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February, 2005 Archives | Homepage
Auto Sales Slipping in February
Auto sales are expected to fall in February. The Detroit Free Press reports that GM has already reduced prices on their mid-sized SUVs in February by as much as $2,000. The Free Press also reports that analysts expect the Chrysler Group to continue to do well as they have been enjoying strong sales for the 300 sedan. But analysts expect sales for Ford and General Motors to decrease
in February. Marketwatch.com also reported grim news for the auto giants, saying that, "Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp.,
already crimped by higher steel and oil prices, are seeing expectations for their market shares slip amid unimpressive forecasts for February U.S. auto sales." Oil is back above
$50 again which is not good news for auto retailers or for the U.S. economy in general.
Posted on February 28, 2005
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The Worst Gas Guzzlers
Patrick Rowlings at AskMen.com has compiled a list of some of the worst cars when it comes to gas mileage -- and there are a lot of cars that get bad mileage. The cars listed by AskMen.com all received less than 15mpg in the city and didn't do much better on the highway. The list includes: 2005 Ford Expedition, 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2005 Nissan Armada, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Lincoln Aviator and the 2004 Land Rover Discovery.
Posted on February 24, 2005
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Nissan Chief: Hybrid Cars Too Costly to Produce
Marketwatch.com reports that Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn cast doubt
on the future of hydrogen-fuel-cell cars by pointing out the
high costs. Ghosn said, "The cost to build one fuel-cell car is
about $800,000. Do the math and you figure out that we will have to
reduce the cost of that car by more than 95 percent in order to gain
widespread marketplace acceptance." There are several weblogs devoted
specifically to hybrid cards. Here are a few: Future Cars, Hybrid
Cars, Alternative Energy Blog, Autoblog, Tblog Hybrid Cars, HybridBuzz and Hybridcars.com.
Posted on February 21, 2005
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Blogs GM Likes
GM has been running an interesting weblog called Fast Lane.
On Fast Lane some of the top GM executives, including Bob Lutz,
GM Vice Chairman and Tom Stephens Group Vice President, GM Powertrain,
blog about their products and the automotive business. Listed on the
right hand side of the GM blog are some blogs GM likes. Some of these
include: AutoBlog, AutoMuse, Engadget, Fastmachines.com and Views on Car News.
Posted on February 17, 2005
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Viruses a Threat to Cars?
Reuters reports that a new "2004 Security Threats and Attack Trends Report" from IBM warns that virus threats could spread to other electronic devices including cars. Stuart McIrvine, director of IBM's security strategy, told Reuters that, "cars were threatened by computer security threats, some malicious, others unintentional. As the average new car runs 20 computer processors and about 60 megabytes of software code, the opportunity for malfunctions, wireless attacks and other security threats was multiplying."
Posted on February 11, 2005
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Higher Gas Prices Feared This Spring
Higher gas prices are feared this spring when gas consumption increases in the United States. Gas prices have risen for three straight weeks in January, which is unusual since January usually has a lower volume of driving. The Associated Press reports that this year's gas prices are 30 cents above 2004's January prices. Tom Kloza, director of Oil Price Information Service in Lakewood, N.J., told the AP that he expects gasoline prices to "rocket higher in the next 90 days." The AP said Kloza is predicting gas prices to run as high as $2.50 nationally. That would definitely be some very unwelcomed costs for drivers and U.S. businesses.
Posted on February 9, 2005
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Gas Prices Keep on Climbing
Gas prices have continued to climb as higher crude oil costs are passed along to consumers at the pump. Consumers can now expect to pay over $1.90 on average nationwide for a gallon of gas. MSNBC.com reports that a survey conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that the national pump price for regular unleaded gasoline increased 5.8 cents over the last week to $1.911 a gallon. Web resources for checking local and national gas prices can be found here.
Posted on February 2, 2005
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