The Week That Was
By: Graeme Roberts
Deputy/news editor Graeme Roberts' Friday wrap on the important automotive news from the week just ending.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: A mixed start to 2012
3 February 2012
The jury on the likely US sales tally for 2012 is still out after a January that (pleasantly) surprised our resident statistician Bill Cawthon and sparked off a bit of discussion at just-auto Towers this week - will the light vehicle market for the year break through 14m, as an increasing number of pundits suggest or will the remaining 11 months see it pegged back to the 13.5m-ish suggested late last year?
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Fiat and the truckers
27 January 2012
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has had enough trouble with unions lately, and now, as I write, Fiat is struggling with the logistics nightmare of a truckers strike that seems to be bringing Italy to a halt.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Unions, Saab and a Ford milestone
20 January 2012
Union news and Saab updates were amongst the most-read stories on just-auto this week.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Detroit, sunny Detroit
13 January 2012
Triple-D week for me, this, first time in Detroit, first time at the Detroit show, first time on Delta. Despite the dire predictions of certain sages I know, it was all good.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Delhi, Detroit and all that...
6 January 2012
This short week - we here in England were still skiving off on our Christmas break last Monday while most of the rest of the globe showed up for work - could be referred to the 'DD' period. Stop sniggering, you down the back, I'm referring to Delhi and Detroit. As in motor shows.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Saab finally bows out
23 December 2011
It's the week before Christmas and normally a quietish time of the year for news as VMs keep their powder dry before unleashing all their new toys at the Detroit show in January.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Saab ain't down yet
16 December 2011
Every week for months now, I expect to be writing a small obituary for Saab, gone to join the likes of Pontiac, Saturn, Oldsmobile, Rover, Austin et al in brand name heaven and, every week, another rabbit gets pulled out of the hat. Everything that happened this week - and previously - is in here.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Is Saab finally toast?
9 December 2011
Although we have been here before, and the phoenix has climbed back up before the fire turned it to ashes, I have a feeling Saab may have entered the Last Chance Saloon this week.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Proactive PR and Eurostar
2 December 2011
Just for fun, let's start right off topic, with trains.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: The stories that just won't go
25 November 2011
There are two long-running stories - or should that be sagas - on just-auto currently that just won't go away, a bit like that annoying, half-dead, end-of-summer blow-fly that gets into your office and just won't disappear again, despite numerous physical and/or chemical inducements.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Saab still with us - just
18 November 2011
This time last week it looked that, by this time this week, Saab would be toast. But that deadline of Tuesday 15 November came and went and Saab is still with us.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Saab's D-Day is close
11 November 2011
Tuesday, 15 November. Just another Tuesday to you and I but, for Saab, it's the day the memorandum of understanding signed with Pang Da and Youngman to buy the automaker and its UK national sales company runs out. As will, I suspect, creditor and government patience. Today's meeting is crunch time.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Q3s and floods...
4 November 2011
I tend to view the quarterly results season, treated most seriously by US-based OEMs and suppliers, with a mixture of interest, resignation and dread.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: 'Quake lessons still being learned?
28 October 2011
"Lessons will be learned." That trite phrase is heard far too often here in Britain, usually being read from a statement, vetted by a whey-faced, dark-suited lawyer, by an equally whey-faced, dark-suited 'spokesman' attempting to explain to assembled media the latest bureaucratic cock-up, more often than not by one of the country's overly powerful and inept local councils. I didn't quite hear the phrase in those exact words at the time but the implication was obvious and you'd think some lessons might have been learned about globalisation of auto parts supply following the Japanese earthquake in March. Wouldn't you?
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Suzuki conciliatory over strike
20 October 2011
The long-running strike at Maruti Suzuki has got costly for the company and threatened sales in the normal festival boom time. You'd think the company's management would be spitting tacks by now but its attitude is still more concilatory than you'd expect.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Thai floods revive 'quake memories
14 October 2011
Only seven months on from the Japanese earthquake, and just as the industry there and its tentacles overseas are getting back to normal, worse than usual annual floods in Thailand are starting to play havoc with the autobiz there.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: The same but different
7 October 2011
I've always been intrigued about how a product that acquires a bit of a shonky reputation can be rebranded a bit and make something of a comeback.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: VW spending big as Saab totters
16 September 2011
So the West is all but done for and all future big news will come from the Chinese and Korean automakers huh? Someone tell the supervisory board at VW which has just opened der korporate wallet very wide indeed.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Saab struggles on
9 September 2011
Is Saab in its death throes? In the opinion of some web commentators, bankruptcy is inevitable but, if it does eventually go down, it won't be without a fight.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Peugeot heading back into India
2 September 2011
When Ford started getting serious about India, it was initially recycled Fiestas-r-us; its current hit Figo is a mildly done over previous generation though you can now buy the latest one as well, for more money. Maruti kept the ancient 1980s Alto in the mix for over 20 years alongside more current models, Hyundai and Nissan use India as an export hub for entry level models like the Pixo and Micra and the i10 and i20. So Peugeot is returning to the market with cars like the 107? Nope. The plan is to start with the D-segment 508 and maybe even export it some time.
