Category Archives: results

The Product Liability Swamp – Louisiana Ford Investigation

Beginning in January 2018*, several consumer class action lawsuits were filed against Ford on numerous grounds, including fraud and racketeering, based on alleged misrepresentations it made regarding the emissions standards of certain Ford vehicles including 2011-2017 F250 and F350 Super Duty trucks when promoting and marketing them.  Allegedly the vehicles with the help of Robert Bosch employed “defeat devices” to turn down emissions controls to give Ford the ability to obtain and market higher power and fuel efficiency ratings from its engines while still passing emissions certifications tests. Continue reading

Posted in environment, fuel economy or emissions, litigation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hispanics and Millennials – Big Changes in 2020 Electorate

Non-whites will account for a third of eligible voters – their largest share ever – driven by long-term increases among certain groups, especially Hispanics. At the same time, one-in-ten eligible voters will be members of Generation Z,  the Americans who will be between the ages 18 and 23 next year. That will occur as Millennials and all other older generations account for a smaller share of eligible voters than they did in 2016. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, fools 'n frauds, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Soft Q1 Income of $2.1B as N.A., International Decline

The only core business bright spot is the sales of expensive pickup trucks, which GM claims will really jump-start earnings during the second half of the year, if – big if – markedly increased production from RAM and Ford, rising gas prices and a sluggish economy don’t alter the current celebratory mood. Continue reading

Posted in financial results | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

GM Declares Quarterly Dividend of 38 Cents

The dividend is payable Friday, June 21, 2019, to all common shareholders of record at the close of business on Friday, June 7, 2019. Continue reading

Posted in financial results, results | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Motor Q1 Results Improve Somewhat

Overall Ford continues to struggle finding a balance between global operations, product mix, manufacturing efficiency, shareholder returns and changing into an automobility company that can compete with old industry giants and emerging new ones such as Lyft, Google and Uber. Continue reading

Posted in financial results, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Milestones: 10 years of the Porsche Panamera Sedan

No modest hype from what used to be a race car purveyor. IT was positioned as “Like no other car in the luxury car class, this model combines the performance one would expect from a sports car with the luxury and versatility of a touring saloon.” (Milestones – 500,000 Porsche Cayenne Made in Leipzig) Continue reading

Posted in design and styling, manufacturing, milestones | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Government Trust at / or Near Historic Low Levels

Trust in government began eroding during the 1960s, amid the escalation of the Vietnam War, and the decline continued in the 1970s with the Watergate scandal and worsening economic struggles. Continue reading

Posted in customer satisfaction, people | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wards 10 Best Interiors Announced at New York Auto Show 

“Utility vehicles represent the biggest growth in vehicle sales, and automakers aren’t launching as many coupes, sedans
and wagons as they have in the past, which makes it remarkable that half the list this year is conventional cars,” says Wards Senior Content Director,
aka editor, Drew Winter. Continue reading

Posted in awards, design and styling | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cayenne Coupé Marks Asian Premiere

Porsche delivered more than 31,000 units of the Cayenne in China in 2018, representing an increase of 19% compared with the previous year in the slowing Chinese market. With more than 80,000 shipped vehicles, China was once again the biggest individual market for Porsche in 2018. Continue reading

Posted in auto news, design and styling, marketing, milestones, new vehicle, news analysis, sales, shows and events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Global Light Vehicle Sales Drop -5% in March

The slight nudge up came from an easing in YoY losses in China, and an  improved selling rate in the USA. Consultancy LMC notes that Western Europe had a “disappointing month, while the Japanese, Korean and South American markets all continued to struggle in YoY terms.” Continue reading

Posted in economy, sales | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ford Shakes Up Top Management. Again.

Ford Motor Company today announced leadership changes in the ongoing remake of its under-performing business (Ford Motor Company Declares Q2 Dividend of $0.15*). Joe Hinrichs is appointed president, Automotive, effective May 1. In this role, he will lead Ford’s drive to strengthen its Automotive operations and help deliver a sustainable global EBIT margin of at least 8%, about half that of the world’s leading automotive groups. Continue reading

Posted in milestones, news analysis, people | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ford Motor Company Declares Q2 Dividend of $0.15

Stockholders and Wall Street are skeptical of Ford investor relations “happy talk.” Shares of common are currently trading at $9.30, well below the five-year high of $17.40. Continue reading

Posted in financial results | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

2018 EU Road Deaths Down But More Actions Needed

In 2018, there were around 25,100 fatalities in road accidents in the EU 28. This is a decrease of 21% compared to 2010, and 1% compared to 2017. For the majority of Member States, the road fatality rate was below 60 deaths per million inhabitants in 2018. Continue reading

Posted in results, safety | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EU Antitrust Allegations to Hurt BMW Earnings – €1 Billion!

The BMW Group provision will likely exceed €1 billion. The EBIT margin in the BMW Automotive Segment for the current financial year is expected to be 1-1.5 percentage points below the previous target range of 6-8%. Continue reading

Posted in economy, environment, financial results, fuel economy or emissions, litigation, news analysis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Death of the Diesel – European Commission’s Ongoing Antitrust Probe Opens Formal Investigation into Possible Collusion Between Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche And VW

The EU maintains that Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche colluded, in breach of EU antitrust rules, to avoid competition on the development and roll-out of technology to clean the emissions of gasoline and diesel passenger cars. Continue reading

Posted in environment, fools 'n frauds, fuel economy or emissions, litigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment