Why the public rejects car firm bailouts May 31, 2009 WE are almost there. Barring a last minute hiccup, General Motors (GM) will enter into bankruptcy today. Like Chrysler, it will be using section 363 of the US code, which ought to allow it to reemerge in a few months having shed assets, liabilities and shareholders, and with the government owning the bulk of the [...]
Vertu in 30m share placing May 28, 2009 VERTU, the car retailer, announced yesterday it would raise £30m through a share placing, as it sought to raise its number of dealerships from 45 to over 60. It added that its sales at the company were beating market averages, as it posted pre-tax profit of £70,000 for the year to end-February. Last year, 14 [...]
Market forces should be let loose on GM May 28, 2009 IT is a sign of our troubled and confused times that the US government will end up owning a majority stake in General Motors (GM), the ailing car giant that is heading into bankruptcy. It remains unclear what exactly will happen to Vauxhall, the UK division of Germany’s GM-owned Opel, but it seems likely it [...]
Toyota bumped down in the US May 25, 2009 Toyota lost its top spot in a rank of suppliers in the US yesterday, as Honda beat it to the post. Toyota came second in the annual survey. Among the US carmakers, Ford climbed from the bottom two years ago to make its largest lead over General Motors (GM), while Chrysler ranked last for the [...]
Ford slams state loans May 21, 2009 THE head of Ford in Europe yesterday struck out against the German government’s decision to offer a €1.5bn (£1.3bn) bridge loan to GM’s Opel division. John Fleming warned that the loan would give Ford’s US rival a competitive edge, adding that he was worried by the French states’ €6.8bn loan to PSA Peugeot Citro&1057;n and Renault.
Feud over scrap scheme ends after UK carmakers commit May 19, 2009 CARMAKERS ended their dispute with the government over the new cash-for-bangers scheme yesterday, and confirmed they will take part in the programme. Ford and Honda delayed their involvement in the scheme at the eleventh hour over concerns about how their financial contribution to the scheme would be structured. Both wanted clarification of VAT arrangements and [...]
Dixon the risk-taker changes his tactics to thrive in the recession May 19, 2009 You could almost be mistaken for thinking Mark Dixon, the founder and chief executive of office space provider Regus, is enjoying this recession. Perhaps it is because Regus’ share price has bounced 50 per cent since March. What is clear is that the short, fair-haired, serial entrepreneur who is sitting in one of his flagship [...]
A moon buggy thats great in the country May 19, 2009 THE off-road market has come in for a lot of flak over the last few years and I’ve been a fully paid up member of the anti-league. However, my venom was more about those cars being driven in cities instead of actually doing the job they’re designed to do. I live in the country and [...]
Cash-for-banger scheme dealt opening day blow May 18, 2009 BUSINESS secretary Lord Mandelson’s scrappage scheme was dealt a blow at its launch yesterday, as two of the scheme’s backers delayed registration of their new vehicles at the eleventh hour. The cash-for-bangers programme, designed to kickstart the ailing auto industry, gives motorists a £2,000 incentive when they trade in their old car for a new, [...]
Ford in the red with £213m losses October 21, 2005 Ford fell into the red as losses in its key North American division increased and sales of high-margin sport utility vehicles dropped. The world’s third largest automaker, which is facing a deepening financial crisis, reported its third quarter results yesterday. It announced a $377m (£213m) pre-tax loss compared to a $718m (£406m) profit the previous [...]