TTAC Called It: GM Restructuring Plan on Same Day as Sales Drop

31.05.2008

If you're one of those people who believes GM has a coherent turnaround plan, or in fact believe in this unspecified, entirely elastic strategy for a return to profitability, you might want to take note of the fact that General Motors is locked in the PR version of Groundhog Day. As

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“The $75 [gas] limit ensures merchants and customers are protected from fraud”

31.05.2008

Filling-up the Odyssey the other day, I was surprised when the wallet-drainage started slowing down at $48. Of course, I knew what wasn't coming: anything more than $50 worth of gas. As an a tax paying member of the world's most pampered people, I found it incredibly annoying that

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GM To Debut HCCI Technology on Opel Insignia

30.05.2008

As Katie Puckrik has pointed out, GM is not the only automaker working on HCCI technology. But, as Auto Express reports, GM could be the first company to outfit a production model with the sparkless technology. GM lent Auto Express a Vauxhall Vectra fitted with a 2.2 HCCI four-banger for

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Toyota Might Just Build Prius in California

30.05.2008

Everyone's familiar with New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., right? Also known as NUMMI, the plant is a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. Why would the number one and number one two car makers team up? The old answer was that GM wanted to learn about Japanese "lean"

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GM Buyouts, Pt. 1: 19k Flee Sinking Ship

30.05.2008

GM has been trying to realize savings from its two-tier wage agreement with the UAW by offering veteran hourly workers (who are locked in at old wages) cash buyouts to walk from their jobs. Well, the offer has expired and the Detroit News reports that some 19k UAW workers, or nearly a quarter

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American Axle CEO Wins

29.05.2008

American Axle CEO Dick Dauch hung tough against the United Auto Workers (UAW) for 87 days. As the smoke clears, it's clear Dick Dastardly came out on top. The new union contract cuts the company's average hourly labor costs from $73 to about $40. The Detroit News reports that DD

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New Honda Freed Heading Stateside?

29.05.2008

Yeah, I know: car hacks always say that shit. But seriously, this one could hop the Pacific. It's Honda's Fit-based Freed, a Lilliputian van for the Japanese market named for the word yelled by occupants upon exit. Just kidding. The mini-minivan shares the Fit's 1.5-liter engine,

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New VW “Robust” Pickup Spied

29.05.2008

Auto Motor und Sport's spy photographers spotted this near-production crew-cab version of Wolfsburg's global pickup undergoing street testing. Although VW has stayed true to its legacy of unnecessarily creative nomenclature, the "Robust" is a new day. First, it's a

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Hybrids are OK, as Long as GMC Makes Them

29.05.2008

Apparently the GMC dealer unknown writer posting on the Commercial Auto Dealers web site had a change of heart about hybrids. After warning everyone about the dangers of driving a too-quiet, electromagnetic-field-generating deathtrap, now he wants everyone to know that "GMC

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Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Index Is A Joke

29.05.2008

Every year, the California-based whack jobs at Strategic Vision announce their "Total Quality Index" (TQI) with some headline-grabbing conclusion. Each year, the media swallows it hook, line and sinker. Each year, we point out that Strategic Vision's methodology is from Planet

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