Category Archives: results

Ford Motor December and 2012 U.S. Vehicle Sales Outpaced by Overall Market Growth. F-Series Remains an All-Star Player

Posted on 4 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Joining General Motors in discovering just how hard it is to hang on to marketshare now that the Japanese are back to full production, Ford Motor Company’s U.S. sales in December and for all of 2012 were below the overall rate improvement in the slowly recovering U.S. auto market. During December when the market expanded 9%, Ford Motor posted sales of 214,000, an increase of 2%. For the calendar year of 2012, Ford Motor sold 2.25 million vehicles up 5% ,as the market grew by 13%. Continue reading →

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General Motors U.S. Sales Slow in December. Market Up

Posted on 4 January 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors posted the company’s highest December sales in five years, as well as its best retail month during all 2012, with deliveries up 5% to 245,733 vehicles year-over-year. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the rate of growth in the overall market of 9% as big months from Toyota (+9%) and Honda (+26%) skewed the data a bit. Some of the Japanese gains were explained by the recovery from the tsunami and earthquake disasters and ensuing production disruptions more than a year ago, but not all. “Not all” is the question that should be much on the minds of GM executive this year, which will see an ongoing jobless recovery and a battle royal in the marketplace. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Group U.S. Auto Sales up 21% in 2012, Outpacing Overall Market Growth

Posted on 3 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group today reported U.S. sales of 152,367 units, a 10% increase compared with sales in December 2011 of 138,019 units. It was the group’s best December sales since 2007 before the Great Recession. The Chrysler, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in December compared with the same month last year. December was Chrysler Group’s 33rd-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains. Continue reading →

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2012 Used Vehicle Sales at 40.5 Million Highest Since 2007

Posted on 3 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Used car sales during 2012 in the United States topped more than 40.5 million cars and light trucks, according the consultancy CNW. This is the best year since 2007, and represents an increase of 4.5% when compared to 2011’s 38.8 million. Continue reading →

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U.S. Auto Sales to Increase in 2013 to 15.3 Million as Recovery Slows

Posted on 2 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Prognostications are now well underway among consulting firms to predict 2013 U.S. auto sales. On the eve of the final results for 2012 U.S. auto sales, one firm has new light vehicle registrations in the U.S. in 2013 increasing 6.6% from 2012 levels to 15.3 million vehicles. Continue reading →

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Top Ten Auto Stories of 2012

Posted on 31 December 2012 by Ken Zino

While it’s the job of historians to accurately weigh and assess events years after the fact when more documents, memoirs, special pleadings and perspective are available, journalists staring down a deadline have no such option. Here is AutoInformed on the significant automotive related stories of the 2012 year, with our wry awareness, as always, that columnists conduct their education in public. Continue reading →

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Bosch follows Automakers into Russia as Market Booms

Posted on 26 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The irony here is that Bosch opened it first sales office in Russia during 1904 under the Kaiser and the Czar. Certain political disputes resulted in devastating wars and revolutions during the next decade that changed the ruling orders in both Germany and Russia, among other places with future dire consequences. That is history. We are now talking about the wealth creation of that the automobile industry makes possible. Continue reading →

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Honda Environmental Report Shows CO2 Cuts, Fuel Economy Gains

Posted on 22 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The eighth annual Honda environmental report just released for the North American regions show that the Japanese automaker reduced on average its output of CO2 with corresponding increases in fuel economy. During the 2012 fiscal year that ended last March the CO2-adjusted fleet-average fuel economy of Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. in model year 2011 rose 0.8 mpg, or 3.2%, to 25.7 mpg, compared to the previous model year. Continue reading →

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December U.S. Auto Sales Forecast to Close the Best Year Since 2007

Posted on 20 December 2012 by Ken Zino

While still well below the annual rates of 16 to 17 million during the last decade, December’s SAAR is 500,000 units higher than predicted for the 2012 full-year pace. Buyers are apparently ignoring the dire predictions and political posturing from that tawdry cast of cliff dwelling and big-money-bought politicians inhabiting the banks of the Potomac river while living in their taxpayer-funded socialist paradise. Continue reading →

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Ally Financial Pays Off Last $4.5 Billion of Debt Issued Under TLGP

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Treasury, via taxpayers, currently holds about 74% of Ally common equity, and $5.9 billion in mandatory convertible preferred securities, which have a dividend rate of 9%, after a more than $17 billion bailout. Ally at the end of Q3 2012 had about $182 billion in assets, so it increasingly looks like taxpayers have a good chance at getting their money paid back, perhaps turning a profit. Continue reading →

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U.S. Treasury to Sell GM Stock at a Loss During the Next 15 Months

Posted on 19 December 2012 by Ken Zino

It appears that Treasury is making a very bad decision here based on ideology, not good old American pragmatism. It was ideologues who opposed the successful TARP bailouts, and now Treasury – the government agency that is supposed to understand money and stock markets – is also taking an impractical position based also on ideology. Since the end of September taxpayers earned more than $1.5 billion from the increase in value of GM stock. Why dump and run now? No surprise here at AutoInformed that most Americans are disgusted with the way government handles their money. Continue reading →

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EPA Releases Annual Enforcement Results

Posted on 17 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA today issued its annual enforcement results, which the Agency said showed significant environmental and public health protections achieved during 2012. EPA said that there was a reduction of 2.2 billion pounds of air, water and land pollution, and 4.4 billion pounds of hazardous waste, as well as $252 million in civil and criminal penalties levied. Continue reading →

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EPA to Review Consumer Reports Data Claiming Ford C-Max and Fusion MPG Claims are Bogus in Real World Driving

Posted on 12 December 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency will review Consumer Reports data claiming that Ford’s 47 mpg hybrid mileage claims were not realistic during real world – as opposed to computerized dynamometer – driving conditions. Continue reading →

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Honda Claims Ecological Paint Breakthrough

Posted on 12 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Honda Motor Company said today that it would put into production a new paint process that uses less energy. Starting next July a new painting technology at its Yorii Plant at Saitama Factory in Japan will eliminate a middle coating process from a commonly used 4-coat/3-bake auto painting process. Continue reading →

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U.S. Treasury Sells Final Shares of AIG Common Stock. Taxpayers Earn $22.7 Billion! More Profits to Come from the Bailout

Posted on 11 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Along with today’s stock sale, the return to date on the Federal Reserve and Treasury’s combined $182 billion commitment to bailout AIG during the financial crisis is now $22.7 billion. Treasury has now earned a positive return of $5 billion and the Federal Reserve has posted a profit of $17.7 billion. Continue reading →

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