All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Toyota Production Still Suffering from Parts Shortages
Parts shortages in Japan that have continued to linger since the March earthquake and corresponding Tsunami are expected to continue thanks to floods in Thailand. These shortages are affecting everything from the selection of cars at your local dealership to canceling overtime at U.S. manufacturing plants.
Parts Shortages will result in slower production of Toyota vehicles like this Tundra.
The parts shortage has also affected your wallet with the expected retail incentive showdown now unlikely to take place in the last few months of 2011.
Recently U.S. retailers confirmed that fully-stocked inventories were unlikely to be a reality until 2012. Many retailers stated that they did not expect to be fully restocked until the end of the third quarter.
GM Dealers Demonstrate Blind Brand Loyalty
Here’s a question for beer drinkers everywhere: Would you ever consider drinking a different brand?
For example, let’s say you’re a big Coors fan like me. Would you try out a Miller Lite or a BudWeiser or a Sam Adams? What if, for sake of argument, some study came out that said Coors beer was bad for you and that Budweiser was good for you. Assuming the study was legit, would you switch? Would you at least give Budweiser a legitimate chance?
Of course you would. Only an idiot would blindly stand behind a brand…yet this is exactly what many Ford, GM, and Ram buyers do every day. Rather than sample the rest of the marketplace, they blindly state that “GM is the best ever” or “Ford is the best ever” or whatever…it’s pathetic. Check out the first 17 seconds of this video from a NY Chevy dealer:
They have the audacity to call this a “Toyota Tundra Analysis” video…where, exactly, is the analysis?
Prepare for a rant regarding the stupidity of some domestic truck buyers in 3, 2, 1…
Ford Consumer Reports Reliability Rankings Fall, Toyota Still King
The latest findings by Consumer Reports indicate that Ford, and other domestic brands, has slipped in the reliability rankings while Toyota remains on top of the ratings.
Toyota remains king while Ford drops in the reliability ratings.
Ford’s drop was from 10th to 20th and is mostly blamed on the redesign of a few old models, as well as problems with their new electronic systems. This is bad news for Ford, as the automaker has taken years to build up a good reputation for reliability in last year’s Consumer Reports rankings. But, as pointed out by David Champion Sr., director of Consumer Reports‘ Automotive Test Center in East Haddam, Conn., it only takes a few problems to lose that reputation.
2013 Dodge Ram To Have 8-Speed Automatic
A source at Ram has confirmed that the next generation of the Ram 1500 will offer at least one eight-speed automatic transmission. This is expected to boost fuel economy by about five percent over the current model, but it’s unclear just how much this will add to the window sticker. At this time, the likelihood of an eight-speed transmission in a Ram HD truck is “low” – at least for that 2013/2014 time line. Still, the source said that an 8-speed was likely in an HD truck at some point.
When compared to the current five-speed transmission available on the Ram 1500, the new eight-speed’s additional gears will better utilize the V-8 Ram’s substantial horsepower and torque. Shorter low gears are also expected to address dissatisfaction with the Ram’s current transmission ratios, and increase its competitiveness in towing and acceleration.
Ford UAW Workes Authorize Strike As Contract Deadline Rapidly Approaches
With the September 14 deadline looming on the horizon, Ford auto workers are busy hammering out the details on a new labor agreement with the auto manufacturing giant. Despite the fact that Ford managed to retain a greater percentage of manufacturing workers over the last 3 years than cross-town rivals GM and Chrysler-Fiat, Ford’s UAW workers are angry and feel that they should receive some benefit from the company’s profitability over the last two years.
According to news reports, Ford’s UAW workers believe that their hard work and sacrifice were key to enabling Ford to avoid bankruptcy during the economic crisis of the last few years. While there is definitely some truth in this viewpoint, shrewd management and financial leveraging coupled with good fiscal practices were also large factors in Ford’s ability to survive the sharp economic downturn without government assistance.
Put another way, the fact that Ford has carefully managed labor costs helped them survive…workers get credit for doing good work, but financial responsibility was a major factor too. Yet, here we are a few days away from a deadline and the word “strike” has been uttered. What gives?
