Detroit

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Senate GOP Crafts Own Auto Bailout Package

Plan would repurpose $25B fuel-efficiency carrot already passed

(Newser) - Senate Republicans are crafting legislation that would repurpose an already-approved $25 billion Energy Department initiative to bail out struggling automakers, the Detroit News reports. The plan is at odds with Democratic efforts, which would use money from the $700 billion Wall Street bailout to help Detroit. The Energy money was...

Romney: Let Detroit Go Bust
 Romney: Let Detroit Go Bust 
OPINION

Romney: Let Detroit Go Bust

Bankruptcy, not bailout, will save the American motor industry

(Newser) - If you want to maintain an automotive industry in the US, writes Mitt Romney, giving the Big Three a bailout is the last thing you should do. In an op-ed for the New York Times, the former Massachusetts governor (and Michigan native) says that GM, Chrysler, and Ford need a...

Detroit's Big 3 Plead Their Case in Washington

(Newser) - The CEOs of the Big Three automakers told the Senate today that a $25 billion bailout of the industry is necessary to prevent "catastrophic" effects on the economy, the New York Times reports. “If the domestic industry were allowed to fail,” said GM's Rick Wagoner, it would...

Debunking 6 Myths About Detroit Carmakers
Debunking 6 Myths About Detroit Carmakers
ANALYSIS

Debunking 6 Myths About Detroit Carmakers

Clamor over bailout obscures some truths about Big Three

(Newser) - Misconceptions and half-truths abound in the discussion over giving Detroit’s big three carmakers a chunk of federal bailout cash. Mark Phelan, in the Free Press, clears up six myths:
  1. Nobody buys GM, Ford or Chrysler anymore.
  • Fact: The three combined sold 8.5 million vehicles domestically last year—GM
...

Foreign Automakers Could Fill Detroit Vacuum

But gov't risks big job losses if Big Three fail

(Newser) - If Detroit’s “Big Three” do collapse, foreign-owned automakers would be able to pick up the slack, industry experts tell the New York Times. These foreign giants have a big enough US presence to swiftly take over the industry and its supplier network, but the transition would likely be...

Americans Question Detroit Bailout

Taxpayers say auto industry needs to modernize or die

(Newser) - Americans are deeply skeptical about bailing out Detroit automakers, Reuters reports. While many acknowledge that job losses will be heavy if the industry is allowed to go under, there’s a widespread belief that shoring up the manufacturers’ outdated business model would be unfair—and an enormous waste of money....

The Big Debate: Bailout or Bankruptcy?
 The Big Debate: 
 Bailout or Bankruptcy?
Analysis

The Big Debate: Bailout or Bankruptcy?

Should the government pay for GM's surgery

(Newser) - The water is coming in fast at General Motors, and Washington is readying its bailing buckets. But simply giving GM money won’t keep America’s biggest automaker afloat. GM needs massive restructuring, and many believe bankruptcy court is the place to do it, says the New York Times, reviewing...

Bailout? Detroit Needs a Brain
 Bailout? Detroit 
 Needs a Brain 
OPINION

Bailout? Detroit Needs a Brain

US auto industry needs to re-learn how to innovate; Mich. lawmakers not immune, either

(Newser) - The appalling prospect of a $25 billion bailout for Detroit automakers—“ an industry that became brain dead”—has Thomas Friedman, writing in the New York Times, outraged. He blasts “a very un-innovative business culture, visionless management, and overly generous labor contracts” for the mess, and heaps blame...

Detroit Needs Green Deal or No Deal
 Detroit Needs 
 Green Deal 
 or No Deal 
OPINION

Detroit Needs Green Deal or No Deal

If we bail out the auto companies, let's do it on our terms

(Newser) - If we’re going to bail out the auto industry, writes Joseph Romm in Salon, let’s do it right. Detroit’s Big Three have spent years fighting tooth and nail against the very innovations that could save them: higher fuel efficiency and hybrid-electric cars. Detroit has “been suicidally...

Ford Loses $2.98B, Cuts Jobs
 Ford Loses $2.98B, Cuts Jobs 

Ford Loses $2.98B, Cuts Jobs

Automaker narrows losses, but results much worse than expected

(Newser) - Ford Motor Company’s sales plunged 22% in the third quarter, the company said today, as the struggling economy eviscerated demand. The company lost $2.98 billion, or $1.31 a share, far worse than the 93 cents-per-share analysts expected, while burning through $7.7 billion in cash, Bloomberg reports....

Few Voting Problems in Key States

Most problems reported in Michigan

(Newser) - The 2008 election is proceeding well in most states. Cleveland polling places were hit with high turnout at the 6:30am open, but voting tapered off as the morning continued, in part thanks to the 250,000 who voted early, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. In South Florida, voters faced...

Auto Bailout Is a Lemon for Taxpayers
Auto Bailout
Is a Lemon for Taxpayers
OPINION

Auto Bailout Is a Lemon for Taxpayers

Bankruptcy is just what Detroit needs to straighten itself out

(Newser) - Automakers just got a $25 billion loan from Uncle Sam, but now here GM and Chrysler are again, hat in hand, asking for another $10 billion to facilitate their merger. But the “deal is a lemon,” writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post. Yes, the economy would suffer...

Judge Sends Detroit's 'Arrogant' Ex-Mayor to Jail

(Newser) - If Detroit's ousted mayor hoped to catch a break in court today, he was very much disappointed, the Detroit News reports. After upbraiding Kwame Kilpatrick as "arrogant" and "defiant," the judge told the disgraced politician he'd have to serve his full 4-month sentence for obstructing justice with...

Congress' Big Auto Bailout Mired in Red Tape

Money coming later rather than sooner

(Newser) - Detroit's $25 billion loan is sitting in Washington, the Washington Post reports, and may take more than a year to distribute, despite the auto industry's increasing desperation for the cash. The Energy Department, which was tasked with doling out the money, says various legal and administrative requirements will drag the...

Chrysler Flirts With Nissan- Renault as GM Seeks Credit

Alliance would keep Detroit automaker intact, but expose Cerberus to more risk

(Newser) - Chrysler is considering joining Nissan-Renault, adding a North American arm to the Japanese-French auto alliance that could rescue Chrysler’s operations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Cerberus, Chrysler’s majority owner, prefers a merger with General Motors, but overlap with a Detroit competitor would likely eliminate half of Chrysler’s...

Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford
Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford

Kerkorian Pulls Out of Ford

Biggest non-family stockowner begins dumping stake, looks to energy instead

(Newser) - Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, an old hand at investing in Detroit, began his Ford escape today, selling 7.3 million shares of common stock in the company at $2.43 per share, the Wall Street Journal reports. As recently as February Kerkorian was building his stake in the embattled automaker,...

Toyota Offers Interest-Free Car Loans

Japanese giant capitalizing on US automakers' woes

(Newser) - Toyota is moving aggressively to fight slowing sales with a $250-million advertising campaign that offers zero-percent financing on 11 vehicles. The Japanese auto giant is flush with billions of dollars in cash and plans to use it to boost its market share, just as Ford, GM and Chrysler are at...

GM Calls for Help
 GM Calls for Help 

GM Calls for Help

Firm reiterates urge for government assistance

(Newser) - General Motors is not thinking of filing for bankruptcy, Reuters reports. Instead, an exec said, "There is a strong need for coordinated federal action" to weather the economic crisis as US auto sales slide. Filing for bankruptcy "would not benefit our customers, our dealers, or our employees,"...

Ford Put Brakes on GM Merger Talks
Ford Put Brakes on GM Merger Talks

Ford Put Brakes on GM Merger Talks

Company vows to survive, may sell Mazda stake for cash

(Newser) - Ford rejected merger overtures from GM earlier this year and decided to ride out its financial issues alone, the Wall Street Journal reports. The GM-Ford talks were “very loose and preliminary, more exploratory in nature than anything else,” a source said. Both companies have denied bankruptcy rumors, but...

In Crisis, Wheels Coming Off for Detroit Automakers

Economic downturn bad news for cars

(Newser) - The situation in Detroit looked bleak before the current economic crisis; now, it looks apocalyptic, the Washington Post reports. As GM’s stock fell 31% yesterday. Adjust for inflation, and the company is worth far less now than it was after the 1929 crash. “It’s devastating,” said...

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