BLOG: Jesse Snyder
How speed kept Carroll Shelby alive an extra 50 years
Posted 8:14 pm U.S. ET, May 11
DETROIT -- Carroll Shelby finally lost the grudge match against his own human frailty.
His heart gave out in his thirties. He should have died in the '50s when he was racing Aston Martins in Europe, popping nitro glycerin capsules under his tongue each race. But he didn't die -- not for another half-century and dozens of bypasses, grafts and finall ...
Continue reading "How speed kept Carroll Shelby alive an extra 50 years" » May 11, 2012 8:14 pm U.S. ET
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Pare it down or beef it up?
Posted 4:55 pm U.S. ET, May 1It finally happened. Lincoln is now just a rounding error for Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales. In April, Ford brand sales fell 5 percent, the same percentage as FoMoCo's total. Lincoln lost 13 percent, but it's too small -- and too alone -- to affect the corporate number.
Lincoln's sold 6,308 units in April, not even 1/27th of Ford Motor's total. That' ...
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'Nylon 12' shortage? Watch logistics wizards work
Posted 4:02 pm U.S. ET, April 17Today in Detroit, rival suppliers and automakers are huddling in emergency session because of a March 31 explosion and fire at an Evonik chemical plant in Marl, Germany.
It's a chance for the industry's unheralded miracle workers -- the logistics experts -- to do their jobs.
The explosion killed two workers. It ...
Continue reading "'Nylon 12' shortage? Watch logistics wizards work" » Apr 17, 2012 4:02 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Hyundai moves from 'value brand to a valuable brand'
Posted 4:09 pm U.S. ET, April 13Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik talks a lot these days about transitioning from a "value brand to a valuable brand." He's got the slides to back him: Hyundai has the lowest cash incentives in the biz and the second smallest discount from sticker prices.
But I see another transition, in how Hyundai operates as a business. For all that glitzy ...
Continue reading "Hyundai moves from 'value brand to a valuable brand'" » Apr 13, 2012 4:09 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Warning: Superlative shortage ahead!
Posted 5:02 pm U.S. ET, April 3Auto sales are booming. Great. Super. Just ask manufacturers and dealers.
On second thought, don’t ask dealers. One, they’re going to tell you anyhow. And two, they’re running out of both superlatives and ways to express themselves.
Be nice. Some dealers could hurt themselves.
Continue reading "Warning: Superlative shortage ahead!" » Apr 3, 2012 5:02 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Can I get a 'woo-hoo'?
Posted 4:13 pm U.S. ET, March 27Spring came early this year. So has the blossoming of auto sales.
After three years of slow, reluctant, sometimes grindingly grudging growth, auto sales are finally flowing swiftly.
Since the bottom of last year's post-quake minislump, in August, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales jumped to 15.1 milli ...
Continue reading "Can I get a 'woo-hoo'?" » Mar 27, 2012 4:13 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Why Chrysler's Francois aims to go viral
Posted 9:51 am U.S. ET, March 14DETROIT -- So there he was. Self described as "a French employee of an Italian automaker living in Detroit," Olivier Francois was holed up in a hotel in a snowstorm during his first Michigan winter, trying to get a handle on U.S. car buyers by watching American TV.
First take for Francois, now the chief marketing officer for Fiat and Chrysler and g ...
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From 'oh, no' to 'go-go'
Posted 6:04 pm U.S. ET, March 1February could be the breakthrough month the U.S. auto industry has been banking on.
For the first time since tumbling into the ditch four years ago, the industry wasn't an overburdened giant trying to climb out of the mud and regain some dignity.
This time, the industry straightened its shoulders, walked up to ...
Continue reading "From 'oh, no' to 'go-go'" » Mar 1, 2012 6:04 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Up early: Automakers find their inner rooster
Posted 5:00 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 1A certain sign that U.S. auto sales are recovering: Automakers are releasing monthly results earlier in the day to catch better news headlines.
Exhibit A: Chrysler Group was up before dawn today for a double blast of good news -- its first post-bankruptcy annual profit about 7 a.m. and a half hour later a 44 percent U.S. sales increase in January.< ...
Continue reading "Up early: Automakers find their inner rooster" » Feb 1, 2012 5:00 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Saab swan song sparks online flurry
Posted 3:26 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 17Apparently nothing piques interest in a Saab like declaring bankruptcy and dropping warranty coverage.
Dataium, which tracks electronic researches of vehicles on all automotive Web sites, says overall online inquiries on Saabs has jumped 10 percent since the Swedish automaker declared bankruptcy on Dec. 19.
But ...
Continue reading "Saab swan song sparks online flurry " » Jan 17, 2012 3:26 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
Mood in Detroit: Anticipating ’12 but remembering ’09
Posted 4:23 pm U.S. ET, Jan. 12The Detroit auto show started on a high note and as the week progressed from media days to industry days the mood has been rising.
Peter Fuss, German-area auto leader for Ernst & Young, noticed it as soon as he got off the flight from Stuttgart. “Everybody arrived happy and they get happier after talking to others.”
Continue reading "Mood in Detroit: Anticipating ’12 but remembering ’09" » Jan 12, 2012 4:23 pm U.S. ET Post Comment | Permalink
