PlanMaestro Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8448191415_ceb863dc5a.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8448190957_549c28b069.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Auto execs turn away from EV, focus r&d on downsizing, hybrids. http://www.autonews.com/article/20130208/ANE/302089999#ixzz2KHnvsKYL Nissan has Europe’s top-selling electric car, the Leaf, but the volume in 2012 was just 5,341 units, according to the company. As late as June last year, Nissan executives told Automotive News Europe they aimed to sell 9,000 units of the EV compact in 2012. As of October last year, just 15,272 electric cars were sold in the EU, according to data from the European Association for Battery, Hybrid & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (Avere). Despite thousands of euros in government incentives, electric cars are still much more expensive than comparably sized gasoline- or diesel-powered cars. In the UK, which Avere ranks as the fourth-largest market for electric cars in Europe, the Leaf costs 23,490 pounds (27,960 euros) after a 5,000-pound government-funded discount. By comparison, a similar-sized Nissan Qashqai starts at 16,595 pounds. Some automakers are cutting or scaling back EV model programs. Opel said last year it had axed the electric version of its Adam minicar, citing high costs. At the other end of the price scale, Audi has pulled back from offering customers an all-electric, E-tron version of its R8 supercar. “Ten vehicles have been assembled, and these are primarily intended for internal purposes,” a spokesman said. The company had promised production versions for sale at the end of last year. The first E-tron Audi will now be a plug-in hybrid version of its A3 compact, due 2014. Another hindrance to the uptake of EVs is the lack of recharging facilities across Europe. “It will be nearly impossible to persuade consumers of the merits of the actual e-vehicles if there is nowhere to plug them in,” Ivan Hodac, secretary general of European auto industry group ACEA, said in a statement last month. Carmakers argue that if you have the right infrastructure and the right incentives, demand for electric cars will take off. One country that has proved this is Norway. According to Avere, Norway has Europe’s second-largest EV market after France. Nissan’s figures show that the Scandinavian country accounted for more than half of all Leaf sales in Europe last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 The Global Car, or when an Audi A4 will be just a Passat with nice accessories. The sense from competitors and auto analysts is that VW's rollout of MQB is likely to be as influential as such earlier innovations as Ford's adaptation of standardized parts, GM's "ladder" of brands and Toyota's streamlined production system. Insight: Has Volkswagen discovered the Holy Grail of carmakers? http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-autos-volkswagen-future-idUSBRE91A04D20130211?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=56943 After a six-year gestation, VW has just begun to implement its sophisticated and highly flexible platform with the deceptively simple label MQB, a German acronym for "modular transverse matrix." Virtually all of the group's small and medium front-wheel-drive family models, including the latest generations of the VW Golf and Audi A3, are being designed around MQB as their base. The new platform features a far greater degree of plug-and-play modularity, flexibility and parts commonality than at Toyota, General Motors Co, Ford and other competitors. MQB "could be the single most important automotive initiative of the past 25 years," says Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Consulting in Northville, Michigan. "It really changes the game." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Average Age American Cars. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8468860442_41161f1946.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephistopheles Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Average Age American Cars. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8468860442_41161f1946.jpg According to the Grants Interest Rate Observer: Winter Break Edition, the average age is 11 years today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 According to the Grants Interest Rate Observer: Winter Break Edition, the average age is 11 years today. You are correct sir, thought that the trend and comparison was interesting and did not check the scale. http://www.economist.com/node/21548275 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Morningstar: How Toyota Lost Its Moat. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/toyota-lost-moat-120000528.html I wish they had discussed more the role of Volkswagen/Audi in changing of the rules of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaceliacapital Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Any of you who looked into Durr? A german player dependent for 80% of its revenue on the automotive industry as it delivers the plant engineering and machinery, mainly for painting and assembling of cars (also active in aircraft, green production processes etc). Stock price has run up terribly in the past years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 How to succeed by adding brands: VW, Chrysler strategies counter those of rivals Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130225/RETAIL07/302259966#ixzz2LvfXaopd On the flip side, GM went from nine brands in the United States a decade ago to four now. Ford Motor Co. dropped from seven to two, though four of its five castoffs survive under new ownership. "We're going against the grain," Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said last month. "Ford has decided to go with an oval strategy across the whole range, and we're the only ones that keep on carving up or have carved up our brand-name portfolio into more distinct pieces." Brand churn Additions, subtractions to the U.S. brand roster since 2000 New Alfa Romeo, 2013 (planned) Fiat, 2010 Fisker, 2010 Ram, 2009 Tesla, 2008 Smart, 2008 Bugatti, 2006 Maybach, 2003 Scion, 2002 Mini, 2002 Hummer, 2000 Dead Suzuki, 2012 Maybach, 2012 Saab, 2011 Mercury, 2010 Pontiac, 2010 Saturn, 2010 Hummer, 2010 Isuzu, 2008 Oldsmobile, 2004 Daewoo, 2002 Plymouth, 2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Morgan Stanley presentation. http://www.autonews.com/Assets/html/world_congress/pdf/pres_jonas.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 The decline in the number of young drivers (UK). http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ca4d7b6e-777f-11e2-9ebc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2MsBr8VAA http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8537485264_b692556f1b.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Volkswagen 20 years ago: how far they've come. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/crusader-at-the-wheel-ignacio-lopez-sees-himself-as-a-saviour-of-the-western-car-industry-writes-john-eisenhammer-but-his-move-from-gm-to-vw-led-to-its-biggest-upheaval-for-years-1482815.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay21 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Morgan Stanley presentation. http://www.autonews.com/Assets/html/world_congress/pdf/pres_jonas.pdf This was good, thanks. I missed one the links between housing and autos. Obviously they are correlated because they are both tied to the economy, but as housing and construction increase people will buy more pickups which are higher margin products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 This was good, thanks. I missed one the links between housing and autos. Obviously they are correlated because they are both tied to the economy, but as housing and construction increase people will buy more pickups which are higher margin products. Yes sir, though this is being a problem on both consumer dimensions. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8232/8564010564_5f683f74c3.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjone Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I am guessing student loan debt has a lot to do with this. I'd guess that for a lot of people who come from working class backgrounds and go to college, it takes them a few years after they graduate just to get back to zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packer16 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Is that data from a skewed population or include things like SS and Medicare because it is hard to believe the average 55 to 73 year old has a $1 million net worth. Packer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Is that data from a skewed population or include things like SS and Medicare because it is hard to believe the average 55 to 73 year old has a $1 million net worth. Packer There is a power law, the median is much lower than the mean. The 6 ft man that drowns in the pond that is 5 ft deep on average. Source: http://blog.governmentwedeserve.org/2013/03/15/lost-generations-wealth-building-among-the-young/ Another source telling similar story and numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_in_the_United_States#Distribution_of_wealth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Packer16 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 That makes more sense. Thx. Packer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Morningstar: Open Road Ahead For U.S. Auto Companies http://www.readability.com/articles/vj8eke78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 Big 3 dominate vehicle quality survey, take or tie for 12 top spots http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130514/AUTO01/305140327#ixzz2TKSXfO5q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay21 Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 WSJ: Pickups: America Falls Back in Love http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323744604578471500160694538.html?mod=ITP_marketplace_0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 New wave of American design stokes Detroit 3 market share gains http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130525/OEM03/305259999/new-wave-of-american-design-stokes-detroit-3-market-share-gains#axzz2UFq8elTj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 http://www.bloomberg.com/infographics/2013-06-04/may-us-auto-sales.html http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/8952046961_b0813f34ba.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Detroit Seizes Share in First Half With New Buyers http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-03/detroit-seizes-share-in-first-half-with-new-buyers.html “We live in a time where you can, with a straight face, say the best compact sedan that you can buy in the marketplace is a Chevrolet,” Ed Kim, an analyst with AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California, said of the Cruze. “When was the last time anyone could say that and not get laughed out of the room?” “These are probably some of the best products we’ve seen from American manufacturers since the early 1970s,” said Wolkonowicz, who believes a new generation is embracing Detroit. “Younger buyers are more prone to buy American and one reason is they want to be different than Mom and Dad, who fell in love with Japan Inc.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanMaestro Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Why is Volkswagen going upmarket when you have Audi and Porsche? After reading the article I still don't get it. Why VW Is Rolling the Dice on a $70,000 Car, Again http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-18/vw-phaeton-why-vw-is-rolling-the-dice-on-a-70-000-car-again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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