Auto Blog, Lease Reviews, Auto News, Vehicle Road Test, Personal Finance

May 2009 Entries

May29

GM prepares to terminate more dealerships…





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

GM prepares to terminate more dealerships


DETROIT -- General Motors plans to start telling more dealerships that they will be terminated when their franchise agreements expire in 17 months.
Two sources familiar with GM's strategy said the automaker planned to shutter as many as 450 additional stores beyond the 1,124 announced on May 15. In an interview late Thursday, GM sales chief Mark LaNeve said the figure is "less than half" that many.

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May29

Volkswagen Eos White Night special-edition





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Volkswagen Eos White Night special-edition

Volkswagen Eos White Night special-edition
The new Volkswagen special-edition Eos White Night is big on contrast, with a Candy White body offset by a Deep Black Pearlescent roof, side mirrors, and radiator grille. The look is an interesting one,

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May29

US GOVERMENT will invest another $30 billion in GM





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

US GOVERMENT will invest another $30 billion in GM

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration plans to inject $30 billion into General Motors on top of the $19.4 billion it has already lent as part of a sweetened offer to bondholders, senior administration officials said today.

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May26

Audi pays $219.6 million to its employees





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Audi pays 219.6 million to its employees

Audi AG is the only German premium automaker that has committed to giving its workers a profit-sharing bonus for 2008. The German automaker will pay 157 million euros ( 219.6 Million Dollars) in bonuses by the end of this month. That works out to be an average of 3,600 euros per person. Faced with the need to cut labor costs, Daimler AG's management and union decided last month not to pay out a

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May26

Volkswagen unit loans Porsche $980 million dollars





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Volkswagen unit loans Porsche $980 million dollars

Volkswagen unit loans Porsche $980 million dollars
STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) -- Porsche confirmed on Monday it got a 700 million euro ($980 million) loan from its Volkswagen unit but insisted it could cope with its debt woes."Porsche is not on the verge of insolvency even if that is alleged over and over," a company spokesman said, referring to media reports about the German group whose takeover of VW has stalled, forcing it instead to seek a merger with VW.

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May22

GM reaches deal with Canadian Auto Workers union





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

GM reaches deal with Canadian Auto Workers Union

GM reaches deal with Canadian Auto Workers unionAfter two weeks of intense negotiations, General Motors Canada and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union have reached a deal that will help the automaker cut costs, allowing it to meet the terms for additional government loans. Ken Lewenza, head of the CAW,

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May22

2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo





FEATURED Vehicle Road Test | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

2010 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Despite the departure of controversial lead designer Chris Bangle, BMW is showing no signs of returning to the "One sausage, three-sizes" styling brief that it once adhered to. The latest proof of this is the announcement of the

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May21

UAW has tentative contract with General Motors





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

UAW has tentative contract with General Motors

General Manager & Dealer Principal Information
The UAW says it has reached a tentative new contract with General Motors and the U.S. Treasury Department aimed at helping the automaker restructure.
The terms include reworking $20 billion in debt owed to a UAW-administered retiree health care trust known as a Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA, the union said in a statement today.

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May19

President Obama, fuel-economy proposal





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

President Obama, fuel-economy proposal

Government regulators will get their prize of higher fuel-economy standards, and automakers will get the certainty of a national emissions standard, under new rules to be proposed Tuesday by President Barack Obama. The fleet average fuel economy for automakers will rise to 35.5 mpg in 2016 under the president's proposal--10 mpg more than today's mandate. At the same time, the president's proposed rule will cut carbon emissions, thought to be a key factor in global warming.

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May19

Daimler takes 10 percent stake in Tesla Motors





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Daimler takes 10 percent stake in Tesla Motors

Daimler takes 10 percent stake in Tesla Motors
Daimler AG has acquired an equity stake of nearly 10 percent of California electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc., During a press conference held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart this morning. Daimler said its stake in Tesla will allow the companies to collaborate even more closely

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May18

UAW fears, GM will import Chinese-made cars





FEATURED Finance Companies | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

UAW fears, GM will import Chinese-made cars

The UAW expects a crucial round of restructuring talks with General Motors "to intensify this coming week" ahead of an end-of-May deadline set by the Obama administration.

In an e-mail message sent to rank-and-file workers, the union also repeated its opposition to GM's plans to close 16 U.S. manufacturing plants and cut about 21,000 jobs while also planning to increase vehicle imports from GM plants in lower-wage economies such as Mexico, South Korea and China.

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May15

GM will be Closing 1,124 dealerships.





FEATURED Finance Companies | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

GM will be Closing 1,124 dealerships.

GM will be Closing 1,124 dealerships.

DETROIT -- General Motors has told 1,124 dealerships, most of them small and considered to be poor performers, that their GM franchise agreements likely won’t be extended past October 2010. But the letters, which are arriving today, say dealers can appeal the decision.

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May14

Chrysler Closings 789 of its U.S. dealerships by June 9





FEATURED Finance Companies | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Chrysler closings 789 of its U.S. dealerships by June 9

Chrysler closings 789 of its U.S. dealerships by June 9
DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC’s plan to eliminate a quarter of its U.S. dealerships by June 9 means the vast majority of the surviving stores will sell the Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brands under the same roof -- a longstanding

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May14

Porsche Panamera in production





FEATURED Featured Vehicles | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Porsche Panamera in production

Porsche Panamera in production

It is here!! After years of anticipation and ramp-up, Porsche has finally begun production of the Panamera four-door model at its factory in Leipzig. But don't take our word for it, you can go and see for yourself as the German automaker has re-opened the factory to the public.

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May12

Ford offers 300 million shares of stock fund automotive operations.





FEATURED Finance Companies | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Ford offers 300 million shares of stock fund automotive operations.

Right now, cash is king in the automotive world, and Ford Motor Company is looking to raise some serious greenbacks with 300 million shares of common stock. The money will be used to fund automotive operations, with a portion of the payments Ford is required

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May07

Town of Tracy, CA. Gives away $500 to car buyers





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Town of Tracy, CA. Gives away $500 to car buyers

The small town of Tracy, CA is the place to buy a new car!
The municipality is giving away 800 $500 gift certificates to any one of the city's car dealerships and the dealers apparently love the program.
Auto Sales in the region are down 50% versus previous years, and a Volkswagen store has already closed, and a Cadillac/Pontiac/GMC store is set to follow suit at the end of this month.

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May06

2010 VW Scirocco GT with a new 2.0-liter TDI Diesel





Featured Vehicles | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

2010 VW Scirocco GT with a new 2.0-liter TDI Diesel

2010 VW Scirocco GT with a new 2.0-liter TDI Diesel
The Europeans just got another turbocharged diesel engine option for the Volkswagen Scirocco, The new Volkswagen Scirocco TDI won't be making its way to America making us more jealous.
The new powerplant is the same unit that VW recently introduced in the Golf GTD

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May06

Chrysler offers up to $6,000 worth of incentives





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Chrysler offers up to $6,000 worth of incentives

Chrysler offers up to $6,000 worth of incentives
As of May 6 2009, Chrysler is offering $4,000 Consumer Cash on all 2009 model year Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. But that's not all, if you own a current vehicle from one of those three brands, you get an additional $1,000 off on most 2008 and 2009 models (Chrysler doesn't say which ones in its press release after the jump, though). But wait, th

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May05

GIRLS OF THE AUTO SHOW!





FEATURED Featured Vehicles | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

GIRLS OF THE AUTO SHOW!

GIRLS OF THE AUTO SHOW

Within the past year we have seen some of the most beautiful automobiles on our blog site. From the Bugatti to the Rolls Royce but we neglected to show some you the hardest workers at the auto shows. The models of the auto show are some of the most exposed hard working people there. They are required to look pretty and work

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May05

Hyundai Nuvis





FEATURED Featured Vehicles | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

Hyundai Nuvis

Hyundai Nuvis
The Hyundai Nuvis concept was revealed at this past 2009 New York Auto Show. The sweeping creases echo and expand upon Hyunadi's design direction that could be seen on the Genesis coupe and sedan and the Korean market Equus that stood on display nearby. Like so many other concepts at the show this year, this one featured doors that will almost certainly not be duplicated in production, extra-long gull-wings in this case.

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May01

APRIL 2009 AUTOMOTIVE SALES BY THE NUMBERS





FEATURED Auto News | By David Walker, LeaseTrader.com | Add Comment |

APRIL 2009 AUTOMOTIVE SALES BY THE NUMBERS

APRIL 2009 AUTOMOTIVE SALES BY THE NUMBERS
Ford, Honda and General Motors posted their smallest sales declines of the year in April, while Nissan and Toyota had their largest, as the industry improved from depressed levels of February and March. Drops of 33 percent at Ford Motor Co. and GM were in line with ana

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