar to Toyota’s well publicized quality meltdown. During the past year or so, Honda has issued more than 26 public statements about various safety defects and recalls in the U.S. The question remains will NHTSA fine Honda, absent the high profile, highly critical Congressional hearings that Toyota and NHTSA endured, or the egregious behavior of BMW that NHTSA just called out? Last week NHTSA fined BMW of North America and its German parent company $3 million for not reporting safety defects promptly. It was the second highest fine in history after Toyota paid almost $50 million in 2010 for not disclosing safety defects promptly. Continue reading

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