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GERMANY: Porsche stake in VW now exceeds 50% - (6th January 2009)
Porsche has acquired over 50% of Volkswagen, increasing its holding to 50.76% of all ordinary voting shares.
US: GM and Chrysler get fed loans - (19th December 2008)
President Bush has announced that his administration will provide US$13.4bn in short-term loans to GM and Chrysler. The money will come from the US$700bn Troubled Asset Relief Programme (TARP), originally intended to provide financial institutions with emergency liquidity.
TALKING POINT: Should Congress approve a Big Three bailout? - (3rd December 2008)
Should Congress approve a Big Three bailout? No, it’ll be painful, but the US automakers must be left to their fate instead of being bailed out by the US government, argues Mark Bursa. Yes, these are exceptional times requiring exceptional measures and the alternative could be very much worse, not just for Detroit but for the whole US economy, says Dave Leggett.
US: That B-word arises in DC and Wall Street - (3rd December 2008)
US lawmakers have begun talking to Wall Street financial experts to see if there are ways to speed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and recovery plans should this prove necessary to rescue struggling Detroit automakers.
GERMANY: Government ready to help Opel - (18th November 2008)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the German government is ready to guarantee funds for Opel, if that becomes necessary.
EMERGING MARKETS ANALYSIS: Fixing AvtoVAZ starts with new product - (11th November 2008)
Renault’s man in Togliatti is Yann Vincent – and he’s already working on a range of new Ladas to turn round AvtoVAZ’s fortunes. Mark Bursa reports.
GOLDING'S TAKE: The Ford duet is getting squeakier - (7th November 2008)
The singers have changed but the song is the same: Ford Motor Company is deep in the doo-doo and expects nothing to improve this year or next.
US: New president seen as automaker ally - (5th November 2008)
Automakers could benefit from the forthcoming change of resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but there could be labour difficulties ahead at non-union plants.
US: Toyota to start truck, SUV, exports - (31st October 2008)
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) USA has announced plans to export North American-built Sequoia and Tundra vehicles to South America and the Middle East.
GERMANY: BMW, Daimler, cut output - (27th October 2008)
Both BMW and Daimler are to idle factories in Germany due to slumping global demand.
