The first Chinese hybrid car, the F3DM, will hit U.S. showrooms next year from BYD Co. Ltd. (BYD). BYD, which stands for Build Your Dream, sold 240,000 F3DMs last year and Warren Buffet likes the company so much that Berkshire Hathaway invested $230 million in BYD in 2008. In fact, the latest BYD model will be on display at Berkshire's big meeting in May, as reported in New York Times.

BYD is a diversified energy company. In addition to its hybrid models Its products include solar panels, solar shaded parking systems, home energy storage systems and charging equipment and LED lighting. BYD plans to open showrooms in the Los Angeles area.

Continue reading Americans Get Ready for the First Chinese Hybrid Car

Americans Get Ready for the First Chinese Hybrid Car originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The stage is set for a recovery in certain industries. They've been hit hard the last three years, pounded by a slow economy. But now things are starting to change, and if you believe the worst is over, then these sectors should see good advances in 2011.

Car Companies: They're hiring. Toyota Motors (TM) just announced the re-opening of its Mississippi plant after being dormant for two years. It needs 2,000 workers. GM (GM) is hiring 1,000 engineers and researchers in Michigan over the next two years focused on hybrid and electric cars. Chrysler is looking for 1,000 engineers and others to create small and midsize vehicles in its partnership with Italy's Fiat. Fiat controls Chrysler. Ford is the most healthy of the U.S. producers, having never touched government funds.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Two Industries Set to Recover in 2011

Comfort Zone Investing: Two Industries Set to Recover in 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive: Time to Take Some Profits off the Table?

O'Reilly Automotive: Time to Take Some Profits off the Table? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sales for most major auto makers were down in September from August, as reported by MSNBC. Ford (F) was the standout with sales up 2%. Here are the numbers for the other companies:

• General Motors (GM) sales declined 3%.
• Chrysler was up less than 1%.
• Toyota (TM) fell less than 1%.
• Nissan (NSANY) was down 3%.

Continue reading Auto Sales Stumbled in September

Auto Sales Stumbled in September originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It has been a long time since a state other than Michigan had the honor of claiming the highest unemployment rate in country. The May unemployment numbers show that it is Nevada, not Michigan, that now has the highest rate of unemployment.

Michigan has held the title for highest unemployment since April 2006, when the automotive industry took a nose dive. But Nevada jumped into the lead by posting a 14% unemployment rate in May. In comparison, Michigan's unemployment level is currently sitting at 13.6%.

Continue reading Michigan No Longer Boasts Highest Unemployment Rate

Michigan No Longer Boasts Highest Unemployment Rate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Will AutoZone Keep Running?

Will AutoZone Keep Running? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A Good Time to Start a Position in Goodyear?

A Good Time to Start a Position in Goodyear? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AutoZone (AZO), a distributor of replacement items for motorized vehicles, posted a very good second quarter on Tuesday. Net sales increased 4%, and earnings per diluted share went into high gear, rising over 21% to $2.46. According to our earnings preview, the analysts were expecting only $2.34 per share.

Gross margin experienced an expansion, as did the return on invested capital metric (the latter being measured over the trailing four quarters). Both of these developments indicate that execs are skillfully managing the underlying fundamentals of the business. Domestic same-store sales didn't rise as robustly as they did back during the first quarter, moving up only 1%. I would have liked to have seen a better stat on that one, but overall, I'm not going to complain too much, unless I detect a weakening trend in coming months.

Continue reading AutoZone's Q2: Is the Stock's Fuel Tank Still Full?

AutoZone's Q2: Is the Stock's Fuel Tank Still Full? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford (F) stared into the abyss that was 2009 and came away from the edge unscathed. Of the three major U.S. auto manufacturers, it stayed out of bankruptcy, never borrowed money from the government, and now it's gaining market share while others continue to lose it. So is the stock a buy?

Maybe. The famous and famously wealthy investor George Soros took a large position in the stock on November 17, about 7.3 million shares. Let's say he paid the high of the day that day of $9 a share. Now the stock sells a little over $11 as this is written. Mr. Soros made 22.22% on his investment so far. Not bad for less than two months. So he's made money. The stock has not traded above $11 since 2005 and is up 327% in the past year. So is there any room left on the upside?

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Time to Buy Ford?

Comfort Zone Investing: Time to Buy Ford? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Japan's new Finance Minister Naoto Kan is on record saying he wants to see a weaker yen, CNNMoney.com reported Thursday.

Continue reading Japan's New Finance Minister Wants a Stronger Dollar, Weaker Yen

Japan's New Finance Minister Wants a Stronger Dollar, Weaker Yen originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The auto industry probably doesn't want to look back on 2009. Ignore the rearview mirror; put it in drive and move forward. At least the dismal year ended on a high note. Despite a total sales decline of 21.2%, to 10.4 million units, the industry gets to celebrate a 15.1% increase in sales for the month of December, according to Autodata.

For the Detroit crowd, Ford (F) led the pack, with December sales up almost a third. General Motors (GRM) ticked 5.7% higher, with Chrysler up 3.7% for the month.

Continue reading Auto Sales Surge in December, Capping Dismal Year

Auto Sales Surge in December, Capping Dismal Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The job market looked grim at the beginning of 2009, but as we crossed into 2010, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. We still aren't seeing jobs added yet, but at least the cuts are headed in the right direction. Last month, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, announced layoffs fell 10% to 45,094. This is the lowest level seen since December 2007, exactly two years earlier, when there were only 44,416 job cuts. The most recent tally is also off 10% from November's 50,349, making it the fifth month in a row that layoffs have decreased. Since July, the stat has fallen 14% a month, on average.

Continue reading December Layoffs Lowest in a Year

December Layoffs Lowest in a Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Why are GM and Chrysler shutting down dealerships for no reason?

Why are GM and Chrysler shutting down dealerships for no reason? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The bailouts of late 2008 and 2009 have cost the American taxpayers $61 billion, according to the Treasury Department, but the banks aren't to blame this time. The auto manufacturer bailout, which includes Chrysler and General Motors (GRM), has cost the country more than $30 billion, with American International Group (AIG) consuming another $30 billion.

Meanwhile, Bank of America (BAC) has already made good with the government, and several banks -- such as Capital One (COF), JP Morgan Chase (JPM) and TCF Financial (TCB) -- only have to clean up situations regarding the warrants they've issued. And interestingly, the losses from the bailouts on AIG and auto manufacturers are being offset by profits from the bank bailouts, which could generate additional funds of up to $19.5 billion.

Continue reading Banks subsidizing auto TARP, extra money could be spent

Banks subsidizing auto TARP, extra money could be spent originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AutoZone (AZO) is in the fast lane. The stock has done reasonably well this year, and the first-quarter report, released on Tuesday, shows that the company still knows how to drive earnings growth.

According to the company's earnings report, sales increased well over 7% and earnings per share expanded by better than 26%. Income was pegged at $2.82 per share. That was way above the call. Our earnings preview indicates an expectation of $2.66 per share. Clearly, management is doing something right.

Continue reading AutoZone drives through analyst expectations in Q1

AutoZone drives through analyst expectations in Q1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Motors to reconsider closings dealerships under deal with Congress

General Motors to reconsider closings dealerships under deal with Congress originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Speaking at Bloomberg Washington Summit Friday, Steven Rattner, the former head of the government's auto task force, wasn't exactly in the mood for pulling punches.

Referring to his time overseeing the government involvement in the auto industry, he said that "They were some of the worst-run companies I've ever seen in my life," and said there was plenty of blame to go around, including unions and the companies' executives.

Continue reading Former auto task force chief calls GM one of 'worst-run companies' ever

Former auto task force chief calls GM one of 'worst-run companies' ever originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Employers are planning to cut fewer jobs for the third month in a row, according to a new report that Challenger, Gray & Christmas has supplied to BloggingStocks.

The executive outplacement firm says that the number of planned reductions fell 16% in October to 55,679 positions -- from 66,404 in September. Last month's level was the lowest seen since March 2008, when 53,579 layoffs were planned. And, it's 51% lower than October 2008's 112,884 result. Planned staff reductions have fallen in eight of the past 10 months.

Continue reading Layoffs slowing down, but upturn isn't coming yet

Layoffs slowing down, but upturn isn't coming yet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When the "cash for clunkers" program ended, the auto industry was cast adrift and sales fell off dramatically in September.

Here are the numbers:

• Ford Motor Company (NYSE F) fared best with sales down only 5%.
• General Motors and Chrysler's sales were down 45%.
• Overall sales were down 23%.
• On an annualized basis sales dropped to 9.2 million vehicles.
• Sales for the three major Japanese auto makers fell from 7 to 20%.
• The only big winner was Hyundai with sales up 27% in September.

Both GM and Chrysler are restructuring their companies. The key question is: can the two make money with sales at these depressed levels?

Morningstar analyst David Whiston said that the auto industry would face continued uncertainty in the months ahead. "With no customer stimulus, you have a weak consumer who is reluctant to make big ticket purchases unless they have to. . . . It's not just a Detroit problem."

Continue reading U.S. auto sales take a big hit in September

U.S. auto sales take a big hit in September originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Layoff announcements hit their lowest level since March 2008 last month, signaling market stabilization. Global outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. put the number of cuts at 66,404 for September, a 13% decline from July's 76,456. Year-over-year, the number of layoffs announced is down 30%, and September was the fourth month in a row in which job cuts fell relative to the same month a year earlier.

Planned job cuts reached 240,233 for the third quarter of 2009, according to Challenger, its lowest level since the first quarter of 2008, when there were 200,656 planned layoffs. For the third quarter of this year, job cuts fell 24.5% from the previous quarter's 318,165, and it's off 16.3% from 287,142 in the third quarter of 2009. At the beginning of 2009, the planned layoff rate reached a seven-year high of 578,510. Since then, the planned layoff rate fell 58.5%.

Continue reading Fewer job cuts in September, is relief coming?

Fewer job cuts in September, is relief coming? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.