ON THE TABLE
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 04:38PM July 29, 2009
The "New" Chrysler. Not content with three brands - none of which is setting any sales record of late, to put it mildly - the "word" on the street here in the Motor City is that Chrysler is expanding to four brands, which will consist of Chrysler, Dodge (car), Jeep, and Ram (truck). What part of this seemed to be a good idea? The "not selling" part or the "more" part? As we like to say around here at AE, you just can't make this shit up.
Sergio Marchionne. He came, he saw, he conquered Chrysler. Okay, he used a giant chunk of OPM (other people's money) to do it, but what the hell. Next up for the "visionary" Italian executive? Get ready for the "new" Fiat North America when the "new" Chrysler fails to get off the ground. Jeeps and Fiats, oh my!
Steven Chu. Publisher's Note: The Energy Secretary insists that U.S. R&D on hydrogen fuel cells is a waste of time and money, which goes against a couple of upcoming bills in the House and Senate that would resurrect serious funding for the program. Chu feels that hydrogen fuel cells are impractical for vehicles because they would require the creation of a hydrogen infrastructure. Well, uh, duh, Mr. Secretary. Considering all of the money this country pisses away on an endless series of crap-tastic boondoggle programs, it would be an unconscionable waste of money to develop a hydrogen infrastructure according to your logic, now, wouldn't it? The joke about the "hydrogen thing" when it comes to automobiles is that it's always 20 years away, no matter what. And with that kind of boneheaded intransigence I guess it will stay that way, huh, Mr. Secretary? When is this country going to wake up and get out front of something, before it's too late? Fuel cell development will benefit the entire nation. Case in point? One of the most promising offshoots of GM's hydrogen fuel cell program was the serious development of practical fuel cell applications that would transform the future of our home heating and cooling systems. Instead of shrugging your shoulders and throwing up your hands, Mr. Secretary, why don't you do something positive about it, like encourage innovation and blue sky thinking for a change, instead of saying it can't be done? - PMD
Toyota. Scrambling is not a good look for the company formerly known as "The Juggernaut." The latest indication? They're creating a fully owned but separate company to coordinate the automaker’s marketing and advertising operations to facilitate quicker, less bureaucratic decision making for local markets. Wait a minute, didn't they let the guy go who could have done that for them? And isn't he happy at Ford now?
Jaguar. They finally kill the X-type - you mean they're still making it? - so, altogether now, Would you miss it?
The Buick Open. The end of the line for the Buick Open has come after 50 years. GM will not renew its longstanding sponsorship agreement with the tournament after this week's event concludes.
Simon Sproule. After a stint at Microsoft, former Nissan PR guru Simon Sproule is moving to Paris to work for Carlos Ghosn again, becoming head of global communications for the Renault-Nissan Alliance beginning September 1. At the end of the day Simon's heart was always in the auto biz, so it's good to see him go back home to Renault-Nissan.
Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance. The 2009 Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. One of the country’s premier car events, the Meadow Brook Concours will be held on Sunday, August 2, and features more than 200 historic and rare automobiles including an exemplary display of “Fins and Chrome: The Convertibles of 1959” among many other interesting groupings. There are many special events planned for the entire weekend, including RM Auctions 15th Annual Vintage Cars of Meadow Brook, an automotive design forum and a gala strolling dinner on Saturday night. For more info, visit the Meadow Brook Concours website at http://www.mbhconcours.org/.
Ferrari. Check out the successor to the F430, the Ferrari 458 Italia, by clicking here. Wow.
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and friends this Thursday evening, July 30, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv. By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links:
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