Archive for the ‘Automobiles’ Category
Owner of Detroit Lions was the last surviving grandchild of Henry Ford.
by Michael Strong on Mar.09, 2014
William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandson of Henry Ford, died today at age 88.
William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandchild of Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford, died this morning. Ford, who was Director Emeritus of the company, was 88 years old.
“My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community,” said William Clay Ford, Jr., executive chairman, Ford Motor Co. “He also was a wonderful family man, a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, yet he will continue to inspire us all.”
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Ford served in a variety of capacities during his 57-year career at the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker. He was named to the company’s board in 1948 and began working at the automaker after graduating from Yale in 1949. (more…)
Tags: Bill Ford, Detroit Lions, Ford, Ford Motor Co., Ford Sr., Ford dead, Ford dies, Ford director dies, Ford's grandson, Henry Ford's grandson, NFL owner dies, TheDetroitBureau.com., William Clay Ford Jr., William Clay Ford Sr., ford news, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
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Chrysler’s Marchionne at the bottom of the list – but Fiat earnings could help out.
by Joseph Szczesny on Mar.07, 2014
Sergio Marchionne, FCA CEO, received a paltry salary from Chrysler last year compared with his CEO counterparts Alan Mulally and Mary Barra.
Despite managing a major turnaround of both Fiat and Chrysler – and the recent merger of the two companies, Sergio Marchionne took home a relatively modest $307,989 in compensation from the U.S. maker last year – barely 1% of what Alan Mulally, the CEO of rival Ford Motor Co., took home in stock alone.
In fact, Marchionne actually earned less than four other executives at Chrysler. And unless the newly merged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, or FCA, ups the ante, Marchionne won’t do much better when compared to Mary Barra, General Motors’ new CEO, who is expected to earn $14.4 million for 2014.
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Barra’s proposed compensation package was revealed last month after GM scrambled to offset a backlash from earlier reports suggesting the company’s first female CEO would get less pay than the man she replaced. Meanwhile, Ford and Chrysler are just releasing their own top management pay numbers as part of their annual filings with the SEC. (more…)
Tags: Alan Mulally, FCA, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, FCA news, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Marchionne compensation, Sergio Marchionne, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto CEO compensation, executive compensation, joseph szczesny, marchionne pay, mary barra, thedetroitbureau
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Maker has high-profile presence in Geneva.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.07, 2014
Apple is gaining ground in the automotive marketplace with its CarPlay infotainment system.
While its lost ground to rival Google’s Android smartphone operating system in recent years, you’d hardly have been able to tell during this week’s Geneva Motor Show. Indeed, it seems like the brand name most commonly spoken during the well-attended event was that of Apple, as a wide assortment of manufacturers announced plans to build the high-tech firm’s new CarPlay system into their vehicles.
The list of makers who unveiled Apple-based infotainment systems this week included Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, with Ford, Honda, Toyota and another dozen signed on to use the technology when it appears later this year.
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“We’re moving to an era of seamless integration of digital devices and the digital automobile,” proclaimed Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and brand boss of Mercedes, which showed off the CarPlay system in its new C-Class line. The maker is expected to eventually expand its use to other model lines. (more…)
Tags: 2014 geneva motor show, Apple, Apple Car Play, Apple-based infotainment system, Car Play, TheDetroitBureau.com., apple news, auto show news, car infotainment, in-car entertainment systems, infotainment systems, paul a. eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Maker believes old models provide no educational value.
by Michael Strong on Mar.07, 2014
Chrysler Group denies that any of the 93 Dodge Vipers it donated to schools across the country have been involved in any accidents. They are simply no longer useful educational tools and aren't historically significant so they should be crushed.
The actions of a few rogues are coming back to haunt hundreds of unsuspecting innocents across the country, at least, that’s what students involved in an auto shop program thought when they received orders from Chrysler Group to destroy the 1992 Dodge Viper used by the program for educational purposes.
South Puget Sound Community College was ordered to crush the Viper that was donated to the program a decade ago within two weeks. According to reports, a Chrysler official said that a couple of the 93 Vipers donated across the country had been involved in accidents while driven by students, costing the company millions.
What a Concept!
The cars are still technically the property of Chrysler, thus the automaker was on the hook for any issues and now they considered the cars a liability and want them destroyed. (more…)
Tags: Dodge Viper, TheDetroitBureau.com., Viper, Vipers crushed, auto news, chrysler, chrysler news, colleges crushing Vipers, michael strong, srt viper, thedetroitbureau, viper news
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
Move runs counter to trend.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.07, 2014
Buyers take the heavy-duty F-Series chasses and add customized configurations such as tow trucks and bottle haulers.
With the launch of new factories by the likes of Nissan and Honda, Mexico has become one of the world’s largest automotive exporters. In fact, the U.S. now imports more vehicles from its neighbor South of the Border than it does from Japan – which is why it might come as a surprise to see Ford pulling back production of its biggest F-Series models from Mexico to the U.S.
The maker today will announce plans to invest $168 million to expand its truck plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, to handle the added production of those F-650 and F-750 models, starting early next year. Going forward, that means that all F-Series production – from the smallest F-150 to the biggest commercial versions – will be based in the States.
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“Shifting production of the 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks to Ohio Assembly Plant helps secure a solid future for the dedicated workers at this facility,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “Building these trucks in-house will utilize our expertise from our other tough truck and commercial vehicle lines to give our customers a better product at a competitive price.”
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Tags: auto news, car news, ford f-650, ford f-750, ford f-series, ford f-series mexico, ford heavy duty truck, ford news, ford returns f-series to us, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
New Michigan facility expected to be ‘high tech.’
by Michael Strong on Mar.06, 2014
GM is investing $162 million into its Lansing Grand River plant in Lansing, Mich.
General Motors plans to invest $162 million at one of its Michigan facilities, possibly for a new stamping plant, according to local officials.
The maker is looking at adding a 225,000-square-foot plant at its Lansing Grand River Assembly facility in Lansing, Mich., Bob Trezise, president and CEO, Lansing Economic Area Partnership, told the Detroit News.
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Any new plant would follow in the heels of the new $44.5 million, 400,000-square-foot logistics facility next to its Lansing Grand River plant. The new site, which is expected to be finished this year, will add about 200 jobs. There are currently about 1,540 employees. (more…)
Tags: GM Lansing plant, GM auto plants, GM plants, Lansing, Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant, Lansing Mich., Lansing auto plant, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, gm, gm news, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Makers flourishing despite country’s sluggish economy.
by Joseph Szczesny on Mar.06, 2014
The Ford Mondeo is a strong seller in China and helping lead the maker to rising sales there.
While the Chinese economy may be sluggish, those forces don’t seem to be hurting General Motors and Ford. The two U.S. automakers, which continue to expand their footprints in the country, posted record sales results in February after seeing strong results in January too.
GM reported its joint ventures sold 257,770 vehicles in China during February, setting a new record for the month as sales increased 19.9% from the same month last year. Continued strong demand for the Ford Focus, the best-selling nameplate in China last year, helped Ford China increase sales by 67% in February, with 73,040 vehicles sold.
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Both GM and Ford are off to a fast start despite concerns about the Chinese economy, which is facing a variety of challenges and is growing at a slower pace than in the past. China’s economy grew 7.7% last year, according to Bloomberg, and similar growth is expected again this year. (more…)
Tags: Ford, Ford in China, GM in China, TheDetroitBureau.com., asian auto sales, auto news, china auto sales, china economy, ford china, ford china sales, ford news, general motors, gm, gm china, gm china sales, gm news, joseph szczesny, thedetroitbureau
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A resurgent midsize pickup segment could draw new contenders.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.06, 2014
The current VW Amarok is not sold in the U.S. market and may be too small to import.
Only a few years ago, the pundits were writing off full-size pickups as dinosaurs set to vanish from the market. But last year they set their best sales mark since the crash of the U.S. automotive market. Now, many analysts are starting to rethink forecasts predicting the demise of the midsize truck segment. That apparently includes product planners for both Volkswagen AG and Jeep.
In recent years, the segment has dwindled to insignificance and key players like Ford and Chrysler have abandoned their entries. Ford actually developed a new version of its Ranger for global markets but decided against bringing it to the States.
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But with General Motors counter-programming, as it were, with the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon models, might other manufacturers follow?
There are several who continue to consider their options, including both of the Korean carmakers, Hyundai and Kia. But the makers most likely to take some action could be Detroit-based Jeep, and German giant Volkswagen AG — which already has an option available, the midsize Amarok pickup it sells in a wide range of overseas markets.
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Tags: auto news, car news, compact pickups, jeep comanche, jeep mighty fc, jeep news, jeep pickup, jeep scrambler, midsize pickups, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen pickup, vw amarok, vw news, vw pickup, vw rabbit pickup, vw us pickup
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Edgier look, more room, new engine.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.06, 2014
The updated Nissan Juke has been generating a wide range of opinions about its updated styling.
One thing about Nissan, the maker doesn’t shy away from edgy designs. And that’s especially true when it comes to the maker’s various crossover models. Case in point: the newly updated Juke that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week.
The original version of the compact crossover was arguably the edgiest of the Nissan CUV designs, opting for a more youthful, funky approach than the more elegant – shall we say “mature” – Murano. It appears Nissan has decided to push the needle quite a bit further with a design already polarizing the media covering the Geneva Show.
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The 2015 update features updated split headlamps framing a beefed-up chromed grille that almost appears to be grinning. There are even more pronounced flares to the wheel arches, and the even more angular tail gets distinctive boomerang-style taillamps. The overall look is decidedly more angular than before.
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Tags: 2014 geneva motor show, Nissan Juke, auto news, car news, juke nismo rs, nissan crossover, nissan geneva motor show, nissan juke NISMO, nissan news, nissan suv, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.06, 2014
The updated Q50 Eau Rouge 2.0 in Geneva.
As we reported earlier this week, Infiniti brought an updated version of its Q50 Eau Rouge Concept to the Geneva Motor Show – but a subsequent conversation with the Japanese maker’s CEO offers a more in-depth glance at how the maker plans to move from concept to production.
“I would build it right away,” says Infiniti’s Hong Kong-based boss, Johan de Nysschen, though he cautions that the project still faces a number of hurdles before we’re likely to see the premium sport sedan can roll into showrooms, stressing that the program is “still very much up in the air.”
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Originally unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show two months ago, the blood red Eau Rouge Concept added some dynamic details to the Q50 sedan Infiniti rolled out last year, including some carbon-fiber aero enhancements – such as the front splitter, rear diffuser and side sill skirts, as well as the roof and door mirror casings – along with the 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels and a dual-exit exhaust sports system mounted below the show car’s integrated rear spoiler.
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Tags: 2014 geneva motor show, auto news, car news, concept cars, infiniti eau rouge, infiniti geneva motor show, infiniti news, infiniti q50, infiniti q50 eau rouge, johan de nysschen, luxury performance sedan, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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