The AP reports, “Ford Motor says it is offering a payment protection plan to help reassure consumers who may be putting off a car purchase because of worries about losing their job.” The automaker “said Tuesday it will cover payments of up to $700 each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle if consumers lose their jobs. The program runs until June 1.”
The automaker has issued a press release Read more…
The last time Americans bought cars this slowly, we were reeling from a recent surge in gas prices, watching a new President take steps to radically alter government’s role in the economy, and America’s automakers were losing market share to Japanese rivals who built smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.
The AFP explains, “US auto sales extended their downward spiral in February, falling 41 percent to the lowest rate Read more…
Honda engineers appear to be working rapidly to develop a new Crossover Utility Vehicle based on the popular Accord, as a rival to the new Camry-based Toyota Venza. Automotive press outlets now report that the Accord CUV may be in U.S. dealerships by the fall of 2009 — an unusually fast debut for a model that hasn’t even appeared on the auto show circuit yet.
Jalopnik reports, “No name for the CUV’s yet been set, Read more…
At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, the focus was largely on electric cars. The Cadillac Converj, the Chrysler 200C, an electric Ford Focus, a drop-top Fisker Karma — electric cars were everywhere. The world’s largest automaker was conspicuously absent. Toyota brought a single electric concept – a battery-powered version of its iQ city car that, the company said, it had no plans to produce anytime soon.
“How you begin something is of great significance,” writes New York yoga teacher Dharma Mittra in an email newsletter to his students. “Begin 2009 committed to the attainment of Self-Knowledge.”
In a list of recommendations for 2009, Dharma suggests students meditate for 15 minutes every morning, drink lots of green juices, and read Swami Sivananda’s Self-Knowledge. (For a PDF of the text click here.) Read more…
Good Monday morning. The PEOTUS and fam are now in Washington, as are most members of Congress, which will officially open its 111th session tomorrow.
**While Republicans are set to choose their new leader at the end of the month, President-elect Obama will name Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the DNC chair-in-waiting, the Washington Post’s Michael D. Shear reports.. Kaine’s gubernatorial term ends in January 2010, when Kaine will take Read more…
Sprinkled in among the resto-mods, classic cars and a Ford Tri-Motor airplane that cross the block at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., in January will be some pieces of General Motors history.
GM is sorting through the more than 1,000 vehicles in its Special Vehicle fleet at its private Heritage Center in suburban Detroit, looking for duplicates and little used vehicles to sell.
It’s a tough year to roll out a new truck. Gas prices peaked at over $4 over the summer. A recession drove many Americans away from the large vehicles they’d been buying for years. And the competition was fierce, with an excellent Chevy Silverado redesigned just last year, a brand new Dodge Ram that vastly improves on that model, and an all-new Ford F-150. But a king has been crowned nonetheless.
The short list for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards is in, and diesels and Ford are looking good so far.
The diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI (car) and the Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec (truck) are among the finalists, marking the first time vehicles with this kind of engine have been honored in the 16-year history of the awards.
Ford also is positioned for a strong showing, as the Flex (car) and the Read more…
In the midst of a recession, does anyone really give a loved one a $50,000 car for Christmas? Television commercials featuring Santa building a Mercedes or Lexuses wrapped in red ribbon aside, luxury automakers’ sales are slumping along with those of more affordable brands.
The Wall Street Journal reports, “In past economic slumps, luxury-car makers have withstood the downturn better than their mass-market counterparts. Read more…
