Detroit's Big Three Post Huge Drops in March U.S. Sales

March didn't bring any good news for the U.S. car market as most major brands recorded steep declines in vehicle sales. General Motors and Ford Motor company were the worst hit as their sales were down 44.7% and 42.1% respectively compared to March 2008. Chrysler LLC didn't manage any better with a 39.0% decrease while the same goes for Toyota (-33.6%), Lexus (-40.6%), Mitsubishi (-57.0%), VW (-19.7%), Mercedes-Benz (-25.0%), BMW & MINI (-22.9%), Audi (-19.4%), Honda (-34.2%) and Acura (-29.5%).

Subaru and Hyundai managed to keep their sales somewhat steady reporting a 3.0% and 5.0% decline respectively over March 2008 volumes. On the other hand, Kia saw its sales increase by 0.6% in March '08.

Via Carscoop

My Two Dents on GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC

Just a word to the people... The auto industry, along with the rest of the economy, is in shambles. Obviously the big-wigs cannot be trusted to make the right decisions. Everyone (be they layman, enthusiast, or insider) needs to voice their opinions, not only on finished products but on job standards, engineering developments, and the quality of the buttons on the dashboard.

Only by listening to the people will companies start to make the right choices and thrive. After all, why should we be expected to settle for rubbish? While currently concentrating on the Big Three, my articles will soon begin to branch out and hopefully have a more global scale.

GM:

GM is a sinking ship, and the fact that it is eliminating dead weight by jettisoning four brands is old news. Many people have been throwing out theories about where not only the victims, but the survivors are going.

Of the "Poor Four", Saturn and Pontiac are the two with potential (if they play their cards right). Frankly, Hummer was commercially doomed from the start and I have no idea where it could possibly go other than the great junkyard in the sky. Saab lost its soul a long time ago, and again: nowhere to go but away.

Chrysler:

Chrysler is the black sheep of the group, the little-guy outsider. Think Squeak from Baseketball. This company's products have been all over the board, from Neons to Vipers and from racetracks to mountaintops. Good in theory, but oh-so-poorly executed. Now Chrysler needs to make some tough decisions regarding its three brands and their respective images. Upcoming target: Jeep.

Ford:

Not much to scream about here, unless you want to nitpick.... and I do. I'll explain why the Blue Oval deserves to be on top, and yes, it will sound like a PR thing. Why? Because when it comes to domestics, I'm a Ford guy. Regardless, they can stand to do better; Lincoln isn't exactly a direct competitor for Cadillac anymore, and Mercury is all but scrap. Volvo is on its way out, as no one seems to want to touch the Swedes with a ten-foot pole (consumers and Sweden alike).

As will be the norm, I will go ahead and exercise the right to drop in my two cents. Feel free to follow my lead. In fact, I insist on it; it's lonely out here. As always, the point of all forthcoming articles is to incite discussion, not arguments. So ladies and gentleman, start your engines and... GO!

By Phil Alex

Phil Alex was born in Rhode Island in 1985, yet for reasons unbeknownst to him moved to South Carolina. He graduated with degrees in Finance and German from Wofford College in 2007 and has had a strange obsession with cars and travel since he was a wee lad. He currently resides a stone's throw from Japan's international airport in Narita. All of this can be seen on Facebook, so check it out. He makes no apologies for his articles and welcomes all feedback, as long as it is adamantly worded.

Chrysler Group Sales Plunge 48 Percent in April

Whereas FoMoCo and General Motors managed to keep their loses under 35 percent, Chrysler LLC took another plunge in April reporting U.S. sales of just 76,682 units, representing a chilling 48 percent decrease versus 2008. Chrysler said that the April sales included a fleet reduction of 66 percent year-over-year for the same period, as the company "continues to emphasize retail over fleet." Brand-wise, Chrsyler suffered the biggest loss with a 55 percent decrease followed by Dodge with -48 percent and Jeep with a 42 percent decline over the same month in 2008.

As for the few positive highlights of the month, Jeep Wrangler sales increased 7 percent year-over-year compared to April 2008, sales of the Dodge Challenger were up 11 percent compared to March and Chrysler Town & Country retail sales increased 6 percent over the previous month.

Via Carscoop

Report Says Chrysler Bankruptcy Could Take up to Two Years and not 60 Days

In another twist to the Chrysler LLC imbroglio, a report from Bloomberg citing an unnamed administration official said that the automaker's bankruptcy procedure may take as long as two years and not the two months period initially projected by President Barack Obama. The administration official told the news agency that the 60 days announced by Obama at a press conference at the end of April only applies to the sale of Chrysler's best assets to a new entity held by Italy's Fiat S.p.A., an auto workers health trust and the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Lawyers seem to be backing the official's claims as they told the news agency that the firm's creditors would later on kick in fighting their cases in court over unwanted factories and other assets to get their money back.

"The unsold assets and liabilities may take years to sort out due to the complexities of resolving thousands of commercial, tort, future asbestos, dealership and employee claims," told Bloomberg Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP partner, Martin Bienenstock.

[Via: Bloomberg]