Ford to Invest $1 billion In Second Car Plant in India

- Ford to Invest $1 billion In Second Car Plant in India



Jul 27, 2011

Ford is planning to build a second car plant in India. According to a person briefed in the matter, Ford will invest $1 billion in the plant that will employ 5,000 people and begin producing cars in 2014.

The company said in the e-mailed reply to questions, "Ford continues to pursue an aggressive growth strategy in India to bring world class vehicles. As part of its plan to introduce eight new products by the middle of the decade Ford is significantly expanding its capacities in its existing facility in Tamil Nadu as well as exploring other options to meet the growing demand of consumers in India and export markets across the world."

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) has a potential upside of 59.3% based on a current price of $12.35 and an average consensus analyst price target of $19.67.

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Ford Increases Availability of Fuel-Efficient Tires Across Lineup

- Ford Increases Availability of Fuel-Efficient Tires Across Lineup



Jul 11, 2011

New fuel efficient, low resistance tires developed by Ford (NYSE:F) are expected to advance fuel economy by up to 2 mpg and are likely to be featured in Ford's up and coming C-Max Energi, C-Max Hybrid and the Focus Electric Cars.

David Rohweder, Ford's Global Chief Engineer for tire and wheel engineering said, "Tire technology, pressures and wear can make a big difference to a vehicle's fuel economy, so the company is working closely with leading tire companies to optimize performance with low-rolling-resistance tires." Ford Motor (NYSE:F) has a potential upside of 46.1% based on a current price of $13.5 and an average consensus analyst price target of $19.73.

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GM to Offer Free Auto Insurance to Oregon and Washington Residents

- GM to Offer Free Auto Insurance to Oregon and Washington Residents



Jul 8, 2011

General Motors (NYSE:GM) plans to offer free auto insurance though MetLife (NYSE:MET) for one year to residents of Washington and Oregon who buy or lease a GM vehicle through September 6, according to Automotive News. GM is using the program as a test a new sales promotion.

General Motors has a potential upside of 38.7% based on a current price of $31.4 and an average consensus analyst price target of $43.55.

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Toyota Launches Prius Minivan, Orders Above Target

- Toyota Launches Prius Minivan, Orders Above Target



Jun 14, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) has received 52,000 orders for the new Prius hybrid minivan in Japan, only one month after its launch. The new model, called the Prius Alpha had an initial sales target of 3,000, set by the company.

The original Prius hybrid model received 180,000 orders after its June 2009 relsease in Japan. The Prius also had a monthly sales goal at launch of around 10,000.

Toyota Motor has a potential upside of 15.9% based on a current price of $79.72 and an average consensus analyst price target of $92.4.

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Toyota Motor Estimates 31% Drop Full Year Net Profit

- Toyota Motor Estimates 31% Drop Full Year Net Profit



Jun 10, 2011

Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) said today it expects its net profit to fall by almost a third this year, as production continues to be disrupted 3 months after the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11th.

The company predicted its profit for the full year ending in March 2012 would decline 31% to $3.5 billion.

Analysts had been expecting a profit of $5.28 billion, and the company reported $5.1 billion in profit for the year ending March 2011.

The company expects full year sales to decline 2%, and said global production wouldn't recover completely until November.

Toyota Motor has a potential upside of 14.3% based on a current price of $80.84 and an average consensus analyst price target of $92.4.

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Ford Focus Receives IIHS "Top Safety Pick" Award

- Ford Focus Receives IIHS "Top Safety Pick" Award



May 26, 2011

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced today it has awarded Ford Motor Company's (NYSE:F) 2012 Focus a "Top Safety Pick" rating.

It is Ford's twelfth vehicle to earn the award. The announcement comes a day after the Euro NCAP gave the new Focus its maximum 5-star overall safety rating after concluding its tests on the car.

"We were committed from the beginning with the new Focus to design and engineer a vehicle that leads the way both in terms of technology and safety," said Gunnar Herrmann, Global C Car vehicle line director. "The inherent strength of the new Focus is the structural rigidity of the body and its extensive use of high-strength steels."

The body of the vehicle is comprised of 55% high-strength steels, of which 31% is the ultra-tough boron steel. That percentage is higher than any other Ford vehicle built to date.

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Nissan Leaf wins World Car of the Year

Nissan Leaf wins World Car of the Year



Apr 21, 2011

The World Car Awards has a new winner. The Nissan Leaf takes home the top honor as the 2011 World Car of the Year at the The New York auto show. The electric car beat out it's two top competitors: the Audi A8 and BMW 5-series and was also runner up for the World Green Award. That top honor however was given to the Chevy Volt. Those judging the World Car Awards said that the Nissan Leaf is the gateway to a brave new electric world with it's zero emissions and car-like performance for just under $35,000.

Toyota Announces Temporary Shutdown of All North American Factories "Inevitable" (TM)

Toyota Announces Temporary Shutdown of All North American Factories "Inevitable" (TM)




Toyota Motor Co (NYSE:TM) announced earlier today that they will have to close down all of their North American factories by the end of this month due to a parts shortage caused by the damage from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The temporary shutdown of the company's 13 factories in North America is inevitable, the company said. How long the production stoppage will last is unknown. 25,000 workers will be affected, but no layoffs are expected.

The factories have been using parts from their inventories and those that were shipped before the disaster, but those supplies are running out.

Spokesman Mike Goss said, "We're going to get to a point this month where that gap in the pipeline starts to show up. So we'll have to suspend production for a while,"

Toyota gets about 15% of the parts for cars and trucks built in North America from Japan, "but still you have to have them all to build the vehicles," Goss said.

Shares of Toyota Motor are trading down 1.29% at $79.47.

General Motors to develop Buick plug-in hybrid

General Motors to develop Buick plug-in hybrid



General Motors (GM) is developing a Buick using the Chevrolet Volt's plug-in hybrid technology, reports Bloomberg. According to two people familiar with the project, designers are working on a version of the hybrid Opel Ampera scheduled for sale in Europe this year. The Buick version would go on sale in 2013 if it receives final approval.