Automotive News - January 14, 2008 - (Page 42) 42 • JANUARY 14, 2008 final assembly comment THE BIG SHOW >> Get live coverage of the Detroit auto show all week at autonews.com/detroit. Suddenly, all the pols care deeply about autos I t’s odd to hear national political commentators in the media discussing the tough economic issues facing Michigan. It’s like watching your own autopsy being performed by a hacksaw salesman instead of a doctor. But with Republican presidential candidates crisscrossing the state looking for votes in the Jan. EDWARD LAPHAM 15 primary, the IS EXECUTIVE topic of the auto EDITOR OF industry keeps AUTOMOTIVE coming up. NEWS. (Democrat candidates are shunning Michigan because the primary date wasn’t blessed by the national party.) Usually the talk about Michigan’s economy is against the backdrop of lost jobs and the challenges facing the Detroit 3 and their suppliers. The chatter increased exponentially right after the New Hampshire primary, when it came time for Michigan’s 15 minutes in the national spotlight. I’ve yet to hear anything new or particularly insightful about what’s happening in the heartland, probably because the issues facing Michigan and much of America’s traditional manufacturing base are too complex to explain in a sound bite or a snappy front page quote. Besides, it’s tough for those outside the industry to understand the nuances of the car business on such short notice, even if they’re unwilling to admit it. Still, it’s ironic that the primary election — and all the political talk about manufacturing jobs that have been lost or exported — comes during media days at the Detroit auto show, when all the glory of the global auto industry will be on display at Cobo Center, including exhibits by five Chinese automakers. But don’t get too excited about hearing any big ideas on how to save manufacturing jobs. And don’t expect any big nationwide political revelations. By the time the Detroit auto show opens to the public Jan. 19, the politicians — and the commentators — will have moved on to the next battleground state. 2007’s sales champ? It’s a GM-Toyota nailbiter S o who was the global Big Dog in 2007, General Motors or Toyota? All the numbers aren’t in — but Toyota exceeded its sales forecast, increasing the pressure on GM, which has yet to announce final figures. Toyota’s global sales climbed 6 percent to a record 9.37 million vehicles in 2007. Toyota had been forecasting 9.36 million. In 2006, GM lost the crown to Toyota. Toyota’s sales were 8.8 million that year, compared with GM’s 8.7 million. Looking ahead, GM says output will fall 2.4 percent in the first quarter. Toyota, by contrast, is predicting another strong year. It sees higher U.S. sales in 2008 and expects global sales to rise 5 percent. Dealer turns Volvos green for a year uy a Volvo and help save the planet — or at least drive guiltfree for a year. That could be Virginia dealer Don Beyer’s slogan now that he has promised to offset a year’s worth of greenhouse gases for at least 400 new vehicle buyers at his four Volvo dealerships. Beyer will pay $77 for each vehicle to Clean Currents LLC, a company that brokers clean energy credits and works with producers of solar, wind and other forms of clean power. But the concept is controversial. The same day Beyer made his announcement, the Federal Trade Commission held a hearing on carbon offsets. It’s part of an effort to update its green advertising guides, aimed at keeping businesses from overstating claims and consumers from getting burned. Critics of offsets call them moral dodges and liken them disparagingly to the sale of papal indulgences that helped spark the Protestant Reformation. Resumé alert: Chrysler’s still shopping N The Lincoln MKR, left, and Ford Interceptor concepts were unveiled a year ago at the Detroit auto show. Rwd cars in the works at Fordord isn’t ready to talk about the details, but it says more reardrive cars are in the works for the Ford and Lincoln brands. “Yes, we’re working on a rearwheel-drive plan,” product chief Derrick Kuzak told journalists at a dinner last week. Ford execs have long said they were exploring the possibilities. The company showed two important rwd concepts at the 2007 Detroit auto show: the Lincoln MKR and the Ford Interceptor. But last week’s comments were the first confirmation that Ford intends to go ahead with new rwd designs. Execs say they can build the vehicles on a new global rwd platform being developed in Australia. Global execs are upbeat L ow-priced cars, crossovers and luxury vehicles will be hot for the next few years, according to a survey of global industry leaders. Top execs from 11 countries also see profits rising because capacity has been trimmed. The annual survey, conducted by the consulting firm KPMG, asks senior automaker and supplier executives to predict the direction of the auto industry. This year, 81 percent of participants predicted higher market share for “low-cost and introduction cars,” up from 75 percent last year. Also this year, the execs predict rising market shares for entrylevel cars, more demand for new technologies and global sales growth for hybrid vehicles. The outlook was more optimistic than in recent years, says Daron Gifford of KPMG. This year 26 percent of respondents predicted industry profits will rise over the next five years; only 16 percent thought so in the two previous surveys. One reason for the new optimism is the reduction in global overcapacity, Gifford says. “The attitude coming out of this is that a lot of our problems of the past few years have been addressed,” he says. “That sets the stage for automakers and suppliers to start making money again.” ext time the phone rings, it might be Bob Nardelli. Chrysler remains on the prowl for top talent. After it went private, the automaker stunned the industry by luring two high-profile execs — Jim Press and Deborah Meyer — from Toyota. Last week Chrysler enticed two prominent Ford engineers: Susan Dehne and Ben Winter. The two were escorted off the premises in Dearborn after handing in their resignations, according to The Detroit News. Dehne was chief engineer of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac program, and Winter was chief nameplate engineer for the 2008 Ford Taurus sedan. FINAL TALLY KGP PHOTOGRAPHY This spy shot of a Camaro mule drew some fiery criticism on a GM Web site. But GM design chief Ed Welburn says there’s nothing to worry about. Welburn: Calm down, Camaro complainers G ■ Edward Lapham writes five commentaries each week for autonews.com. You can read them at autonews.com/edwardlapham. eneral Motors design chief Ed Welburn has a message for folks fuming and fretting on the Internet that the 2009 Chevy Camaro will have a cheesy interior: Chill out. “It’s a great interior. I’m not worried about it. The comments upset me because they are based on little information, no information or the wrong information,” Welburn says. After spy photos showing the unfinished interior of a Camaro test mule showed up on several Web sites, Camaro fans peppered the GM blog, fastlane.gmblogs.com, with complaints. They didn’t like what they saw and fear GM’s reborn pony car will have an inferior interior. “If that’s the interior, I want my deposit back,” wrote one. “Just plain hideous,” fumed another. Don’t sweat it, says Welburn. Of the images circulating on the Internet, Welburn says: “They are development pieces. They don’t have the right finishes, and some things are taped in place. It’s an engineering vehicle.” He says the new car will use the same basic interior style and design as the concept car, which got good reviews when it was introduced at the Detroit auto show in 2006. But he says the surfaces and precise placement of the controls have been refined. ISTOCKPHOTO Hybrids higher, diesels dip Hybrid vehicles took a larger share of the market in 2007. Diesel share was down a little because of soft sales of large pickups and reduced supplies from Volkswagen. Here is how the retail market last year was divided by fuel type. 2007 2006 2005 Diesel 2.9% Flex-fuel 6.0% Gasoline 88.5% Hybrid 2.6% 3.2% 3.2% 5.0% 3.2% 89.9% 92.2% 1.9% 1.4% Source: Power Information Network http://www.autonews.com/detroit http://fastlane.gmblogs.com http://www.autonews.com http://www.autonews.com/edwardlapham
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