Tag Archives: autoinformed

Renault-Nissan Cut 2012 Costs by €2.69 billion

Only new savings – not cumulative ones – are taken into account every year. As a result, the Alliance that was established in 1999 when Nissan was facing bankruptcy, arguably now has the longest-lasting cross-cultural partnership in the auto industry. Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide sold 8.1 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2012. Continue reading

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Milestones – 500,000 Porsche Cayenne Made in Leipzig

German Chancellor German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week killed a draft European Union law aimed at reducing carbon dioxide. Merkel facing federal elections in September, said “This is also about employment,” a concept that has eluded EU politicians for more than five years as the economic crisis deepens, but not for the lavishly paid, fed and housed Eurocrats. Continue reading

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European Car Sales Down Again in June. EU Slump Continues

The drop was in stark contrast to the recovering U.S. auto market, which is within a year or two to obtaining pre-Great Depression levels and the booming Chinese market,which at 23 million or more units this year will once again be the world’s largest. Once again the specter stalking European politicians whose austerity policies induced the ongoing human tragedy, is the their leadership role in the unchecked decline, which much like the decline of European power after a generation was slaughtered during WW1 is looking to be structural and permanent. Continue reading

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June U.S. Auto Sales Soar to Best Month in Six Years

The resulting seasonally adjusted annual rate or SAAR of 15.96 million vehicles caught the auto industry by surprise and is troublesome for Michigan-based automakers who cut hundreds of thousands of jobs and shut plants during 2008 and 2009. They are are now scrambling to increase capacity using forced overtime and the cancellation of vacations, which demeans workers and assuredly will cause recall and quality problems down the road. Continue reading

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Chrysler Group June 2013 U.S. Sales Increase 8%

With the best June sales since the onset of the Bush Administration induced depression, Chrysler Group today reported U.S. sales of 156,686 units, an 8% increase compared with sales in June 2012 (144,811 units), and the group’s best June sales since 2007. Continue reading

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Honda Re-Recalls Fit for Window Switch Fires

Honda is re-recalling 2007-2008 Fit subcompacts that were covered under previous recall for fires, 10V-033, because the fix did not work. The repair in this earlier recall “may have been insufficient,” Honda said in an embarrassing NHTSA filing just made public. Continue reading

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Nismo and Williams to Develop High Performance Cars

While Nismo is known to motorsports and performance car enthusiasts in Japan and to millions of gamers, the brand is virtually unknown and certainly unrecognized in global enthusiast circles. A GT-R Nismo will be the third Nismo-badged model following the launch of the Juke Nismo and 370Z Nismo this year. Continue reading

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Western Europe Sales Slump Permanent?

“Flat is the new up in Western Europe,” claims John Hoffecker, co-president of AlixPartners. “Our models show Western European sales reaching a bottom of 12 million units in 2014, and largely remaining there for the foreseeable future – far from the historical peak of 2007, when 16.8 million units were sold. Continue reading

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Light Duty Diesel Ram Ups Fuel Economy Ante in 2014

The comeback automaker, Chrysler Group, ups the ante in the ongoing pickup truck fuel economy wars by offering the first light duty diesel engine pared with an 8-speed automatic transmission, both exclusives in the segment. Just bring money – this is going to be a +$45,000 (or more) set of wheels, AutoInformed predicts. Continue reading

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GM to Expand Three Plants in Mexico

While GM has been operating in Mexico for 78 years, the NAFTA trade agreement made it easier for automakers and other manufacturers to transfer jobs out of the U.S., which buys almost 80% of total Mexican exports of vehicles and auto parts. The U.S. continues to run a trade deficit under NAFTA since its 1994 inception, running a deficit of $169 billion with Mexico during 2012, as politician’s promises of U.S. jobs never materialized. The Obama Administration is attempting to put similar agreements, negotiated in secret, in place with Germany, Japan, and other Pacific countries. Continue reading

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Honda Using ASIMO Robot to, well, Explain Itself

This emerging technology now allows ASIMO to make decisions required to behave in concert with the movements of surrounding people and to continue moving without being controlled by an operator. Continue reading

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GM OnStar Telematics Now in Mexico

OnStar Mexico, announced today that its telemetric services are now active on the new Chevrolet Cheyenne (aka Silverado) and GMC Sierra pickups, and will be available on the Cadillac ATS later this year. More vehicles across GM’s four vehicle brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – will be equipped with OnStar throughout 2014. Continue reading

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Guangqi Honda Selling Unique Crider in China. Exports Certain

Proving that automotive marketing babble is universal regardless of language, Honda said (in translation) that the Crider’s “dynamic exterior design inspired by an image of a dragon.” Such nonsense aside, Crider is certainly headed for export markets, making it a milestone car in the Chinese automobile industry, not unlike Honda’s decision as the first Japanese automaker to build cars in the U.S., although the Accord was a Japanese design. Continue reading

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Alan Batey Named Global Head of Chevrolet

In a convoluted position that likely resulted from GM insider politics and bureaucratic infighting, in his global Chevrolet role, Batey will report to GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson; in his U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing role, he will report to Mark Reuss, president, GM North America. Continue reading

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Milestones – Seven Million Ford Transit Vans

The milestone was celebrated at the official opening of a new Transit assembly plant in Nanchang, China, attended by Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. The Jiangling Xiaolan facility is the result of a $300 million investment by Ford’s strategic partner Jiangling Motors Corporation, and produces JMC-branded vehicles and Ford-branded vehicles for the growing Chinese market. JMC is 31.5% owned by Ford. Continue reading

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