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Mercedes Benz

January Car Sales -- a Final Reckoning Begins in Earnest ?

Steve Parker | Posted 03.06.2009 | Business

Read More: Big Pharma, Porsche, Scion, Automotive News, Chrysler, President Obama, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Fiat, Ford, Gmac, Buy American, Chevy Silverado, Cerberus Capital Management, General Motors, Maybach, Stimulus Package, Hyundai, Hertz, Barbara Mikulski, Toyota, Detroit Three, Chevy Malibu, Lexus, Mexico, Xerox, Smart Car, Automotive Fleet, Subaru, Daimler, Japan, Europe, China, Business News
Steve Parker

Until the travel business picks up and businesses in general start replacing their vehicle fleets, Detroit will be outside looking in.

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Car sales, 2008; even worse than we thought

Steve Parker | Posted 02.06.2009 | Business

Read More: World Rally, Pony Cars, Porsche, Automotive News, Chrysler, Ford Mustang, Hemi Engines, The Wizard of Oz, Isuzu, Obama Administration, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, New York Federal Reserve, Fuji Heavy Industries, Ford, Volkswagen, Maybach, Motor Trend, Nissan, Dodge Challenger, Cadillac Srx, Chevrolet Equinox, Scotland, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Timothy Geithner, Huffington Post, Buick Lacrosse, GMAC Bailout, Pickups, TV Pitchman Vince, FICO Score, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Toyota, Gm, Minivan, Ford F-150, Detroit Three, Associated Press, Chicago Cubs, American Honda, Gmc, Smart Car, Wall Street, Colin Mcrae, Detroit Three Loans, Cadillac Cts Wagon, Subaru, Bmw, Car Czar, Daimler, Mitsubishi, Treasury Secretary, SUV Sales, Credit Unions, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Business News
Steve Parker

Monday brought three conference calls, each about an hour, with executives from each of the Detroit Three announcing, dissecting and, most of all, spi...

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Ten most significant import cars, 2008 and beyond

Steve Parker | Posted 01.30.2009 | Business

Read More: Turbochargers, WRX STI, Nissan Maxima, Tesla Motors, Cindy McCain, Kia Rio, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Civil Rights, Clean Diesel, Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan Versa, Germany, Toyota Yaris, California Air Resources Board, Carroll Shelby, Kei-Cars, Carly Fiorina, Porsche Cayman, Carb, Swatch Watch, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne Diesel, Colin Powell, Careers, Cnbc, All-Wheel Drive, Computers, Detroit Three, Kia, Honda Fit, Chaebol, South Korea, Renault/Nissan, Horizontal Opposed Engine, Colin Chapman, China, steve.parker.com, Porsche Boxster, Blue Line Hybrid, Ev, Congo, Subaru Impreza, Front-Wheel Drive, Audi Clean Diesel, Rear-Wheel Drive, Caroline Kennedy, Switzerland, Charlie Crist, Lotus Evora, Hyundai, Electric Cars, Climate Change, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Mid-Engine, Porsche Panamera, F1, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Venza, Afghanistan, Carlos Ghosn, Smart ForTwo, Ferrari, Japanese Carmakers, Smart Car, Direct Fuel Injection, Roger Penske, Bmw, Christianity, Mazda 3, Volkswagen Jetta Diesel, Citigroup, Doch, Brembo, Business News
Steve Parker

Happy New Year! We've had the pleasure of helping to create and now write and and moderate this automotive blog beginning in June, 2008, and so far i...

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Toyota Projects First-Ever Annual Loss; Congress Disses Detroit

Steve Parker | Posted 01.23.2009 | Business

Read More: Simon Boag, John Campi, White House, Congress, Australia, Trd, Buick, United Auto Workers, Suvs, Phil Murtaugh, Crossfire, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Detroit News, Detroit Auto Show, Hardtop Convertible, Daimler, Toyota Motor Corp, Moraine, Masters of the Universe, Mongolia, Bankruptcy, Detroit Three, Gm, Washington DC, Land Rover, Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe, Floorplanning, Cnn, Banks, Japan, China, Corporate Jets, Automotive News, Roger and Me, Wall Street Bailout, Suzuki, Chrysler, Jim Press, GM Bankruptcy, Federal Reserve Board, President Obama, Ford, Katsuaki Watanabe, General Motors, Dayton, CNN/Opinion Research Poll, President Bush, Michigan, Detroit Bailout, Uaw, Automaker Bailout, Associated Press, Tokyo, Private Planes, g4 Challenge, North American International Auto Show, Nyc, Wall Street, Detroit Three Loans, Deborah Meyer, Vice President Cheney, Toyota Racing Development, Republicans, Slk, Business News
Steve Parker

Congress took a perverse pleasure in giving Detroit's CEOs and the UAW president the third degree -- unnecessary theater while our country suffers this economic decline.

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Toyota Republicans Should Cut Their Own Pay

Leo W. Gerard | Posted 01.22.2009 | Business

Read More: National Review, Sen. Lamar Alexander, Sen. John Cornyn, $700 Billion Bailout, Honda, Diet, Big Three, Toyota Republicans, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Aig, Auto Bailout, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, Sen. Thad Cochran, Nissan, President Bush, Great Depression, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Germany, Washington Mutual, Gm, Sen. Richard Shelby, United Autoworkers, Ford, Fannie Mae, Toyota, Sen. Jim DeMint, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Sen. Bob Corker, House of Councillors, Japan, Economic Policy Institute, Chrysler, Bmw, Freddie Mac, Wall Street, Lehman Brothers, South Korea, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Sen. Johnny Isakson, New York Times, Bear Stearns, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Uaw, Business News
Leo W. Gerard

Clearly the allegiance of the Republicans who opposed the loan to save GM and Chrysler is not with the US, which would lose 900,000 jobs if just GM closed, and more than 2.1 million if the Big Three did.

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"Transplant" Automakers Get Over $3.6 Billion in Subsidies; More Unions, Ralph Nader Comment

Steve Parker | Posted 01.13.2009 | Business

Read More: Change to Win, Herbert Hoover, Chrysler, Decherd, Buffalo, Honda, Blue Springs, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Montgomery, Ford, Volkswagen, Senators, Nissan, Infrastructure, Princeton, Benedict Arnold, General Motors, Hyundai, Greensburg Indiana, Essential Action, Ralph Nader, Uaw, Lafayette, Toyota, Canton, Detroit Three, Ohio, San Antonio, United Steelworkers, Kia, Huntsville, Democrats, Foreign-Owned, Good Jobs First, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Bush Administration, Chattanooga, Detroit Three Loans, Bmw, Subaru, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Transplant, Tax Exempt, Smyrna, Unions, Japanese Transplants, Spartanburg, Republicans, Detroit Bailout, Auto Industry, Business News
Steve Parker

This post has the latest news on the billions in subsidies which off-shore transplant carmakers have received from state and local governments.

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Republicans Kill any Help for Detroit

Steve Parker | Posted 01.12.2009 | Business

Read More: Tarp, Automotive News, Congress, Chrysler, Election Day, United Auto Workers, Honda, Federal Reserve, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Ford, Trifecta, Nikkei, Nissan, General Motors, Troubled Asset Relief Plan, Hyundai, Christmas, US Senate, Bill Clinton, Uaw, Gm, Detroit Three, European Union, Democrats, Walkman, Barack Obama, Tokyo, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Wall Street, Detroit Three Loans, Bmw, Transplant, Harry Reid, NY Times, Southeast, Asian, China, Sony, Republicans, Business News
Steve Parker

Late last night, Senate Republicans derailed a bill, passed the day before by the House, to loan $15 billion to the Detroit Three, with 10 Republicans joining 40 Democrats and two Independents in favor.

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Auto bill clears House; Should it pass the Senate, too?

Steve Parker | Posted 01.10.2009 | Business

Read More: Aclu, White House, Congress, 1979 Chrysler Bailout, Brooklyn, George W. Bush, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Mazda, Mark Fields, Cerberus Capital Management, Energy Department, General Motors, Buddhist, Hyundai, Nancy Pelosi, Washington, US Senate, Richard Shelby, Barney Dog, Silver Arrows, Uaw, California, Toyota, Bernard Cahier, Detroit Three, John Snow, Democrats, Barack Obama, Ford Motor Co, Robert F. Kennedy, Chrysler, Alabama, Ross Perot, Bush White House, Detroit Three Loans, Roger Penske, Car Czar, Harry Reid, Allard Lowenstein, French Grand Prix, Republicans, Detroit Auto Show, Business News
Steve Parker

And now, it's on to the Senate! The House today passed, 237 to 170, HR 7321, the automotive loan bailout bill, and has sent it on to the Senate. H...

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Los Angeles Auto Show - It's a wrap!

Steve Parker | Posted 12.30.2008 | Business

Read More: Lee Iacocca, Scion, Lexus RX400h, Chrysler, Fuel-Efficient Cars, Honda, Los Angeles Convention Center, Mercedes-Benz, Cars, Compressed Natural Gas Engines, Gas/Electric Hybrid, Dearborn, Ev, Front-Wheel Drive, Green Energy, 2010 Ford Mustang, Audi Clean Diesel, Clean Diesel, SEMA Show, Green Cars, Los Angeles Auto Show, Japanese Cars, Hybrid Cars, Black Friday, Electric Cars, Los Angeles Auto Show Green, Green Commuting, Georgetown Kentucky, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Toyota CNG Hybrid, Toyota Venza, Civis Si, Honda Insight, Horizontal Doors, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Gm, All-Wheel Drive, Lexus IS Hardtop Convertible, Detroit Three, Honda CR-Z, Cng, Honda Hybrid, Las Vegas, Smart ForTwo, Lexus RX450h, Tokyo Motor Show, Honda Civic, Smart Car, Compressed Natural Gas Cars, Dodge, King of the Kustomizers, Green Car, Compressed Natural Gas, Camry CNG Hybrid, Ford Verve, Jeep, George Barris, Volkswagen Jetta Diesel, Bluetec, Ford Fiesta, Hollywood, Business News
Steve Parker

How anxious are the Detroit Three carmakers to make sales? My wife and I were at the Los Angeles Auto Show last night, "Black Friday," at the Los Ang...

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Congress Bails out Those Who Shower Before Work, but not Those who Shower After Work

Leo W. Gerard | Posted 12.26.2008 | Business

Read More: Congress, Phil Gramm, Hank Paulson, Chrysler, United Auto Workers, Senate Banking Committee, Economy, Honda, U.S. Treasury, Cars, Mercedes-Benz, Federal Reserve, $700 Billion Bailout, Vikram S. Pandit, Ford, Charles O. Prince III, Automakers, Nissan, Unemployment, Bailout, Default, George Will, Hyundai, Sen. Jon Kyl, Detroit, Big Three, Financial Crisis, Washington Post, President Bush, Detroit Bailout Reaction, Detroit Bailout, Automaker Bailout, Big Three Automakers, Toyota, Sen. Richard Shelby, Detroit Three, Gm, The Big 3, Chysler, Detroit Automakers, Robert Rubin, Wall Street, Martin Feldstein, Ben Bernanke, Wachovia, Auto Industry, Bankrupt, Citigroup, Business News
Leo W. Gerard

Detroit is a place where workers are unionized; Wall Street is not. And right-wing Republicans and conservative pundits have made it clear they want the union workers to suffer.

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Auto Industry Drops 32%; GM Plummets Over 45%

Steve Parker | Posted 12.04.2008 | Business

Read More: Automotive News, Suzuki, Chrysler, Epa, Thanksgiving, Honda, Cars, Atlanta, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Tennessee Valley Authority, General Motors, Ford Ecoboost Engine, Mini, Detroit Bailout, John McCain, Toyota, Gm, Opec, Detroit Three, Lexus, Chevrolet, GM Red Tag Sale, Porsche, Barack Obama, Mercury, Bush White House, Manhattan Project, Lincoln, Wpa, Sarah Palin, Bmw, Audi, Lincoln MKS, Isuzu, Business News
Steve Parker

Obama has consistently shown his support for an American car-making industry, a modern and green industry able to build the kinds of cars and trucks people will want to buy.

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Precipitous fifteen-year drop in US car sales; Need one? You probably can't get one

Steve Parker | Posted 11.02.2008 | Business

Read More: House of Representatives, Automotive News, GMC Truck, Americans, Saturn, Buick, Scion xB, Subprime Car Loans, Honda, Toyota Sales, Bentley, North Dallas Forty, Vw, Maybach, Palin, Original Equipment Manufacturer, General Motors, Bush/McCain, Bailout, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Peter Gent, US Senate, Nissan, Mini, Subprime Loans, Hummer, Hyundai, OEM, Saabs, Gm, Mazda, Detroit Three, Chevrolet, Acura, Volvo, Ford Motor Co, Chrysler Cars, Pontiac, Cars, Rolls-Royce, Mercury, Bmw, Smart Car, Subprime Mortgages, Lincoln, Infiniti, New York Times, Lexus, Audi, Southeast, Alaska, CNW Research, Cadillac, Business News
Steve Parker

They say "start out bad news with a joke," so: In Peter Gent's "North Dallas Forty," a football coach is talking with the team owner's son about his f...

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Car Industry Group to Public: It's Not All Our Fault, It's Yours Too

Steve Parker | Posted 09.23.2008 | Business

Read More: Gas-Electric Hybrid Technology, Gas Prices, Chevrolet, Chevy Volt, Andrew Card, Gm, American Automobile Industry, Mazda, Captive Imports, Detroit Three, Ford, Ecodriving, Cars, American Automobile Manufacturers Association, Mercedes Benz, Chrysler, Rube Goldberg, Bmw, Chevy, General Motors, Malibu, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Mitsubishi, Plug-in Hybrids, Corvette, Aama, Ecodriver, Aam, Detroit Auto Show, Business News
Steve Parker

It's the same story we've been hearing from car-makers, especially those in Detroit, for the past 30 years: "Just wait a little longer and we'll have those new cars and trucks you've been hoping for."

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Clean Diesels- The Line-Up So Far

Steve Parker | Posted 09.12.2008 | Green

Read More: Volkswagen, 24 Hours of LeMans, Cars, Peugeot, Grand Cherokees, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Honda, California, General Motors, Hybrid Cars, Nissan, Detroit, Americans, Dodge Ram, Gm, Detroit Three, Acura, Pontiac, Chrysler, Bmw, Turbodiesel, Jeep, Audi, Low Sulfur, Tdi, Maxima, Vw, Tsx, Touraeg, Bluetec, Q7, Green News
Steve Parker

Sometimes, it's the incongruities, not the new models, which make the auto industry so interesting.

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