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If you hadn't noticed yet, Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-how-stupid-are-you-to-take-a- fleet-of-jets and their scary Op-Eds haven't done anything to Save GM or either of the other not-so-Big Three. The Senate is not pleased with their behavior. But here comes Mitt Romney, "favorite son" of Michigan. The guy who took tons of auto-exec money and said this before the Michigan primary: galleryPost('mittrompander', 6, 'Do You Think He Is Saying Anything About Bankruptcy?'); "I want to bring Michigan back. I am not willing to sit back and say 'too bad for Michigan, too bad for the car industry, too bad for the people who lost their jobs, they are gone forever.' I will not rest when I am president of the United States until Michigan is brought back." January is a long time ago in Romneyville as Mitt said this in the NY Times earlier this week: IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday...
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MSNBC is reporting President-current Bush has said he'll consider amending the $25 billion automaker low-interest loan guarantee program to allow the automakers to get the money right now and use it for whatever they need. The decision is being made because many economists say helping US automakers is a big part of preventing the economy from going even further into the hole. This comes a day after would-be Detroit savior President-elect Barack Obama, who has said an automaker bailout is super important , met with President Bush to discuss steps he'd like to see taken, including part two of his three-part economic strategy — help for the auto industry . Why the sudden change from the Bush administration? According to the NY Times , the President would consider signing a stimulus package and help out the auto industry if Obama dropped his opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia. Maybe. Mr. Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader...
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Through the end of April, Chrysler had dropped fleet sales by 45,000 vehicles, a 17% decline from a year earlier, GM reduced its fleet sales by approximately 40,000 vehicles, a 14% drop and Ford posted a 9% decline in fleet sales, translating to 25,000 vehicles. Yes friends, Detroit automakers are avoiding the temptation to suckle at the teat of fleet sales, even in the face of significant sales drops. While the sales reductions will appear as another negative on an already battered sales report, fewer fleet sales — especially to daily rental fleets — should improve residual values for the "Detroit 3" in the long run. And we're all for the hometown folks taking a longer-term view of things for once — but the rental sales aren't the only part of the automakers non-retail strategy. While daily rental fleet sales have dropped, corporate and government fleet sales remain an important part of domestic automakers' business strategy. Chrysler spokesperson...
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Having just finished up the major auto shows, it's probably not a bad time to ask if America's auto industry is headed in the right direction. As auto enthusiasts we like the idea of ass-kicking, high-output RWD rides like the 2009 Dodge Challenger , 2010 Camaro and Pontiac G8 GXP as much, if not more, than the next guy. But will they sell? A weakening economy, higher gas prices and a general perception that it's cool to be green sort of runs counter to the aims of all these vehicles. What are the foreign automakers doing? Hyundai has the Genesis Coupe , which promises great performance with a V6 at a lower cost. Subaru has come out with another capable Forester while Ford will soon be selling the seemingly contradictory Ford Flex and Transit Connect . It's "A New Day" at Chrysler. Or is it? Are the "Big 3" seeing what the market wants and delivering, or grasping at straws? Quo Vadimus? Where are we going?
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The Detroit Auto Show opened up with the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards , which was questionably awarded to the Chevy Malibu and the Mazda CX-9. Today the EyesOn Design awards presented four awards for design excellence and at least three of the four winners made sense. The award for the best production car went to the Cadillac CTS-V , which is very deserving. Also deserving is the BMW X6 , which won the best production truck. The best concept car went to the Cadillac CTS Coupe . The oddity was the best concept truck, which went to the Chrysler ecoVoyager . Calling the ecoVoyager a truck is like calling a dragon a virgin. galleryPost('cadillacctsvdasexterior', 3, 'Best Production Car: Cadillac CTS-V'); galleryPost('bmwx6exterior', 3, 'Best Production Truck: BMW X6'); galleryPost('ctscoupeexterior', 3, 'Best Concept Car: Cadillac CTS Coupe'); galleryPost('chryslerecovoyagerexteriordas', 3, 'Best Concept Truck: Chrysler...
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This be it, folks. Months ago Chrysler's former PR honcho, Jason Vines, talked about the future and blah blah, and two months later we have finally gotten a chance to see the Chrysler ecoVoyager , Dodge Zeo and Jeep Renegade concepts. We gave you all of the details earlier today and showed off Chrysler's oh-so-glorious press pictures, but our photo handiman got to see these things in person and here they be. My impressions? Uglier in person -- all of them. galleryPost('jeeprenegadeexteriordas', 3, 'Jeep Renegade Exterior Live Shots'); galleryPost('jeeprenegadeinteriordas', 3, 'Jeep Renegade Interior Live Shots'); galleryPost('dodgezeoexteriordas', 3, 'Dodge Zeo Exterior Live Shots'); galleryPost('dodgezeointeriordas', 3, 'Dodge Zeo Interior Live Shots'); galleryPost('chryslerecovoyagerexteriordas', 3, 'Chrysler ecoVoyager Exterior Live Shots'); galleryPost('chryslerecovoyagerinteriordas', 3,...
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It was a couple months ago when Jason Vine put on his comedian hat to show off Chrysler's three latest concept models. This is the Chrysler ecoVoyage, an electric with a fuel cell range extender. While the design may look somewhat like a big vitamin, Chrysler says that the design is inspired from a "distinctive and elegant American design." Maybe it's time we move to Canada -- this lacks the American pizazz I'm accustomed to. galleryPost('ecovoyagerpressext', 15, 'Chrysler ecoVoyage Exterior'); galleryPost('ecovoyagerpressint', 5, 'Chrysler ecoVoyage Interior'); galleryPost('08ChryslerecoVoyagerConcept', 2, 'Chrysler ecoVoyage Concept Sketches'); Three passionate designs combine with three advanced propulsion systems. The result: high-tech, innovative vehicles with alternative fuel choices... and exciting design and brand character. Chrysler LLC's mission to be more environmentally responsible is significantly changing...
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Commenter 00Solstice mentioned this 1980 Time article in yesterday's Malaise-o-riffic DOTS post , and we think it's a must-read for anyone following the recent twists and turns of Detroit's automaker drama: "Nothing less than the survival of the U.S. auto industry in its present form depends on the success of these new 1981 models." [Time Magazine]
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newVideoPlayer("VinesVideo_gawker.flv", 475, 376); We give Chrysler PR main man Jason Vines a lot of credit -- probably way too much -- but it's because once in a while he's able to deliver from his ADD-adled mind some truly amazing attempts to break through the clutter and cacophony of noise that is automotive public relations. Whether it's fueling the fire of the " Muscle Car Wars " (coming soon to a Woodward Avenue near you!) or coming to work dressed as his favorite sexual fantasy , Vines certainly doesn't act like other auto PR bosses. The newest example is the e-mail we just received with a video revealing some sketches of the automakers Detroit Auto Show concepts for the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands. The video stars Vines, Chrysler's chief product man Frank Klegon, chief design man Trevor Creed and Sandy Fraser, the real boss running the show over at Chrysler PR. The video is a mix of schlock and the usual Vines shtick, and was executed...
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