Posts Tagged ‘industry’

1. Mark Phelan: The last engine you’d expect could change auto industry

   Posted on April 20th, 2012 by admin

   Mark Phelan: The last engine you’d expect could change auto industry
   News from Modesto Bee:

   There’s a new class of super-engine on the road, and it’s not what you expect.

   The most exciting, technically intriguing engines I’ve tested in the past six months weren’t throbbing V-8s, exotic V-12s, trendy electric-gasoline hybrids or post-modernist hip European diesels.

   My heart – and my eager right foot – belongs to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Engines that size were long dismissed as weaklings fit only for little economy cars. Americans weren’t inclined to take an engine seriously if the total displacement of its cylinders was the same size as a 99-cent bottle of Coke.

   That was then. Today, 2.0-liter engines propel high-powered sport sedans, elegant roadsters and roomy crossover SUVs.

   “This is a huge transformation in the industry,” said Tom Murphy, executive editor of Wards AutoWorld magazine, which publishes the influential 10 Best Engines list.

   After building mediocre four-cylinder engines for years, General Motors and Ford are at the forefront of the trend, offering…………… continues on Modesto Bee

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   Auto review: Hyundai Azera steps into large-sedan ring
   News from Belleville News Democrat:

   In a quiet, forgotten corner of the automotive landscape, there is a segment of vehicle called the large sedan. These cars tilt toward luxury but have a foot firmly planted in practicality and economics.

   They are for cheap hedonists. Or penny-pinching gourmands. They are for people who fly coach but upgrade to the exit row, favor Macaroni Grill over Olive Garden, or see movies only when they hit video on demand but then spring for the HD version.

   After several years of neglect, Hyundai is now paying this segment some attention with its 2012 Azera. Slotting above the company’s everyman Sonata but below the European-hunting Genesis sedan, the relaunch of the $ 32,000 Azera foretells of a battle in the large sedan segment.

   Both Chevrolet and Toyota brands used the recent New York auto show to introduce heavily redesigned and rethought versions of their large sedans, the Impala and Avalon, respectively. Those models arrive in 2013 and look to shake up current competitors such as Buick’s stout LaCrosse,…………… continues on Belleville News Democrat

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2. Used Car Parts Wholesaling in the US Industry Market Research Report Now …

   Posted on April 8th, 2012 by admin

   Used Car Parts Wholesaling in the US Industry Market Research Report Now …
   News from Albany Times Union:

   Increased new parts sales are expected to reduce used parts sales during the next year, but the immediate future looks brighter for the industry. As the economy gains steam, consumers will have more money in their pockets and purchase new vehicles. New vehicles will come equipped with warranties and, if they are not offered, consumers are likely to pay for the warranty. As such, an increasing number of vehicles will be taken in for warranty service, and mechanics and auto dealers will source used auto parts to fix the vehicle and enhance the profitability of their work. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Used Car Parts Wholesaling industry to its growing industry report collection.

   Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 07, 2012

   The Used Car Parts Wholesaling industry hit the brakes during five years to 2012. After the recession, consumers shifted from buying us…………… continues on Albany Times Union

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   Parker auto racing champ looking for hometown win
   News from Today’s News-Herald:

   LAKE HAVASU CITY — Right before the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season started in 2011, Parker driver Greg Pursley was stung by a scorpion.

   Being severely allergic, the sting sent Pursley into anaphylactic shock, requiring a stay in the intensive care ward and raising concerns about not only his racing career, but also his life.

   Instead of hanging up his helmet, Pursley went on to one of the best seasons of his 10-year career. He won six races, took eight poles, set three track records and ended the season winning the series by the largest points margin in the history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West division.

   “I love these cars,” the defending champion said before testing his Gene Price Motorsports Team No. 26 Ford, at Havasu 95 Speedway, April 4.

   “I love racing anything but the cars are the best. I work on them, build them and drive them.”

   The defending champ will show what he can do on the short track, when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150, presented…………… continues on Today’s News-Herald

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3. Here comes Michigan’s battery industry — but where are the electric vehicle …

   Posted on March 8th, 2012 by admin

   Here comes Michigan’s battery industry — but where are the electric vehicle …
   News from Crain’s Detroit Business:

   If gas reaches $ 6 a gallon, consumers will have a problem. If it doesn’t, the state may have a problem. Namely, the half-dozen or so plants manufacturing batteries to power the electric vehicles that nearly nobody is ready to buy.

   The road to electric vehicle prosperity seemed smooth, thanks to billions of dollars in government subsidies. But recent hiccups for Fisker Automotive and General Motors Co. reveal cracked pavement inside Michigan’s advanced battery industry.

   Fisker’s missteps on critical deadlines and production woes highlight that electric cars aren’t viable — yet.

   The U.S. Department of Energy cut off Fisker’s funding after it missed shipment deadlines tied to a $ 528 million loan. Fisker was forced to lay off more than 60 workers and contractors, and an early investor is suing the California startup for fraud involving his $ 210,000 investment.

   Beginning in 2009, stimulus dollars surged through the market to propel advancements in electric vehicles. More than $ 2 billion in federal gran…………… continues on Crain’s Detroit Business

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   How long should hybrid car batteries last?
   News from Alaska Dispatch:

   Gulf oil spill: Complex claims unresolved in BP settlement

   Unlike Exxon Valdez, fishermen swiftly settle with BP over Gulf oil spill

   Alaska Dispatch

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4. Car lovers impressed with auto show exhibits, upbeat about where industry is going

   Posted on January 15th, 2012 by admin

   Car lovers impressed with auto show exhibits, upbeat about where industry is going
   News from Detroit Free Press:

   As Molly Hutchison, 15, slid into a new model Volkswagen Beetle, her mother let out a gasp.

   “Oh, it’s completely you. Your dad needs to see this,” said Michelle Hutchison, 49, looking around for her husband, Bob Hutchison.

   The Hutchisons, from Fowlerville, were among thousands at at Cobo Center on Saturday, the first public day of the North American International Auto Show.

   The mood seemed electric after several months of good news in the automotive industry, including word that the auto show signed a five-year deal to stay in the renovated convention center. Attendance Saturday reached 92,106, the highest opening day in five years, and Friday’s annual Charity Preview raised $ 3 million, with nearly 12,000 tickets sold, organizers said in a news release.

   “I think the economy’s growing, and I think people are starting to feel good,” said Michelle Hutchison, who was helping her soon-to-be teen driver shop for a car that was safe and had good fuel mileage.

   Others echoed her sentiments of excitement and potential.

   “Everyone seems to be op…………… continues on Detroit Free Press

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   Boy with cancer has a day with monster trucks
   News from Detroit Free Press:

   Today was the ultimate day of awesome for Steve Dreffs, 10, as he met his monster truck idols at Ford Field, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

   Steve, born with a cancer that invades his thyroid and other hormone-producing organs, could barely contain himself as he crawled around the insides of Gravedigger, a truck on giant wheels driven by Randy Brown.
   

   “Hey, does the engine need to have a cover on it?” said Steve from the cab, before calling for his sister, Kari, 9, and his cousin, Carter, 3, to join him some 10 feet off the ground.
   

   It was a day of fun and forgetting for Steve, who along with his sister, battles the same disease that claimed their grandmother and is slowly claiming their mother.
   

   Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type II B is a cancer in which small tumors form in the thyroid and adrenal glands of those affected. Often, sufferers have small tumors in their mouths. It’s hereditary, and the two siblings have had their thyroids taken out as a precaution against thyroid cancer.
   

   Their great-aunt, Patricia Dreff…………… continues on Detroit Free Press

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5. Chrysler, Hyundai sales buck industry slump

   Posted on June 2nd, 2011 by admin

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   Chrysler Group’s Jeep division led Chrysler’s sales resurgance.

   NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Chrysler Group sales bucked an industry slide last month as the automaker’s redesigned models contributed to a 10% increase compared to last year.

   Meanwhile, Toyota (TM), reported a 33.4% drop in U.S. sales compared to the same month last year while Honda (HMC) reported a 22.5% drop. Nissan (NSANY) reported a decline of 9%.

   The two largest domestic automakers reported sales that were about the same as last year or a little lower. General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) reported a decline of a little over one percent compared to May of last month. Ford’s (…CNN
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6. Biden trumpets resurgent US auto industry

   Posted on May 29th, 2011 by admin

   div id=”mainart” class=”hmedia art grid-4×2″ about=”http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/ap/budget talks-244663457_v2.grid-4×2.jpg”> Harry Hamburg / AP

   Vice President Joseph Biden arrives for a Budget meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday.
   updated 5/28/2011 6:01:19 AM ET 2011-05-28T10:01:19

   WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday credited the Obama administration’s intervention for the American auto industry’s recovery from “the brink of extinction” and pointed to Chrysler’s early repayment of the federal loan that saved it from disaster.

   “This announcement came six years ahead of schedule — and just two years after Chrysler Corp. emerged from bankruptcy,” Biden said in the administration’s weekly radio and Internet address. “It’s a sign of what’s happening throughout the American a …MSNBC

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7. Auto parts crunch following Japan quake hits US auto industry

   Posted on March 21st, 2011 by admin

   Automotive Business Review:
   ABR Staff Writer Published 21 March 2011

   A week after a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami ravaged parts of Japan, the effects of the associated shutdown of automotive manufacturing capacity across the Pacific has hit the US auto industry.

   The entire US automotive sector is keeping a close eye on the recovery progress in Japan. Since Japan supplies majority of automotive parts for the vehicle assembled in the US and the dry up of supplies as a result of the disaster has impacted the US auto industry.

   Toyota Motor has extended the shutdowns of its automotive assembly plants in Japan through March 22 as a result of the disaster.Toyota Motor has halted operations at its 12 main assembly plants in Japan. That closure will result in lost production of 95,000 vehicles.

   However it said, from Monday (March 21) it would begin making car parts at plants near its base in Toyota City, central Japan, for overseas assembly facilities. It had earlier said it would resume this week making parts for service centres to repair vehicles already on the road.

   Honda Motor is extending the production halt in Japan to Wednesday (March 23) from ………..
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8. Aftershocks shake Japan’s auto industry

   Posted on March 15th, 2011 by admin

   span class=”captionname”>Cars waiting for export burn after March 12th’s 8.9 magnitude strong earthquake in Tokai, Ibaraki, Japan. By Alex Taylor III, senior editor at largeMarch 14, 2011: 1:48 PM ET

   FORTUNE — With its sprawling, sometimes tangled array of parts suppliers, assembly plants, logistics networks, and dealers, the auto industry is perhaps uniquely vulnerable to disasters, natural and otherwise.

   Manufacturers are all too familiar with interruptions to production from floods, blizzards, land slides, and forest fires. Dealers have seen their new car inventories wiped out by overflowing rivers, surging tides, and punishing hail storms.

   Catastrophes happen even at sea. A Norwegian carrier with 2,862 cars aboard sank in the English Channel in 2002 after colliding with a container ship in thick fog.

   But there has been nothing like the triple threat in Japan wrought by last week’s earthquake and tidal wave, combined with growing worries of a nuclear reactor meltdown.

   As the world’s third-largest producer of automobiles (after China and the U.S.), Japan’s manufacturing network is highly developed and unusually complex. The natural constraints of Japan’s crowded highways and seaports, combined with man-made complications like just-in-time parts delivery have led to the creation a fi …CNN
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9. Japan’s auto industry hit, but recovering

   Posted on March 11th, 2011 by admin

   span class=”captionname”>A Nissan worker installs a charger into a Leaf electric vehicle before the earthquake. Most Japanese automakers suffered minor damage, but there has been at least one death and dozens of injuries at Honda. By Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writerMarch 11, 2011: 12:16 PM ET

   NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Most Japanese automakers suffered little damage from Friday’s massive earthquake and say they are recovering quickly, but there were some injuries and one death in the nation’s powerful car industry.

   Honda was among the hardest hit.

   As many as 30 Honda employees were injured in Japan’s massive earthquake, according to a spokesman in the U.S., and one was killed.

   A 43-year-old man was killed at a Honda Research and Development facility in Tochigi Prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. Honda’s R&D division has been shut down and production has been suspended at three of its factories until at least Monday.

   Nissan said there was no major damage at its factories, but that small fires had broken out at two of its manufacturing facilities. Those fires were quickly extinguished, the automaker said.

   Two employees at a Nissan plant, also located in Tochigi, suffered minor injuries, the au …CNN
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