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AUTOS' COMMENTS & OPINIONS
* Help us, Mr. President… Auto industry needs an advocate, not a bailout
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by Daniel Howes -Feb 20, 2006: -- You say Detroit just needs to be "relevant" and "learn how to compete..." If only it were that simple, Mr. President. Yes, Detroit's automakers and their biggest union, the United Auto Workers, have been undermined by their manifold mistakes. They're also slaves to their obligations to hundreds of thousands of workers who expect pensions and health care in retirement -- and are getting them... I doubt you or any of your successors would want the alternative. That's why the drama playing out here right now -- the restructuring of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the bankruptcy of Delphi Corp., the embrace of alternative engine and fuel technology -- is so important to the industrial health of this country, even if the coastal elites you're so fond of are utterly indifferent to much of anything here in flyover country... Did Toyota and Honda set the standard in hybrids? Absolutely, and more models are coming. Same with Ford, GM and Chrysler. And GM and Ford have millions of ethanol-capable vehicles on the road today, a precursor to the ethanol-powered fleet that you say would free us from Oil Sheikdom... Here's hoping. Your newfound campaign to end our "addiction to oil" is more good news here than bad because Detroit started reading the proverbial tea leaves before your policy people did and was moving in that direction because the market was... Sounds relevant to me. So would a president willing to lend more moral support and a few well-considered helping hands...
* Ford Says Market-Share Slide to Continue
USA -Wall Street Journal -13 Feb 2006: -- Ford's chief sales analyst expects the company's market-share slide to continue before stabilizing this year or next... George Pipas says Ford's sales may stabilize in the near future, but not from 2005 levels, which finished at 18.3 percent of the U.S. market. Ford executives have openly talked about being competitive as one of the U.S. market's "Big Six" automakers, and while Chairman Bill Ford has said the company will stop its market-share losses this year, and the Journal reports that his lieutenants have been finessing the statement ever since, adding that Ford has been on a market-share losing streak for much of the past decade...
* GM price cuts may not be a better deal
Detroit,Mich,USA -The Detroit News, by David Phillips -Feb 20, 2006: -- Strategy of consistent low prices leaves some vehicles costing more, Consumer Reports says.. General Motors Corp.'s move last month to significantly slash prices on the bulk of its vehicle lineup is helping generate higher sales and more showroom traffic, but a new report says more than a third of the models affected may not offer buyers a better deal... When GM cut prices as much as $2,500 on select 2006 models in January, or about 80 percent of its U.S. lineup, Consumer Reports studied prices on more than 500 of the automaker's cars and trucks before and after the move... Consumer Reports' analysis found that not all vehicles under the plan are priced evenly and that it can be difficult to make price comparisons based on brand or model... The magazine subtracted dealer sales incentives, customer rebates and other adjustments from the dealer's invoice price to determine a "bottom line price."... "We're giving consumers a compelling reason to try our new vehicles," GM Chairman Rick Wagoner said in a speech before the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce on Friday. "It's the right move given the strength of our products and the right way to bring customers into the showroom."...
* Hybrid Perks May Become Problems
Washington,DC,USA -The Washington Post, by Steven Ginsberg -Feb 14, 2006: -- As Vehicles Pack HOV Lanes, Experts Fear Advantages Could Turn Counterproductive... The purchase of a hybrid car is more and more likely to put its driver into a privileged class of motorist with access to carpool lanes, special parking spots and other perks -- the kinds of things most drivers can only dream about when they're stuck in traffic or circling a block... But many commuters and some transportation experts say the generous incentives intended to reduce oil consumption and help clean the air are working too well and are in danger of becoming unfair, unnecessary and, ultimately, counterproductive...
* Alternative energies fuel innovation
Toronto,Ont,Canada -Toronto Star, by GERRY MALLOY -Feb. 16, 2006: -- A wide range of clever vehicles available now - And popular hybrids aren't today's only option... In the wake of last year's stratospheric gasoline-price excursions, it's not surprising that AutoShow 2006 is replete with alternative-energy vehicles... The best part is, you can buy most of them right now...
posted by Unknown @ 12:31 PM
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