Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Toyota worried about labor costs in U.S.]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/09/toyota-worried-about-labor-costs-in-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/09/toyota-worried-about-labor-costs-in-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/09/toyota-worried-about-labor-costs-in-u-s/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Here's something you might have seen coming. We've talked about how labor costs have been one of the major factors cited as keeping the domestic automakers behind the 8-ball regarding profitability compared to Japanese competitors. Sure, there's more to it than that, but the fact remains that labor costs are high on the list. How does that effect foreign automakers that have domestic workforces? About how you'd expect. Toyota, for one, is warning that U.S. labor costs could severely curtail their profits in the not-too-distant future.

Continues after the jump

[Source: Freep]

Continue reading Toyota worried about labor costs in U.S.

Toyota worried about labor costs in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Detroit Free PressDetroitFreePresslabor costsLaborCostsSeiichi SudoSeiichiSudoUAWFri, 09 Feb 2007 17:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Mark Phelan reviews BMW's M5... and isn't pleased]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/05/mark-phelan-reviews-bmws-m5-and-isnt-pleased/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/05/mark-phelan-reviews-bmws-m5-and-isnt-pleased/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/05/mark-phelan-reviews-bmws-m5-and-isnt-pleased/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sure it's got great handling and massive amounts of horsepower, but when you've got a clunky 7-speed sequential manual gearbox and an overly-complicated i-Drive, you just paid too much for your $81,000 super sedan. So says Mark Phelan, who tested out the BMW and can't wait for the manual version to come out this fall.

While the i-Drive is tolerable (because it's largely avoidable), Phelan maintains that the SMG is not. Slow and jerky, the gearbox can be controlled by the driver tapping the stick up or down, or via 11 different electronic programs that enables the car shift to on its own. The only good thing about the getup is that drivers who can't drive stick get to experience something an awful lot like it, though Phelan argues that that probably wasn't what BMW was going for.

The interior appointments and exterior design are stellar, Phelan says, and giving the vehicle a traditional manual will likely put it at the top of Phelan's list.

In fact, Phelan's criticism of BMW's SMG gearbox and i-Drive aren't new, but a growing chorus of voices have expressed discontent with both. For support, look no further than reviewer Robert Farago of TheTruthAboutCars.com.

[Sources: Detroit Free Press; BMW; TheTruthAboutCars.com]

Mark Phelan reviews BMW's M5... and isn't pleased originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 May 2006 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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