Jerry York: 1938-2010

Jerome P. “Jerry” York, 71, died this morning, the victim of a brain aneurysm. His passing was announced by Apple Inc. York had been a member of the Apple board of directors since 1997.

“Jerry joined Apple’s Board in 1997 when most doubted the company’s future. He has been a pillar of financial and business expertise and insight on our Board for over a dozen years,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in announcing York’s death. “It’s been a privilege to know and work with Jerry, and I’m going to miss him a lot.”

York was rushed by ambulance to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital yesterday after he collapsed in his Rochester, Michigan, home. York’s wife said doctors found York, Chrysler’s chief financial officer in the Iacocca days, had suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and was in critical condition.

Jerry York came to Chrysler from Ford in 1979 and spent 14 years with the company before Lou Gerstner tapped him for the CFO position at IBM. York is most recently known for being Kirk Kerkorian’s front man in the billionaire’s dealings with General Motors, serving on the GM board from February to October 2006. He also advised Kerkorian on the failed attempt to take over Chrysler in 2007.

York was born in Memphis, Tennessee, A West Point graduate with a MS from MIT and a MBA from the University of Michigan, York has been CEO of Harwinton Capital since 2000.

Automakers, UAW unite on tailpipe emissions

Ten automakers, including Toyota, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, have joined with the UAW in asking Congress not to stop the EPA from setting limits on tailpipe emissions. In a formal letter, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers followed a separate request from the UAW, yesterday, asking leaders to reject Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski’s bid to overturn the EPA’s finding that emissions of greenhouse gases are a danger to public health.

The EPA reported that nearly a quarter of greenhouse gases emitted in the United States come from motor vehicles. Proposed standards would, the EPA said, save drivers $3,000 in fuel over their vehicle’s life, while adding $1,300 to the price; they would reduce emissions by nearly 1 billion metric tons, save around 2 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the cars affected, and be similar to taking 58 million cars off the road for one year. Reducing oil use would also positively influence the United States’ trade deficit and reduce the impact of China’s burgeoning auto market on fuel prices and vehicle emissions.

The automakers and UAW believe that if the EPA is overridden, then separate standards for California, states that have California emissions rules, and the rest of the country will follow.

California is allowed by law to set its own emissions standards, because of the extent of air pollution the state had when the Clean Air Act went into force. Some states, particularly those with pollution issues (including some caused not by vehicles but by powerplant emissions in other states), have adopted the stricter California rules.

Rules are to be officially set by April 1, 2010, covering the 2012-2016 model years; the 2017 rules are as yet undecided.

Murkowski’s spokesman blamed President Obama for her actions.

Walt McCall to appear at WPC next month

Walt McCall, one of North America’s best known and most prolific authors on the subject of motor fire apparatus, will appear at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Saturday, April 17. Mr. McCall’s presentation is scheduled to run from 9:30 AM to Noon in the second floor theater.

Mr. McCall’s two-part program – How I Got Hooked (and Laddered): Confessions of a Lifelong Fire Engine Buff and The Professional Car: The Rise and Decline of Passenger Car-Based Ambulances and Funeral Cars – will showcase decades of vehicle evolution. McCall’s fascinating retrospective will highlight the vast knowledge he details in the 18 books he has authored starting with his first in 1976, American Fire Engines Since 1900, still considered the “bible” of the old fire engine hobby. McCall has written ten books on fire apparatus, as well as another six on vintage hearses and ambulances, his other area of antique vehicle expertise. Several titles will be available for purchase – and autograph – following McCall’s presentation.

A retired Manager – Corporate Public Affairs for Chrysler Canada Ltd and former award-winning fire and police reporter and automotive editor for The Windsor Star, McCall’s lifelong love affair with fire engines spans more than 50 years. He helped establish and lead several U.S. and Canadian enthusiast organizations, simultaneously serving as editor of multiple association and hobbyist publications while contributing articles to other North American fire service and antique vehicle magazines.

Registration, including refreshments and Museum admission, is $12 in advance and $15 at the door ($10 and $14, respectively, for Museum members).

To register or for additional information about the April 17 presentation, visit Featured Events at Walter P. Chrysler Museum, e-mail or call 248-944-0450.

Australian Jeep Jamboree set for Fall 2010

The Melbourne Jeep Owners Club (MJOC) will be hosting the National Jeep Jamboree Victoria 2010 from September 30 to October 3 at Lardner Park in Warragul, Victoria.

At the National Jeep Jamboree Victoria 2004, MJOC welcomed 600 visitors and nearly 300 Jeep vehicles set the bar for Jeep events in Australia, with over 600 people and nearly 300 Jeep vehicles attending over the four-day period, setting the bar for Jeep events in Australia. MJOC’s goal for this year is to bring in more than 1,000 people, making it the largest Australian Jeep owner’s event ever.

Lardner Park was home to the 1994 Jeep Jamboree but MJOC says things have changed a little since then. It is located about 10 minutes from the towns of Drouin and Warragul and about 103 kilometers (roughly 64 miles) east of Melbourne, the capital city of Australia’s southernmost state. Lardner Park includes some of Victoria’s great tracks and there will also be trips to the surrounding areas including Neerim, Nilma, Noojee, and Bunyip, as well as areas a bit further away such as Baw Baw and Walhalla. Jeep is the key partner for the event and is very excited about the Jamboree being held at such a fantastic venue.

For more information, visit the Melbourne Jeep Owners Club website or the National Jeep Jamboree website.

Thanks to Mike’s Totally Free Jeep News Now for the tip!

Ford unveils 2011 Taurus squad

Ford has been concerned about lost future police fleet sales when production of its market-dominating Crown Victoria ends next year. Any new Ford entry will give up the V8 power and rear-wheel drive preferred by law enforcement officers and agencies and go head-to-head with the powerful Dodge Charger and the smaller Chevrolet Impala, as well as an upcoming rear-drive, V8 Chevrolet.

Today in Las Vegas, Ford unveiled its next-generation police cruiser, a V6-powered, all-wheel drive sedan based on the Taurus. Ford also confirmed there will be a pursuit-rated Police Interceptor SUV to compete against Chevrolet’s popular Tahoe Police Package. Previous Ford SUVs, including the Explorer and Expedition, have not received a pursuit rating.

The car, which Ford says will be built in its Chicago plant, will have a choice of two engines, a 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivering at least 263 horsepower and a new 3.5-liter EcoBoost™ V-6 twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine producing at least 365 horsepower and 350 ft.-lb. of torque. They will deliver power to the standard all-wheel drive system through a six-speed transmission. Ford says both engines deliver better performance than those in the current Crown Victoria which has lagged well behind both the V6 and HEMI V8 in the Charger.

The brakes have been increased in size and performance and the standard 18-inch steel wheels are vented. A special cooling package features a heavy-duty alternator and larger radiator.

Recalling the fiery rear-end collisions that took the lives of numerous officers, the new Taurus cop car will be designed to withstand a 75-mph crash. Side-curtain airbags will also be standard.

As Dodge did with the Charger, Ford is moving the shift lever from the console to the column, freeing up space for communications equipment and emergency warning systems controls. Front seats have been redesigned to better accommodate gear-loaded gunbelts (a real issue for officers whose duty belts must carry weapon, ammunition, baton, flashlight, handcuffs, a two-way radio and more). Inserted into the seatback are anti-stab plates, designed to protect front-seat occupants. Rear seats are set back and covered in heavy-duty vinyl to resist abuse. Rear door hinges are modified to open up another 10 degrees to facilitate loading and unloading of “passengers.”

The Taurus cruiser will also be equipped with a Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) using two radar sensors located in the rear quarter panels to detect vehicles in the surrounding lanes. If a vehicle enters the driver’s blind-spot zones, the system alerts the driver with a warning light in the side-view mirror. Ford is also equipping the car with its Cross Traffic Alert system that uses the existing BLIS radar modules to sense oncoming traffic when backing out of a parking spot, a rear-view camera and a reverse sensing system that detects objects up to six feet behind the car.

Images courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Congressional panel wants GMAC to break up

The Congressional Oversight Panel, created as a watchdog for the Treasury’s use of funds allocated in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), says GMAC still does not have a viable business plan after receiving $17.2 billion in government cash.

The panel is also critical of the Treasury Department’s handling of the GMAC case, saying the Treasury has been lax in requiring the finance company,which also handles consumer loan and floorplan financing for Chrysler Group dealers, to set out a clear course to becoming independently viable and repaying the taxpayers’ investment.

In a statement, the panel suggested breaking up GMAC and folding its automotive business back into former parent company General Motors. This would create a captive finance company similar to those used by other vehicle manufacturers.

To read the full report and see a video from Professor Elizabeth Warren, head of the panel, go to “The Unique Treatment of GMAC under TARP” on the Congressional Oversight Panel’s website.