Daimler's European Plant Plans

Based in Germany, car maker Daimler has recently disclosed in a report that they are in the process of deciding whether they would start up a plant in Europe's eastern part. The facility is said to be an assembly plant which would be completing the car-making process. Like with the Jeep, they have manufacturing plants for Jeep wheels and a different facility for building the complete unit. Daimler has also disclosed that if they do decide to build this new facility, they would be using that to make Mercedes Benz vehicles.

The completion of the said plant would then lead to having more citizens of the area getting employed. The move would also help strengthen the European Union's move to have a motor industry that has a wider range.

At present, Daimler is looking at two sites where they could construct their plant. One of the sites is in the city of Wroclaw in Poland and the second would be near the north western portion of Romania. There have been no confirmations from Daimler yet and the company had only shared, "If there were to be a need for additional capacity, particularly for compact cars, then we would look in eastern Europe too. But no decision has been taken." That means that right now, we are all left with speculations.

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Ford's Survival of the Fittest Scheme

The law on survival of the fittest now applies with the Ford Motor Co. as India's Tata Motors is expected to take over Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover after a thorough bidding process.

Since last year, Ford has entertained the idea of selling the brands in order to overcome its financial crisis. With Tata Motors buying them for more than $2 billion, Ford finds a solution to counter its mounting debts.

Ford told Reuters that selling the Land Rover and Jaguar would greatly support its plan of multiyear restructuring in North America since those brands no longer obtain enough profit for the company. In 2006, Ford lost $12.6 billion. But with its cost-cutting measures, Ford recovered with $88 million gains through the first quarter of last year.

"There is still considerable work to do and while no final decision has been made, we will proceed with further substantive discussions with Tata Motors over the forthcoming weeks," Ford Executive Vice President Lewis Booth said.

Meanwhile, details about the negotiation are yet to be confirmed by both parties citing that it was a confidential process.

Tata Motors' acquisition of the Ford's high-profile brands is expected to promote subcontinent companies' expansion in the auto market. That means, Tata, India's top vehicle makers, would be dealing with more than just the ACC cabin filter this time.

"We hope both parties can reach an agreement in the forthcoming weeks, though these are complex discussions and there is still much work that needs to be done before that position is reached," Tata said.

Ford looks forward to having a final agreement of the sale early this year. Goldman Sachs Group Inc, HSBC Holdings Plc and Morgan Stanley stand as Ford's advisers while JP Morgan Chase and Co. take the same role for Tata.

In JD Power's latest sales satisfaction in US, Jaguar got the third rank while the Land Rover landed on the 11th spot. However, sales records showed that it's not making enough money for Ford these past few years that is why Ford had to find buyers for these luxury car brands.

In 2000, Ford acquired Jaguar for $10 billion while it spent about $2.5 billion for Land Rover in 1989.

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Damaged Cars + eBay = Perfect Business

There’s good money in that trash. Yes, they aren’t pure crap; they can be a perfect source for building wealth.

Damaged cars aren’t useless; little repairs can do big magic you know. And with the aid of eBay, the world's biggest online buying and selling community Web site, what you considered trash can transform into sparkly dime.

CNBC shares this story:

Dragging a couple of hundred potential buyers of damaged cars around in the snow or Southern humidity isn’t the best business model for an auctioneer. That’s why Copart embraced the eBay way and started selling online. Now, the company moves 6,000 vehicles a day over the Net.

And that’s just one of the ways founder, Chairman and CEO Willis Johnson has grown Copart, which makes its money “remarketing” totaled cars for insurance companies. He noticed that about 25% of his buyers are outside the U.S., so he bough the U.K.’s Universal Salvage to expand his footprint.

The overseas business is big because it’s only the cost of living that makes a car “totaled” in the U.S. Thanks to low labor costs in other countries, buyers can pick up a late-model luxury vehicle on the cheap and get it running again for much less than their American counterparts.

The stock’s about $4 off its 52-week high, but it’s “going right back up,” Cramer said.

You might not have the slightest idea of how big the venture could be, but a try won’t hurt. If a used master cylinder lures a number of car owners, how much more if you offer cars.

Build a good reputation and don’t put a dent on it. Then, watch how eBay and viral marketing drive sales.

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Mercedes Benz At The 2008 NAIAS

The hottest and talk of the town auto show generated a worldwide impact courtesy of the stunning concept cars and the newest production vehicles from various world-renowned automakers in Detroit. The 2008 North American International Auto Show featured a vast array of vehicle technologies, breakthroughs and most of all, awesome cars! The show is indeed exceptional, and there are no room for dirty mud flaps by the way.

Among the leading European carmakers that were present during the show is the world-famous Mercedes Benz brand. The company’s display room was highlighted by the world debut of the new generation SLK roadster that was presented by one of the four lead stars of the hit TV series and soon to be in theaters, Sex and the City lead star Kim Cattrall. Mercedes Benz also launched the BLUETEC offensive with SUVs in the R, M and GL Class.

"I love the GLK's powerful design, not to mention its incredibly spacious trunk, its exceptional comfort and the fact that it's a Mercedes," comments Kim Cattrall.

"After all, I am one of the few people who have already had the opportunity to gather a generous amount of hands-on experience with the future GLK," says Kim Cattrall as she chats with Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Management Board of Daimler Benz AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

"The forthcoming GLK is the right vehicle at the right time. Firstly, it possesses a highly individual design that is a clear departure from the segment norm. Secondly, it brings together the strengths of our full-size models within an entry-luxury format that also has benefits in terms of fuel consumption," says Dieter Zetsche.

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Awesome Concept Cars At NAIAS

Where do you find the hottest cars? – Where else but motor shows!

And with the opening of this year’s North American International Auto Show, lots of hot cars will be showcased to aficionados delight. And do you think something will be hotter than concept cars? I don’t think so.

At the NAIAS, a number of auto journalists were invited. There, they examined vehicles that won’t be available in the market for quite a time. They are called concept cars - those are the consequences of designers’ wildest imagination.

Beside the fact that concept cars are much-awaited, automakers see to it that they showcase cutting-edge products to lure more shoppers. The future is hard to predict so rich imagination and availability of good materials are necessary to create a compelling concept car.

"Here we can identify consumer interest, what they think, what we'll be doing in the future, what will work and what won't work," said Chrysler President Jim Press.

Chrysler's EcoVoyager, a hydrogen fuel-cell concept car, boasts a futuristic interior that may never hit the showroom floor. But while the vehicles themselves rarely go into production, some ideas in their designs will appear in cars you can buy, according to CTV.ca.

A good example would be "a lot of the crossover Sport Utility Vehicles, like our Chrysler 300," said Press. To note, the CUV is manufactured in Brampton, Ont. It also won the Car of the Year title at the auto show 3 years back.

A stunning concept was Mazda’s Taiki, which is inspired by the flow of the air design philosophy. The car boasts of dramatic lines and curves to emphasize the styling used. "It's one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen," said a motor show attendee.

Less domineering than the Taiki in appearance was the A-Bat from Toyota. But under the hood, the the automaker’s pool of designers proved that a hybrid engine could run a rugged all-wheel drive pickup. Chevy, meanwhile, flaunted its controversial hybrid plug-in dubbed Volt. The Volt is an all-electric performance vehicle.

Nissan, on the other hand, has opted to up the ante of family minivan by wiping its boring stigma. "Minivans have been around a long time, but people don't want to drive them -- they have to drive them," said Nissan Designer Richard Pavatich. He tried to make the minivan more enjoyable by giving each seat its own individual entertainment system, and the centre seats even spin around. "We made a sport exterior for wherever you want to go," he noted.

Very true, the motor show releases steams. NAIAS might be in need of an AC condenser to make the ambiance colder by several degrees.

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