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DCX and Volkswagen have extended a cooperation agreement for sharing components for commercial vans, an agreement which, on the Mercedes side, covers the Sprinter (sold in the US as a Freightliner and Dodge). In addition, Dieter Zetsche said that DCX will not increase its stake in Hyundai, despite current rumors.
Ford expects to have a small profit in the third quarter - though since Bill Ford qualified it as being on an "operating basis," we'd expect an overall net loss for the quarter.
Finally, the Focus warrants the term "troubled" in just-auto! They wrote: "Ford has announced an extended warranty on its troubled Focus model." The new warranty includes a five year, 100,000 mile powertrain plan, covering fewer years but more miles than Chrysler's standard plan (and fewer years and miles than Hyundai, Kia, and Isuzu plans).
MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 10, 2002) -- Darrell Alderman knew it was special. The scoreboard flashed 6.788 seconds and the crowd lifted into a frenzy. The three-time POWERade Pro Stock World Champion had just shattered the vaunted 6.80-second elapsed time barrier; in what was the most talked about Pro Stock qualifier in NHRA history. And it all happened at last year’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Alderman has had a banner 2002 NHRA season and currently sits sixth in points; while recording his first victory since 1997 at Gainesville (Fla.) earlier this season. Alderman also has two other final-round efforts at Las Vegas and Columbus (Ohio).
SPEED. A Hemi-powered Dodge Neon R/T currently holds the NHRA national Pro Stock speed record at 204.35 mph; broke during last season’s event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa. It’s also the only pass to ever surpass the 204-mph mark in NHRA Pro Stock competition.
THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED. Maple Grove Raceway holds a special place in Dean Skuza’s heart; as the Brecksville, Ohio, resident won his last NHRA national event at this historic facility in 1998. Skuza outran Tony Pedregon in the final, making his two final-round victories a result of defeating drivers from John Force Racing. The Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T pilot ran past John Force at Houston Raceway Park in 1997 to claim his other NHRA triumph.
RUNNING WELL. Speaking of Skuza, the Mopar Parts Funny Car driver might be the hottest driver on NHRA circuit right now. Skuza has logged four semifinal appearances in his last five races, along with a final-round run in the 21st annual Budweiser Shootout at Indianapolis Raceway Park over Labor Day Weekend. This stretch of success has vaulted Skuza from 12th in the POWERade Funny Car point chase to eighth; only 17 points behinds seventh-place Ron Capps.
by David Harris
Judge Henry Kennedy of the U.S. District Court, ignoring pressure from lobbyists and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, is allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce penalties on Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel for not keeping their end of a 1998 agreement. Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel argued that it would cost too much to make their engines meet new efficiency rules. Cummins, Mack, and other makers say they will be in compliance with the agreement, thanks to investments in new technology. Caterpillar had instead invested in a lobbying campaign, enlising the help of House Speaker Dennis Hastert and others.
Fines will be levied based on how close engines are to compliance, with a maximium penalty of $12,000 per engine. The original agreement came from an investigation into diesel engine makers and truckers, with evidence that they were overriding emissions controls.
The government is trying to reduce diesel emissions from large vehicles by up to 90 percent, following research that chronic exposure to these emissions seems to cause lung cancer and respiratory illnesses.
DaimlerChrysler, which has closed and sold many Chrysler facilities due to "cash flow" issues, is lending Mitsubishi an undisclosed sum of money, which, along with loans by other Mitsubishi companies, will total $1 billion. DaimlerChrysler owns 37 percent of Mitsubishi, and is using the company's designs as the basis for at least two new lines of Chrysler/Dodge vehicles (the replacements for the current Stratus/Sebring and Neon).
The Canadian Auto Workers selected General Motors of Canada as the pattern-setting target for contract negotiations with the Big Three automakers. This is the first time the CAW has held contract talks at a different time from the UAW, so the negotiations and potential strike actions could have an added impact across North America.
The CAW hasn't picked GM since 1984, when there was a 14-day strike. Industry analysts don't expect a strike at GM this year.
The new contacts will set the pattern for more than 44,000 workers at GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
Union issues include the continuing downsizing of GM's operations in St. Catharines, Ontario, where the workforce has dwindled by two-thirds. The union is also looking for substantial wage increases.
CAW president Buzz Hargrove also wants assurances GM won't sell its Electro-Motive Division and defense operations, both of which are based in Canada. It has been reported previously that GM wants to sell the defense business to General Dynamics and is looking for a buyer for EMD, best known for its railroad locomotives.
Highest probability of a strike will come when the CAW talks to Ford. A strike at Ford's Windsor engine plant could cripple North American production and the CAW is upset by the closing of the truck plant in Oakville, Ontario.
(Contributed by Bill Cawthon)
DaimlerChrysler will adopt a new logo and drop an old test for its Jeep brand.
The company is launching a new ad campaign next week featuring the new mark -- a silhouette of the folding Jeep windshield, grille and headlights on an olive background designed to revive memories of the Jeep's glory days in World War II (betcha almost no one at Chrysler remembers that most of the WWII jeeps were built by Ford).
The new ads will also feature a revived slogan, "Only in a Jeep," that was in use in the 1980s.
The road test that will be dropped is the requirement that all Jeep products be able to traverse California's rugged Rubicon Trail. The standard was implemented by Bob Lutz, now "product czar" at GM. The requirement meant Jeep had to have heavy-duty components that were needed by only a fraction of Jeep buyers and could not be shared with other Chrysler products.
Jeff Bell, vice president of Jeep marketing said, "Jeeps will always be more capable than any other vehicle in their price and size category. The Jeep brand is not going to be a slave to something that isn't relevant. We're not going to be driven by someone who doesn't even work here anymore."
The new logo and revived slogan are part of an effort to raise awareness of the Jeep brand and double sales within ten years. The dropped Rubicon requirement is part of DaimlerChrysler's desire to reduce costs.
(Article contributed by Bill Cawthon of just-auto.com)
To be built in Canada at a joint GM/Suzuki plant, the Chevrolet Equinox would probably replace the aging Tracker (Suzuki Vitara) and be based on the Saturn VUE, according to Detroit News.
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