I Don't Think This Is What Obama Had In Mind When Looking For Innovation Out Of The Auto Industry...

Parallel Parking Perfect

Check Out the link above, for some odd feeling I don't think this is what President Obama had in mind in looking for new technologies.

Got to hand it to the guy, he did solve a problem...

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That Car Guy

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Rick Wagoner Is Ushered Out The Door At General Motors... Gone, Outta Here, No More...

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner stepped down over the weekend as the United States Government mounted unprecedented pressure on the CEO and automaker that it's proposed turnaround plan did not go far enough in it's bid to restructure the automaker.

In what many view as a forced departure of the CEO by the Obama administration many view it as what may come of top CEO's who have received federal monies and who appear to not have clear ideas and plans on how the taxpayers will get a return on the Billions of dollars that have been provided to keep these failed companies afloat.

Rick Wagoner, 56 , who has run the company since 2000 and has worked for GM for 32 years issued a statement that he is stepping down immediately and Fritz Henderson will be come CEO. Fritz Henderson had been the company's Vice Chairman and COO. It is being reported that many of the GM board members will step down and new board members are expected to join the company board soon.

The Obama administration is showing some seriousness in making sweeping statements that it wants fundamental changes at many of these companies who have received federal bailout dollars. The American public has been quite vocal and angry about the continued flow of monies to troubled company's and are saying loudly enough is enough.

Wagoner gets credit for steering the company through some very troubled times and closed Oldsmobile and reduces GM's workforce from 177,000 people when he arrived to 92,000 today and among other cost cutting measures, However clearly the efforts were not enough, as the company has lost over $82 Billion dollars since 2005.

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That Car Guy

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The Baghdad Auto Industry is Growing And They Love Hummers...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

One place where the auto industry is prospering and the Hummer is still king of the road. Our auto industry can get back on track if our government puts some teeth in foreign trade agreements. Our brands have high regard in other countries, but they do not enjoy free market access like the foreign brands enjoy in the United States. The tariffs and access to building a presence presents heavy monetary obstacles that do not allow Ford, GM and Chrysler to compete in a fair and open market.

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That Car Guy

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Not So Fast Hybrids, Mazda Says We Have Improved Fuel Economy Plans Of Our Own...

An announcement has been made today by Mazda Motor Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) that it is developing clean diesel technology that is cheaper and about as fuel efficient as hybrid technology. The diesel engines could make it to market by 2011 all without the aid of costlier electrical systems.

The company expects to provide the marketplace a vehicle that will raise it's global fuel economy standards across it's line up by 30% by 2015. The plans rely heavily on many advances that have been made in internal combustion engines, automatic transmissions and vehicle weight reductions that it says will enable the company to achieve it's fuel economy objectives.

Mazda opponents are stating that tougher emissions standards would force the automaker to abandon it's plans because the cost to clean the exhaust from the diesel engines would cost as much or more than gasoline-electric hybrid technology. However Seita Kanai has informed the press that Mazda's new diesel technology would cost less in part because of it's proprietary single-nanotechnology, which reduces the use of precious metals in emission-cleaning catalysts and a new diesel particulate filter that negates the need for expensive after treatment parts.

The company says it can achieve it's weight reduction goals but not resorting to the industry standard of paying a heavy cost to "buy" weight down, Mazda states that it will not do that. The company did say that it would start installing electric devices and motors in hybrid vehicles during a second stage of mileage improvements between 2015 to 2020.

I find it most interesting how certain technologies have been around for years yet unimproved, direct fuel injection, engines that run on vegetable oil and the list goes on, I say this because there is a big rush to jump start a electric and hybrid auto industry, but clearly the infrastructure is not in place. It will take another decade if we start now to put electric recharging stations around the country, Americans are still in love with the open road and traveling down the highways in comfort, I do not foresee the open road filled with Smart cars and Prius's traveling from St. Louis to California anytime soon. Our major cities are still not densely populated enough to make a strong case to downsize vehicles.

I firmly believe that until fuel prices increase and sustain a level above $3.75 per gallon and until a quick refueling infrastructure is in place, hybrid and electric technology will not gain enough traction in the American economy. In the current market place Toyota is having to incentivize Prius's and other small vehicles that should have strong demand, automakers will continue to make vehicles that have a stronger demand and will make them the most money, that is capitalism at it's best.

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That Car Guy

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Move Over Lexus, There Is Are Two New Sheriffs In Town!

J.D. Powers and Associates has just released there annual list of most reliable vehicles and two new auto manufacturers have emerged at the top overtaking perennial favorite Lexus. Buick and Jaguar stand alone at the top of the study that is annually conducted by J.D. Powers.

Jaguar jumped the furthest, going from 10Th place last year to number one, a significant year over year increase which demonstrates the manufacturers commitment to quality assurance. Jaguar is being purchased by TATA Motors a company with it's principle place of business in India.

Domestic makes Lincoln, Mercury and Cadillac also made the top ten list in the survey along with Ford and Chrysler above the industry average on the survey.

J.D. Powers dependability survey was a composite study of 46,313 original owners of 2006 model year vehicles in October 2008. The survey measures the number of problems per vehicle and is rated by the number of problems per 100 vehicles.

The most common problems found were wind noise, brake noise, peeling paint, brake vibrations and followed by vehicle lighting problems.

This gap as i have reported will close even further next year when the survey is released as domestic manufacturers have closed the quality gap considerably over the last five years and the latest models posses superior initial quality ratings. I have said for the last few years that the import image will fade as more consumers recognize that the image that imports enjoy is just that an image. Domestic manufacturers must do a better public relations ad marketing campaign to address the poor quality image there vehicles have.

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That Car Guy

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A New Scrap Vehicle Bill Has Been Introduced In Congress...

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would give consumers between $3,000.00 and $5,000.00 through 2011 by trading in older vehicles on more fuel/energy efficient transportation options.

The bill, written by Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio, would give vouchers for buying new vehicles or using mass transportation in exchange for scrapping vehicles that are at least eight years old. The customer would have to purchase a 2009 model or newer and have better fuel economy than the vehicle being scrapped. In addition the vehicle purchased must have a fuel economy rating of 27 mpg on highways and light trucks would have to achieve a rating of 24 mpg.

This is the 3rd bill presented that deals with this subject this year. The proposal is supported by the Big 3 and the UAW, but the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Import Association) does not support the bill as it has been written. It says that the bill offers unequal treatment of automakers, said Charles Territo.

The bill would provide a $3,000.00 voucher for using mass transit, up to $4,000.00 for buying vehicles assembled outside North America and up to $5,000.00 for buying vehicles assembled inside North America or any registered work vehicle. The Qualifying vehicles would require a suggested manufacturer's retail price of $35,000.00 or less.

Starting in 2011 model year, the bill as written would allow consumers to receive a $7,500.00 cash voucher for the purchase of a plug-in type electric hybrid vehicle that gets a minimum of 100 mpg.

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That Car Guy

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A Nebraska Auto Dealer Faces Vehicle Theft Charges...

Nebraska auto dealer Allen Patch, the owner of a Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer and Toyota dealership in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska faces felony theft charges for the theft of 81 new vehicles from his own dealership and two of his employees .

As reported by Automotive News, the dealer used fake cashier's checks to pay a vehicle transport company to haul 9 auto carriers late at night on 3/9/09 said John Childress, chief deputy attorney in Scotts Bluff County.

Employees arrived the next day to find the dealership virtually empty of new vehicles and are shocked by the situation, especially with the management missing. The pieces are starting to fall into place as many of the employees started noticing that the owners of the store started requesting temporary titles for the vehicles that were transported away.

The FBI is reporting that some vehicles have been recovered and have been turning up in several places such as Utah, Las Vegas and 7 vehicles at Bargain Buggy's outside Salt Lake City.

Allen Patch the owner of the dealership and Rachel Falt the Controller, were arrested on Wednesday 3/11/09 and Rick Covello the General Manager turned himself in on 3/12/09.

With many businesses struggling, I hope that this is not what many business people would turned to to resolve financial pressures. There are alternatives to resolve your financial hardship including bankruptcy. The Florida Auto Dealers Association is hosting seminars on bankruptcy protection for it's members as many dealers and other businesses are facing mounting pressure because of not having access to credit to operate their businesses.

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That Car Guy

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2009 Chevrolet Camaro Gets 29mpg... Oh, What A Feeling!

General Motors released the estimated fuel economy ratings for the Camaro and it gets a best in class rating of 29mpg Highway and 18mpg City. The figures that were released from the EPA, as reported surprised General Motors by 2mog higher than they had thought it would recieve.

The Camaro which went into production in Canada on March 16, 2009, beats it's nearest competitors the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger in fuel economy.

The Chevrolet Camaro is touting a new advanced base engine design that features direct injection and variable valve timing and the V-8 Camaro offers a cylinder cutoff system, features that Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger do not have.

Although GM is touting direct fuel injection as a technological marvel, the premise of this technology has been around for nearly 3 decades and has sat on the engineering shelves at all of the manufacturers.

That Camaro sure looks good!

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That Car Guy

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You Can Catch Me On: Car Concerns Radio Program 3/19/09 9am...

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The Tire 2.0... Reinventing the Tire...

The tire is going places... coming to a tire store near you!

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That Car Guy

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The Evolution Of Motorized Engines... A Magnetic Motorbike...

Magnetic Motorbike



I presented several weeks back that some designers and engineers were working on a vehicle that was powered by magnets. The designers at NFK Group Genesis has developed an actual prototype that is functioning and the company is fine tuning for production.

The vehicle has developed a hybrid magnetic motor that is a combination of an electro magnet and permanent magnet that can travel 112 miles fully charged. The charging of the motor is done as the company says just like you would a cell phone, to fully charge the battery takes 6 hours. The motorbike has a top speed of 93 mph and the motor is whisper quite.

I have attached a couple of videos of the bike in operation, so that everyone can develop there own opinions and interest. I will keep up on this dramatic advance in engineering as the ideas and ingenuity keep coming as the world shifts to alternative power and shifts away from fossil fuels.

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That Car Guy

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Auditors Have Raised "Substantial Doubt That General Motors Can Continue To Operate...

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

The auditors (Deloitte & Touche LLP) for General Motors Corporation has raised 'substantial doubt" that the automaker can continue to operate given the economic and sales climate facing the auto industry. It's reports indicate that it may have to seek bankruptcy protection if it is unable to fully execute a tremendous restructuring of it's debt and finances.

GM communicate the results of the audit to the Securities and Exchange Commission today. The report said "The corporation's recurring losses from operations, stockholders' deficit, and inability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet its obligations and sustain its operations raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern."

This will no doubt be a substantial blow to its stakeholders, dealers and customers and comes in the midst of ever growing government bailouts and request for more money from the U.S. Government. The automaker has already received more than $13.4 Billion dollars in federal money and is asking for another $16.6 Billion to keep its doors open.

I have voiced strong opinion that GM as a going concern will have to sell off divisions and completely reinvent itself, Change its focus and culture, similar to what GE did a couple of decades ago. The company will be forced, against much opposition to produce and manufacture its vehicles in other parts of the world, Mexico, India, China and other areas to be shipped back for sale. The cost of labor in those markets are substantially lower and the company made huge economic mistakes beginning with exporting manufacturing to Mexico and Canada but under increase pressure for price concessions in manufacturing and an already eroded base of customers it is forced too.

The economic model that GM enjoyed throughout the history of the company was substantially diminished when the company did not examine the true economic impact of displacing whole communities and families who were building, supplying and purchasing there products.

The simple math that was examined was that they would save X amount of dollars with reduced labor cost, simple savings. However the Micro and Macro Economic impact was far more substantial, with entire communities dependent and loyal to the brands, those loyal, beholden legions of buyers were left to make new choices and develop new loyalties and in most cases those folks became bitter and punished GM with there purchasing decisions.

As market share eroded and quality issues became the focus, the brands started losing luster and customers. This will be the greatest lesson in modern business history on how a brand could be destroyed internally with bad decisions. But, it does have a chance to remake itself, just not in it's current incarnation, it will have to be a trimmed down version of itself that will have a chance to improve and grow from its past.

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That Car Guy

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Somebody Doesn't Like Green 1990's Era Ford Escorts In Oregen, Police Say It's Clear The Arsonist Doesn't Like The Model... Ya Think!

Medford Police Sargent says it's clear the arsonist doesn't like car model. I think that is the understatement of the year, however an arsonist has targeted Green 1990's Ford Escort and is setting them on fire. So far 3 of them have been burned in recent weeks and Medford Police Sgt. Mike Budreau described as "Pretty Bizarre."

The arsonist is using a flammable liquid to set the vehicles aflame and in one case set a tire that was next to the vehicle on fire. Police is informing anyone that drives a Green 1990's Ford Escort to be vigilant and safe.

Sgt. Budreau went on to say and I quote "I don't think this person really doesn't like Ford Escorts." Fine detective work Sargent, this guy should quit while ahead.

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Tha Car Guy

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What's Project Better Place? A Video Explaining Project Better Place...

Find more videos like this on Planet Better Place

I am interested in hearing from my readers on how they feel about this endeavour.
Let me know your thoughts and opinions and any other feedback about Project Better Place.

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That Car Guy

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Have We Found A Better Place?

Project Better Place has been hard at work developing a variant on the Electric Vehicle Vehicle debate. Project Better Place, founder and Chief Executive Shai Agassi, indicates that the company is set to launch it's swappable-battery electric car program in 2010.

Project Better Place has designed a radically different "infrastructure" for purchasing and driving there vehicles, a system in which the company would install charging and battery swap stations. At the swapping stations drivers would be able to put in fully rechargeable lithium ion batteries in the same amount of time that it would take to fill up a gasoline powered vehicle.

But that's not all folks, Project Better Place business model revolutionizes the concept of purchasing a vehicle from Project Better Place, with Project Better Place you pay much like you do when utilizing a cell phone. From the Better Place Website: "Think of it like this: we pay mobile providers for minute-by-minute access to cell towers connected together in cellular networks. Truth is, we pay comparatively little - or next to nothing - for the phones themselves. After all, what you're really buying is air time, not a box with buttons. The same model works for transportation. Just replace the phone with an electric car, replace the cell towers with battery recharge stations, and replace the cellular networks with an electric grid. Now you're buying miles, not minutes."

The drivers of there vehicles would be paying for access to a network of charging spots and conveniently located battery exchange stations powered by renewable energy. Drivers would pay for the miles that they drive and would be made to be more affordable, even free in some markets, this would be accomplished by financial and environmental incentives to add drivers into the network. Project Better Place would operate the electric recharge grid that brings everything together.

The project is getting major backing from the Israeli government and has a alliance with Renault-Nissan that is developing the vehicle and the battery system and will invest $500 Million to $1 Billion dollars in the project over the next couple of years. The initiative has also raised another $200 Million in venture backing and has begun work on recharging networks in Israeli and Denmark. In addition Australia, Canada, California and Hawaii have committed to developing the infrastructure necessary to have the network available for consumers in those area's (Note to Better Place, on your website you indicate that California and Hawaii are countries, they are not, merely states within the USA).

I find that the effort is revolutionary, it will be interesting to follow the progress of this noble effort, some in the business and auto community are not giving the project much hope, however I am going to step back and examine the business model. If the company can sustain itself and find enough customers it may get some legs provided that the cost to operate does not shut out large numbers of consumers. I have not been able to find information to make an appropriate judgement until I can review those reports I will reserve judgement on it's success or failure.

I will say this, you will certainly have a lot of people thinking particularly if you can lower or meet the needs and demands of hungry consumers to go green and sustain a business model that does not require large chunks of up front money to spend on automobiles. I have a lot of questions that I want answered and I will report back when fully researched.

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That Car Guy

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MELTDOWN IN MOTOR CITY...

I invite everyone to tune in this Friday 3/6/09 at 2pm on National Radio Program WAMS as I discuss The Meltdown in Motor City: It May Be Too Late To Turn Detroit Around.

When: Friday 3/6/09 2pm

Where: Tune into WAMS Radio on www.blogtalkradio.com

Direct link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/WAMS/2009/03/06/The-US-auto-meltdown-and-what-happens-next-this-Friday-on-WAMS

What: You can join in on the discussion and participate with questions by using the link provided or calling in at (718) 506-1944.

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That Car Guy

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