big 3


VIDEO: Vintage promo film made for Detroit's 1968 Olympic bid reveals city's precipitous decline

We often think of the 1950's as being the heyday for Detroit's fortunes, but even in the early-to-mid Sixties, it remained something of a modern marvel, thanks largely to its world-leading auto industry. This archival video was apparently commissioned as part of a failed bid for the 1968 Summer Olympics (which went to Mexico City instead). Reportedly filmed in 1965, Detroit – City on the Move shows the area in full bloom – a startling contrast to the shell of an empire that remains just 44 years later. With the harmonies of ... Read more →

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy John McElroy

BIG THREE SITTING ON $10 BILLION GOLDMINE There's no question that the Detroit-based auto industry needs a lot of help. There's a 100-year history of how it got into the problems it's in, and some ...

REPORT: Obama dropping "car czar" in favor of task force Chris Paukert

While there have been rumors and suggested candidates floated for the so-called federal "car czar" post, it now no longer looks like that position will be filled. That's because President Barack ...

BREAKING: Bush greenlights $17.4 billion Auto Rescue/Bailout package Chris Paukert

President George W. Bush will doubtlessly be remembered for many things things, but his parting legacy may yet be his eleventh-hour pledge of $17.4 billion in low-interest loans to General Motors and ...

Would you buy American if your boss gave you $1,000? Chris Tutor

Chet Czaplicka doesn't own one of the Big 3's suppliers or run a car dealership. Instead, he is the chief executive of a blood-processing firm in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Michigan. But like most ...

Oil may hit $35/barrel in wake of auto bailout bust 11 months ago on Autoblog

With the U.S. Senate denying the Detroit 3 relief plan, it looks like oil prices might continue to tumble. Our sibling site BloggingStocks is predicting barrel prices might drop as low as $35 as a result. This comes on the heels of predictions of higher prices in the near future. It had been thought ...

Detroit 3 seeking $6.8 billion from Canadian government 11 months ago on Autoblog

What to do when you wanted $34 billion and Congress only gave you $15 billion? Try again, but this time go North young man. The Detroit 3 are now making a pitch to the Canadian legislature seeking an additional $6.8 billion from Canada where nearly 100,000 workers are employed in factories and ...

Autoblog Podcast #105 11 months ago on Autoblog

If we keep this up, we're going to best our record of six in a row, or whatever it was. The Autoblog Podcast crew returns for Autoblog Podcast #105 with Chris, Sam, and Dan discussing a paltry sweep of subjects as the quiet gathers before the storm of Congressional hearings is unleashed this week. ...

OPINION: Stop arm-chair quarterbacking the auto industry 11 months ago on Autoblog

We'll be hearing more about the Detroit 3 in the mainstream media this week as their homework entitled "What I Would Do With My Share of $25 Billion in Government Loans" gets turned in to Congress. While Detroit deserves much of the ribbing that's on the way, it irks our ears every time we read an ...

Michael Moore mixed on Big 3 bailout 11 months ago on Autoblog

While there is definitely a huge rift between those who favor a Detroit bailout and those who would rather see the Big 3 fade away, you'd think that someone like Flint-native and documentary maker Michael Moore would be all in favor of helping the Big Three succeed. After all, Moore rose to fame for ...

Germans none to happy about U.S. aid to automakers 1 year ago on Autoblog

Matthias Wissmann, current head of the Verband Deutscher Automobilhersteller (VDA, or Association of the German Automotive Industry for us non-German speaking folks), is none too pleased with the passing of a $25 billion financing package for the Detroit automakers. Under the terms of the ...

House passes $25 billion loan for domestic automakers 1 year ago on Autoblog

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this afternoon approving a $25 billion low-interest loan for domestic automakers. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority – 370 to 58 – and is on its way to the Senate for a vote on Friday before the White House gets the opportunity ...

Detroit 3 show restraint in tough times, continue to limit fleet sales 1 year ago on Autoblog

Showing great discipline amid declining sales, the Detroit 3 have held back on the temptation to dump vehicles on fleet customers in order to boost numbers. As we reported last month, selling vehicles to corporate fleets and daily rental companies has been a long-practiced method to offload ...

Asian brands beat Big 3 sales in May 1 year ago on Autoblog

Just less than a year ago, the Big 3 domestic automakers' combined market share dropped to less than 50-percent of the overall automobile market. That sobering statistic was made factual when the combined sales of vehicles from both Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea, were combined with sales ...

Canada may become most expensive place to build a car 1 year ago on Autoblog

Until Detroit automakers signed landmark deals with the UAW that shifted retiree health care costs to the union, it was cheaper to make vehicles in Canada. Government health care saved automakers about $6 per work hour, a savings of over $12,000 a year per worker. Since Ontario produces more ...

UAW shacks up at Holiday Inn near Toyota's Georgetown, KY plant 2 years ago on Autoblog

Assembly workers at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant make about $25 per hour, they build the best-selling non-truck in North America, and a lot of workers still aren't happy. UAW members that are hurt on the job get paid 100% of their wage until they're well again, but at a Toyota plant, you ...

Big 2.5 increase sticker prices to combat slow sales 2 years ago on Autoblog

When sales slow, the old business adage dictates that you either cut expenses or raise rates. For the two big boys left in Detroit and the soon-to-be, if not already, sold off Chrysler corp, the latter seems to be the only viable option. A recent sales droop is causing all three automakers to ...

Yen vs. Dollar/Euro: Both US and European automakers feeling the pinch 2 years ago on Autoblog

Most people looking to purchase a Toyota or Nissan just don't care about the value of the Yen vs. the Dollar. It just isn't relevant. For automakers here and in Europe, however, it's a very big deal. The Auto Trade Policy Council estimates a Japanese auto manufacturer advantage of $9,000 on luxury ...

Toyota fears backlash over US success 2 years ago on Autoblog

Toyotas don't always have the best looks or the best horsepower or the best driving characteristics, but customers seem to want the company's products the most anyway. They're winning share from other automakers and they're winning on the profit sheet. It's got to be fun right now being Toyota. Its ...

ABC and Charles Gibson have been in Detroit all week and it's been hard to watch 2 years ago on Autoblog

UPDATE: Thanks to Autoblog reader Steve M., you can watch the ABC News Towh Hall Meeting, all 45 minutes of it, after the jump. Please watch, if only to see the contorted facial expressions of our esteemed colleague at Jalopnik, Ray Wert III, who nabbed a seat in the front row. Anybody that's been ...

Meeting of the Minds: Big Three and Bush to talk on Tuesday 3 years ago on Autoblog

Bill Ford, Rick Wagoner and Tom LaSorda have been twiddling their thumbs since May waiting for the White House to confirm a date for the Detroit trio to meet with George Bush, the D.C. decider. Tentative times have come and gone, and as each one passed, the perception that the current administration ...

Ford, GM, Chrysler drop ineligible workers from healthcare roster 3 years ago on Autoblog

The Big 3 have been trying to shave their health care costs by cutting eligibility and the percentage of benefits for both retirees and current employees, but as it turns out, the three companies have found tens of thousands of people still receiving benefits despite their ineligibility. As a ...

California trends spell disaster for 'Big 2.5' 3 years ago on Autoblog

California is said to be a trendsetter in many aspects of American life. Some of these developments have been for the betterment of the automotive world (we'll let you decide that in the comments) and some have been decidedly negative (the 91-octane swill they call "gas" comes to mind). But for ...

Forbes goes digging for ten brands you haven't heard of (unless you read Autoblog) 3 years ago on Autoblog

There are more automakers in the world than the members of the Big 3, Big 6 and Exotic 8. There are cottage automakers, niche builders and boutique brands hiding in the world's every nook and cranny. Forbes recently compiled a list of the Top Ten Auto Brands You've Never Heard Of. Clearly Forbes ...

New poll shows Michigan public down on domestics 3 years ago on Autoblog

Even as the domestic manufacturers lose the East and West coast, they can always count on Michiganders to buy something from the Big 3, right? A new poll by the Detroit News and WXYZ-TV7 shows that a rather surprising 51 percent think that Detroit is doing a "poor" or "only fair", and that ...

Pundits predict future of the U.S. auto industry 3 years ago on Autoblog

Marty Bernstein, contributing editor for the American International Automobile Dealers trade organization, fired up the old rolodex and quizzed a wide range of folks who spend their days trying to anticipate future trends in the U.S. auto industry, asking what the industry will look like in 2011. ...

Bush and automakers delay meeting 3 years ago on Autoblog

Bigwigs from DiamlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors will have to wait for their date with the President. The expected meeting between the Big Three and President George W. Bush is now slated for June 2, moved back from the May 18 date as previously reported. The CEO ...

Toyota posts big jump in quarterly profit 3 years ago on Autoblog

Toyota's quarterly profit jumped 39 percent over year-ago figures, with the automaker earning $3.6 billion on sales of $51.6 billion in the first quarter of 2006. Those aren't exactly Exxon Mobil numbers, but they're not chump change, either. Sales were up 18 percent over the same period, and ...

Will playing the "American card" save the domestics? 3 years ago on Autoblog

If you look at what’s hot right now, American muscle is in and Ford, the German-owned Chrysler Group and General Motors are cashing in. The Ford Mustang and Chrysler 300 not only look like they drove out of a different decade, they also have the same rear-wheel drive layout and slab-sided ...

Pimp my automaker? Urban marketing picks up speed in Detroit 3 years ago on Autoblog

In the ongoing battle for street cred among younger buyers, Detroit continues to turn to its gritty urban landscapes for marketing inspiration. DaimlerChrysler's connection with the hip-hop world has been well-documented, resulting in everything from Snoop Dogg swingin' clubs with Lee Iacocca to ...

"Big Three" in a post-Chrysler world 3 years ago on Autoblog

What’s in a name? Plenty, apparently. Many readers have taken Autoblog to task for referencing the Big Three—Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors—as the “Big 2 1/2”, “Big 2”, or “Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler: the American half of ...






Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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