All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Do Parts Suppliers Matter More than Manufacturers?
An interesting trend has been happening of late – automotive suppliers are getting quite a bit of attention.These days, more and more manufactures are blaming parts suppliers for recalls. Cummins diesel engines are all the rage (not just a diesel engine, but a Cummins). And now, news of Tesla and Apple working together to build an iCar. This begs the question – are manufactures becoming less relevant? Does Toyota even matter or do their supplier choices matter more?
With all the part suppliers news lately, are they becoming more important than manufactures?
Believe It or Not, Volkswagen WANTS The UAW
When the workers at Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga voted against UAW representation, a lot of people were happy. Tennessee senator Bob Corker and governor Bill Haslam, both of whom threatened to yank tax incentives if the UAW won, expressed satisfaction. Conservative commentators around the nation talked about the “death of the UAW,” and commenters here on TundraHeadquarters traded anti-UAW barbs.
To be clear, I’m not a fan of the UAW. While the UAW helps all autoworkers earn more money (UAW labor rates set the standard for the rest of the industry), the union also promotes an “us vs. them” attitude among workers that is neither appropriate or productive. I’ve written time and again about the UAW’s ineptitude and general awfulness.
Yet this time, I think the UAW should have won…and I think the UAW’s loss is a slap in the face to business owners everywhere.
UAW Vote Fails at VW Tennessee Plant
This last week the UAW campaign at the VW Tennessessee, a story we have been covering for some time, came to a conclusion. The votes were cast, counted and by a slim margin, workers said no to the union. Yet, like most things, this story isn’t without controversy.
A historic vote at the VW Tennessee facility saw union leaders disappointed and pointing fingers to outside influences.
The End of GM Onstar? Automatic Promises Same Service For a LOT Less
GM’s OnStar service has been a pretty innovative product since its introduction. The one-touch ability to get directions and automatic detection if you were in an accident are great things for many drivers. Yet, there is a newer, cheaper service that does the same thing. Can OnStar survive competition?
The Automatic product provides a very similar service to OnStar for a LOT less. Is this the end of OnStar?
Towing Standards Adopted By GM, Ford, Ram and Nissan – Finally
After waiting for years, Ford, GM, Ram and Nissan will stop playing games and adopt the J2807 standards. The days of “magical” towing dust are done on light-duty trucks.
Finally, after years of waiting, it has been confirmed that all the other truck makers will use the J2807 standard.
