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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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It was mighty nice of Ford to wish GM a happy 100th birthday by strategic window-blind arrangement on their office building, but things weren't quite so friendly back in the days before the imports grabbed a huge slice of the car-sales pie. Back in '66, when the Mercury Division was gearing up to release the Cougar, they projected a huge Cougar ad… on the side of GM's Detroit headquarters! GM could have retaliated by using gasoline to burn a big Camaro ad into Henry Ford II's lawn, but they took the high road. Thanks to Mark for the tip. Image credit: CoolCats.net .
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The Detroit News is reporting group vice president and general manager for Toyota of the Americas, Bob Carter, has confirmed the 2010 Toyota Prius will be debuting at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and will be joined by a uniquely styled and appointed version for Lexus. The Prius was set to move upmarket relative to its former iterations, but with a Lexus version now on the way, Toyota's own marketplace may be getting crowded. But the bigger story is how this news makes things far more interesting for January's Detroit Auto Show. galleryPost('ToyotaPriusSpy', 6, '2010 Toyota Prius Out Testing'); Jalopnik Snap Jugdement : Considering we'll be seeing two all-new dedicated hybrids from Toyota, the formal debut of the 2010 Honda hybrid , who knows what from Nissan , and with the first fully-formed Chevy Volt revealed just a couple months earlier, the 2009 Detroit Auto Show is setting up to be a serious, next-gen hybrid battle royal. More interesting to us, contrary to...
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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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Detroit Auto Show : More breaking news -- Jalopnik readers are not enchanted with SUVs, CUVs, wagons on stilts or the Ford Explorer America .
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After spending part of the day with the fine folks responsible for the new 2009 Ford F-150 we've had some of our questions answered. First of all, they're not in any hurry to release the power numbers so you can stop asking, though they're going to be adding the diesel in 2010. Those wanting a manual transmission? Petition all you want, but even with gas prices going up the number of F-150's orders with a manual transmission keeps going down. Why the introduction of the Platinum Edition? According to Matt O'Leary, one of the driving forces behind the new F-150 at Ford, the King Ranch Edition "has more of a southwestern flavor" and Ford wanted something to provide "more of a Chicago or Manhattan" feel with their new truck, focusing on aluminum touches with tuxedo-stiched leather as opposed to the leatherfest that is the King Ranch. He also pointed out that they've found no maximum for luxury trucks (ahem LT) And for fans of the LOBO edition, we...
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Detroit Auto Show : News that will shock no one -- Toby Keith does not appeal to the Jalopnik demographic. magnificentbastard and rocketrodeo debate.
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Detroit Auto Show: Not Feeling the Ford F150. It might be Sunday morning, but the robble robble crowd are on their feet and, well, robbling. This time they're upset about the new 3-bar grilled 2009 Ford F-150 . And this time we agree with them. Though, we're not entirely sure what SexCpotatoes is talking about.
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When we last saw the Ford Explorer America it was hip deep in snow. Now it's out, using it's EcoBoost engines to escape the cavern and arrive here in the lovely CoBo Arena. The Explorer was only up momentarily, but we should have more pics soon. Press release and production shots below the jump, full photos from the live reveal directly below: galleryPost('fordexpamlive',9, 'Ford Explorer America Live'); FORD TO REVEAL NEW FUEL-SAVING CONCEPT IN DETROIT galleryPost('expamerext', 15, 'Ford Explorer America Exterior');galleryPost('expamerint', 21, 'Ford Explorer America Interior'); The Ford Explorer America concept showcases a new kind of utility for the vehicle customers have known and loved for years: even better fuel efficiency. "Customers are smart. They value vehicles - the more efficient, the better," said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president of Marketing and Communications. "Ford gets it. "Innovative technologies...
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Toby Keith, the Ford Truck Man, he of the Bold Toby Keith Emissions Boot-in-Ass Emissions was on hand to introduce the new 2009 Ford F-150 pickup truck. It's a fantastic Amerigasm of our country-ism. No talk of EcoBoost or hybrid powertrains here. Later, basically everyone with a camera stormed Keith and put a camera in his face. Which was probably worth the money they paid him. USA! USA! USA! galleryPost('tobykeith', 6, 'Ford Truck Man');
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We have the first shots of the 2009 Ford F-150 and, if you're a "Ford Truck Man" you'll certainly enjoy them. And if not, with 35 variations ranging from the entry level XL to the pre-pimped luxo Platinum Edition if you can't find one you like you're just not trying hard enough. Live shots below and the in-person experience confirms the "I am Daveness" of the 2009 Ford F-150's grille, as previously seen. galleryPost('FordF150LIVE', 6, '2009 Ford F-150 Live'); Full Press release and production photos below: galleryPost('FordF150platinum09', 5, '2009 Ford F-150 Platinum');galleryPost(FordF150fx409', 9, '2009 Ford F-150 FX4');galleryPost('FordF150styles', 6, '2009 Ford F-150 Styles'); galleryPost('FordF150fx409', 6, '2009 Ford F-150 FX4'); NEW 2009 FORD F-150: MORE CAPABILITY, MORE CHOICE, MORE 'SMART' FEATURES FOR AMERICA'S TRUCK The vision for Ford's truck team...
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After introducing us to the Ford Verve at Frankfurt late last year, Ford is bringing this new global small car platform to the United States. The four-door shown here is the basis for the production vehicle that will hit driveways in North America sometime in 2010, while the three-door is from the Euro-spec model that we may or may not see (depending on the reaction). We imagine that the 18-inch polished wheels probably won't be standard when it goes into production, but it'll be fairly close otherwise. This is for all of you out there joining the chorus of complaints that we're not getting Ford Europe products. Press release below the jump. galleryPost('FordVerveNAConcept', 6, 'Ford Verve North American Concept'); Ford REVEALS small-car vision FOR NORTH AMERICA DETROIT, Jan. 13, 2008 - Ford Motor Company is revealing the Verve, a concept vehicle that makes clear the vision for the new small cars Ford soon will introduce in North America. The Verve is bold and...
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The 2009 Ford F-150 has arrived and, for potential buyers, there are two major stories here other than the new frame and exterior: more standard/available features and more model variations. Now standard is the AdvanceTrack with Roll Stability Control (RSC), Trailer Sway Control, the new Tailgate w/ box side steps and the new "Easy Fuel" capless fuel-filler system that uses a a sensor to automatically seal shut when the nozzle is removed. Available on all F-150's is the SYNC system (with all goodies), new 700-watt Sony sound system, integrated trailer brake controller (segment first on light-duty pickups) and rearview camera assist. There are going to be a total of 35variations of the new F-150 (XL, STX, FX4, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch), including the new Platinum series, which adds extra detailing and chrome on the outside and features such as ash wood accents, 10-way adjustable leather captain's chairs and standard 20-inch polished aluminum wheels. galleryPost('FordF150platinum09'...
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