Svengali-like Dr Z — the unlikely star of Daimler’s TV ad campaign in US

Svengali-like Dr Z — the unlikely star of Daimler’s TV ad campaign in US
Andrew Clark New York
The Guardian
31 Jul 2006

A balding, middle-aged businessman with a walrus moustache and a thick German accent makes for an unlikely television star. But DaimlerChrysler’s chairman, Dieter Zetsche, has gained cult status in America after opting to become the “face” of the... read more...

Renault profit falls 25% on costs, weak demand

Renault profit falls 25% on costs, weak demand
By David Pearson
The Wall Street Journal Europe
28 Jul 2006

PARIS—French car maker Renault SA posted a 25% fall in first-half net profit, saying it had been hit by slow demand, mounting raw-materials costs and a deteriorating product mix. Chairman Carlos Ghosn said there is an Oct. 15 deadline for a decision... read more...

DaimlerChrysler’s net soars

DaimlerChrysler’s net soars
By Stephen Power
The Wall Street Journal Europe
28 Jul 2006

FRANKFURT— DaimlerChrysler AG said second-quarter net income more than doubled, thanks to a rebound at its Mercedes division, but the surge was overshadowed by deepening trouble at its Chrysler Group in the U.S. The German-American auto maker said... read more...

Volkswagen files lawsuit related to bribery probe

Volkswagen files lawsuit related to bribery probe

The Wall Street Journal Europe
27 Jul 2006

A WALL STREET JOURNAL NEWS ROUNDUP Volkswagen AG said yesterday that it filed a lawsuit related to investigations by public prosecutors of bribery and kickback payments in the auto-supplier industry. As is sometimes done in German courts, the lawsuit... read more...

GM gets into gear as French rival suffers

GM gets into gear as French rival suffers
Mark Milner Industrial editor
The Guardian
27 Jul 2006

Car makers General Motors and PSA Peugeot-Citron yesterday revealed sharply contrasting performances with the US group turning in a better-than-expected operating performance, as its French counterpart suffered a sharp fall in profits. GM lost $3.2bn... read more...

Magna in overdrive

Magna in overdrive
TONY VAN ALPHEN BUSINESS REPORTER
Toronto Star
24 Jul 2006

The young, blond tool-and-die maker popped by the American Standard factory in midtown Toronto searching for work one day in 1957. “If you have a problem, I can solve it,” he confidently told a foreman. “And if I can’t solve it, don’t pay me.” The... read more...

Get a Lada this: Russians queue for the Ford Focus

Get a Lada this: Russians queue for the Ford Focus
by Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
New Zealand Herald
25 Jul 2006

Queues have returned to Russia as cars sell out at showrooms faster than they can be imported. While the era of Soviet industrial inefficiency has long gone, waiting lists have returned, at least for those who want a foreign car, for the first time... read more...

Silicon Valley Firm Bets Its Chips on the Speedy Tesla Roadster

Silicon Valley Firm Bets Its Chips on the Speedy Tesla Roadster
By Mike Musgrove
The Washington Post
22 Jul 2006

Detroit is floundering, gas prices are rising — now Silicon Valley is stepping in with an impractical-but-cool solution: A sexy, pricey and fast electric car that uses the same lithium ion batteries found in your cellphone or laptop. The Tesla... read more...

Dealers blame import glut, fall in demand, for dramatic sales slump

Dealers blame import glut, fall in demand, for dramatic sales slump
BY PATRICKGOWER
New Zealand Herald Weekend
22 Jul 2006

USED CAR buyers are in the driving seat after a dramatic slump in the market. There were more than 10,000 fewer used car sales last month than in May, creating a winter glut in an already depressed market awash with Japanese imports. Although the car... read more...

Mercedes-Benz positioniert die Marke neu (Handelsblatt, 29 Jun 2006, Page 17)

second time

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Mercedes-Benz positioniert die Marke neu
CARSTEN HERZ | FRANKFURT
Handelsblatt
29 Jun 2006

Der Autokonzern Daimler-Chrysler positioniert seine wichtigste Marke Mercedes-Benz neu. Das verjngte Markenprofil werde dem Management im Juli vorgestellt, sagteMercedes-Vertriebschef Klaus Maier dem Handelsblatt. Neben den Grundwerten Qualitt,... read more...

Wagoner says he is open to considering other alliances

Wagoner says he is open to considering other alliances
By Gren Manuel And John D. Stoll
The Wall Street Journal Europe
19 Jul 2006

General Motors Corp. Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said he doesn’t rule out looking at other alliances in the future besides the one he is studying with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. “At this point, a lot of focus and effort is going to go into... read more...

DREAM WHEELS COMING CHEAP (Economic Times, 18 Jul 2006, Page 9)

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DREAM WHEELS COMING CHEAP

Economic Times
18 Jul 2006

RAmiti Sen ICH and famous Indians risking notoriety by importing foreign cars illegally can look forward to some motivation to stay clean. Import duties on new and secondhand cars are likely to come crashing down once India starts implementing its... read more...

DREAM WHEELS COMING CHEAP (Economic Times, 18 Jul 2006, Page 9)

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DREAM WHEELS COMING CHEAP

Economic Times
18 Jul 2006

RAmiti Sen ICH and famous Indians risking notoriety by importing foreign cars illegally can look forward to some motivation to stay clean. Import duties on new and secondhand cars are likely to come crashing down once India starts implementing its... read more...

Steering three car companies may be too big a job for Ghosn

Steering three car companies may be too big a job for Ghosn

The Wall Street Journal Europe
11 Jul 2006

CARLOS GHOSN MAY BE a super manager. But he isn’t Superman. And asking the boss of Renault and Nissan to take a large part in the management of General Motors as well may be akin to asking him to fly out the window. One suspects the results could be... read more...

Superman returns to Detroit

Superman returns to Detroit

The Business
16 Jul 2006

IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? No – it was Superman, or rather Supermanager, in the mere mortal form of Renault and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, whom we saw descend lightning-like on Detroit last week. Ghosn may not be faster than a speeding bullet, or more... read more...

Ford puts £1bn behind UK research in drive to cut carbon emissions

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Ford puts 1bn behind UK research in drive to cut carbon emissions
Mark Milner Industrial editor
The Guardian
18 Jul 2006

Ford Motor Company said yesterday it was planning to invest 1bn over the next six years in Britain to develop greener cars. The money will be used to develop lighter weight models across the Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands, using more... read more...

Ford launches an initiative in U.K. to develop hybrids

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Ford launches an initiative in U.K. to develop hybrids

The Wall Street Journal Europe
18 Jul 2006

A WALL STREET JOURNAL NEWS ROUNDUP LONDON— Ford Motor Co. will invest 1 billion ($1.8 billion) in the U.K. within six years to develop fuelefficient cars—hybrids that are powered by a combination of gasoline and a rechargeable battery, as well as... read more...

FORD MOTOR CO. NEEDS PARTNER MUCH MORE THAN GM DOES

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FORD MOTOR CO. NEEDS PARTNER MUCH MORE THAN GM DOES
DORON LEVIN
Ottawa Citizen
15 Jul 2006

General Motors Corp. stands at centre stage as it wrestles with a proposal from one of its major shareholders to hook up with two European carmakers. Guess what? Ford Motor Co., Detroit’s other big carmaker, needs a partner just as much and for many... read more...

GM comes to crossroads in global-alliance talks

GM comes to crossroads in global-alliance talks
By Neal Boudette, Stephen Power, and Norihiko Shirouzu
The Wall Street Journal Europe
17 Jul 2006

For nearly two decades, General Motors Corp. has lurched from one turnaround plan to the next, rebounding from periods of financial crisis but never achieving sustained robust performance. Now, the world’s largest auto maker faces a historic... read more...

Historic auto meeting today

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Historic auto meeting today
BY TOM KRISHER
Chicago Sun-Times
14 Jul 2006

When the two guys who run General Motors, Renault and Nissan sit down together today, they’ll focus on how linking the companies could save money and make them more competitive across the globe. The night before the historic meeting between Carlos... read more...

GM-Nissan-Renault talks will get under way today

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GM-Nissan-Renault talks will get under way today
By JUSTIN HYDE
Houston Chronicle
14 Jul 2006

Washington — Judging by their comments on Thursday, Rick Wagoner and Carlos Ghosn head to their historic meeting today with opposite mixtures of caution and optimism about what an alliance among General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor and Renault could... read more...

Hybrid-car renter cruises as gas cost rises

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Hybrid-car renter cruises as gas cost rises
By Gwendolyn Bounds
The Wall Street Journal Europe
11 Jul 2006

LIKE MOST AMERICANS these days, Jeff Pink sees dollar signs when he pulls in at a gas station. But instead of flowing out of his wallet, the dollar signs are flowing in. As chief executive of EV Rental Cars LLC, a Los Angeles agency devoted solely... read more...

NEWS ANALYSIS Many are called but few are Ghosn

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NEWS ANALYSIS Many are called but few are Ghosn
by Joe Lauria IN NEW YORK
The Business
09 Jul 2006

AS Frenchmen celebrate the 217th anniversary of the attack on the Bastille on 14 July, Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of French car maker Renault, will be storming Detroit, another former French stronghold and headquarters to General Motors. In Detroit... read more...

GMbonds rally on potential for alliance with Renault, Nissan

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GMbonds rally on potential for alliance with Renault, Nissan
General Motors Corp., Renault SAand NissanMotor Co.
National Post
11 Jul 2006

The bond market already has voted “yes” to the proposed alliance between GM’s 8.375% debentures due in 2033 have returned 4.19% since June 29, the day before Kirk Kerkorian successfully lobbied the board to authorize chief executive RickWagoner to... read more...