Jalopnik: Carpocalypse Now

GM earns $4.7 billion in 2010

Ray Wert — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:45:00 EST

General Motors says it made $510 million in the fourth quarter and $4.7 billion last year in net income on revenues of $135.6 billion. It's the first time an automaker named General Motors has posted a gain since 2004. More »

GM Closes Historic Willow Run Plant After 68 Years

Tom Joslin — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

GM closed the doors of its Willow Run Plant officially last week, writing the final chapter in the story of a building with more history than you might think. More »

What The New York Times Op-Ed Page Doesn't Know About Cars

Justin Hyde — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

Earlier this week, an automotive blogger took to the pages of the New York Times to argue that the Detroit bailout didn't work. Why can't the New York Times op-ed page find writers who know anything about the auto industry? More »

Ford, BMW, Toyota Took Secret Government Money

Justin Hyde — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

In the depths of the financial collapse, the U.S. Federal Reserve pumped $3.3 trillion into keeping credit moving through the economy. It eventually lent $57.9 billion to the auto industry — including $26.8 billion to Ford, Toyota and BMW. More »

Why Is GM Hiding Its Old Logo?

Ray Wert — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

The "new" General Motors gets listed on the New York Stock Exchange in just 30 minutes. For now, watch GM get it's name plastered on the outside of the NYSE. By the way, where's the "old" big blue logo? More »

British Motor Show Canceled, Again

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:15:00 EDT

The biennial British Motor Show's been canceled again, much to the disappointment of countless dozens. More »

Meet The Half-Priced Auto Workers Building Your New Car

Ray Wert — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:45:00 EDT

Derick and Justin Jewell are brothers. They both work in GM plants doing similar jobs. The main difference between them? Justin makes $16 an hour. Derick makes $28 an hour. Welcome to the world of "two-tiers." [ChangingGears] More »

America's Abandoned Auto Dealerships

Justin Hyde — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Last week we solved the mystery behind an abandoned Ohio car dealership caught on Flickr. Our story set off a flurry of responses from readers about similarly abandoned sales relics. Here's a ghostly gallery of America's lost car dealerships. More »

Why GM's IPO Sales Pitch Begins The Day After The Election

Justin Hyde — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EDT

General Motors won't start the hard sell of its shares to investors, called a "road show," until Nov. 3, one day after mid-term elections, and the actual IPO now expected Nov. 18. Why? Politics, of course. More »

New UAW President: Keep Your Nonunion Cars Off My Lawn

Justin Hyde — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EDT

UAW President Bob King wrote a two-page letter to a reporter explaining why he wasn't allowed to park his Toyota Camry at a UAW hall lot (or any union property): Toyota hates the First Amendment. [KCBJ, Detroit News] More »

Detroit For Sale, Some Assembly Required

David Traver Adolphus — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EDT

The U.S. auto industry may have climbed back from the Carpocalypse, but it's still liquidating much of its old pieces, from forklifts to entire factories. David Traver Adolphus of Hemmings Blog shows what's on the block. More »

GM Buys AmeriCredit To Offer More Low Credit Auto Loans

Ray Wert — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:30:00 EDT

GM is rebuilding ~~GMAC~~ ~~Ally Bank~~ its captive finance arm by buying AmeriCredit for $3.5 billion to increase leasing to low credit and at-risk car buyers. Wait, isn't this part of what got the U.S. into this whole mess? [GM] More »

Pres. Obama Gets Into The Best Car Government Money Can Buy

Ray Wert — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:20:00 EDT

U.S. President Barack Obama gets out of a Chevrolet Volt following a groundbreaking ceremony in Holland, Michigan today. He reportedly asked "When can Americans buy one?" We already did, Mr. President. We already did. More »

PT Cruiser, A Eulogy: It's About Damn Time

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EDT

Today is the final day of production for the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Once the shining star and gotta-have Chrysler of the moment, the much-neglected PT has finally been put to rest. It serves as a perfect demonstration of Chrysler's failings. More »

An Ode To The Mercury Grand Marquis

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EDT

Mercury is dead. Ford made several half-hearted attempts to re-imagine its middle brand but it was always defined by the Mercury Grand Marquis. Here's a take on grandpa's camouflaged cop car from one passionate owner. [CarLustBlog via Instapundit] More »

Ten Cars That Killed Mercury

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:01:00 EDT

Officially, Mercury's dead, but Ford's special platform prostitution diet doomed the brand from the start to a life of mediocrity. But, if we believe the 71-year-old brand ever truly lived, then here are the ten cars that killed Mercury. More »

Mercury, A Eulogy: Death By Indifference

Sam Smith — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:30:00 EDT

Seven decades after its birth, Mercury is dead. We don't mourn the loss, but we don't rejoice, either. To be honest, we don't feel a thing. Do you care? Does Ford? Does anyone? More »

Ford Kills Mercury

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EDT

UPDATE #2: It's official. Ford's killed the 71-year-old Mercury brand. The last wing-footed car will roll off the assembly line in the 4th quarter of this year. More »

Chrysler Turns A Profit With Caveats

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Chrysler announced $143 million first quarter profit and a slight revenue increase. It's good news if you ignore how little they likely spent, the many obligations bankruptcy shed, and the amount of market share they need to sustain themselves. [Chrysler] More »

If Chinese car parts are this bad, imagine an entire Chinese car

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Last week, GM announced a production stoppage on Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon compact trucks due to defective Chinese-made microchips. If one poorly made Chinese part can down a car plant, what if the entire car is Chinese? More »

NASA to replace astronauts with GM-built humanoid robots

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:40:00 EDT

Astronauts, America's beloved cowboys, are pissed about the Obama Administration killing manned spaceflight programs. Sounds like the right time for GM to brag about its astronaut-replacing R2 space robot NASA's sending into space this year. Launching tone-deaf PR in five... More »

Lamborghini Kills Manual Transmissions

Wes Siler — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EDT

Lamborghini plans to drop manual transmissions from its entire range and make its cars more fuel efficient in an effort to better serve the increasing lameness of its customer base. What's next, automatic sex tape generators? [CarAndDriver] More »

This American Life Exposes GM's Greatest Missed Opportunity

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EDT

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This weekend's episode of This American Life focused on NUMMI, the GM/Toyota joint venture production facility closing this week after 26 years. It's a great primer for the Carpocalypse. [ThisAmericanLife] (Thanks to everyone for the tips!) More »

Report: Toyota Planned Raptor, Lightning-Rivaling Super Tundras

Wes Siler — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:20:00 EDT

Before the Carpocalypse and before Beige Bit Back, Toyota planned two super trucks based on the Tundra. The first; an independent rear suspension rival for the Raptor, the other; a 504 HP drag racer. [PickupTrucks.com] More »

Nicholas Cage In Trouble Over Unpaid Rolls Royces

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EDT

In 2007, actor Nicolas Cage leased a 1964 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III worth a cool $550K and a not-as-cool 2002 Corniche. When he lost his shirt in the stock market, he returned 'em. Now he's got a $240K bill. More »

Mitsubishi's Ralliart Performance Arm Killed By Carpocalypse

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:05:00 EST

Mitsubishi's performance subsidiary Ralliart, responsible for supporting the company's past WRC and Dakar efforts, will wind down operations this month. With poor sales they've decided to kill the arm of the company helping make fast cars faster. UPDATE. More »

Rebadge It Now: Saab/Spyker Badges On eBay

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

For Saabophiles happy their brand's found a new home with Spyker and who have a sense of humor, an enterprising eBayer has created self-adhesive replacement badges to fit any Saab from the last decade. [eBay Listing via GMI] More »

REPORT: American Honda Didn’t Want CR-Z

Wes Siler — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

"It's ironic that the United States was the most vocal in saying they didn't want the car, but the CR-Z still made its world debut at the Detroit motor show," — Honda CR-Z's chief engineer Tetsuo Iwamura. More »

GM To Recall 1.3 Million Chevrolets, Pontiacs For Power Steering Failure

Sam Smith — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:45:00 EST

General Motors announced yesterday it will recall 1.3 million vehicles in an effort to address power-steering issues linked to 14 crashes. The Pontiac G5 and Chevrolet Cobalt are the only U.S. models affected. [AutomotiveNews] More »

Bryan Nesbitt Out As Cadillac General Manager

Ray Wert — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:45:00 EST

Sources this morning report PT Cruiser designer Bryan Nesbitt will be relieved of his duties as Cadillac general manager today. Why? Did Reuss or Whitacre want someone younger, more pretty? Better question: is Lutz out too? [Automobile, Motor Trend] More »

Lease A Tesla Roadster For Just $1,658 Per Month

Ray Wert — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST

Tesla leasing for $1,658 per month? Perfect for the Carpocalypse economy. Don't buy when you can lease. Wait, didn't GM do that with the EV1 and then killed it? Tesla's gonna kill the... oh wait, they already did. [Tesla] More »

Hummer Not Dead Yet, GM Considering Other Offers

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

Hold the phones! Two previous suitors for Hummer have stepped up in the wake of China's failure to secure a deal and, of course, us running our fucking Hummer eulogy. Talk about back-room Saab-like B.S. [WSJ.com] More »

Hummer, A Eulogy: America Says Goodbye To Itself

Sam Smith — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

Hummer is the quintessential American brand — an allegory of everything right and wrong with our great nation. Now, after a failed sale to the Chinese, the brand is dead. So what does this say about America? More »

GM Kills Hummer, Officially

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:10:00 EST

GM will officially wind down Hummer operations as a deal with a Chinese automaker stalled over Chinese environmental concerns You gotta love Hummer — a brand so quintessentially American, so brazenly gas-guzzling, that even the Chinese find it offensive. More »

GM Rehires Fritz Henderson As $59K-Per-Month Consultant

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:45:00 EST

Former CEO Fritz Henderson has been rehired by GM, the company that hastily canned him, for a $59K-per-month gig as a consultant according to The Detroit News. What's next? Sarah Henderson getting hired to run GM social media? [via @davidshepardson] More »

The Uwe Gemballa Disappearance: Update

Wes Siler — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

On Tuesday we reported that Uwe Gemballa had disappeared in South Africa, repeating CarsUK's suggestion that he could have planned his own disappearance. Today we spoke to Gemballa. Here's what they had to say. More »

Gemballa Owner Not "Missing," Just Hiding From Government

Wes Siler — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

Yesterday, the exotic car world was preparing to mourn the loss of tuner Uwe Gemballa, who "disappeared" in South Africa last week. Turns out he's probably still alive, but we should prepare to mourn the loss of his company anyway. More »

Who's To Blame For Detroit's Nightmare, really?

Murilee Martin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:30:00 EST

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We've had all sorts of carefully reasoned discussions on the reasons that Ford, GM, and Chrysler are in such trouble, but who needs reason or logic? You know who's to blame! More »

Tesla CEO Used Private Jet To Fly To D.C. And Beg For Money

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:30:00 EST

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a fancy private jet to Washington, D.C. and then begged for money. Hmm... seems to us like someone already got yelled at for doing this. Jeez, he's already acting like a soon-to-be-bankrupt automaker. More »

CarsForAGrand.Com Is Exactly What It Sounds Like

Sam Smith — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST

Two clever Californians have built a classified site that combs through national for-sale ads and singles out all the cars costing $1000 or less. Want to buy something crappier than this Ford Focus? Have we got the URL for you! More »