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Jaguar Land Rover Set March and Q1 Sales Records

Posted on 10 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Overall and particularly overseas, JLR made impressive gains that eluded it under Ford Motor Company ownership. The Tata owned British automaker had sales of 53,772 in March and 115,504 for Q1 of 2013. This means Jaguar Land Rover has posted its best ever monthly and quarterly global sales performance, up 16% and 17% respectively versus the prior year. Continue reading →

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General Motors to Invest €4 Billion in Loss-Making Opel

Posted on 10 April 2013 by Ken Zino

GM has lost more than $18 billion in Europe since 1999, including $1.8 billion in 2012. GM also wrote down more than $5 billion in assets in the Eurozone, and it wrote off more than half the value of its PSA Citroën stock (-$220 million) acquired latest year in what GM said at the time was a collaboration that would, eventually, save billions. Nothing was really new in today’s speeches. Continue reading →

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General Motors, Ford Set March and Q1 Sales Records in China

Posted on 9 April 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors and its joint ventures reached all-time highs for March sales in China and Q1 of 2013. Far smaller Ford China also set sales records in March. With total overall light vehicle sales projected at more than 20 million for 2013, China will easily retain its title as the world’s largest auto market followed by the U.S. at more than 15 million. Continue reading →

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Dominion Energy Deal Cuts Emissions at Coal Powered Plants

Posted on 5 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that Dominion Energy has agreed to pay a $3.4 million civil penalty and spend approximately $9.8 million on environmental mitigation projects to resolve Clean Air Act (CAA) violations. Continue reading →

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EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Plunge 13% in February

Posted on 4 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU during February was down for the fourteenth consecutive month in a decline that hurt all vehicle segments. Continue reading →

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U.S. Trade Deficit with Korea Highest on Record under FTA

Posted on 3 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. trade deficit with South Korea reached its highest level in history just ten months into the controversial trade agreement, according to the latest data released by the U.S. International Trade Commission. During January the deficit with South Korea was at -$2.4 billion — the largest monthly deficit with Korea on record. Continue reading →

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EPA Voids Import Certificates for More Chinese Recreational Vehicles

Posted on 3 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is withdrawing approval of the import and sale of up to 74,000 gas-powered motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles from China. The agency said that it received either incomplete or falsified certification information. Continue reading →

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Offshore Brands Increase U.S. Sales and Share During March

Posted on 3 April 2013 by Ken Zino

U.S. vehicle sales of 1.45 million cars and light trucks during March made it the strongest month since 2007 as the Federal Reserve continued to print money and credit flowed freely. In spite of an ongoing recovery in pickup truck sales from the Detroit Three with gasoline prices roughly 30 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, offshore brands, led by the Asians increased their market share to 55.3% compared with 53.4% in February and 54.4% in January. This represented sales 803,554 vehicles from offshore nameplates, up from 636,912 in February and 567,313 units in January. Continue reading →

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General Motors U.S. Sales Up 6% in March, Outpacing Market

Posted on 2 April 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors sold 245,950 vehicles in the United States in March, up 6% compared with a year ago. Retail sales increased 4%, fleet sales were up 12%, with the fleet mix at 27% of total sales. As a result, GM retained its position as the sales leader in the U.S. ahead of Ford Motor and Toyota Motor, respectively.Sales of GM crossovers were up 31%; trucks, which include pickups, vans and SUVs, were up 2%; and car sales were down 3% as high volume large pickup sales were up 6%. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor Company U.S. Sales Up 6% in March

Posted on 2 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company March U.S. sales increased by 6% at 236,160 vehicles sold compared to last March in a market projected to grow by 8% overall. It was Ford Motor Company’s best U.S. sales results since May 2007. Cars were even with a year ago, utilities up 14% and trucks up 6%. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Group March Sales Up 5% as Easy Comparisons Cease

Posted on 2 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group today reported U.S. sales of 171,606 units, a 5% increase compared with sales in March 2012 at 163,381 units. While it was the best sales month since 2007, the slower growth rate also means that the easy double-digit increases of the past couple of years heralded in press releases are over. Chrysler Group has now recovered from bankruptcy and the sharply lower sales rates of the Great Recession. The question now is can the company grow at rates greater than the market going forward? Continue reading →

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Horses for Courses – GM’s Small Block V8 Versus Ford and Ram

Posted on 1 April 2013 by Ken Zino

This debatable engineering philosophy gained some credibility today when GM revealed that the 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups with the 5.3-liter V8 engine – the most popular engine – will be rated at an EPA estimated 23 mpg highway. The trucks also have better fuel economy and higher load capacity at a maximum of 11,500 pounds than the 2013 model Ford EcoBoost V6, an expensive approach that uses two turbochargers and intercooling, among other tweaks. Ram is using a 5.7-liter double overhead camshaft multivalve V8 linked in its best version to an 8-speed automatic, and is rated at 20 mpg. Continue reading →

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2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Pickups Top F-Series and Ram in Fuel Economy with EPA 23 MPG Highway for V8

Posted on 1 April 2013 by Ken Zino

In a one-two punch, Chevrolet and GMC announced the best fuel economy of any V8 pickup for the 2014 Silverado and Sierra models at EPA estimated 23 mpg highway. The trucks also have better fuel economy and higher load capacity at a maximum of 11,500 pounds than the 2013 model Ford EcoBoost V6. Continue reading →

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EPA Proposes Stricter Emissions Standards, Lower Sulfur Fuel. Big Battle between Oil and Auto Industries Coming over Tier 3

Posted on 29 March 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed new standards for vehicles and fuels that are the strictest in the history of the agency. EPA said the regulations would reduce both tailpipe and evaporative emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles, and some heavy-duty vehicles. Continue reading →

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Bosch to End Solar Business as Competitiveness is ‘Unattainable’

Posted on 22 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Bosch said today that it would end its solar business operations, including the making of ingots, wafers, cells, and modules at the beginning of 2014. More than 3,000 employees are affected. The German conglomerate, which is the biggest auto parts supplier in the word, said that individual business units would be sold, if possible Continue reading →

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