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Mini USA VP JIm McDowell tried to explain away yesterday's J.D. Power IQS showing the automaker in dead last, by telling CNBC their cars take some getting used to — like "your wife." Also, Kudlow's like 100-years-old. [CNBC] More »
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A new San Diego-based auto company named V-Vehicle, backed by billionaire investor T. Boone Pickens and staffed by former Mazda design chief Tom Matano, plans to build "environmentally friendly" vehicles in Louisiana. More »
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Audi's latest program with the Munich University of Applied Sciences is designed to cultivate the next generation of Audi engineers, designers and product direction for what it calls the "Audi Intelligent Emotion" project. More »
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Saab is exploring breaking free from GM. This would include moving the majority of production to Trollhattan, a move backed by the Swedish government and the Swedish Chef. More »
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GM's reporting 221,983 US sales in December, 2008, down 31% compared with a year ago. GM kept the title of US sales leader, with a market share remaining steady at just above 22%. More »
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Ford has announced a new feature available on many 2010 models called "My Key," consisting of a programmable computer chip imbedded in the key that limits vehicle speed to 80 MPH. Designed for parents of teen drivers, the My Key system will also limit the stereo volume settings and sound a constant chime if seat belts are not fastened; a chime can also be programmed to sound if the car exceeds 45, 55 or 65 MPH. So how is Ford countering the predictable teen driver PR backlash? By telling kids that the My Key system might get them behind the wheel more often. More »
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Ford reported today that sales this October were only 9.5% lower than sales last October, which is actually not as bad as some thought it could have been. For the month Ford sold 195,462 vehicles, with a 0.9% increase in truck models (which include crossovers), but a 26% decrease in car sales. High on this list of things Ford is going to blame for this is the downturn in home building, which has resulted in a downturn in sales of the F-series pickups to contractors and builders. Press release after the jump. More »
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According to BMW honcho Norbert Reithofer, the trick to succeeding in the global marketplace as a German-based company can be summed up in a deceptively simple sentence: "It's all about mastering complexity." Such, then, is the cost of delivering Bruce to the people and existing as a serious component of a newly resurgent economic engine in Deutschland, a nation that saw 2.8% economic growth last year, despite notoriously stringent labor laws and a strong euro. Time dives headlong into the highly-precise morass of German industry. – Davey G. Johnson More »
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Igor was kind enough to send over a bit from Ward's detailing FoMoCo's possible plan for a revitalized SVT, including Fusion and Edge models. Makes sense to us, considering there's already a Mazdaspeed 6 they could cannibalize for parts. Apparently, their will be some kind of SVT truck of type unknown to sell alongside the SVT-badged GT500 Mustang. More »
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Edmunds Inside Line is reporting a technology alliance beween Toyota and GM is set to end next week, and that the two will indeed part as rivals for the position of #1 automaker. The deal, which was struck in 1999, has produced... wait for it... nothing. Toyota reportedly couldn't deal with GM's constant whining, while GM felt Toyota was a self-centered workaholic and would it hurt if it brought home flowers just once? It's not like every gas station in town doesn't sell them now. More »
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VW's Chairman Pi ch bargained with his own corporate life late last week, when he gave up his post at VW in return for supervisory board spots for Porsche's CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and CFO Holger H rter. Considering Porsche is now Volkswagen's largest single shareholder — having purchased 18.5 percent of VW's shares in late 2005 — the move eliminates charges of conflict of interest between the Pi ch and the Porsche sides since the purchase (Pi ch's uncle Ferdinand founded Porsche, and Pi ch still sits on the board there) and thwarts attempts by directors to limit little Porsche's influence over the much-larger VW. Pi ch will step down in 2007 when his current contract expires, but remain on the board at Porsche. Now, industry watchers are asking whether Porsche's "dream team" will be distracted by concerns with a turnaround at ailing VW and screw the pooch, as they say in Stuttgart. More »
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Big surprise that fat-cappy press, Forbes isn't in favor of imposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to dictate automakers' fleet-wide gas mileage. This past Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta outlined the government's plan to alter mileage standards for all light trucks sold in the US. More »
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With retail margins on gasoline so thin it takes stores full of cheap hot dogs, slushies and lottery tickets to give gas stations any income at all, it's no secret the loss-leading business is open to getting severely messed with. While warehouse stores have been in the gas business for years, the latest corporate retail giant to get involved is Home Depot. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Home Depot is entering the retail gas business, adding pumps to four stores in Nashville, Tenn. later this year. The pumps will likely be a convenience service for customers, particularly contractors, who get to skip a stop after loading up on sheetrock and scads of those yellow plastic power tools. Plus, the chain will likely be able to incorporate "free gas" into its promotions, a particularly potent come-on these days, especially for customers who haul tons of of crap in their V8-powered light trucks. [Thanks to Zerin for the tip.] More »
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We've always thought the Nissan Quest's interior was well done, conceptually, but then again, we don't have kids to lug from playdate to playdate like Lynyrd Skynyrd on a revival tour of Six Flags'. We also don't have to jam our narra' asses into its uncomfortable seats for hours on end (heh heh), nor do we have to remove the seats to fill the thing with Sunday mulch. Despite strong sales overall, The Quest is a sore patch for Nissan, selling only half of the number projected (22,673 from its 2004 launch through June 2005). AutoWeek talked to Nissan designer Shiro Nakamura, who said it's the Quest's more-radical- than-practical interior that's kept sales from meeting expectations. Will a pending redesign be a return to traditional family values? More »
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