• Carpocalypse Now

    GM CEO Rick Wagoner Rolls Up To Capitol Hill In Cruze-Covered Chevy Volt Mule

    We didn't have the video of Wagoner pulling up in the Chevy Volt mule dressed up in the skin of a Chevy Cruze earlier. Now we do. We also have to say, we're pretty happy with how the Cruze looks in motion. Pretty snazzy if you ask us. We'll take ours with a turbo 1.4-liter four-banger rather than the Volt innards and definitely with the "dog-and-pony show" graphics-delete option. Also, we're now told Alan "Boeing! Boeing!" Mulally and Bob "The Builder" Nardelli are seated and Dodd's started flapping his gums. UPDATE: According to CNBC's Phil LeBeau, GM's modifying their request from the gubm'it — they need $4 billion this month and $4 billion in January (from $4 billion in December, $6 billion in March) to stave off the Carpocalypse!
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    10:15 AM on Thu Dec 4 2008
    By Ray Wert
    6,329 views, 124 comments

    Most discussed HurtsSoGood: If I were Sen. Dodd, I'd tell Wagoner right off the bat that I thought the Volt was a Rube more »

  • Carpocalypse Now

    Ford Expects Profitability In 2011, Battery Electric Van By 2010, BEV Sedan For 2011

    Ford today announced a plan to turn around its business, claiming it allows them to reach break-even level or profit by 2011. The plan includes building a battery-electric commercial van by 2010 and a BEV sedan by 2011. More »
    Feature

    10:19 AM on Tue Dec 2 2008
    By Matt Hardigree
    3,161 views, 65 comments

    Most discussed prndl: Ford Motor Company welcomes the opportunity to submit our Plan to the Senate Banking Committee, and appreciates the time and more »

  • Carpocalypse Now

    SNL Sketch Takes On Not-So-Big Three Congressional Hearing

    Saturday Night Live took on the not-so-Big Three's congressional testimony and "jetpooling" incident in this weekend's "cold open," and unfortunately fell into the trap of shamelessly mocking tired stereotypes. Which is sad, because we'd watched SNL take on a new level of relevancy as of late thanks to the uber-adorable Tina Fey and an election season devoid of real political commentary. That's not to say watching Will Forte as Rick Wagoner, Darrell Hammond as Bob "The Builder" Nardelli and Jason Sudeikis as Alan Mulally isn't funny, but hearing about quality issues on the upcoming Ford Fiesta and a Cadillac XLR-V is a bit ol' and busted if you ask us. Now quality issues on a Chrysler 300C? That's comedic genius. But hackneyed and tired jokes aside, we were more concerned with further evidence the automakers have done the world's worst job of getting their message out. More »
    Feature

    10:00 AM on Mon Nov 24 2008
    By Ray Wert
    17,621 views, 60 comments

    Most discussed The Name's Ash78, Housewares: The 200-mpg thing was the best joke of the whole thing...you guys nailed it (makes hand-flying-over head motion directed at more »

  • Financiapocalypse

    Congressman Urges Automaker CEOs To "Jetpool" When Heading To DC Begging For Money

    New York Congressman Gary Ackerman feasts upon a buffet of "delicious irony" as he asks the CEOs from the Not-So-Big Three to perhaps save some cash and fuel by using a single jet together rather than individual private jets from Detroit to D.C. to beg for bailout dollars from the Feds. We even hear Reagan National's got a diamond-festooned runway set up just for jetpoolers. [CNN]

    5:50 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Andrew Didorosi
    8,800 views, 82 comments

    Most discussed Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Pot, meet kettle. more »

  • Financiapocalypse

    Not-So-Big Three Automakers Take Corporate Jets To Beg For Money From Congress

    It's probably a bad thing to fly a private jet from Detroit to Washington, DC when you're going to ask Congress to provide you a multi-billion dollar loan to bail you out of a financial crisis. That fact hasn't stopped Ford's Alan Mulally, along with the heads of the other automakers, who not only flew to D.C. in the Ford private jet but are, apparently, unwilling to fully cut themselves from the corporate crack that is their private air forces. This really disturbs us. We've been having all sorts of problems with the way the US automakers have managed their message in making the ask for money from the Feds for survival. First they weren't getting their message out. Now, however, they're getting the wrong message out. Frankly, when folks begin saying things like this: More »

    12:00 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Ray Wert
    9,560 views, 131 comments

    Most discussed Serolf Divad: The big three need to be consolidated into one United States Automotive Group with most of their products eliminated for more »

  • industry news

    Ford's Mulally: This Is All Part Of Our Plan

    Ford CEO Alan Mulally spoke with CNBC's Phil LeBeau today following the automaker's announcement of $129 million in third quarter loses and announced the company was ready to weather the storm and will continue to develop its product line — but would still love some o' that good ol' socialist government help. The message appears to be far cheerier than GM's announcement that it would be implementing big changes, though there's still some cause for concern. What's the difference? More »

    1:20 PM on Fri Nov 7 2008
    By Matt Hardigree
    1,859 views, 37 comments

    Most discussed Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: I can't remember where, but I read an article recently that said that Mulally was the only executive in the more »

  • Chrysler GM Merger

    NYT: GM Sought Merger With Ford First

    As if the late-breaking Friday night news of merger talks between Chrysler and GM weren't astonishing enough, Bill "Pickles" Vlasic at the New York Times continued the onslaught of amazement with a follow-up story that GM had initially approached Ford before speaking to Chrysler. Apparently, GM execs approached Ford about a possible merger in July but Ford rejected the idea despite the talks progressing until as late as last month. And we though it was hard creating a name for a merger of GM and Chrysler — try coming up with one for Ford and GM. Best we could come up with was "Big Blue Moval." More »

    8:30 AM on Mon Oct 13 2008
    By Ray Wert
    1,644 views, 33 comments

    Most discussed The Name's Ash78, Housewares: our global assets...that remains Ford's focus I'm more curious how Ford's Fusion with another heavily-unionized company would have worked out. Maybe more »

  • ford ka

    Mulally Says Ford Considering Ka For America

    Remember how Ford used to claim the Ka was too small for American tastes? Well, it appears American tastes have sufficiently downsized, and Ford CEO Alan Mulally, during an interview on a local Detroit radio show, said an Americanized Ka has quite a few supporters in the halls of the Dearborn automaker. For those not familiar with the Ka (and since it's never been sold here, that may be many of you), the little city cruiser is about the same width as the old Kia-sourced Ford Aspire — remember the Aspire? — and roughly ten inches shorter. Fortunately, the new Fiat 500-based Ka is also rumored to be at least an order of magnitude more fun to drive, so we're looking forward to finally seeing one on these shores in something other than a James Bond flick.

    [Detroit News]

    4:45 PM on Mon Oct 6 2008
    By Andrew Stoy
    1,271 views, 39 comments

    Most discussed brandegee: The Aspire was part of Mazda's mini-Malaise period, which overshadowed the RX-7 and Miata with dull, ugly cars like the more »

  • industry news

    Ford Meets With Tracinda, Probably Asked Kerkorian Not To Hurt Them

    The week after taking a 5.5% stake in Ford Motor Co., representatives of investment tycoon and corporate raider Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corporation had a little chat with Ford CEO Alan Mulally and executive chairman Bill Ford to discuss [random speculation]. While the meeting was described by Ford representatives as cordial, Tracinda's spokespeople haven't said a word about it. We'll keep our ears to the grindstone on this one, but don't expect much more worth repeating anytime soon. Well, until Jerry York heads to Dearborn to roll some heads. [via Automotive News (sub. req.)]

    8:40 AM on Wed Jun 18 2008
    By Ray Wert
    418 views, 3 comments

    Latest by NovaloadMissesPolar: Henry Ford is spinning like driveshaft in his tomb. more »

  • industry news

    Ford Share Price Down 10%, Could Double Soon! Wait, What?

    In a bulletin typical of the Russian-nesting-dolls-style news stories that so often seem to come out of Detroit, Reuters is reporting Barron's will soon report Ford per-share earnings "could" double next year to a buck and 44 cents. It would seem possible happy days are possibly here again...umm, possibly? More »

    7:30 AM on Mon Apr 7 2008
    By John Krewson
    2,120 views, 34 comments

    Latest by my favorite car is a motorcycle: So now that we've established that Ford has historically sacrificed too much product quality in the elusive search of short-term more »