Kicking Auto?

Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and author of a number of books including The World Is Flat, has, over the past couple years in particular, shown himself to be anything but a friend to the U.S.-based auto industry. Although there is much to be critical of, it seems as though Friedman is interested in finding any little way he can to provide a swift kick at General Motors.

In his column in the April 3 edition of the NYT, Friedman opens by citing Robert Litan of the Kauffman Foundation. The quote Friedman uses from Litan: "Between 1980 and 2005, virtually all net new jobs created in the U.S. were created by firms that were 5 years old or less. That is about 40 million jobs. That means the established firms created no new net jobs during that period." – Read More

Rapier SL-C

Mercedes R

Bentley’s V8

MINI Countryman

2011 Kizashi Sport

DOT & Toyota: Is The Truth Out There?
Some people with a Fox Mulder frame of thinking suspect that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s handling of Toyota vis-à-vis the recalls has more than just a little to do with the U.S. government’s ownership of General Motors. – Read More

When Giants Roamed the Earth
Nowadays it seems that small is the big thing in automotive. There is the Tata Nano, of course. And the MINI (although it is getting larger). There is the smart fortwo, although it seems that many people have wised up and smart USA sales through the end of March 2010 are off by 71.7% compared to the same period in ’09, according to Autodata Corp. – Read More

A Toyotathon
The reports of Toyota’s impending demise have been greatly exaggerated. That is a conclusion that can be reached from a look at the company’s reported March 2010 retail sales numbers. – Read More

Feds Set Standards--& Claim to Save You Money
While it will undoubtedly take a phalanx of lawyers, engineers, and quantum mechanics to figure this all out, today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established federal rules that set the first-ever national greenhouse gas emissions standards and for fuel economy. – Read More

Upcoming Industry Events:

Great Designs in Steel Seminar
May 5, 2010

PDx/amerimold
May 11-13, 2010

Assembly Goes Flex
Ted Brown, vice president and general manager, Powertrain Systems, Comau North America, while taking us through the company’s operations in Southfield, MI, points to the machining centers that the company is building for systems that will be used to produce powertrain components ... Read More