Big Auto

GM’s Lutz: Wagoner is one of ‘the innocents,’ just ‘the mayor of a city hit by an earthquake’

GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz would be a hard man to like, even if he weren’t a global warming denier (see “GM is full of crocks“). He presumably thinks he and GM Chair Wagoner deserve the credit and the large salaries whenever GM is doing well. But when the company crashes — that is God’s […]

Praying for a bailout in Detroit

Lordy: Pentecostal Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, who shared the sanctuary’s wide altar with three gleaming sport utility vehicles, closed his sermon by leading the choir and congregants in a boisterous rendition of the gospel singer Myrna Summers’s “We’re Gonna Make It” as hundreds of worshipers who work in the automotive industry — union assemblers, […]

If dumping GM’s Wagoner is part of the deal, get rid of Bob Lutz, too

The WSJ reports “Outside Pressure Grows for GM to Oust Wagoner” as part of any bailout deal. Great idea. GM’s Chair and CEO certainly shares of much of the blame for the company’s collapse. But I agree with SolveClimate and DeSmogblog, that Bob Lutz should also go. He is GM’s greenwasher and global warming denier […]

Draft bailout deal calls for ‘car czar,’ ban on lawsuits challenging emissions standards

Congressional Democrats and the White House appear to have reached a deal on a $15 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, one that includes a ban on lawsuits challenging California’s greenhouse gas emission standards and a call for a “car czar” to oversee the rescue efforts. “The terms of any financial assistance under this […]

Michael Moore on the Big Three and transit

“Transporting Americans is and should be one of the most important functions our government must address. And because we are facing a massive economic, energy and environmental crisis, the new president and Congress must do what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was faced with a crisis (and ordered the auto industry to stop building cars […]

The Big Three offer their restructuring plans to Congress

The CEOs of the Big Three automakers are back in the Capitol today (this time, they drove in hybrids rather than taking private jets), prepared to offer their revamped plans for restructuring to lawmakers. Their latest proposals contain considerably more promises to use a government bailout to make more efficient automobiles. Under pressure to prove […]

Ford drops hydrogen while GM remains confused about ethanol

The car companies have come back to D.C. begging for money. But this time they have put on the table serious restructuring plans. At first glance, Ford’s plan [PDF] appears to me sounder than GM’s plan [PDF]. I’m interested in your opinions. Assuming we believe they will do what they say, the reports reveal a […]

As long as the feds are restructuring auto companies, why not drag them into the 21st century?

The New Republic has an interesting article up from two bona fide experts on the auto industry (who are not employed by the industry), contributing to a discussion where ideas have been plentiful but expertise lacking. They recommend a bailout road map that stops short of Chapter 11 but involves fairly substantial restructuring. Interesting reading, […]

Green stuff from the L.A. auto show

We didn’t do much coverage of the L.A. Auto Show, because we don’t have the resources WE CONDEMN THE DECADENT LEMMING CARBURBAN FANTASIA! But I just read a bunch of stuff about it over on CNet’s CarTech blog, and some of it was quite cool. Probably the biggest news — something I may devote a […]