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09 Jan 2012 11:18

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Biz: Auto industry recovery: Detroit Auto Show reflects a reversal of fortunes

  • 4-9% expected increase in U.S. auto sales in 2012 source
  • » Pulling out the big guns: This week’s Detroit Auto Show is a giant coming-out party for an auto industry that was struggling to keep the engine running just a couple of years ago. But, while those times are certainly not gone entirely, they’ve certainly improved in recent years, which reflects in the boldness of this year’s models. In fact Chrysler, the weakest of the the three auto companies, is actually looking like a bright spot for Fiat, whose Chief Executive, Sergio Marchionne, invested in the company at its weakest point. “He entered Chrysler at rock bottom and will now capitalize on a U.S. recovery — the timing was perfect,” said automotive analyst Philippe Barrier. But maybe you’re like us and you don’t care about the specifics of the recovery and just want to see cool new cars. Well, the Detroit Free Press has you covered.

26 Apr 2011 09:59

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Biz: Ford scores largest quarterly profit since “Felicity” was popular

  • $2.55
    billion
    the amount in profits that Ford made in its most recent quarter — a huge boost thanks to small cars
  • circa
    1998
    the last time Ford had a profit this big — back when we were all listening to Third Eye Blind source

26 Oct 2010 10:23

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Biz: Ford, in blatant display of showing-off, posts record profits

  • $1.7B Ford’s profits in the third quarter of 2010 – a new record for the company
  • 1997 the year Ford set the quarterly record they broke this quarter
  • 69% the increase in profits from a year ago; not bad, auto industry source

06 Sep 2010 23:46

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Politics: Why our boy Adam Penenberg is a man amongst journalists

  • 1998Penenberg catches Stephen Glass, then a hotshot at The New Republic, fabricating a story. He legitimizes online journalism in the process.
  • 2003Penenberg’s unprecedented catch gets new appreciation in the wake of the Jayson Blair saga. Steve Zahn plays him in the excellent movie about Glass.
  • 2010 Frustrated that nobody is covering it, Penenberg takes to Twitter and tweets about a $131 million judgment against Ford. He’s hailed as an innovator again. source

14 Aug 2010 12:13

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Biz: The Detroit auto industry not looking so dire nowadays

  • Fundamentally this thing has been reshaped, resized and rethought. … We’re not trying to kill each other for this month’s market share. Those days are over. We’re not offering $7,000 checks to try to sell a car.
  • Chrysler (and Fiat!) CEO Sergio Marchionne • Discussing the major changes the Detroit auto companies have made in their business models in the wake of the whole bailout situation from a year or two ago. GM was on dire straits. Ford was skating by. It didn’t even look like Chrysler was going to make it. This has largely changed. Profits are back for the companies. They have slimmer product lines and payrolls. And their CEOs – especially GM’s new one – are outsiders to Detroit. Don’t call it a … OK, call it a comeback. source

23 Jul 2010 13:53

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Biz: Ford makes it five straight quarters of actual profit

  • $2.6 billion in profits this quarter; who needs a bailout? source

27 May 2010 20:47

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Biz: Ford kills Mercury, has eyes on Zeus himself next

  • 528k number of Mercury models the automaker sold in 1985
  • 92k number of Mercury models they sold just last year
  • 0k number of Mercury models they plan to sell after 2010 source
  • Why kill them? Simply put, Ford is trying to ditch most of their sub-brands to focus on the flagship. Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo have all met similar fates. Mercury has more history than any of those brands, though – at 71, it’s eligible for social security.
 

30 Apr 2010 16:15

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27 Apr 2010 10:45

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Biz: Ford kicking butt, taking names, selling Tauruses this quarter

  • $2.1B the size of Ford’s profit
    in the current quarter; that makes a whole year of profit for them
  • 2005 the last time the bailout-free company
    had four straight quarters of big profits
  • 96% the increase in sales the company’s revamped Ford Taurus has seen this quarter source

03 Feb 2010 21:19

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U.S.: Michigan Governor: We aren’t just about cars anymore

  • Where the old Michigan economy was all about autos and manufacturing…the new Michigan economy is much broader: clean energy, life sciences — like bio-economy and medical devices — homeland security and defense, advanced manufacturing, film and tourism.
  • Micigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm • In her final State of the State address before being term-limited out of office. The state, which has felt the worst effects of the recession, needs a change in mentality. Granholm says she plans to help the state leapfrog the auto industry in its entirety, while not quitting it entirely. With less than a year left, can she pull it off? With the economy in such dire straits, she needs to. source