The Carlovers Magazine

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• UAW Open to Increasing Second-Tier Jobs
• Parts Shortages Hit Honda, Toyota in U.S.
• OEMs May Rethink Supply Policies in Wake of Japan Crisis
• U.S. Consumer Confidence Plummets
• Renault Ponders Production Version of DeZir Concept
• Volvo to Add Engineers
• Visteon to Refinance Bankruptcy Exit Loan
• Owens Corning Veil Promises to Increase Battery Life
• The Skinny on New Pickup Seats: Stowable, Compact, Comfortable
• Start-Up’s Electric Car Goes 207 Miles on One Charge

UAW Open to Increasing Second-Tier Jobs Posted: The United Auto Workers union will consider allowing domestic automakers to hire greater numbers of workers at an entry-level wage of about $14 per hour—half the pay of veteran workers—to preserve jobs, says Joe Ashton, head of the union's General Motors Co. unit. He tells reporters that the UAW will "look [...]

Parts Shortages Hit Honda, Toyota in U.S. Posted: Honda Motor Co. says it will reduce its North American production by an unspecified amount, starting today, because it is running low on some Japan-made engine, transmission and electrical components. The company will shorten daily operations at five plants in Alabama, Indiana, Ohio and Ontario by as much as four [...]

OEMs May Rethink Supply Policies in Wake of Japan Crisis Posted: The parts shortages causing production halts worldwide could prompt automakers to re-examine their supply chain management, says Reuters, which cites Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research. McAlinden told an industry conference in Dearborn yesterday that "the cracks and inefficiencies" of globalization are starting to [...]

U.S. Consumer Confidence Plummets Posted: Americans became gloomier about the U.S. economy this month as higher prices for food and gasoline raise worries about inflation, according to the New York City-based Conference Board. The research group's index of consumer confidence tumbled to 63.4 in March from 72 in February. The board says the sluggish job market [...]

Renault Ponders Production Version of DeZir Concept Posted: Renault SA tells Edmunds.com it is nearing a decision to produce a conventionally powered version of the DeZir electric car concept it unveiled at last year's Paris auto show. If approved, the company says, the coupe would be marketed under the high-performance Renaultsport sub-brand. Renaultsport currently includes variants of [...]

Volvo to Add Engineers Posted: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's Volvo Car unit says it will hire 900 engineers in Sweden to develop new vehicles, including an electric powertrain. Volvo says it also will hire 300 marketing, IT and production workers in Sweden and at its assembly plant in Ghent, Belgium. The company, which Geely [...]

Visteon to Refinance Bankruptcy Exit Loan Posted: Visteon Corp. says it will sell $500 million of eight-year notes that will allow it to repay a six-year high-interest loan for the same amount that helped the company emerge from bankruptcy in October. Bloomberg News says the new notes have less restrictive terms and will allow Visteon to take advantage [...]

Owens Corning Veil Promises to Increase Battery Life Posted: Owens Corning Corp. says it has developed a non-woven glass fiber "veil" that can extend the life of traditional lead-acid batteries. The Toledo, Ohio-based company expects the technology to be used in conjunction with engine stop-start systems, whose frequent on-off cycles put additional strain on the battery. It announced [...]

The Skinny on New Pickup Seats: Stowable, Compact, Comfortable Posted: Johnson Controls Inc. says its "slim stow" seats for the back row of pickup trucks are lighter, more comfortable and take up one-third less space when folded up than those made by competitors. Both sides of the split rear seat can be stowed into the cab's rear panel wall [...]

Start-Up’s Electric Car Goes 207 Miles on One Charge Posted: Japan-based SIM-Drive Corp. says a prototype of the SIM-LEI electric vehicle the consortium is developing has a 207-mile driving range on the Japanese driving cycle and can accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. The four-seater, which is propelled by in-wheel motors, uses lithium-ion batteries from Toshiba Corp. [...]

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