Category Archives: results

Chevy’s European Exit Cost to GM More than $1 Billion

While the dropping of Chevrolet as a mainstream brand in Eastern and Western Europe by 2016 is a good strategic move for GM, the retreat will be costly to shareholders. GM estimates that it will take special charges of $700 million to $1 billion primarily in Q4 of 2013 and continuing through the first half of 2014. Continue reading

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Global Light Vehicle Sales at Record Pace

Led by the Chinese market, the world’s largest, global vehicle sales again were at a record pace during the month of November. Preliminary results for show the light vehicle market soared to a new record of more than 86 million units a year. Continue reading

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GM sells all of its Stock in Ally, formerly GMAC

GM’s plan is to put back in place a GMAC-like operation, dubbed GM Financial, with many of the companies coming from Ally, which was GMAC and went bankrupt at the onset of the Great Recession because of its reckless home lending practices. A controversial U.S. taxpayer-funded bailout ensued, one that has not been paid back. Continue reading

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Fuel Economy of New U.S. Vehicles at Record High

The large fuel economy improvement is part of longer-term trends. Fuel economy has increased by 2.6 mpg or 12% since 2008, and by 4.3 mpg or 22% since 2004. The average carbon dioxide emissions of 376 grams per mile in model year 2012 also was a record low. Continue reading

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GM Sells Peugeot Shares. Claims Strategic Alliance Lives

As GM was issuing its statement, PSA shares in Paris were sinking after the automaker said more write-downs are coming with perhaps the need to raise more capital. GM has already written of part of its investment in PSA and it is clearly cutting its losses, with another write-down likely to follow in its Q4 results. Peugeot is trading at $15 a share, down from $30 in 2012. Continue reading

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Auto Engineering now White Water Rafting as CAFE Goes Up

Currently, estimates for the cost of compliance range from zero to $10,000 per vehicle for what is a difficult engineering task that has become – once again and as always – an ideological battleground, with posturing from automakers, regulators and pressure groups. Continue reading

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Treasury No Longer Owns GM Common Stock

Treasury in a statement said it recouped a total of $39 billion from the original GM investment. Taxpayers in 2009 gave GM $49.5 billion in loans ($50 billion including loans for the Supplier and Warranty Programs) in exchange for $2.1 billion in preferred stock and a 60.8% equity stake in the reorganized company. Continue reading

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Holiday Shoppers Boost November U.S. Auto Sales

The upshot was a SAAR or seasonally adjusted annualized selling rate of more than 16 million – back to the levels before the Bush Great Recession years took hold starting in 2008. Continue reading

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Used Vehicles Sales Strong in December. Trucks in Demand

With 80% of all workers commuting in vehicles, 38,711,288 previously owned cars and trucks have changed title so far this year with a total value from all three channels based on transaction prices at $29.12 billion, up +7.8% compared $27.01 billion in the comparable period. The record for used vehicle sales in one year occurred in 2005 at 44,138,263. Continue reading

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Auto Buyers Shopping Lenders. Captives Have Higher Satisfaction Rates

New car dealer recommendations are the most influential concerning lender choice (48% luxury and 50% mass market), but nearly one-fourth (24%) of luxury customers and nearly to one-third (32%) of mass market customers now consider multiple lenders before selecting their finance provider. Continue reading

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Ally Financial Pays Treasury $5.9 Billion, 70% of Taxpayer Debt

As a result, Ally has repaid the U.S. taxpayers $12.3 billion of the $17.2 billion investment that was made in the company when its reckless lending practices in the home mortgage market forced it into bankruptcy. Continue reading

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Tucson Fuel Cell EV $499 Month Next Spring

The move – part image enhancing green marketing and part technology preview – will put pressure on other automakers to respond. Honda and Toyota have announced plans to sell a limited number of fuel cell sedans in the Los Angeles area by 2015, dependent on a government project to build an expensive hydrogen-refueling network. Continue reading

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Honda Fuel Cell Concept Debuts at Los Angeles Auto Show

Honda’s next generation fuel cell-electric vehicle has what is for the moment the world’s first fuel-cell powertrain packaged completely in the engine room of the vehicle. This not only allows more interior space, but it gives the Japanese automaker some flexibility in the use of fuel cell technology in different vehicle types. Continue reading

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November U.S. Sales Forecast at 1.2 Million

Through the first half of November, the average transaction price of new vehicles is $30,079, an increase of $461 from November 2012. Sales and transaction price increases mean that consumers will spend 10% more on new vehicles during the month than they did in November 2012, and nearly double the level of November 2008 during the Bush Administration’s Great Recession. Continue reading

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EU Posts Second Straight Month of Gains in Car Sales

Nonetheless from January to October, new car registrations amounted to 10,006,807 units, or -3.1% fewer than in the same period last year as the austerity policies of European politicians continue to wreak havoc on a weak economy that is experiencing five straight years of light vehicle sales declines. The October results were the second lowest level to date for a month of October. Continue reading

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