AS NEVER EARLIER, the trio of “Three Big ones” (The Big Three) of the automotive industry of the United States came in the last days, repeatedly to the Congress, requesting help to relieve his financial problems. Many comments have happened on this gesture led by the presidents of the above mentioned companies, considered pillars of the sources of work of the country. With very much realism and crudeness, the news agency Associated Press (AP), it described this situation:“ Humiliated and fighting to survive, the once powerful self-propelled ones of Detroit presented before themselves before the Congress with a new financial aid request, now for 34.000 million dollars. In return, they promised to cut away jobs, the payment of his executives and his lines of cars”. From Tuesday, the 2nd up to the following weekend, the helmsmen of GM and Chrysler insisted on an immediate cash injection to be able to come to the New Year. Also they warned that if they fall down in bankruptcy they would drag with it to the whole automotive industry.
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to deny that the situation is quite delicate. The last numbers of sales indicate a 40 per cent reduction in the sales of light cars of General Motors and Chrysler in the country during November. Those of Ford fell down in more than 30 per cent. Three general managers of the companies traveled from Detroit to Washington in hybrid vehicles that they consume less combustible, as we realize in this edition. The director of Chrysler, Bob Nardelli, added that, unless one of others should declare two self-propelled ones in bankruptcy, it would have enough money to keep on operating until the next year. The GM president for his part, indicated that for 2012 it will implement significant plans to be restructured: it will do enormous clippings in his personnel (from 20.000 to 30.000 less), as well as reductions in his plants (at least nine) and in the marks that he handles. It will focus in four marks: Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac. As for the Chrysler production, it will focus in a completely electrical model for 2010. The company glides to produce more than 500.000 electrical cars for 2013.
A DIFFERENT SITUATION is the one that we see between the Asian manufacturers, although Toyota Motors also will reduce his levels of world production as well as his sales expectations in the United States. The manufacturer Honda Motors reveals it in this edition across one of his dealers in the metropolitan area, and announces the throwing of a new hybrid model to do the direct competence in Prius de Toyota to him. And that his medium-term target is to construct many other hybrid models to cover the market with this type of economic and ecological vehicles. Since we see, they all are putting the batteries and it is necessary that the example spreads, for benefit of the humanity and of his future generations.
Up to the next one,
Víctor Caycho
Publisher of Autoguide / Washington Hispanic
E-mail: victor@hwc-md.org
| Helmsmen of the “Three Big ones” change attitude |
| From Detroit to the Acropolis in his hybrid vehicles |
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
AutoGuía-AP
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Alan Mulally, executive director of Ford Motor, goes out of the hybrid vehicle that he led up to the Acropolis.
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Bob Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler, descends from the electrical vehicle constructed by the above mentioned manufacturer.
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It could not be otherwise: the executive leaders of the American manufacturers who agree the so called group “The Big Three” (Three Big ones) came this time to the Acropolis, in help demand, on board of flaming hybrid vehicles, and did not use his planes deprived as in the previous opportunity, fact that had motivated sour criticism on the part of the Congress and of the public opinion in general.
The gesture smoothed the anger of some legislative sectors, that this week still discusses the plan of financial rescue for the automotive industry, for a total that will be reduced to 15.000 million dollars.
Meanwhile, as indicated the same critics, the elect president of the United States, Barack Obama, it has not to of entrusting itself in that everything walks on wheels although the democrats have the control of the Congress and the White House. This way the debate indicates it on the plan, which it has faced especially to two base sectors: the trade unions and the ecologists.
The trade union of the railcar, together with three self-propelled big ones of Detroit, wants an emergency capitals injection for the sector, although it means to give him another use to 25.000 million dollars that were destined for the development of less pollutant vehicles.
The environmental groups do not agree, on having pointed out that these funds are reserved and any help program must be determined by strict norms for the production of clean vehicles.
But if the historical precedents, and not written rules of the politics, allow to foresee what will happen, the workpeople self-propelled and other trade unions of the country safely will incline the scales in favor of Three Big ones of Detroit.
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Rick Wagoner, CEO of General Motors, comes to his hotel in Washington on board of his hybrid Chevrolet Malibu, on Wednesday, the 3rd, for his presentation of the following day in the Senate.
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| It covers 38 countries without using a gasoline not even drop |
| Solar taxi turns to the world |
Vanessa Gera
Poznan, Poland / AP
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The solar taxi covered 38 cities before coming to Poznan, Poland. It weighs 500 kilos and it is capable of reaching a 90 km / hour speed.
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The first motorcar impelled by solar energy round that it turns to the world concluded his trip on Thursday, the 4th to come to the place where delegates of 190 countries try to find a solution to the problem of the global warming.
The small vehicle of two seats, which came with a tow of solar panels and transporting the chief of the climatic negotiations of the UNO, Yvo de Boer, parked opposite to the building in Poznan where delegates of the United Nations prepare a new agreement to contain the climate change.
"É sta is the first time in the history round that a motorcar impelled by solar energy has turned to the world without using only one gasoline drop", affirmed Louis Palmer, teacher and 36-year-old Swiss adventurer who did the trip.
" These new technologies are ready", it pointed out. He added that the car "is ecological, it is economic, it is absolutely reliable. We can contain the world warming".
His presentation in the conference marked the end of a trajectory of 32.300 miles (52.000 kilometers) that began 17 months ago in Lucerne, Switzerland, and took it for 38 countries.
The vehicle, which goes without doing noise, can walk even to 55 miles (90 kilometers) per hour and cover 185 miles (300 kilometers) with a completely loaded battery.
Palmer said that scarcely it lost two days for breakdowns during the trip.
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Yvo of Boer, executive secretary of the UNO, greets from the solar taxi in which it comes to the Conference of the United Nations on the climate change in Poznan, Poland, on Thursday, the 4th.
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" This car walks like a Swiss clock", he mentioned.
It qualifies to his vehicle developed by scientists of Swiss universities, like "solar taxi" because it has transported approximately thousand persons – both officials and the common people - to convince them on the reliability of the technology. Between his passengers were the General Secretary of the UNO, Ban Ki-moon, and the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.
The delegates in Poznan prepare an ambitious new agreement in substitution of the Protocol of Tokyo, which expires in 2012 and which needed that 37 countries were reducing the greenhouse effect gas emission in an average of 5 per cent with regard to the levels of 1990.
The target is that the new agreement is ready in the next meeting of the UNO on the climate in December, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
" Here in the conference we are speaking of limiting the emission between 10 to 20 per cent", indicated Palmer. "I want to demonstrate that we can reduce the emission in 100 per cent, and this is what we need for the future", it concluded.
More information in the Internet: http://www.solartaxi.com/
