Obama’s Emissions Plan Fits Seattle Drivers

President Barack Obama made his message clear when he set new emission standards for new cars starting in 2011. Cars will be cleaner and more fuel efficient than ever before. The president will direct the Enviornmental Protection Agency to review whether California, Washington along with other states can impose stricter emission standards to battle green house gases. Read more

The 2010 Toyota Prius is in Hybrid Heaven in Seattle

It’s rare when a vehicle actually lives up to the hype. But by all accounts, the 2010 Toyota Prius will do just that and maybe more. Unveiled at the Detroit auto show, Toyota made a big splash, and maybe even sent a message to other hybrid automakers. Read more

Al Gore on Auto Bailout: We Gave then $1 Billion 15 Years Ago and They Walked Away

In a recent Newsweek interview with Al Gore, here’s a telling quote on what US automakers have really thought about clean and efficient cars this whole time: Read more

Kelly Blue Book Best Resale Value for 2009

Kelly’s Blue Book is the automotive Bible for new and used cars. Each year they compress a list of the vehicles with the best resale value. Their list is based on projected values after five years (the average rate of ownership). Notice that this list has cars that are extremely popular in the Seattle area. Read more

Why Toyota Wins From the Auto Crisis

From a blog posting I just read:

Do you know how many hourly jobs GM has laid off from 2006 to July 2008? Take a guess. How about 34,000? And now, they’re talking about another 5,500 layoffs.

…

OK, here’s a better question. How many hourly jobs has Toyota’s American production system laid off in the same time frame? Zero. That’s right. ZERO. How? Isn’t Toyota experiencing the same slow down in auto sales as GM is? Yes, it is. And yes, Toyota has halted production at its Texas and Indiana plants for the past 3 months. But the 4,500 people who work at those plants have not been laid off. 

 

The answer: Toyota has a special culture, deep-rooted values, and respect for their workforce. Toyota’s tradition is to NOT lay off employees during hard times. This tradition hasn’t really been put to the test until now. And Toyota has stuck to its guns and its values.

“This was the first chance we’ve really had to live out our values,” says Latondra Newton, general manager of Toyota’s Team Member Development Center in Erlanger, Ky. “We’re not just keeping people on the payroll because we’re nice. At the end of all this, our hope is that we’ll end up with a more skilled North American workforce.”

 

For the full article: What Toyota knows that GM doesn’t

My thoughts on this is two fold. First, I’m impressed with Toyota as a consumer. Second, I’m sentimental to the fact that this really is the end of the American car industry. 

Back in the 80s, when America stopped importing “cheap” Japanese cars and Lee Iacocca was making history at Chrysler, the American car industry seemed pretty much unstoppable. The “Big Three” were called that because they were actually the biggest – not because they are the only ones left standing – as is the case today. 

Through mergers and acquisitions, the industry, even with all it’s clashes with the union, the auto industry had the history of supporting it’s workers and ensuring a career out of tens of thousands of skilled laborers at a time that many corporations dumped their workers en masse. 

But that was then and this is now. 

In a surreal flip, it would now appear that those clunky Japanese car companies are the industry leaders today; and have been for more than a decade. While Detroit was drinking the oil-is-forever koolaid and pumping out beefier and bigger engines, the Japanese were hard at work perfecting their engines and builds to six-sigma and improving efficiency.

With gas hitting $4 a few months ago and the credit crisis, it wasn’t so much that the Japanese won the bet, but rather, Detroit found itself with an empty hand. Saddled with factories meant to churn out beefy SUVs, Hummers and trucks, the new paradigm in energy and economics poured cold water all over the roaring party up until this point. 

GM is losing a billion dollars a month and will likely buy out Chrysler. Layoffs in the 30,000 – 40,000 range are to be expected, along with 12 factories closing. Morale is no doubt at an all time low, with every worker wondering if he’s next on the cutting block. Even if GM is able to magically survive with an infusion of cash (bailout), the Volt is still years out and a grasp for straws.

Meanwhile, Toyota has taken a page straight out of the American automaker book by proving its loyalty to the company workforce. Though Toyota is halted on much of its production, they are taking the down time to train their workers to be even better skilled, educated and efficient workers. When the economy picks up again, Toyota will be the equivalent of a fully rested team going to the playoffs against a miserable and beat-up team that has just played 10 losing games in a row. It’s no contest who will win. 

If the Seattle Auto Show was any indication, the consumers have already voted, as we saw crowds around Toyota, Honda and Jetta. All the while, the sprawling 2-ton Ford F150 rotating 360 degrees might as well been invisible. Chevy and Escalade Hybrids were looked on more with a sense of derision or perplexed bewilderment rather than consumer curiosity (though this is Seattle). 

The new automotive landscape is already here – it’s just across the sea. 

 

Observations from the 2009 Seattle Auto Show

Beauties like this Lamborghini Gallardo are one of the many reasons why people go to auto shows. The guys behind the Seattle Auto Show knows this, which is why they his the crowds right out off the bat with the big toys. Read more

The 2009 Seattle Auto Show, Things to Look For!

This year’s Seattle Auto Show brings something different to the table. It’ll be interesting to see if and how auto makers have changed some of the marketing for vehicles in light of gas prices and the economy. Read more

SeattleAuto.net on Prop 1 and I-985

SeattleAuto.net is not a partisan blog, but we do have opinions on matters that relate to local commute and transportation. With the current economy, climate and political state, we think an efficient transportation infrustructure is more important than ever. Here are the issues we support on November 4th Read more

Seattle Auto Show, Nov 5-9, Qwest Event Center

The Seattle Auto Show will be taking place from November 5th through the 9th at the Qwest Field Event Center. As the city’s largest annual automotive event, this five day event event will feature hundreds of 2009 model vehicles from sedans to sports cars and hybrids to SUVs. Read more

Differences Between the Soccer Mom and Yoga Mom Vehicles

The word itself, “soccer mom”, usually conjures up negative connotations of someone with the huge gas guzzling van or SUV with honor roll stickers on the outside, and kids screaming on the inside. But that type of mother has evolved.

Enter the Yoga Mom.

Read more

Tough for Car Dealers = Good for Buyers!

The car industry has been a punching bag in 2008. In turn, it’s been a difficult year for those trying to sell cars, maybe the worst year ever. Everything from gas, to the economy and general consumer confidence has hurt those trying to sell cars. Read more