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Taking a Whack at Making a Car

A generation of digital-era Henry Fords, unabashed and brimming with confidence, has emerged, according to the New York Times.

Born of Silicon Valley and the dot-com culture, they are trying to apply to carmaking the same entrepreneurial spirit that built the information superhighway.

Most of the inventors are not carmakers by background or training. But they are cocksure, backed by millions of dollars in venture capital and cloaked in the righteousness of environmentalism. To their critics, they are flying at high speed around a blind curve, destined to become reality-check crash-test dummies.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 3:11 PM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford: Deal nearly eliminates labor cost gap with Japanese

DETROIT — A new contract with the United Auto Workers has nearly eliminated a $30-per-hour labor cost gap with Japanese competitors, setting up Ford for a return to profitability, the automaker said Thursday, according to USA Today.

Marty Mulloy, the company's vice president for labor affairs, said shifting Ford's long-term retiree health care liability to a union-run trust and a new lower-tier wage scale will remove much of the gap.

"I'd say very close but not all the way," he said during a conference call to explain the landmark four-year deal with the UAW.

The union announced Wednesday that Ford's 54,000 UAW workers overwhelmingly ratified the contract, reached Nov. 3 after a marathon bargaining session.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 3:07 PM to Ford | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford's Mulally won't set fuel-saving deadlines

LOS ANGELES — Hoping to march Ford onto the future-fuels stage, Ford CEO Alan Mulally provided a broad outline here Wednesday of the automaker's plans to cut petroleum use and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, according to USA Today.

He provided few specifics or timetables, however, and an outline provided by Ford mainly dealt with what the car company already has done to boost mileage, rather than laying out a timeline for the future.

In the keynote speech, Mulally told reporters here for the annual Los Angeles Auto Show that it is "absolutely" wrong to set deadlines. "It's about managing expectations," he said. "Through the years we sometimes didn't deliver" on promises for mileage improvements and pollution reductions.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:50 PM to Environment , Ford | Permalink | Comments 0

Tahoe hybrid named 'Green Car of the Year'

Tahoe hybrid honored: General Motors' sport-utility vehicle, the Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid, was named "Green Car of the Year" at the show Thursday, according to USA Today.

The Tahoe hybrid is the first model from GM to use a hybrid system the automaker developed jointly with BMW, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler.

"They've proven that they can make beautiful cars, strong cars, keep the size, keep the safety, and all those kinds of things, and at the same time be more fuel efficient," said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who toured the show after the presentation of the award.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:48 PM to Alternative fuels , Environment , GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas Prices Won't Deter Holiday Travelers

WASHINGTON -- Gas prices near record highs at a time of year when they typically decline will not deter drivers from hitting the road this Thanksgiving, AAA said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

The travel agency expects a record 38.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the five days beginning Nov. 21. That is a 1.6 percent increase over last year. Roughly 80 percent of those trips will be by car, and motorists will pay about 90 cents a gallon more for gas than they did last year.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:23 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0