Archive for the ‘recession’ Category

German market research company R.L. Polk today predicted that in 2009, Volkswagen AG will surpass General Motors as the world's number two automaker in production volume. Toyota will likely retain its number one position.

The firm also predicts that global passenger car production will drop some 19 percent in 2009, which would be the lowest volume since 1998. A 19 percent drop would mean production of 52.8 million units total.

A crushing 31 percent drop in GM production volume, who is surviving for just weeks more on government loans before an increasingly likely bankruptcy, is predicted by the same German firm. This is partially due to...

Both Kia and Hyundai kept their March 2009 sales nearly even with their sales in March of 2008. As the March 2009 auto sales reports roll in, it's clear that the South Koreans have a good thing going with their product reinventions, newly-found styling identities, and Hyundai's industry-first buyer protection program. Subaru, as well, led by its impressive 2009 Forester small car-based SUV, managed a negligable sales decline for for March '09 compared to that month one year ago.

The German brands Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, and Porsche brands held up the middle of the March sales decreases, while high-volume Honda, Toyota, Nissan/Infiniti, and ...

In an address from the White House Grand Foyer, President Obama said the U.S. Government has  no interest - or intention - of running GM and Chrysler. Rather, in lending GM enough capital to operate for 60 days, Chrysler enough to operate for 30 days, the additional money is intended to give the automakers the opportunity to make the changes that will help them to emerge as solid, competitive companies in the marketplace. Obama warned that both companies' restructuring plans need to be revised as they do not go far enough or make changes significant enough in his administration's estimation.

While GM will undergo a solitary restructuring -...