Automotive News - June 23, 2008 - (Page 18)

18 • JUNE 23, 2008 Chinese company’s car looks a lot like a Mini Kevin Huang kevinhuang@autonewschina.com GUANGZHOU, China — Another lookalike car has appeared in China: the Lifan 320, which resembles the Mini Cooper. Chongqing Lifan Automobile Co. says it plans to start mass production of the small car around September for sale in China. The car will have a 1.3-liter gasoline engine made by Lifan and a five-speed manual transmission. A 1.1-liter engine is planned for early next year. The company declines to disclose the price of the car but says it will be “less than 50,000 yuan” ($7,265). The five-seater debuted in late April at the Beijing auto show. Lifan says it considered intellectual property rights issues when designing the car and has no worries about being sued. In Germany, Mini spokesman Cypselus von Frankenberg said, “Our legal department is not involved, and we have no plans to act against the Chinese manufacturer.” Lifan says it may export the car from China. Lifan is still a tiny player in China’s auto industry. The company’s major products are motorcycles and general-purpose engines. Lifan started producing cars in late 2005 and has to date launched only the 520 sedan and hatchback. Last year, Lifan sold about 30,000 units of the 520. c Chongqing Lifan Automobile plans to start mass production of the Lifan 320 — which resembles the Mini Cooper — around September for sale in China. The Lifan 320 was shown in April at the Beijing auto show. Tuesday, June 24 1:00 PM EST No. 2 vehicle hauler to go out of business Andrew Grossman agrossman@crain.com Green Dealerships Tuesday, June 24 1:00 PM EST Dealers are under pressure. Sales are weak, turnover is high and the factory wants you to invest in your store. So where do dealerships go to gain advantage? A growing number of dealers are turning Green. Automotive News will hold a Webinar to explain how dealers are building environmentally friendly stores. Automotive News Editor Dave Sedgwick will interview dealers who have gone green and the experts that helped them do so. Register today! Participation is free of charge. Brought to you by: 3M’s Sustainability Promise Long before the concept of sustainability ever had a name, 3M served as a leader among its peers for reducing its impact on the environment while conserving resources. 3M has learned a few things over the last 30 years and now offers a catalog of products developed from 3M innovation to help customers achieve sustainability goals - whether they are saving energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or purchasing products that are made with fewer solvents, 3M has a solution. www.3M.com/autodealerships/ Register today at autonews.com/greendealerships This Webinar will be available online for 90 days. DETROIT — The nation’s secondlargest vehicle hauler says it has ceased operations and is going out of business. Decreasing volume and rising fuel prices had driven Performance Transportation Services Inc. into bankruptcy twice in the past 2½ years. This month, a Teamsters union strike against the company was the final blow. The move will likely have little effect on deliveries of vehicles to auto dealerships. Automakers put in place contingency plans when Performance Transportation’s 1,250 drivers went on strike June 9. No major delivery interruptions were reported. The vehicle-hauling industry has developed excess capacity as North American vehicle production has declined. The union said the “vast majority” of its members had found work at other unionized vehicle haulers. In a June 13 letter to employees, Performance Transportation CEO Jeff Cornish blamed the Teamsters for refusing to accept a temporary 15 percent wage cut. “Management and many of our Teamster members were willing to make the required sacrifices to save the company,” Cornish said in the letter. “But the leadership of the union had a different agenda.” The Teamsters disputed Cornish’s remarks, noting that Performance Transportation lenders had asked a federal bankruptcy judge to liquidate the company. “The company did not present us with a viable plan to get out from underneath its debt,” Fred Zuckerman, director of the Teamsters’ vehiclehauling division, said in a statement. “Instead, the company wanted to force our members to bear the lion’s share of the cuts and to shoulder a grossly disproportionate share of the ongoing risks relating to the company’s problems with its lenders.” Cornish said Performance Transportation, of suburban Detroit, had hauled about 2.7 million vehicles each year for most of the major automakers operating in the United States. There was no immediate word on which vehicle haulers would take over Performance Transportation contracts. c http://www.3M.com/autodealerships/ http://autonews.com/greendealerships http://www.3M.com/autodealerships/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - June 23, 2008

TRW exec: We're in the 'sweet spot' for growth 'Like house of cards,' used trucks fall Detroit 3 a big drag in global supplier race Ford rethinks big-block V-8 plan Looters and broken levees Plastech's Brown stands to get $9.25 million Lawmakers: Redo roof rule Hunt takes job at Gallup Lawmakers urge roof rule rewrite Webinar offers tips on going green Lawmakers: Redo roof rule Webasto sees more demand for retractable hard tops Why small isn't always big To move metal, hire an Ironman Chevy limits ZR1 Corvette to top dealers Lithium ion battery is key to hybrid growth With Russia hot, Ford will boost Europe production BMW exec: We can grow in U.S. The man who put the wind in GM's sales GM's parts ordering comes down to Earth More Fits for U.S. in fall GM: Volt buyers deserve tax credit Mercedes exec seeks more exclusive technology from suppliers Bosch, Mahle execs to lead turbo venture Supplier personnel ZF moves steering operations in Ky. Slowing Volvo, Saab add to Sweden's industry woes Feds: Drivers don't have to hang up phones Magna eyes new growth strategy: Powertrain-driveline modules Alleged sales scam snares Ohio dealers GM center troubleshoots IT in plants around the world Senator: Plants have capacity for plug-ins Lots of talk but little to show Going green pays off The Detroit 3 are smart to cut sales to fleets Drop Mercury? No; Ford needs it Awareness isn't GM's problem Leno was off base in bashing U.S. cars Roofs, rollovers and reckless driving Big-truck sales fall 15.2% in May Serra deal reflects GM channel strategy No. 2 vehicle hauler to go out of business Chinese company's car looks a lot like a Mini Honda taps star power for fuel cell car Dealer wanted media attention — and got it Dealers European sales dip 7.8% in May Merger gives Hughes Telematics a cash boost Mexico sales bounce back in April Suzuki dealers test system to turn Web leads into sales Bosch-Samsung venture to make lithium batteries Hyundai plans Elantra hybrid for Korea in '09 RV sales drop 8.5% in April Japan’s best-kept secret Utilities join automakers for plug-in r&d Ford likely to build '11 Focus at 2 plants Glut of '08 Ford F-150s delays launch of '09s '09 Porsche SUV prices rise Ford calls off Ohio plant sale Ford idles Mich. truck plant CarMax net earnings decline Dodge Journeys recalled 2009 Chrysler hybrid SUVs start at $45,340 GOP: Climate bills would make $4 gas look cheap EVs on eBay: It's all the rage In terms of market value, the General is a buck private Sign of the times: Hummer store to be used-car lot Bob Stempel's legacy is the future Flying 1 series? It's BMW's joke Dealer hurt in sky-dive navigates the road to recovery Opel car recognizes signs; BMW plans similar system JCI, Magna unit buy main parts of Plastech The little engines that could Suppliers to the 2008 Dodge Viper

Automotive News - June 23, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.