Like many of you I saw on the TV or read news articles (such as from Bloomberg) about the incentives that Ford and General Motors are offering to capitalize on the massive Toyota accelerator recall. But as a writer, I always like to refer back to an original press release
Only in America…can a two year old company, a company with its roots in California and not in Michigan, take over a plant that once the largest automaker in the world (GM) had to shut down. Here is the press release from Fisker: Fisker Automotive has selected the Wilmington Assembly
GM’s OnStar recently paid off for a California resident. Some 2009 and newer model year GM vehicles have the option of OnStar’s advanced service – Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. According to OnStar, Stolen Vehicle Slowdown “gives our subscribers added security by allowing OnStar Advisors, who work with law enforcement, to send
How is Ford doing? According to Doug Scott, Ford’s Truck Marketing Manager even though they are being considerably outspent by GM and Chrysler, the new F150 has gained 5-6 points of market share since its debut last fall. Mike Gray, AutoUpkeep.com As the marketing manager, do you find it is
Starting tomorrow, August 11th, GM and eBay Motors will launch GM.eBay.com to connect California Dealers with potential buyers. In a press release today, GM stated: “In a move to help simplify the car-shopping process, eBay Motors and General Motors Company today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind promotion that enables
General Motors hopes to begin selling the Chevy Volt in 2010. Tesla Motors currently sells the Tesla Roadster. Mitsubishi plans on selling the i MiEV. And now Best Buy is making its way as an electric vehicle retailer. Several media outlets (CNET, AutoBlog, Wall Street Journal) have reported that Best
How many of you in the United States have heard of Mahindra? I don’t see many virtual hands. Did you know that Mahindra started assembling Willys Jeeps in 1949? I recently learned about Mahindra when I was completing research on compact tractors. Some of the major players are John Deere,
As an owner of a 2000 GMC Sierra 2500, I recently received a letter in the mail from General Motors. The first paragraph of the letter was as follows: “First off, I’d like to thank you for being a GM customer. Your current and future business means a lot to
You would think that in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the great depression that nobody would be purchasing cars. But that isn’t the case. Cars are still selling. Ford Motor Company, the only United States “Big Three” automaker not to file Chapter 11, has increased its market
Over the last 24 hours many have speculated on how GM will emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I could speculate, give my opinion, hypothesize, and such…but in today’s economic climate it is difficult to project. The first step is to understand where GM thinks it is headed. Below are excerpts
Yesterday Chrysler released a list of 789 dealerships that will be closing due to their Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. General Motors (GM), not yet in bankruptcy court, said today that they will begin notifying 1,100 “underperforming and low sales volume” dealerships “about their long term plans”. See the official press
According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, more people are satisfied with independent repair facilities than with dealerships – although both scored relatively high on maintenance procedures. When searching for a quality repair facility you basically have three choices: Independents (locally owned and operated shops) Chains (e.g., AAMCO Transmissions, Car-X,
GM announced today that “a number of potential buyers have surfaced and expressed interest in the Saturn brand and retailer network” (GM Press Release). The billion dollar question is, who will buy it? Saturn, a division of GM since it was founded in 1985, has branded themselves as a “different
On Monday April 27th, GM’s press release “GM Accelerates its Reinvention as a Leaner, More Viable Company” generated tons of posts on Twitter. The key question is, “Will this actually make GM viable?” An overview of the changes: GM focuses on Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC – Personally, I don’t
Yesterday the White House announced that the US federal government is going to purchase about 17,600 fuel efficient cars by June 1st, 2009. See the official press release. The federal government will purchase all of the vehicles from two companies they already bailed out, Chrysler and GM, and Ford which
America no longer has the greatest number of automotive buyers. China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, reported through the Xinhua News Agency that sales exceeded 1 million vehicles in March. Small passenger cars make up the majority of the sales in China. According to the Autodata Corporation, sales in the United
As I watch the news and read the blogs I wonder if in five years if there will be even one of the big Detroit three still standing…and more importantly, profitable. I wonder how big icons that transformed this country since the early 1900s can be in such dire condition.
