DaimlerChrysler News - Man charged with threatening Big 2.5 auto execs

March 31, 2007 by tsikot · Leave a Comment

We’ve all been frustrated with the Big 2.5 domestic automakers lately. While they’ve made enough bad decisions in the past to draw our ire, that’s no reason to go threatening the auto execs with bodily harm. That’s what one 30-year-old man from Yale, Michigan did. Patrick W. Hufford Jr. called into the Oakland Press on Monday and left a message threatening each CEO with “great bodily harm” if things didn’t get better by April 1st.

That’s right, Hufford gave Rick Wagoner, Alan Mulally and Tom LaSorda six days to improve the state of the auto industry. Talk about working under a deadline. Hufford’s message indicated he was specifically upset about the auto industry and the union (UAW), though he is apparently not employed by any of the automakers.

Today Hufford was arraigned on a two-count telecommunications misdemeanor warrant and then released on a personal bond. If convicted, he could spend six months in jail and pay a $1,000 fine.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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Source: www.autoblog.com

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Ford News - Mullaly drops in at highest-volume Ford dealer for some face time

March 31, 2007 by tsikot · Leave a Comment

, Ford

Last week Ford CEO Alan Mulally visited a Blue Oval dealership in Dearborn and helped move three units off the showroom floor in 40 minutes. This week he further fulfilled his promise to walk in the shoes of a dealer for a day by visiting Galpin Motors in North Hills, CA. Galpin isn’t a Ford dealership, it’s the Ford dealership, regularly posting the highest volume of sales in the country. It’s side business, Galpin Auto Sports, is where MTV tapes Pimp My Ride. Automotive News didn’t report that Mulally got to sell any vehicles during his stop off at Galpin like he did at Village Ford in Dearborn, but the CEO did spend some time touring the dealership’s entire facility. We’re not sure if Mulally has satisfied his verbal commitment to be a dealer for a day, or if visits like this might become common place in the future.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Source: www.autoblog.com

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Infiniti News - New York Preview: Infiniti drops new pics of G37 Coupe

March 31, 2007 by tsikot · Leave a Comment

, Coupes, Infiniti

click above image to view our entire gallery of high-res pic for the 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe

Not much news here, just pics. Infiniti just released additional artsy images of the new 2008 G37 Coupe that will make its official debut next week at the New York Auto Show. As always, we’ve added them to our gallery of desktop wallpaper-sized pics for your perusal.

Next Infiniti G Coupe officially named G37
Enter the rumormill: 500HP Infiniti G37 twin-turbo on tap for 201…
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Nissan News - First Drive: Sentra SE-R Spec V

March 31, 2007 by tsikot · Leave a Comment

, Economy, Nissan

Click the image above for our full gallery of desktop wallpaper-sized pics

Nissan determined that Miami would serve as the East Coast launching ground for the next addition to its SE-R legacy. Why Miami? We don’t know either, but ignoring the hard bodies, mojitos and other stereotypes of this great proboscis into the Atlantic, the question to be answered is this: does the new Sentra SE-R live up to its predecessors or is it simply an econobox with a red seatbelt? We were invited to the Homestead Speedway to find out.

Continue reading First Drive: Sentra SE-R Spec V

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Toyota News - UAW hosting town hall meeting for Toyota workers

March 30, 2007 by tsikot · Leave a Comment

, Toyota

The Detroit News is reporting that the United Auto Workers union is hosting a town hall meeting for workers at Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Kentucky this Saturday. Not an organization known to mince words, the UAW has labeled the meeting’s topic as “The Human cost of Toyota’s Success”. A press release issued about the meeting states that workers will talk about on-the-job injuries, the use of temps, and concerns about conditions at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. In attendance will be UAW Vice President Terry Thurman.

As far as we know, the UAW has not managed to establish a credible presence at any automotive assembly plant in the U.S. owned by a foreign automaker. The union would certainly have us believe that the town hall meeting will be attended by a number of disgruntled Toyota employees ready to take action against their employer in a more organized way. Indeed, Thurman states “Our union is firmly and fully committed to helping these workers gain justice.”

Problem is, we’ve never heard of these gross injustices being perpetrated against workers employed by foreign automakers. Perhaps that’s because these workers have never had an organized voice before, but it could also be because their jobs are no worse or better than those under the umbrella of the UAW at domestic automakers. Truly, we really don’t know which is the case and are very interested in what the workers at Toyota’s assembly plant in Kentucky have to say.