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Jan112011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 04:11PM

January 12, 2011

Bob King. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The UAW firebrand, speaking at the Automotive News World Congress, threatened to "expose" companies that don't agree to fair bargaining as "human rights violators," but didn't go as far as calling for a boycott - yet. Dave Shephardson, reporting for the Detroit News, compiled the following quotes from King's speech: "I would not want to be a company that was branded as a human rights violator," King said. "That would be a bad business decision." As Shepardson reported, the UAW has a war chest of $60 million set aside from its strike fund to work to organize U.S. auto plants owned by foreign automakers, and King has vowed to conduct global protests if they don't agree to fair union elections. "They spend millions of dollars trying to keep the UAW out of their facilities," King said, suggesting that it would be cheaper for these companies to acquiesce to the UAW's wishes. "These are all really good companies. We just have to convince them that we're not the Evil Empire that they think that we were at one point," King said. "The UAW has learned from the past." Oh really? Then King suggested that foreign automakers could be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars if they had to combat global protests by the UAW. "Wouldn't it be a lot more cost effective to work with the UAW, give workers their democratic right to decide if they want to be in a union." Just off the top of our heads, this is the union that has learned from the past? Not. This is the same old rhetoric, the same old threats, the same old delusional Bush League Bullshit that has always emanated from the UAW. I would say the UAW's "Evil Empire" status is alive and well and as abhorrent - and disgusting - as ever. - PMD

GM. If Toyota is destined to become the Prius of car companies, GM won't be far behind in becoming the Volt of car companies. "Lt. Dan" Akerson told the Automotive News World Congress on Tuesday that there will soon be a minivan application and more as GM sets about to democratize Volt technology throughout its product plan. Memo to the GM product troops: Keep "Lt. Dan" away from the Corvette, please.

"Lt. Dan" Akerson. Once this guy gets wound up you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him. Even then it's a crap shoot. His latest missive? GM's a year behind in product development due to the throes of bankruptcy in 2009. A year? There's still stuff being jump-started at GM, try eighteen months at least.

The GM Board. "Lt. Dan" Akerson also told the WSJ that the GM board of directors was "stunned" when "Big Ed" Whitacre resigned at a critical point before the IPO. Really? We knew the board was made up of a patchwork quilt of executives and former executives with intermittent and varying degrees of competence, but not having an inkling that "Big Ed" might have an alternate plan for his future? Nothing? Maybe you guys and gals should hang out once in a while, have a few pops, and GET A FRICKIN' CLUE AS TO WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE.

(Ford)
The Ford Vertrek concept gives us a hint of the direction the company will take as it works to re-imagine both the next generation Ford Escape and Ford Kuga compact sport utility vehicles. The Vertrek concept offers more versatility, luggage space and interior roominess, plus as Ford promises, "a level of craftsmanship and quality that customers around the world now demand."

(GM)
Chevrolet unveiled the all-new 2012 Sonic at the Detroit Auto Show. The newly revamped take on GM's Global small car (formerly known as the Aveo), the Sonic is billed by Chevrolet to be a "youthful, aggressive design backed by turbocharged performance and agile ride and handling, combining to deliver an efficient, fun-to-drive small car." The Sonic comes in a four-door sedan or a five-door hatch. The best part about the Sonic is the availability of the Ecotec 1.4L turbo engine rated at an estimated 138 horsepower (103 kW). It’s the same engine used in the Chevrolet Cruze in a smaller, lighter package. The Sonic shown above is the "Z Spec" Concept, telegraphing that Chevrolet will have a bunch of performance upgrades available for the car eventually.

(GM)
This is the 2012 Buick Verano compact luxury sedan, which will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show next week. The Verano has the now obligatory array of contemporary luxury and technology features, including 10 standard air bags, an available heated steering wheel plus a next-generation radio system with OnStar-powered connectivity that enables seamless communication between the Verano and the driver’s smart phone. The Verano is powered by an Ecotec 2.4L (with 6-speed automatic, standard) delivering an estimated 177 horsepower (132 kW) and 170 lb.-ft. torque (230 Nm), a 0-60 mph time of 8.0 seconds and an estimated 31 mpg on the highway. A 2.0L turbo engine will be offered in the future. Verano goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2011. "Verano expands our lineup, continues Buick’s momentum and gives us a great opportunity to attract a new generation of customers with a product that delivers on their expectations for design, performance and technology,” said John Schwegman, vice president of Buick marketing. “It is a smart choice that delivers unexpected luxury in a compact sedan – and it will compete head-to-head with competitors from Audi and Lexus.” Really? We'll see about that.

(Ford)
A one-of-a-kind factory-painted Grabber Blue 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca will be sold to the highest bidder in January, with all proceeds from the auction of the car above MSRP benefiting JDRF, a leader in research leading to a cure for Type 1 diabetes. This Boss 302 Laguna Seca – a one-of-one production unit – was built specifically for the Barrett-Jackson auction. In addition to the Grabber Blue exterior, it features distinctive black accents on the roof, mirrors and spoiler with Citic Dicastal wheels and C-Stripe, Recaro seats with Grabber Blue seat embroidery and Rear X-Brace, and a Grabber Blue grille surround. The limited-production Mustang Boss 302 and Laguna Seca will be built at AutoAlliance International Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. During the past four years, Ford – partnering with Barrett-Jackson – has raised nearly $2.5 million for charity through sales of vehicles at auction.

(Ford)
Ford introduced its all-new Ford Focus Electric at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday, January 7, billing it as its first fuel-free, rechargeable passenger car and one of five new electrified vehicles Ford will deliver by 2013 in North America and Europe. Clearly going after GM and Nissan, Ford says the Focus Electric will offer a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles and that the car is capable of fully recharging in three to four hours at home using the available wall-mounted 240-volt charge station – half the time of the Nissan Leaf. Other notable features of the new Focus Electric? It offers value charging - powered by Microsoft - to help owners in the U.S. charge their vehicles at the cheapest utility rates, lowering the cost of ownership. Ford's new electrified Focus also features a special version of MyFord Touch™ driver connect technology designed especially for electric customers and introduces MyFord Mobile, a smart phone app and website for monitoring key vehicle functions and charge settings while mobile. Expect the Focus Electric in showrooms late this year.

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