Publisher to the Frill

THE most transcendent NEWS united with the automotive industry the Italian manufacturer gave in the last days Fiat, which on Tuesday, the 20th announced the signature of an initial agreement with Chrysler to acquire a 35 per cent participation in the American company in exchange for the use of his technology. Officials moved forward that the agreement subject to the approval of the European and American regulators, could be expanded in the future to give to Fiat the full Chrysler control. The news provoked the rise of the actions of the Italian group, considering his good results in three trimesters of 2008 and also because an alliance with Chrysler – whose sales reduced greatly that one the same year - could be beneficial for both. Inclusive one spoke about the new models of the line Fiat that they might come in the short term to the concessionaires of the nation from the above mentioned European peninsula, between them the novel Cinquecento (Fiat 500), a car that has conquered Europe for his excellent yield in the use of the fuel.
IN THE LAST week of January there were announced the statistics of the self-propelled sector in Europe and between them he emphasized the fall of 69,8 per cent in the profit of the fourth trimester, caused by the economic crisis in Europe and South America. Nevertheless, the Fiat helmsmen clarified that despite the fall of the demand in the fourth trimester, this was his best commercial profit in the history. The company made to notice as well as his clear profit had showed a 15 per cent progress on 2007, instead of a fall, “if it had not been for the impact of unexpected expenses and losses in actions exchanges”. The clear profit for the last three months of 2008 was 232,38 million dollars, compared with 770 million dollars in the same period in 2007. The company with head office in Turin and that produces the motorcars Fiat, Alpha Romeo and Lancia, supported that his commercial profit raised 4 per cent, to 3.400 million euros, thanks to profit in the sectors of industrial team, trucks and luxurious motorcars.
THE COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT Álvaro Uribe showed that there is "very much fear for the employment" this year, after informing him that the sales of motorcars fell down 16 per cent during 2008. "The situation of the economy is well difficult. We this year have fear great with the employment... I cannot deny them to him", answered Uribe on having spoken in an act with young people in a hotel of the of the capital center. A consulting signature pointed out recently that the sales of new cars were 219.498 units in 2008, approximately 33.500 less of the sold ones in 2007. The Colombian automotive industry, meanwhile, expressed his disposition to work with all his determination, in order revertir the negative tendencies throughout the present year. Cars manufacturers apply similar strategies to themselves in Latin-American countries, between them Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Up to the next one,

Víctor Caycho
Publisher of Autoguide / Washington Hispanic
E-mail: victor@hwc-md.org

 

Manufacturer of Japan overthrows builder of the USA on a global scale

Toyota sells 8 million 972 thousand vehicles; GM 8 million 365 thousand

Bree Fowler
New York / AP

The model Camry de Toyota was one of most quoted in the sales of the Japanese manufacturer throughout 2008.

The self-propelled Japanese Toyota overcame for the first time General Motors in global sales of railcars, in 2008, fact that takes place for the first time in 75 years, which were always led by the American manufacturer.
GM sold 8 million 365 thousand cars and trucks in 2008, approximately 616.000 less than the 8 million 972 thousand brought ones by Toyota.
General Motors Corp brought a fall in his sales of 11 per cent for the whole year, while those of Toyota stepped back 4 per cent.
The sales of GM in North America stepped back 21 per cent with regard to the previous year. In Europe, the sales of GM fell down 6,5 per cent, including a regression of 21 per cent in the fourth trimester.
The sales of Toyota stepped back 4 per cent in the year, the first global fall of the self-propelled Japanese in 10 years.
The position of Toyota like world toecap of sales was not a surprise. Almost he cleaned out of this position GM in 2007, selling only approximately 3.000 vehicles less than the American company in this year.
Lost time
The managing director of GM, Fritz Henderson, I affirm this week to a group of professionals of the branch that is not a calamity that Toyota Motor Corp. should surpass GM in global sales.
" For me, the most important thing is to achieve that GM is successful", I answer in Detroit during the World Congress of Self-propelled News. To be sorry about the Toyota advantage in this area is "a lost time", he added.
GM, which received an injection of 13.400 millions in public funds last month of the federal government, has closed plants and dismissed personnel to reduce his production on having faced the worst American market in more than 25 years.
It cuts production away
In what it turns out to be a new sign of the worry of the manufacturers of Japanese cars, the corporation Toyota Motor announced that between February and April it glides to make scarcely half of cars that it produced the previous year.
Toyota, major world cars manufacturer, will cut his production away in approximately 9.000 daily units and perhaps turn out to be forced to reduce his labor plant of time finished like resulted from these measurements, he informed the newspaper Asahi Shimbun.
The manufacturers of Japanese cars had managed till now to avoid dismissals of his regular personnel by means of the clipping of all the temporary jobs of his lines of assembly.

 

Colombian leads dramatic duel with David Donohue

The Montoya the second in 24 Hours of Daytona

Mike Harris
Daytona, Florida / AP

The car Lexus Nro. 01 of Juan Pablo Montoya in tough competition with Porsche Nro. 58 of David Donohue, during 12 p.m. of Daytona.

Pilot American David Donohue (Porsche) gained on Sunday, the 25th the famous 24 Hours of Daytona and there finished the gust of three consecutive victories of the racing team Chip Ganassi, to which there belongs the Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya (Lexus), who despite this year is not imposed, achieved the second position.
Donohue equalled the victory obtained by his father here 40 years ago. It exceeded Montoya scarcely to 41 minutes of the conclusion.
The winner, who chattered firstly in Brumos Porsche Riley on Saturday, the 24th evening, got together with Buddy Czech Republic, Antonio García y Darren Law to gain the career most pressed in 47 years of history of the outstanding figure of 24 hours in Daytona International Speedway.

The finished team of Brumos Porsche, with the pilot David Donohue (third of left to der., in the first line), they show the trophy Rolex after the victory in Daytona.

Four of the prototypes finished in the return of the leaders - the biggest quantity of the history - and spent the majority of last two hours much given in the track of 3,56 miles (5,73 kilometers).
Montoya and his team-mates Chip Ganassi Racing came to 47ma edition of the career in waiting of achieving the fourth victory continued for the racing team, but Donohue and Brumos Porsche managed to shake the defeats to end in the first position.
The career
Donohue was leading the winning car in the last hour of Sunday, in tough competition with Montoya, who runs in the NASCAR, only 41 minutes before the closing of the competition. Finally it managed to support over a distance the ex-pilot of IndyCar and Formula one with the narrowest margin registered in the history
This is the most important victory in the Donohue career.
" We covered loudly all the time", affirmed Donohue, son of the winner of the Indy 500 Mark Donohue, who died in 1975 in shock of a test of Formula one. David was only 8 years old when the accident happened.
Montoya chased Donohue until the end but it ended 0,167 seconds behind him, a historical mark, and to only approximately four cars long of distance. The fourth place, Ford Dallara of Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, Pedro Lamy and Brad Friselle was 7,589 seconds behind and in view of the winners.
" It was only a question of entering some traffic in some point", mentioned Montoya. "It was really surprised of being supported with them. I handled with everything, to see if they were committing an error and they committed several, but his car was so good that there was nothing that could do", he said.

 

 

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