Continue reading GE to Order 'Tens of Thousands' of Electric Cars

GE to Order 'Tens of Thousands' of Electric Cars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:20:00 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.

Continue reading Nissan Recalling Cubes Because of Fuel Leak

Nissan Recalling Cubes Because of Fuel Leak originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nissan has launched one of the first interactive iAd mobile marketing campaigns for the new Apple, Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 4, and it's taking the chance to promote its new all-electric Leaf passenger car. Although hybrid vehicles have been around in the U.S. for years (think Toyota Prius), all-electric cars have been limited to those teeny-tiny, mileage-limited vehicles. Nissan wants to change that with the four-door Leaf sedan.

Continue reading Nissan to Open U.S.-Based Electric Car Assembly Plant

Nissan to Open U.S.-Based Electric Car Assembly Plant originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Nissan to Sell Electric Car for Less Than $44,300 -- a Bargain?

Nissan to Sell Electric Car for Less Than $44,300 -- a Bargain? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Carlos Ghosn,

Renault and Nissan are installing enough capacity to build 150,000 cars in Japan, 200,000 in Europe and 200,000 in the U.S. They are plunging headlong into the market, claiming to be the first companies to build and sell fully powered electric cars.

Unlike hybrids, such as Toyota's (TM) Prius, electric cars do not have an engine to keep them running when their power runs out.

Continue reading Renault, Nissan CEO Sees Big Demand for Electric Cars by 2011

Renault, Nissan CEO Sees Big Demand for Electric Cars by 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Mar 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.

Even with the cash-for-clunkers program in full effect, demand for new automobiles is the lowest it's been in years. This has heightened competition among automakers, who are being forced to both improve their products and discount their prices. Consumers in the market for a new 2010 vehicle may be treated to a discount.

Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM), for example, plans to introduce a less expensive Prius, and the 2010 Nissan (OTC: NSANY) Sentra will see its sticker price drop by anywhere from $130 to $1,080, based on the features the buyer opts for. Other vehicles that will hit the showroom floors at a discount include the Mercedes-Benz E350 mid sized sedan and the Lexus RX 350, discounted by $3,300 and $700, respectively.

Continue reading Automakers to cut sticker prices on 2010 models

Automakers to cut sticker prices on 2010 models originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Ford, Nissan and Tesla may receive U.S. auto loans

Ford, Nissan and Tesla may receive U.S. auto loans originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford (NYSE: F) is the last of the "Big" Three standing on its own two feet. Chrysler and General Motors (OTC: GMGMQ) are on crutches supplied by the federal government. While they're both still upright, those crutches are mighty expensive (the government will own 60% of GM when it emerges from bankruptcy).

Speaking of bankruptcy, Chrysler is already on the other side and now a partner with Fiat. That was perhaps the fastest legal action ever seen. Usually bankruptcy takes between 18 months to two years before a new company emerges.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Is Ford a buy?

Comfort Zone Investing: Is Ford a buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Honda (NYSE: HMC) closed at $25.90. HMC March 2009 U.S. sales decreased 36% compared to March 2008. HMC April option implied volatility of 51 is below its 26-week average of 62, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) closed at $67.90.TM March 2009 U.S. sales decreased 39% compared to March 2008. TM April option implied volatility is at 44, May is at 46; below its 26-week average of 57, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Nissan (NASDAQ: NSANY) closed at $8. NSANY March 2009 U.S. sales decreased 37% compared to March 2008. May option implied volatility of 60 is below its 26-week average of 65, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Honda, Toyota and Nissan volatility low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Inc. (NYSE: ANF) beat Q4 earnings estimates handily, sending shares higher.
• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) did well in the holiday period but offered weak guidance.
• Barclays (NYSE: BCS) one-time gains offset write-downs and said it expects to resume dividend payments.
• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) shares fell after it announced that it had understated its Q4 and fiscal 2008 loss.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) topped Q4 earnings estimates due in part to volume gain internationally.
• Diageo (NYSE: DEO) earnings rose in the first half, but it cut its full-year forecast.
• GSI Commerce Inc. (NASDAQ: GSIC) "solid" Q4 results led to an analyst downgrade.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Coke, Pepsi, Hasbro, Marriott, Abercrombie, Wells Fargo and others

Earnings highlights: Coke, Pepsi, Hasbro, Marriott, Abercrombie, Wells Fargo and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Nissan (NSANY) job cuts run deep

Nissan (NSANY) job cuts run deep originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nissan (NSANY) makes big battery investment originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Nissan set to unleash the cheapest new car in the U.S. at under $10,000 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

At this point it is not clear that GM (NYSE: GM) can get the money to merge with Chrysler. The plan would be to cut 50,000 people. That is a lot of severance. Closing plants and combining product lines cannot be done for free.

Chrysler has figured all of this out and has begun to focus on a partnership with Renault and Nissan, both of which are run by former auto whiz kid Carlos Ghosn. He has been trying to buy into the US market for several years without success. Now, he may have his chance.

If Ghosn can set up a deal where he takes a modest equity stake in Chrysler he may expand his reach into American for a small investment. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Chrysler would have a better chance of keeping much of its operations intact in an alliance with Nissan and Renault than in a merger with GM."

The deal would not really make any sense and may simply be a way to push GM into a merger. While putting Chrysler into a marketing and product development pact with both a Japanese and European car manufacturer, the savings would be modest. Since Chrysler's problems are huge cash losses and falling sales in North American it is hard to see how anything short of an outright merger with large cost cuts does the company any good.

But, there is sense of panic in Detroit which leads to grasping of straws. Panic clouds the mind. Chrysler could do a bad deal because it sees the options as better than no deal at all.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Chrysler may turn to Renault originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading What's another $25 billion for Detroit automakers?

What's another $25 billion for Detroit automakers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford's (NYSE: F) latest PR push is based around the idea that the company can make money on smaller cars. Traditionally the big margins in the car industry have been on pick-ups and SUVs. But consumers don't want those anymore.

According to The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), "Ford Motor Co. is expressing new confidence about the auto maker's ability to sell new small cars at a profit in the U.S. market, citing new data about how Americans are beginning to value premium features and dynamic design over vehicles desired simply for their size." That assumption is based on two factors, neither of which is likely to be true.

Ford believes that it can cut its cost base low enough to make money on cars that retail for $20,000 or less. Chopping production expenses may lower overall costs, but it also cripples the company's ability to "turn on the juice" if car sales make a sharp rebound. Fewer factories with fewer workers puts some brake on the company's ability to quickly push out more vehicles in a short period of time. Cars that can't be made can't be sold.

The other challenge to Ford's assumption is that it can get a large market share in a part of the industry that is already dominated by Toyota (NYSE: TM), Honda (NYSE: HMC), and Nissan. As Ford ramps up, the Japanese car makers are moving into hybrids and improving their own small cars. Most consumer satisfaction surveys put Ford behind the Japanese in terms of the quality of their products.

Aside from those few small details, Ford's plans should work just fine.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Ford's fantasy: Making money on small cars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

And there's more trouble in the mix. Cerberus said in a New York Times story that Chrysler is meeting "every financial metric." But Cerberus considers the world's current economic turmoil to be a temporary problem, not the economic world change that it actually is. Meanwhile, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli is smiling because Cerberus has given Chrysler lots of money, and he gets to cut heads.

Continue reading Can Nardelli and Cerberus possibly make money with Chrysler?

Can Nardelli and Cerberus possibly make money with Chrysler? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Big Three seem to think that they are troubled money center banks. They want Washington to get them out of their financial problems. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Battered by high gasoline prices and weakened earnings, the Big Three auto makers and their suppliers are now seeking significantly more help from Washington in the form of government-backed loans than the $25 billion they had previously been authorized to receive."

While the auto companies are important to the U.S. economy, they can be "replaced." If General Motors (NYSE: GM) or Ford (NYSE: F) fail, their brands and manufacturing facilities will almost certainly be bought by an overseas car company. VW has said it would like a larger market share in the U.S. So has Nissan. Both have the balance sheet to buy assets from a failed U.S. car company.

There is a sort of cruel reality to the thought that companies considered pillars of the U.S. economy could be gone sometime soon. It is certainly an indication that manufacturing is become less and less critical to the overall GDP of America. It is also a sign the the inefficiency of Detroit's habits have finally gotten so severe that it needs to turn to the government and not the capital markets for aid.

If the car companies cannot make it and cannot raise money on their own, they should be allowed to fail. That may mean that Toyota (NYSE: TM) will become the largest seller of cars in the U.S., but there was never any rule that said bad management would continually be rewarded.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

A bail-out for Detroit? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.