Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Search
Search:
Glint of greener cars fails to lift pall from Detroit auto show
AFP - 2 hours 11 minutes ago
DETROIT, Michigan, (AFP) - - The glint of a host of greener cars failed to lift the pall hanging over the Detroit auto show, as the industry faced tanking sales and General Motors and Chrysler fought for their very survival.
In a town once known for its gasoline-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles, automakers from across the globe tried to one-up each other's fuel efficiency and commitment to environmental sustainability.
There was even a tree-lined track, set up around artificial lakes and waterfalls in the basement of the convention center, so people could test-drive a host of zero-emission prototypes by GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Tesla.
GM promised to bring a mini car, the Spark, to the US market by 2011, and unveiled a prototype of a Cadillac extended range, plug-in hybrid amid a moving fashion show of its latest offerings, which it said "underscores GM's ongoing commitment to emotionally compelling design, leading fuel efficiency and advanced technology."
Chrysler unveiled three plug-in, gas-electric, hybrid prototypes -- a sedan, a Jeep and a sports car -- which it said "clearly demonstrates that we are well on our way to bringing electric vehicles to our consumers' garages."
Ford entered the electric fray with a promise to bring a collection of electric vehicles to market by 2012 and introduced two new, production-ready hybrids.
Refusing to be upstaged, Toyota said Saturday it will launch a two-seater electric car by 2012, and introduced a new dedicated hybrid for its luxury Lexus brand on Sunday. It will unveil a revamped version of its popular Prius hybrid on Monday.
China's BYD Auto will be showing the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid, which went on sale last month in China and is slated to hit Europe in 2010.
And Honda unveiled its reintroduced, dedicated hybrid, the Insight hatchback, which goes on sale in the United States in April.
But with industry sales forecast to collapse worldwide amid a financial crisis and deepening recession in several key countries, financial issues were the focus of most questions during the press preview.
General Motors and Chrysler, which recently obtained eight billion dollars in loans from the US government, must present plans by February 17 detailing how they will achieve long-term viability.
Both are hoping to obtain more money from the government to help them survive the next year, when US sales are expected to fall to between 10.5 and 12 million vehicles from recent averages of about 16 million.
General Motors plans to "dramatically accelerate and expand the restructuring that we've been driving in North America, and around the globe, for the past several years," said chief executive officer Rick Wagoner.
"That's a big job, to be sure, but there's even more than restructuring that we can and will do starting here this morning," he added as he introduced the new models.
Chrysler chief Bob Nardelli admitted that 2009 will be "very challenging," but insisted that the company will be able to get through the downturn and repay the loans.
Ford, which had initially asked for a government loan but then said it had sufficient resources to get through the downturn, said Sunday it was "in good shape in the financing of our plan."
European automakers were also cautious about the global outlook.
Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche said the German automaker was preparing for a "very difficult year," but that it is "strong and powerful to go through a crisis."
BMW has been redirected cars originally intended for the US market to the Middle East and China in the wake of last fall's sharp downturn is sales and will counting on its flexible production system to manage its output in the wake of a "very challenging" year, said management board member Ian Robertson.
Some 58 new models -- including 44 worldwide debuts -- will be introduced as the manufacturers vie for the attention of nearly 7,000 journalists from over 60 countries at press previews which conclude Tuesday.
The North American International Auto opens to the public on January 17 and some 700,000 people are expected to attend by the time it closes on January 25.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: China's Economy
Oil falls below $40 as investors eye US earningsAP - 39 minutes ago
BIS-HIGHLIGHTS-Central bankers attend BIS meeting in BaselReuters - 58 minutes ago
Glint of greener cars fails to lift pall from Detroit auto showAFP - 2 hours 11 minutes ago
China Eastern: fuel hedging loss $900 millionAP - 2 hours 15 minutes ago
Related Articles: Business
TOPWRAP 2-Rising job losses fuel global recession fearsReuters - 37 minutes ago
Most China stocks rise, financials depress indexReuters - 38 minutes ago
Russia allows 2nd rouble weakening in 2 daysReuters - 39 minutes ago
Oil falls below $40 as investors eye US earningsAP - 39 minutes ago
European stock index futures point to early dropReuters - 40 minutes ago
Enlarge Photo
Glint of greener cars fails to lift pall from Detroit auto show
Related Photos
Slideshow Full Photo Coverage: Business & Economy
Related Full Coverage
China Economy
china economy
All Full Coverage
Most Popular – Business
Viewed
Britain's Prince Harry apologises for racist language
Israeli troops push deeper into Gaza's main city
Is Tintin gay? Cartoon birthday boy dogged by rumours
Swiss bank set to announce record loss: report
Kate Winslet wins Golden Globe supporting actress
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular