Kerkorian still Giving GM Headaches

DETROIT -- General Motors shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, frustrated with CEO Rick Wagoner's lack of enthusiasm for an alliance with Nissan-Renault, will ask the board of directors to hire an independent committee to study the deal, says a source familiar with the situation.
GM's board will meet Tuesday, Oct. 3. At that time, Kerkorian's representative, Jerry York, is expected to push for third parties not connected to GM to study the benefits of the alliance. Other board members are expected to support the request, but it's not clear how many favor an independent committee, the source says.
Kerkorian, who owns a 9.9 percent stake in GM, this week said he may buy more shares. He proposed an alliance between GM and Nissan-Renault in July. GM agreed to enter exploratory talks with Nissan-Renault for 90 days. Those talks are being led by management of all three companies.
Wagoner has repeatedly said that GM's first priority is focusing on its turnaround plan, not an alliance. GM lost $10.6 billion last year.

It would be wonderful if Kirk Kerkorian only had GM's best interests at heart and wanted to whip GM into a lean mean GM-Nissan Machine, But this isn't the solution for what needs to be done and Rick Wagoneer has the answer and is implementing it.

Kirk Kerkorian is really out to get the maximum return on his investment in General Motors and if having them merge with Nissan

is the way to do it than that's what he want's done, I don't believe this is the answer and nether does wallstreet or the GM board of directors, But they will go along with this study and play by the rules.

J.

Chrysler Aspen

Chrysler is introducing their version of the dodge Durango aptly called the Aspen, it looks to follow the same path as other luxury sport utes in carrying more standard features with a more upscale look.

With gas prices coming down somewhat, timing may be on the Aspen's side, it looks somewhat like a Chrysler minivan, but this can turn out to be a good thing.

more Info

J.

What's next for the Corvette

After the successful 2005 launch of the sixth generation or C6 Corvette and the launch of the C6 based Z06, Corvette fans everywhere are speculating on what Chevrolet has up it's sleeve for the Corvette. There are rumors circulating that a super Corvette or Z07 is running around the world as an engineering prototype in preparation for a upcoming launch. While this car will generate the Bulk of the news around the car, Chevy will continue to refine the car and make small but tactile improvements as is always done form year to year, one of the upcoming improvements I'd like to see is the quality of the interior materials improved, I'd also like to see the switch gear such as the turn signal switches and air conditioning and heating controllers refined and improved upon.

Every new generation Corvette seems to hit the mark almost immediately and there's usually very little need for major changes to the car, but there's always room for improvement, and the car also serves as the Halo car for GM,the latest technical think out of the engineering corps shows up in the Corvette first and then trickles down to less expensive models later.

The Corvette seems to be in a position that allows it a sort of special status, this hasn't always been the case for this great icon.

But even the non car enthusiast seems to understand that one can't run the car biz on economics alone, and the Corvette is proof of that.

This is a great example of giving a consistent message, the public understands what the Corvette is about, and because of this the Corvette has continued to be a viable choice in the sports car market for over 50 years.

J.

More Modeo

Here's another picture of the Ford Mondeo that north American Consumers won't be able to drive. I've always been amazed at some of the great cars that European Ford buyers have, I can't understand the logic behind why this is, but considering the way things are for their north American operations...

It's time To open up the toy store and bring all the good stuff over here. Why Ford seems to think that buyers here have such different tastes is beyond me.

J.

Racing to return to Belle Isle

Autoweek reports.

Racing and business entrepreneur Roger Penske is about to create more magic for Motown. It will not be returning the National Football League’s Super Bowl to Detroit—a project he undertook and delivered almost single-handedly—but resurrecting something with which he is far more familiar, big-time motor racing.
Penske is expected to announce that he will stage a race on Detroit’s Belle Isle, one of the largest city parks in the United States.

This is great news, not since the hey days of the now defunct Cart has

there been any racing of any real caliber in the area, it's nice to see

Mr Penske behind something like this, that also happens to be road racing.

Read More

J.

Hyundai Has arrived

Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that after some twenty plus

years in the north American auto market that Hyundai has definitely

arrived as a force to be reckoned with, while in the early days many

people dismissed the Korean manufacturer as a bottom feeder that

would only attract customers who aspired to more established brands but could not afford to.

This writer remembers an auto dealer friend commenting that Hyundai would be a good franchise for those without the means to Shop Toyota, GM or Ford, and maybe in the early days this could be partially true.

The fit and finish and overall refinement was sadly missing from

Hyundai's product line ,the cars for all intents and purposes where

warmed over versions of older generation Japanese designs.

The powertrains chassis and overall fit and finish couldn't match

what was coming out of Japan, but Hyundai had the ability to under price the Japanese and American competition and that was their

biggest asset,and Hyundai has always had a plan, come into the market cheap, with deep pockets,and stay in for the long run and establish yourself as a legitimate player in America.

And it now looks like they have, their cars are showing up with great designs and finish, generous powertrain warranties and plenty of standard equipment with a still very competitive price.

When I look into my own crystal ball I see a future where Hyundai

will increase market share and possibly make a bid for the near and maybe eventually high end luxury market.

I doubt there's anybody laughing in Detroit or Japan now.

J.

Women with wheels

If you happen to be a woman and read my blog, or if you just want a different perspective on the Automobile, there's a great site that is really all about the female view of things. I always find it useful and gives me a well rounded view of what the Female buyer thinks of the latest from the Automakers.

Check it out

J.

New Chrysler Sebring

From Inside line

Sparsely equipped and hastily furnished, previous-generation Sebring's felt like rental cars on the inside. Chrysler addressed both issues during the redesign, although materials quality still won't threaten the import-brand leaders.

I've always coincided the Sebring a sleeper or the perfect rental car

that always appealed to the person who isn't interested in getting attention. It seems that mopars engineers may have realized this also

and have decided to make changes. The new car still seems like a

sleeper.

J.

Jaguars new direction

The latest from Jaguar....

Jaguar’s future hinges on a handsome and contemporary new styling theme for its mainstay luxury sedans, S-Type and XJ. The two cars will shed Jaguar’s variation on retro styling, which has stunted sales in recent years, for a new look intended to make Jaguars much more desirable—and profitable and secure within parent company Ford.

While I hate to see Jaguar move away from what I consider to be timeless beautiful styling, this may be what the British maker needs

to return to health, Jaguar has lost the mindshare game as I've

noted elsewhere and needs to make major changes to get the public interested again.

J.

Read more...

The raw and the good, can you say Viper?

There are always moments in life when you realize that you've gone from liking something, to really loving it, in the case of my love of cars, this happened when I was 14 years old and happened to be browsing through a car magazine.

It was the first time I'd ever seen a Lamborghini Countach, I was stunned at the shape of the car, the Doors, the engine was in the back!,what an incredible car. from that point on I would always dream of the day that I could own one, It would to fuel my desires for such things.

As time passed, my tastes changed, while I still rated the Countach number one, I realized that Having a Mustang or Camaro would have to do.

Things continued to change as did my tastes, I went from Mustangs to Motorcycles to sports sedans and little Hondas.

These days, practicality is the name of the game and a SUV has now become my latest toy, it has room for my family, and can tow a boat.

Life came full circle for me when I attended a local auto show, I walked up to a display of a new Viper, I personally wasn't very excited about the car and couldn't get close, it was surrounded by preteen boys, all of them talking to each other, it was obvious to me that in the eyes of this audience, the Viper was a runaway hit, it was audacious and impractical, perfect for a little boy. At that moment I realized that this is the stuff of automotive dreams, and the designers at Dodge should be thanked for providing the Viper In a world filled with Civics ,priuses and Camry's.

J.

Latest Mercedes Review

From Autoweek...

RAYNAL: This baby just whooshes along. According to Mercedes, the S600 runs to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, faster than a Corvette, faster than a 911, heck, probably faster than some Ferraris. 612 lb-ft of torque? Crazy.
It took me awhile down in the garage to learn Benz’s version of iDrive, but it’s easy once familiar. The cabin is a bit of a BMW 7 Series rip-off, too. The seats are so adjustable, anybody could find a comfortable driving position, and there are plenty of toys to fiddle with to entertain one for hours.
The brakes felt terrific. Even in the rain the ABS never kicked in; at least I never felt it.
If I was in the market for a luxury car, I would look no further. Audi, BMW, Lexus—all inferior, in my opinion. This one is the best.

I don't really agree with Everything Here, I believe that Lexus and BMW have their own advantages, but there is no denying that this big Benz is is a pretty nice car.

J.

GM'S 3.6L VVT Engine

Flint Engine South Begins Production Of Versatile 2007 GM 3.6L V-6 VVT Engine This Week

Today, General Motors delivered on its 2004 promise to invest approximately $300 million in its Flint Engine South manufacturing plant, further strengthening a key GM manufacturing center and contributing to the state and local economy.

GM Flint South began production of the 3.6L V-6 with variable valve timing (VVT), which is used in the 2007 Cadillac CTS, SRX and STS; Saturn Outlook; GMC Acadia and slated for the 2008 Buick Enclave.

The 3.6L V-6 VVT is an all-aluminum, dual overhead camshaft engine with variable valve timing. The engine uses full four-cam phasing, rapid data processing and torque-based engine management to optimize power, fuel economy, emissions performance and exceptional smoothness.

Chrysler Looking for small car partner

DETROIT (Reuters) -- The Chrysler group aims to finalize by the end of this year a partner to build and launch a subcompact car, CEO Tom LaSorda said today.
LaSorda, speaking to the Automotive Press Association, also said the company has not ruled out China as an export hub for the new car.
"We know we can't do it alone," he said. "The capital expense alone would be very high."
Chrysler currently has no model in the subcompact car segment, which is popular outside United States.

Why does Chrysler need a partner to build a small car? You would think they have the resources to do this in house.

J.