Autoblog

Suzuki demand in US rises after bankruptcy

George Kennedy — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Suzuki

Following word that Suzuki is ceasing car sales in America, it appears that demand for the Japanese automaker's wares have increased. According to The Detroit News, American Suzuki Motor Corp. will import an additional 2,500 vehicles to quench demand that has jumped since the company announced that it was filing for bankruptcy and ending sales in America.

Dealers recently informed their sales personnel that no more vehicles would be produced and that this was the final push. With heavy incentives and a seven-year warranty as value-adds, November sales for Suzuki rose in November some 22 percent, up to 2,224 vehicles. December sales also rose, but neither month's gains outweigh the long-term losses for the automaker. While Suzuki will sell roughly 22,000 cars this year in the US, it was selling about 120,000 annually before 2008.

As it stands, Suzuki will sell off the rest of its vehicle inventory, including the 2,500 additional units, and dealers will continue to provide parts an warranty work. With all of this negative news for the automaker, it's impressive to see an interest in Suzuki vehicles even with the imminent shuttering of its North American car sales.

Suzuki demand in US rises after bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ruh-Roh: NHTSA investigating 2007 Dodge Caliber for sticky pedals

Steven J. Ewing — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:28:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Dodge

According to Chrysler, several owners of 2007 model year Dodge Calibers have reported problems with sticky accelerator pedals, causing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to launch a full-on investigation. (This sounds familiar, doesn't it?) And because of the recent high-profile Toyota recall surrounding this very same problem, it only makes sense that NHTSA would seriously consider any sort of similar issue.

Chrysler says that the vehicles in question were built during a five-week period in March and April of 2006, right at the Caliber's launch. However, the automaker cites that the problem has nothing to do with electronics or mechanics, and that an issue with a parts supplier is what's causing the problem. No official recall has been issued as of yet, and Chrysler intends to fully cooperate with NHTSA on the investigation.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Ruh-Roh: NHTSA investigating 2007 Dodge Caliber for sticky pedals originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 May 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ironic or appropriate? Wagoner up for "Michiganian of the Year"

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., GM

Depending on your point of view, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner could either be considered a Godsend or a pariah that represents all that's currently wrong with the country. Of course, we're referring mainly to the automotive bailout that the CEO helped (or hindered, again depending on your viewpoint) negotiate with the Feds and its impact on the jobs of thousands of Michigan workers. Regardless, Mr. Wagoner has been nominated for the "Michiganian of the Year" trophy by The Detroit News. That oughtta ruffle a few feathers.

Also up for the award, and perhaps equally as divisive, is John Dingell, the recently displaced chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. These men are just two of the choices mentioned by the newspaper, which has polled Michigan residents annually since 1978 for the award. Submissions are now open, and you can either cast a vote towards one of the preselected candidates or fill in your own.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Ironic or appropriate? Wagoner up for "Michiganian of the Year" originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UAW denies health care talks with Chrysler

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Daimler, Earnings/Financials

The UAW on Wednesday jumped on rumors that it had reopened talks with Chrysler. According to a piece in The Detroit News, UAW spokesman Roger Kerson said there was no meeting over one of the biggest sticking points, health care, as was rumored elsewhere. Although the UAW has reached health care agreements with GM and Ford this year, they broke off talks with Chrysler over this issue in September, likely because Chrysler wasn't in as dire of straights as Ford and GM. Chrysler spokesman Mike Aberlich said they are still communicating with the UAW on this issue but stated "we're not in negotiations."

Just prior to halting talks, Chrysler was set to announce a $600 million third quarter loss. Chrysler has since refigured the loss at $1.5 billion. The automaker has about 50,000 active UAW employees and spends about $2.3 billion on health care for them and another 100,000 hourly retirees. That cost rose about 10% from last year's $2.1 billion. Although Chrysler claims it could save about $340 million a year by renegotiating along the same lines as GM and Ford did, the issue is still officially off the table.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, who also sits on DaimlerChrysler's supervisory board, upheld his decision in an interview with The Detroit News this week. "People say, 'Well, Chrysler has projected a loss,' " Gettelfinger said. "But this is one quarter, and we're going to work our way through the situation there no different than we did at Ford and General Motors." Even after 12 straight profitable quarters, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche has criticized the union for its hard-line stance on this issue. "It's a very strange position that we should lose $10 billion before we can have the same as Ford and GM," he said.

[Source: The Detroit News]

UAW denies health care talks with Chrysler originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford drew on politics to reverse image "180 in 180"

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:53:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Daniel Howes of The Detroit News has written a piece on the project that was supposed to pave the way for Ford's Way Forward turnaround plan. It wasn't as big as Alan Mulally coming in or the restructuring plans now in effect, but it did involve Clinton White House consultants using polling and campaign techniques to turn around Ford's image before the company itself tried to do an about face. It was known as "180 degrees in 180 days." Even though most political campaigns are very short-term and focus on improving an image in a matter of weeks, 103-yr-old Ford thought this might help at a time when 80% of its potential customers thought it had fallen behind the competition.

The plan was formulated and implemented last year but the results are still unclear. It placed an emphasis on innovation and safety because they were identified as a positive buzzwords and a renewed focus on Ford being "America's car company." While some of this is still working its way into Ford advertising and product development, a lot of it is on hold while more immediate concerns are being taken care of, mmm... like being profitable. Playing up your company's strengths and advances is always good as long as its authentic, and we think Ford should continue down the path of first becoming in reality what it wants to advertise itself as. Read the full story by following the link.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Ford drew on politics to reverse image "180 in 180" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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