Si te quedaste con ganas de ver más TCP en el circuito El Paraíso de Cañuelas:
Nuevamente con doble fecha (la 11º y la 12º ).
Sííí!!!! másssss TC PROVINCIAL para vosssss!!!!! que lo estabas esperando.
El Domingo 6 de Diciembre se define quien será el Campeón del Turismo Carretera Provincial 2009!!!
La ilusión de 4 pilotos que matematicamente tienen posibilidades, pondrá en juego su experiencia,habilidad, estrategia, persistencia, preparación, garra y mucha, pero mucha pasión por correr.
Esta será la clave para lo que será una definición impresionante!!! Quedan 94 puntos en juego.
Un espectáculo imperdible, como siempre vienen demostrando todos los pilotos de TC PROVINCIAL.
Para vos ¿Quién será nuestro nuevo Campeón?
Carlos Da Silva con Falcon Nro 10 de la localidad de Gonzalez Catán con un total de 418 puntos.
Matías Martínez con Valiant II Nro 41 de la localidad de San Justo con un total de 403,5 puntos.
Ricardo Bonomo con Falcon Nro 2 de la localidad de San Justo con un total de 372 puntos.
Diego Garcia con Chevrolet 400 de la localidad de La Tablada con un total de 365 puntos.

Te esperamos, no te lo pierdas!!!

When U.S. automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, appealed for government funding for their failing businesses this past year, it was presumed that they were going to use that money for the development of cleaner cars. Now, it looks like they don’t have to. What is going on here? Are American taxpayers being shafted?

By: Shannon Arvizu

American taxpayers will end up paying $12, 200 for every GM car sold and $7600 for every Chrysler car sold through the beginning of 2011, according to a new study by Thomas Hopkins, an economics professor at the University of Rochester. Total funding for GM Chrysler and GMAC, the financing subsidiary for both companies, stands at $78.9 billion. The study is based on data released by the US Government Accountability Office this past month.

Initially, this money was believed to help American carmakers restructure their facilities to produce more fuel-efficient and plug-in electric cars. However, Ron Bloom, the government task force “Car Czar,” said this week that this is not a prerequisite or obligation as part of the bailout money GM and Chrysler received. While all automakers are expected to comply with the increased average fuel economy standards of 35 mpg by 2016, neither GM or Chrysler will be held to higher standards or expected to produce the million plug-in vehicles Obama announced that he would like to see by 2015. This is despite the fact that American taxpayers now own a 60% share of GM and 10% share of Chrysler.

So what is going on here? Apparently the focus is on repaying government loans as fast as possible. This means that, since it is cheaper to produce and sell the conventional internal combustion engine vehicles that American carmakers have made in the past, they will continue to do so. In other words, it’s business as usual.

I have to admit that I had been quite encouraged by GM’s and Chrysler’s prior commitments to plug-in vehicles. While GM has made it clear that it will still produce and sell the Volt, Chrysler has now put its electric vehicle program on the back burner. Overall, we should not expect these companies to make plug-in and fuel-efficient cars the cornerstone of their total vehicle sales.

It is a shame to see precious billions that were initially earmarked for clean tech development go towards helping “dinosaur companies” stay afloat. This is the exact opposite of what a clean tech policy should be.

Folha de S. Paulo

Antes mesmo do anúncio de ontem, o Brasil já aparecia entre os países que mais concederam ajuda ao setor automotivo, superando até mesmo os Estados Unidos (sem contar, porém, a ajuda de dezenas de bilhões de dólares do governo americano a GM e Chrysler), segundo levantamento da OCDE (Organização para a Cooperação e o Desenvolvimento Econômico).

Pelos cálculos do organismo que reúne 30 das maiores economias globais, o desconto no IPI (Imposto Sobre Produtos Industrializados) de carros e caminhões, além da redução de impostos na produção e no financiamento de motos, teve um custo para o governo brasileiro de US$ 3,3 bilhões.

Já os EUA, sede de algumas das maiores montadoras do planeta e – até o ano passado, pelo menos – donos do maior mercado mundial, usaram US$ 3 bilhões no programa de troca de carros antigos por outros que consumissem menos combustível: o chamado “Dinheiro por Sucata”. No entanto, o cálculo não leva em conta os US$ 50 bilhões concedidos para a GM nem os US$ 7 bilhões para a Chrysler – o governo dos EUA é hoje importante acionista das duas montadoras.

Mesmo a China, que caminha para destronar os EUA do posto de maior mercado global, gastou menos em ajuda: foram 9 bilhões de yuan, ou cerca de US$ 1,3 bilhão, sempre de acordo com a OCDE. Nos dez primeiros meses deste ano, foram comercializados 10,9 milhões de veículos na China, ante 8,6 milhões nos Estados Unidos.

Em termos nominais, os valores da ajuda brasileira só ficaram atrás dos programas dos governos da Austrália, do Japão e da Alemanha (o mais caro deles é o japonês, avaliado em US$ 7,5 bilhões). Só que, especialmente nos dois primeiros casos, o enfoque da ajuda foi na produção de veículos menos poluentes. Porém, a OCDE alerta de que a maior parte dos programas de troca de carros não parece ser “instrumento rentável” na redução dos gases de efeito estufa.

A entidade afirma ainda que o fim dos subsídios concedidos pelos diversos governos para o setor automotivo deve provocar uma queda nas vendas de carros em vários desses países. A explicação é que esses programas de ajuda apenas antecipam uma compra futura, estimulando um aumento nas vendas no curto prazo.

“Na medida em que esses programas são temporários e consistem, em sua maioria, na antecipação de compras futuras, o crescimento nas vendas deve ser revertido depois que esses esquemas acabarem”, disse a OCDE em documento publicado na semana passada.

Fonte: Folha de S. Paulo/Álvaro Fagundes | www.folha.uol.com.br

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

- Dr. Joachim Schmidt: “We will continue this positive trend, and we expect sales in the fourth quarter to be above last year’s level.”
- Record sales in China – Schmidt: “We expect Mercedes-Benz Cars to increase its sales in China by more than 50 percent in full-year 2009.”
- Mercedes-Benz USA posts best monthly result since the beginning of the year, with sales up by 21 percent in October
- E- and S-Class sedans maintain market leadership

Stuttgart, Germany, Nov 06, 2009 – In October, global sales were up at Mercedes-Benz for the first time this year. Mercedes-Benz was able to increase sales significantly in October by seven percent to 88,400 units (October 2008: 82,500. The smart brand sold 9,300 (October 2008: 11,300) units (minus 18 percent). With the delivery of 97,700 passenger cars (October 2008: 93,800), total sales at Mercedes-Benz Cars increased by four percent. The October sales increase was due to the E-Class and the new generation of the S-Class as well as to high growth rates in many regions such as North America and Asia/Pacific. Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles were also above last year’s level in Western Europe.

“We will continue this positive trend in the coming months, and we expect sales in the fourth quarter to be above the level of the same period of last year,” said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Head of Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. Contributing to this development will be the new E-Class and the new generation S-Class, as well as the ongoing strong growth rates in the Asia/Pacific region, particularly in China. By the end of September, Mercedes-Benz had already sold more vehicles in China than in all of last year. Says Schmidt: “Mercedes-Benz Cars will continue to grow at a dynamic rate in China, and we expect the increase for 2009 as a whole to amount to more than 50 percent.”

In October Mercedes-Benz once again set a sales record in China, with sales rising by 78 percent to 6,600 units (October 2008: 3,700). As a result, since the start of the year, Mercedes-Benz has been the fastest-growing premium brand in China. In October, Mercedes-Benz Cars also delivered more vehicles than ever before to the Asia/Pacific region as a whole, handing over 14,100 passenger vehicles to customers (October 2008: 10,500) for an increase of 34 percent. High growth rates were also posted in October in Australia (up 22 percent) and South Korea (up 63 percent).

In the United States, October was the best month of the year so far for Mercedes-Benz. Sales bucked the general market trend, rising by 21 percentto 18,200 units (October 2008: 15,000). This was the first time this year that sales were substantially higher than in 2008, and ensured that Mercedes-Benz remains the strongest German premium brand in the U.S. Contributing factors here included the E-Class, deliveries of which tripled to 6,100 units, and the GLK, which was once again the best-selling vehicle in its class in October, with deliveries of 1,800 units. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz posted another sales record in Canada in October, increasing customer deliveries by 28 percent to 2,200 passenger vehicles (October 2008: 1,700).

In the Western Europe region (not including Germany), Mercedes-Benz increased its sales by seven percent in October, thanks in particular to the high increases for the new E-Class. The brand enjoyed strong growth amounting to 55 percent in the UK, with a total of 5,800 units sold.

Sales of new E-Class continued to develop positively in the past month, with worldwide deliveries doubling in October to 17,100 units. Double-digit sales increases were registered in almost all markets. That made it once again the clear market leader in its segment. The company expects the launch of the new station wagon, which can be seen at dealerships starting on November 21, to give an additional positive boost to the E-Class family.

The new generation of the S-Class also got off to a successful start. Worldwide sales of the S-Class sedan were slightly above the previous year's level. Since the beginning of this year, the sedan has been the best-selling sedan in its segment. In China, which is now the biggest market for the S-Class, 1,100 luxury sedans were delivered to customers in October alone, which represents an increase of 12 percent. The sedan also sold very well in Germany, with an increase of 42 percent, and in Japan, where October sales increased by 13 percent. Mercedes-Benz sold 15,100 units of its SUVs worldwide (2008: 14,800), with an increase of two percent. The GLK, which was especially popular, enjoyed mainly double-digit growth rates in the Western European markets.

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Nov 06, 2009 – In October, global sales were up at Mercedes-Benz for the first time this year. Mercedes-Benz was able to increase sales significantly in October by seven percent to 88,400 units (October 2008: 82,500. The smart brand sold 9,300 (October 2008: 11,300) units (minus 18 percent). With the delivery of 97,700 passenger cars (October 2008: 93,800), total sales at Mercedes-Benz Cars increased by four percent. The October sales increase was due to the E-Class and the new generation of the S-Class as well as to high growth rates in many regions such as North America and Asia/Pacific. Sales of Mercedes-Benz vehicles were also above last year’s level in Western Europe.

“We will continue this positive trend in the coming months, and we expect sales in the fourth quarter to be above the level of the same period of last year,” said Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Head of Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. Contributing to this development will be the new E-Class and the new generation S-Class, as well as the ongoing strong growth rates in the Asia/Pacific region, particularly in China. By the end of September, Mercedes-Benz had already sold more vehicles in China than in all of last year. Says Schmidt: “Mercedes-Benz Cars will continue to grow at a dynamic rate in China, and we expect the increase for 2009 as a whole to amount to more than 50 percent.”

In October Mercedes-Benz once again set a sales record in China, with sales rising by 78 percent to 6,600 units (October 2008: 3,700). As a result, since the start of the year, Mercedes-Benz has been the fastest-growing premium brand in China. In October, Mercedes-Benz Cars also delivered more vehicles than ever before to the Asia/Pacific region as a whole, handing over 14,100 passenger vehicles to customers (October 2008: 10,500) for an increase of 34 percent. High growth rates were also posted in October in Australia (up 22 percent) and South Korea (up 63 percent).

In the United States, October was the best month of the year so far for Mercedes-Benz. Sales bucked the general market trend, rising by 21 percentto 18,200 units (October 2008: 15,000). This was the first time this year that sales were substantially higher than in 2008, and ensured that Mercedes-Benz remains the strongest German premium brand in the U.S. Contributing factors here included the E-Class, deliveries of which tripled to 6,100 units, and the GLK, which was once again the best-selling vehicle in its class in October, with deliveries of 1,800 units. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz posted another sales record in Canada in October, increasing customer deliveries by 28 percent to 2,200 passenger vehicles (October 2008: 1,700).

In the Western Europe region (not including Germany), Mercedes-Benz increased its sales by seven percent in October, thanks in particular to the high increases for the new E-Class. The brand enjoyed strong growth amounting to 55 percent in the UK, with a total of 5,800 units sold.

Sales of new E-Class continued to develop positively in the past month, with worldwide deliveries doubling in October to 17,100 units. Double-digit sales increases were registered in almost all markets. That made it once again the clear market leader in its segment. The company expects the launch of the new station wagon, which can be seen at dealerships starting on November 21, to give an additional positive boost to the E-Class family.

The new generation of the S-Class also got off to a successful start. Worldwide sales of the S-Class sedan were slightly above the previous year's level. Since the beginning of this year, the sedan has been the best-selling sedan in its segment. In China, which is now the biggest market for the S-Class, 1,100 luxury sedans were delivered to customers in October alone, which represents an increase of 12 percent. The sedan also sold very well in Germany, with an increase of 42 percent, and in Japan, where October sales increased by 13 percent. Mercedes-Benz sold 15,100 units of its SUVs worldwide (2008: 14,800), with an increase of two percent. The GLK, which was especially popular, enjoyed mainly double-digit growth rates in the Western European markets.

Overview of Sales by Mercedes-Benz Cars

Source >> Mercedes-Benz-Blog — Unmistakable. Unique. Classy. Mercedes-Benz. – Mercedes-Benz Boosts Sales by Seven Percent
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For 2010 the Legacy looks more aggressive and sporty. The headlights are angled more, the character lines create a more muscular look, along with bigger wheel arches. The Legacy has a more modern, mainstream, Japanese appearance. It will be more competitive in the midsize sedan segment, but it's aggressive styling wouldn't look at home in a forest carrying mountain bikes like the old Legacy did.

While the exterior doesn't give thoughts of the usual Subaru activities of hiking and kayaking, the interior gives impressions of a more mainstream midsize sedan at home in mall parking lots. Comfortably designed for the driver and passenger with easy to use controls, soft cream leather seats, and class leading passenger space. Steering wheel controls are standard on the 2.5i Limited are well laid out and easy for the driver to use. Subaru's shortcomings in quality with their use of hard plastic, flimsy door panels, and cheap wood trim left me disappointed, while the previous generation Legacy excelled in quality.

Subaru has used it's new Lineartronic CVT transmission in the new Legacy. It provides a very smooth drive with gearshifts that are as smooth as a hot knife through butter. The paddle shifters are possibly the easiest I've ever used for manual shifting and coupled with the CVT provide a smooth ride. The base 2.5 liter engine feels very underpowered. Subaru's have been known to have a tighter suspension and this Legacy is completely different. The drive feels more like an everyday sedan focused more on driver comfort than a Subaru has ever been. Everyday driving is more polished and tranquilizing than the previous generation Legacy. I took the Legacy through some winding country roads where Subarus usually shine, and was very surprised. Clumsiness and body roll plagued the Legacy like an old woman without her walker. The 2.5 liter 170 hp engine made the Legacy feel underpowered and heavy. The other two optional 256 or 265 hp engines would make the Legacy feel more capable for everyday driving. Even with Subaru's all wheel drive system it felt as though it lacked Subaru's willingness to go off road, instead focusing on a smooth and comfortable drive for those city folk.

The redesigned Legacy is a Subaru aimed more towards a mainstream market. It's comfortable ride and cabin make for a pleasing highway and city drive. Aggressive styling coupled with it's soft ride may scare away some loyal Subaru owners and attract a different buyer. The Legacy lacks what makes Subaru a Subaru. It has evolved into a mainstream car, one that won't be found driving through dirt trails or going on camping trips, instead will be at home on highways and city streets.

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Got Fitch’s latest outlook on the auto industry.  Frankly it’s not that good.  I’m not sure what I can share/not share from the release, so I’ll try and hit the highlights here.  If you want more, you can always go to their site here and sign up for updates.

At any rate, they really tackle a couple of key, hard-hitting themes when it comes to the outlook.  First, was the forecast for 11.1 million in unit sales.  How does that compare to the historic average? Abysmal. Over the last 20 years, sales have averaged 15.7 million units (courtesy of Ward’s).

Which rolls right into the next big point – negative cash flow.  They didn’t discuss how they calculated that, but it’s safe to say they used a standard metric like free cash flow (FCF).  FCF is defined as the following:

There won’t be a lot of new CapEx (no new plants being built and most auto manufacturers are not under capacity, they’re over capacity), there will be some level of working capital expenditures, but what it’s going to boil down to is too little income to go around between all of the players.  The market is contracting.  Which is why the estimated $125Bn spent on TARP, TALF, cash-for-clunkers, and other government programs were a waste.  It was never going to stop the free-fall in net income for the industry, and it didn’t even stop GM from losing money and asking for more government money.  Ford probably got some benefit from suppliers staying in business via supplier guarantees & other forms of assistance, but Ford is on the mend without government aid.

Also, negative cash flow for Chrysler and GM means no capital market access so all of that talk of an IPO?  Total fail.

As for the companies that are left (i.e. the Japanese & Korean manufacturers), there will be a smaller market to fight for so there’s no more easy money to be made by grabbing more market share.  There may be a few more points left over to take from GM and Chrysler, but there won’t be much more.

The one other takeaway?  Unfunded pension liabilities.  The loss in the value of pension assets will make funding the future pension liabilities that much tougher.  And those liabilities continue to grow while the auto companies continue to conserve cash by reducing their contributions to the minimum amount allowed by law or contract.  It seems to me this an area the government could actually help by restructuring the liabilities of GM and Chrysler which in turn would give Ford the wiggle room it needs to restructure these liabilities.  Because these have the potential to bring the industry down.

For the 2010 model year, Chrysler Group LLC products make up nearly 15 percent of the total vehicles named Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Specifically, the IIHS selected the 2010 Jeep Patriot, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010 Dodge Avenger and 2010 Dodge Journey for the awards. This makes two years running for the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Dodge Journey as IIHS safety picks. The awards are another example of Chrysler Group LLC’s commitment to both safety and quality.

“Chrysler showed the most improvement of any automaker for 2010,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund. “These Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models are part of an elite group that afford the best overall crash protection and have electronic stability control, which can help keep drivers out of crashes altogether.”

In addition to ESC with traction control, all four vehicles include Brake Assist and Antilock Braking System, driver and front-passenger active head restraints, front seat-mounted side airbags and advanced multi-stage front airbags.

All four vehicles also include the company’s new active head restraint system for front-seat occupants. This system allows head rests to move forward with the seat occupant’s head during a rear-end collision, thus reducing the space between the head rest and the person’s head.

To learn more about safety features offered by Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler, visit Pomoco in Newport News or Suffolk today.

Source: ChryslerGroupLLC.com

A scholar’s analysis of calculations used by the Government Accountability Office to audit the Troubled Asset Relief Program has concluded that taxpayers will contribute $12,200 for every vehicle sold by General Motors and $7,600 for every vehicle sold by Chrysler during 2010, the National Taxpayers Union said. The report also said that federal loan guarantees will save GMAC’s Ally Bank an estimated $500 million per year in interest costs. (Posted Nov. 19)

Earlier this year, Fiat Group purchased 20% of Chrysler Group, leaving 55% to the UAW (United Auto Workers) and the rest to the US and Canadian Governments.  To American drivers who remember when Fiats and Alfa Romeos were last sold in the United States, this can conjure up bad memories of rotting floorboards, rusty fenders, and finicky engines.  I think the new Chrysler/Fiat merger means good things to those of us stateside, and I’ll tell you why.

Since the last Fiat or Alfa Romeo was sold in the United States, their cars have been improved, and are fairly well received in Europe.  Now that Fiat has controlling stake in Chrysler, they automatically have a dealership network, parts suppliers and manufacturing plants in North America.  This means easy integration into America, and with Chrysler’s current lack of upcoming products, an opportune time to replace existing designs and platforms with Fiat and Alfa Romeo’s existing hardware.  Currently, the only vehicles set to show up in calendar year 2010 are the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300C.

With that in mind, Fiat plans to incorporate its own cars into Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealerships, starting with the Alfa Romeo MiTo, and possibly the Fiat 500 later on.  In addition to bringing fresh styling to the Chrysler vehicles, the traditionally smaller cars produced by Fiat and Alfa Romeo will raise Chrysler’s average fuel economy, making it more likely that the newly-formed group won’t get in trouble for meeting new, stringent CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, set to take effect in 2012.

In addition to the influsion of cars and technology, Fiat also brings cash flow to the table, able to help out a struggling Chrysler and keep them afloat long enough for the new products to hit showroom floors.

Another interesting facet to this story is the Dodge Ram truck line.  Recently, television ads have told us all about the new Ram trucks, and the new 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty line.  Chrysler confirmed recently that they are actually splitting the Ram truck line off, as its own brand.  This makes it easier to meet the aforementioned CAFE requirements, and allows the Ram brand to branch off into big-rig territory.  This is still a rumor which may or may not come true, but in my mind is likely.

It’s a troubling time to be Chrysler, but with a little luck, and some fresh new products, they have every chance to make it, although I predict that the Chrysler of a few years from now will be very much different from today’s Chrysler, with smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and less of a dependance on SUV and truck sales.  They will also have streamlined their product lineup, and will be more of a niche player in the automotive marketplace.  While Fiat and Alfa Romeo will donate new vehicles, all of the poorly-selling vehicles currently in showrooms will be phased out or replaced, but mostly just phased out.  Look for more modern interiors, with all of today’s avaliable technologies, as well as more highly-engineered engines, capable of doing more with less, which is the current mantra of engine designers.

by John Suit

Photo Sources: www.chrysler.com, Road Reality

El domingo se dio lo que fue sin dudas la mejor carrera del año para la GTB. Julián Molina, líder del certamen se quedó con la clasificación y con la primera serie del domingo. Luego llegaron Leonardo Montero y Jorge Moretta. En la segunda serie el ganador fue Guillermo Demarco seguido por Maxi Pazos y Emilio Gobetto. La final entregó emociones por doquier. En la largada Molina pica en punta seguido por Demarco y más atrás Pazos. Pero luego de un par de vueltas era claro que Demarco venía mas rápido que Molina y el sobrepaso era inevitable. Saliendo de los mixtos Guillermo lo pasa a Julián, pero la maniobra no termina ahí, ya que un par de metros más adelante, Maxi Pazos mete el Valiant por adentro antes de ingresar a la olla y salta al segundo lugar.
Dos vueltas mas tarde, Molina encontró un hueco en la contrarecta y recupera la segunda posición, dejando a Pazos en el tercer lugar al ingreso de la recta. Pero la maniobra no termina allí, porque al llegar a la chicana, el que encuentra el hueco es Pazos y recupera la segunda posición. Espectacular. Maniobras ajustas y al límite que se realizaron con mucho profesionalismo.
Todo siguió igual hasta que a poco del final ingresa el auto de seguridad. Todos se juntan y a cortar clavos y pensar en los puntos del campeonato. Los tres venían muy rápido. Demarco aceleraba pero no podía escaparse de Pazos. Maxi lo seguía de cerca a Guillermo pero con el ojo clavado en el espejo. Molina estaba cada vez más cerca.
Atrás Moretta y Gobetto ya se habían escapado del resto entre ellos de definía el cuarto lugar. Más atrás Eduardo Díaz de muy buena carrera, daba cuenta de Tortosa y de Leo Montero.
Cartel de última vuelta. Pazos baja la persiana y defiende la segunda posición pensando en la lucha por el campeonato. Molina busca por afuera, adentro y arriba. Pazos tapa el hueco, ingresan a la recta, Pazos lo lleva para afuera y Molina pisa el pasto. Bandera a cuadros: Demarco primero y Chiquito y abraza con Tomas Suarez. Pazos segundo y vuelan gorras azules por todos lados. La punta de la trompa de Moretta tercera y medio auto atrás Molina cuarto. Quinto Emilio Gobetto que cada vez se cansa menos. Sexto el Poto Díaz que ya puede ir a dormir después de 15 días sin hacerlo. Séptimo Leo Montero que pide un te con limón y va derecho a la cama. Cerrando los puestos de adelante.
9 fecha

CLASIFICACION
AUTODROMO: MOURAS
POS.   NUMERO   PILOTO   MARCA   VUELTAS-TIEMPO
1   10   JULIAN MOLINA   CHEVY   1:49.442
2   3   GUILLERMO DE MARCO   CHEVY   1:49.661
3   1   DIEGO ROSSO   CHEVY   1:49.981
4   2   MAXI PASOS   VALIANT   1:50.102
5   13   LEONARDO MONTERO   CHEVY   1:50.961
6   16   EMILIO GOBETTO   CHEVY   1:52.505
7   19   JORGE MORETTA   CHEV.400   1:52.955
8   12   WALTER TORTOSA   CHEVY   1:53.358
9   27   MAURICIO ROFFREDO   FORD   1:53.696
10   54   MIGUEL MUTEVELIS   FORD   1:53.842
11   14   JULIO MOYANO   CHEV.400   1:54.746
12   71   MARTIN ABDALA   CHEVY   1:55.579
13   31   DANIEL MAUTOR   CHEVY   1:56.291
14   29   VICENTE CODIANNI   FORD   1:57.324
15   83   JOSE DIAZ   CHEVY   1:57.361
16   77   FRANCO FERNANDEZ   FAIRLINE   1:58.055
17   41   HERNAN CARBALLO   CHEVY   1:58.974
18   23   CARLOS RODRIGUEZ   FORD   6:33.556

1º SERIE GTB
AUTODROMO:
POS.   NUMERO   PILOTO   MARCA   VUELTAS-TIEMPO
1   10   JULIAN MOLINA   CHEVY   9:00.816
2   13   LEONARDO MONTERO   CHEVY   4.257
3   19   JORGE MORETTA   CHEV.400   5.533
4   27   MAURICIO ROFFREDO   FORD   21.022
5   14   JULIO MOYANO   CHEV.400   21.452
6   31   DANIEL MAUTOR   CHEVY   29.375
7   83   JOSE DIAZ   CHEVY   41.467
8   151   MARCELO RIVADENEIRA   CHEVY   2 vueltas
9   1   DIEGO ROSSO   CHEVY   4 vueltas
10   41   HERNAN CARBALLO   CHEVY   6.147
124 FABIA FIORINO  CHEVY   16.460

2º SERIE
AUTODROMO:
POS.   NUMERO   PILOTO   MARCA   VUELTAS-TIEMPO
1   3   GUILLERMO DE MARCO   CHEVY   9:03.097
2   2   MAXI PASOS   VALIANT   0.192
3   16   EMILIO GOBETTO   CHEVY   11.945
4   54   MIGUEL MUTEVELIS   FORD   12.325
5   12   WALTER TORTOSA   CHEVY   18.490
6   71   MARTIN ABDALA   CHEVY   18.702
7   29   VICENTE CODIANNI   FORD   37.770
8   23   CARLOS RODRIGUEZ   FORD   1:19.884
9   77   FRANCO FERNANDEZ   FAIRLANE   3 vueltas
10   173   ARIEL MONTELEONE   CHEVY   5.356
11   91   OSVALDO CASTRO   CHEV.400   4 vueltas

FINAL TC REGIONAL
AUTODROMO:
POS.   NUMERO   PILOTO   MARCA   VUELTAS-TIEMPO
1   3   GUILLERMO DE MARCO   CHEVY   14 – 27:26.781
2   2   MAXI PASOS   VALIANT   14 – 00:01.127
3   19   JORGE MORETA   CHEV .400   14 – 00:02.454
4   10   JULIAN MOLINA   CHEVY   14 – 00:02.575
5   16   EMILIO GOBETTO   CHEVY   14 – 00:07.530
6   83   JOSE DIAZ   CHEVY   14 – 00:11.848
7   13   LEONARDO MONTERO   CHEVY   14 – 00:12.042
8   12   WALTER TORTOSA   CHEVY   14 – 00:16.023
9   71   MARTIN ABDALA   CHEVY   14 – 00:16.190
10   14   JULIO MOYANO   CHEV .400   14 – 00:22.781
11   29   VICENTE CODDIANNI   FORD   13 – 1 vta.
12   23   CARLOS RODRIGUEZ   FORD   13 – 00:00.698
13   27   MAURICIO ROFREDO   FORD   12 – 2 vtas.
14   1   DIEGO ROSSO   CHEVY   10 – 4 vtas.
15   54   MIGUEL MUTEVELIS   FORD   9 – 5 vtas.
16   31   DANIEL MAUTOR   CHEVY   5 – 9 vtas.
17   77   FRANCO FERNANDEZ   FAIRLANE   3 – 11 vtas.
18   41   HERNAN CARBALLO   CHEV.   3 – 00:29.090
19   91   OSVALDO CASTRO   CHEV .400   2 – 12 vtas.
20

Campeonato

CAMPEONATO GTB

POS.   NUM.    NOMBRE   PTS
1   10   MOLINA JULIAN   189
2   2   PAZOS MAXI   173
3   3   DEMARCO GUILLERMO   147
4   13   MONTERO LEONARDO   139

Fuente : Prensa TC Regional

Doble festejo tuvo este viernes, previo a sus 23 años, el Museo del Automovilismo “Juan Manuel Fangio”. Por un lado, se inauguraron nuevas instalaciones afectas al complejo y posteriormente se homenajeó a un ex piloto de TC, el cual se llevó la mayor cantidad de los aplausos, en el Museo mismo, en la noche de ayer. Desde las 19, el presidente de la Fundación Museo, arquitecto Antonio Mandiola, dio apertura al “Garage Fangio”, recinto de utilidad reservada para uso interno del Museo, cuya apertura se realizó en la propiedad de la Familia Fangio, de calle 13 al 321, de nuestra ciudad. El lugar, muy bien ambientado, no será de uso turístico, salvo casos especiales.

En la continuidad, directivos del complejo y autoridades, se trasladaron al Museo, donde se desarrolló la última parte del acto, ocasión en la estuvieron presentes el Intendente municipal ing. José Luis Pérez, autoridades y empresarios vinculados al Museo. Participaron allí, los niños del Jardín Nº 909, del cual se exhibieron trabajos, como así también se entregaron reconocimientos a directivos y docentes. Seguidamente se descubrió un vehículo perteneciente a Pedro Doumic, quién compitiera en Fórmula 4 en la década del ?70. Acto seguido, el maestro de ceremonias, Abel Guariste, dio paso al momento más esperado, la presentación del vehículo restaurado de Arturo Kruuse.

Para ello, se invitó  a la nieta del fallecido piloto de TC, señora María Noly Dagmar, Kruuse Ochoa, quién se refirió a su abuelo con mucha emoción, a punto tal que recordó anecdotas y momentos agradables que le tocó vivir, ya con Kruuse anciano. Posteriormente se invitó a otros familiares y posteriormente se descubrió el vehículo. Fue muy emotivo escuchar de nuevo el rugido de aquel vehículo que rompió el manto de oscuridad reinante con sus dos faros halógenos, para depositarse casi en el sector central del Museo, acompañado por los aplausos de los concurrentes. Seguidamente, los familiares de Kruuse, accedieron a varias fotografías junto al vehículo.

Nacido en Viedma (Río Negro), el 11 de octubre de 1897, Arturo Kruuse Martensen, debutó en 1927 y su gran triunfo lo obtuvo en el Gran Premio Internacional a Chile de 1935 con un Plymouth, lo que le valió el título de Campeón Argentino. Su última presentación fue en la Vuelta a la América del Sur de 1948, con un abandono a raíz de un vuelco en el recorrido hacia Caracas y con el 12º lugar que consiguió en el retorno a Buenos Aires. Se radicó en Zapala y restauró la recordada Plymouth ‘34. El lunes 11 de octubre de 1976 cumplía 79 años, Kruuse viajaba con su esposa Juana Arze, hacia la iglesia del pueblo para agradecer un nuevo cumpleaños. Nunca llegó.

Su auto fue embestido por un camión ocasionando su muerte y la de su esposa. Sus hijos y varios nietos de corta edad que también caminaban hacia la iglesia, fueron mudos testigos del accidente. Se lo recuerda con la entrega anual de los Premios Arturo Kruuse, destinado a los mejores deportistas de su ciudad, que se hayan destacado en su especialidad. Años más tarde, su nieta donó los restos del vehículo a la Fundación Fangio. “Tal vez su gente pueda hacer algo por ellos”, dijo la mujer en una oportunidad. Pasaron varios años desde aquel momento, y hoy su restauración fue una realidad. Aquel vehículo bautizado “La Catanguita”, ya es parte de la historia del Museo Fangio.

Fuente: Mundo Veloz

22/11/2009 | 15:37 | LC
ALIFRACO EN GT 2000

El piloto de Lanús, Emanuel Alifraco, con el Ada-Neon que le atiende Ariel Espósito se impuso en la competencia que por la 11a. fecha del certamen 2009 del Gt 2000 se corrió hoy en el autódromo Roberto Mouras.

Alifraco aprovechó un ligero despiste de Sergio Yasbik y se apoderó de la punta y luego mantuvo un ritmo veloz que lo condujo hasta la bandera a cuadros.

Segundo llegó Ricardo Paserotti y el último escalón del podio lo ocupó el experimentado Bruno Bosco.

El GT 2000 resolverá si continúa con el desarrollo del certamen cuyo campeón, Pablo Perez Companc se consagró en la competencia anterior.

Final GT 2000

1 Emanuel Alifraco, 18 vtas 22.22.125
2 Ricardo Paserotti, a 12.675
3 Bruno Bosco, a 12.966
4 Marcelo Chiapetta, a 13.114
5 Eduardo Rado, a 23.921
6 Dicran Margossian, a 28.961
7 Nicolas Otati, a 32.417
8 Jorge Schiafino, a 34.899
9 Lopez Matheus, a 44.706
10 Gustavo Vieytes, a 1 vta.
11 Sergio Yasbick, a 1 vta.
12 Juan Marangoni, a 7 vtas.
13 Rodolfo Kreutzer, a 11 vtas.
14 Victor Lepore, a 16 vtas.

Fuente : Prensa GT2000

Today, President Obama announced a new national science fair for young inventors. He wants to show kids how “cool” science is and give them the same treatment as sports stars when they win a championship. A noble goal, but one that doesn’t get the point. Obama decries the lag in science scores, but ignores the more important reality, a culture of innovation. As a lawyer and politician, he just doesn’t get it.

Someone else who didn’t get it and lost her job because of it is Carly Fiorina, now running for the Senate seat occupied by Barbara Boxer of California. Ms. Fiorina came out of the marketing and sales group at ATT/Lucent. When she began at AT&T, it was one of the country’s crown jewels of technology and included Bell Labs.  Cutting edge innovation in microcircuitry and telecommunications took place there every day. It was exciting and amazing. Over the years since it was started by Thomas Edison, Bell Labs invented radio astronomy, the transistor, the laser, the photovoltaic cell,  and the UNIX operating system and 100 other basic technologies. There was no specific brief on where they could go, and a lot of the “pure” research that was done ended up paying huge dividends.

With outsourcing and offshoring, the MBA’s, including Ms. Fiorina, decided that the scientists and engineers and lab techs were too expensive and that emphasis should be placed on applied research. Thus began the downsizing and dismantlement of much of Bell Labs. Today it is a shadow of it’s former self.

Ms. Fiorina led the spinoff of Lucent from AT&T to “enhance shareholder value”. From there she leapt to Hewlett Packard, where she again cut back on the R&D side. Agilent, the scientific instrument business, was spun off in 1999 and she was the center of it. She then proceeded to purchase Compaq Computer, a commodity computer manufacturer to go with what was left of HP. All of these bad decisions have been reflected in the price per share of these companies for years afterwards. HP had effectively lost its soul. From the days of Bill & Dave using Stanford as their minor league system and creating the ultimate engineering culture, it went to Ms. Fiorina’s infamous  “does anybody have a good idea for a new product?” memo.

What neither Mr. Obama nor Ms. Fiorina understand is that invention and science spring from a certain culture. Tinkerers, designers, machinists, basement chemists, slide rule jockeys, and geeks are all a part of this. But management has quite successfully outsourced most of this to a point where even leading technologists no longer have a fundamental understanding of the means of production, which is essential to invention and manufacturing. Today, we have some of the smartest people in the world working in the labs with almost no understanding of how biotech and nanotech and all sorts of other tech translates into the real world.

There is a certain joy in making something faster or watching a chemical reaction or putting things together in new ways. But you have to have the ability to translate those ideas into reality effectively. and this we have lost.

We don’t have the factory floors to prowl or the conference rooms to BS in or the processing lines out back to see “what if”. Even DARPA is a closed loop devoted to “applications” oriented research instead of the blue sky “let’s fund this crazy idea for $1,000,000, Dick” organization it was 20 or 30 years ago.  Management and government thought of maximizing shareholder value and COTS (Commercial, off the shelf) instead of optimizing manufacturing, and the cross-pollination of ideas that creates breakthroughs. The bureaucrats and MBA’s are firmly in charge now.

Now, when a lot of the infrastructure is gone, the President wants to encourage invention once again. It’s a noble cause, but the horse is to a good degree out of the barn. Ms. Fiorina wants to be a Senator well, just because she wants to. Kids can’t even access a proper lab these days because of liability issues and the fact that chemicals and electricity and making things can be “so dangerous”. Gouges and scrapes and burns used to be badges of honor in the manufacturing/engineering class. Now they are causes for lawsuits.

American exceptionalism was defined by the opportunity to fail or make it big. Opportunity of outcome doesn’t work in science and technology. There were over 100,000 people on the Apollo program who were dedicated and failure truly was not an option. With  millions of parts on a Saturn rocket, 99.99% reliability still meant that hundreds could fail, any of which could lead to disaster. The miracle was that we got any rockets off the ground and that we had so few failures. Instead, as a counterpoint, today we are presented with a climate research scandal in which results may have been tainted and data faked. The deterioration of the scientific culture itself is an issue.

MBA’s and lawyers are probably the least qualified to address these issues. Both Ms. Fiorina and Mr. Obama are of the type who think that steaks come from the supermarket rather than cows. This is not getting out there and addressing our country’s desperate need to regain our mojo. The old guys are still out there. Technology has not changed so that we are irrevocably behind, but we must act now. As the government blows trillions of dollars propping up decrepit companies and paying off political allies, our country must once again focus on what made us great. On so many levels, the clock is ticking. We should really be taking those billions and investing in manufacturing and technology rather than things like cash for clunkers and make work highway projects.

Back in the 1960s, magazine writers thought the turbine was on the verge of replacing the piston engine entirely, and nowadays, it’s hardly brought up at all in the auto industry’s alt-fuel fantasies. For SIA #57, Leon Dixon took a look at Chrysler’s turbine program, which came the closest to an actual, offered-to-the-masses production turbine car, and which dates back to the early 1950s. Continue reading over at Hemmings.

This clears a lot of things up. Just some light viewing for a Monday morning.

( THANKS, Dan for sharing! )

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With an increasing number of holiday festivities being held in the home this year, we’re all looking for creative and cost effective ways to spruce up our table settings and create a look that will impress our guests. When it comes to setting your Thanksgiving table, options for the adventurous host are limitless. What are the hottest trends for you to bring to your table this year? Here are a few ideas that will take your Thanksgiving table from ordinary to extraordinary:

Color, Texture and Mix – Match:

In table linens and accessories, this year we are seeing rich, saturated colours. We are also seeing a lot of texture and the mixing and matching of patterns with solids. There are a lot of options out there to do something warm and inviting.

Color Trends

Warm tones have always been popular for Fall and that continues with some of the biggest trends in colour combinations this year. Some of those include:
- Deep Spice and Aubergine with muted Gold accents – Dark Chocolate with Blues and Gray accents – Olive Green, Aubergine and softer greens as accents – Dark Chocolate, Taupe and Natural

Tabletop Decor

- Use things that you already have in your home – pull out your 3 or 4 of your favourite vases of different heights. Use complementary colors of fresh flowers for a simple and stunning arrangement. Fill three or four vases and/or glass bowls with different colors and sizes of ornaments, fruits, leaves – anything with color and texture that will create visual excitement.

- Your guests are all unique – why not celebrate their individuality? Use different patterns and/or colors of napkin rings that match their unique personalities. Are they simple or sophisticated? Fun or formal? Unpredictable or conservative? Show them you care with a little customization to complement your table linens.

- Candles are always a dramatic and cost effective way to make a statement – use votives at each place setting with a name card and emphasize beautiful table linens for a classy and simple look. Or go more dramatic and cluster your favourite candle sticks of varying heights and looks as a centerpiece. Use colors that complement or match your dishes, glasses and table linens.

- Nothing brings subtle sophistication to your table like a well-selected runner. Use one the length of the table plus 12 inches to hang over the edge (usually a 90″ or longer) as the perfect centerpiece. If you are using a solid tablecloth or placemats, make sure to jazz it up with a festive pattern. If you have a patterned look already, use a vibrant solid runner that picks up on one of the colors in your runner.

- Use 2 napkins instead of one with a napkin ring. With a solid napkin inside, and a more decorative napkin on the outside.

When setting your table, just remember: do what feels right for the mood. A casual gathering calls for a relaxed setting. A formal meal should feel that way at the table. Either way, it doesn’t take much to elevate your in-home dining experience. Replacing an old tablecloth with something fresh an exciting, and adding a few simple table accessories can go a long way to impressing your guests. It’s that time of year when family gatherings abound and everyone spends countless hours congregating around the dinner table. With the hours spent preparing the perfect meal, make sure you don’t forget to finish it off with the perfect setting.

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Last Wednesday, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety awarded 27 vehicles for receiving the highest ratings for “safest vehicles for 2010”. All 27 vehicles received an award recognizing them for doing the best job against protecting motorists in front, rear, side and rollover crash. All vehicles feature, Electronic stability control (EST), which is a new state of the art anti-rollover technology.

With a new criterion, the numbers were cut in more than half. 94 were tested and approved in 2009, in comparison to the 24 this year.

Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo unit received the most awards with six, followed by five awards apiece for Japanese automaker Subaru and German automaker Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit. However, Subaru was the only manufacturer with an IIHS in all four vehicles classifications in which it completes.

“With the addition of our new roof strength evaluation, our crash test results now cover all four of the most common kinds of crashes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund in a statement. “Consumers can use this list to zero in on the vehicles that are on the top rung for safety.”

Below is the IIHS list of vehicles given a top safety pick.

LARGE CARS: Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Volvo S80

MIDSIZE CARS: Audi A3, Chevrolet Malibu (built after October. 2009), Chrysler Sebring (4-door with optional ESC), Dodge Avenger, Mercedes C Class, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Volkswagen Jetta (4-door), Volkswagen Passat (4-door), Volvo C30.

SMALL CARS: Honda Civic (4-door with optional ESC, except Si), Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Subaru Impreza (except WRX), Volkswagen Golf (4-door)

MIDSIZE SUVs: Dodge Journey, Subaru Tribeca, Volvo XC60, Volvo XC90

COMPACT SUVs: Honda Element, Jeep Patriot (with optional side thorax airbags), Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Tiguan

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Remember when Bill Clinton pilloried George H.W. Bush in 1992 with the phrase, “It’s the Economy, Stupid!”? Yesterday saw Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner being grilled by various and sundry congresspeople for his involvement in the various bail outs and the lack of accountability therefor. It is somewhat odd that the flak was coming from both sides of the aisle. Both liberals and conservatives, and I believe the vast majority of the American people are upset with the irresponsible manner with which the crisis has been handled.

In the New York Times, Brooks and Krugman are dueling over Geithner’s performance and credibility in handling the AIG crisis, in which the government made AIG whole at 100 cents on the dollar on some of the most obscure and risky financial instruments ever issued. And this, really, is the heart of the matter, and no one is talking about it even now. You see, the trigger for the crisis was a financial market that had no idea of the risks it had taken nor of the final bill. Securities had been derivatized and swapped and hived and shaved and plucked to a point where no one knew who owned what anymore, and AIG was on the hook for a very large chunk of the mess through its reinsurance business.

It all looked good on paper, and of course the rocket scientists and economists out of the top schools who created these instruments were among the finest minds in the world, but the underlying assumptions betrayed both a complete lack of understanding of risk/reward and a groupthink that they could pass the buck indefinitely as everyone grew as rich as Croesus.  AIG and the others had no clue, even though they employed a lot of the same rocket scientists, as to what they were actually insuring and what their exposure was.

Wall Street has owned Washington for a very long time, and does not like regulation of any type. The theory was that the markets would determine values and that it was the ultimate level playing field. The reality is that money is made by gaming the system. A quarter point snooker on a bond issue means a multi million dollar bonus at the end of the year, and with all of the Rube Goldberg financial instruments being peddled to the Saudis and Europeans and your local bank, it was the worlds biggest gravy train if you worked at Lehman’s or Goldman Sachs. Just stay ahead of the power curve and everything’s going to be okay.

So when people in Congress and at the SEC said “wait a minute, do you guys really know what you’re doing”, the campaign donations flowed and the SEC and common sense were muzzled.  Even after the debacle of LTCC a number of years ago, when hedging in derivatives almost brought the market down in a prelude to the current mess, nothing was done. Even today, after one meltdown and faced with more trials in the marketplace, not one iota of common sense is evident in analyzing and fixing the problem. The reality on the ground is that no one would buy EEE Savings Bonds right now unless guaranteed with grandma’s gold under the mattress, but instead of working to actually fix the system, they hold inquiries and allow the same bunch of crooks to continue gaming the system, but now with a few trillion of the taxpayer’s dollars on the table.

It really isn’t that difficult. If it looks like a derivative and walks like a derivative or quacks like a derivative, it needs to be thoroughly analyzed by someone without chips in the game before it is allowed to be traded. Due diligence is a part of the process and always will be, but the reality is that these markets are so complex now that someone, somewhere, has to be smart enough and sane enough to give these tools a long hard look before the lunatics in the trading rooms get their hands on them. And they need the authority to do so.

Just as Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac were allowed to run unfettered, it was perfectly legal political corruption that got in the way. Even now, no one is really following the money trail. Perhaps some Harvard professor will eventually write a history of the causes and effects of this crisis. In the meantime, it really only takes applied common sense. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

A strike at Johnson Controls has many companies around Ontario and Michigan (namely Chrysler) worried that their production could halt as a result of the Johnson strike:

Auto parts strike would affect thousands

A potential strike at an automotive parts plant in Lakeshore, Ont., has put the region’s auto community on edge.

Officials and workers at Johnson Controls have been in talks over a new contract since Monday, but workers say they’ll walk off the job if they don’t reach a collective agreement by midnight Friday.

If Johnson’s 120 workers strike, thousands of workers at Chrysler’s Windsor assembly plant and other parts suppliers could be affected.

Johnson Controls builds overhead components, or headliners, for the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans. Headliners involve wiring in the roof of vehicles and are installed in the earliest stages of assembly.

Without them, the Chrysler assembly plant would have to shut down in about three hours, forcing more than 4,500 plant workers off the job, according to Dino Chiodo, the first vice-president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 444, which represents the Johnson workers.

That, in turn, would mean no business for the hundreds of workers at other parts suppliers.

Even car dealers worry about what a strike at Johnson Controls would do for business.

“Hopefully, we have the vehicle in stock for you today,” said Rick McKinney, a salesman at Pinnacle Chrysler, which sells new and used vehicles on Windsor’s east side.

“Unfortunately, if we have to order it, I can’t tell you when you’re going to get it,” he said. “It has an effect on not just us, but the whole Windsor in its entirety.”

While Chiodo is sympathetic to the concerns of people like McKinney, his priority is looking out “for the best interest of our members.”

“If I can get an agreement now, I would love to,” Chiodo said. “It would make it a little easier for everybody and take the tension out of the air.” Workers “remain cautiously optimistic” that a strike will be averted, he added.

The two sides bargained until 9 p.m. Thursday night and were back to the table at by 7 a.m. on Friday, Chiodo told CBC News. At issue is job security. Johnson Controls’ 2009 fourth-quarter sales dropped 15 per cent, from $9.3 billion US in 2008 to $7.9 billion in 2009, forcing the company to find new ways to cut costs.

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Agora reestruturada e com a Fiat de aliada, a Chrysler tem uma nova meta. A empresa quer se tornar líder em qualidade em 2012, superando tradicionais campeãs deste questio, como a Lexus. Para isso, a companhia americana aumentará o departamento de controle de qualidade contratando 200 pessoas, mantendo os 200 funcionários atuais. A meta é chegar a até 1.700 profissionais neste setor.

Atualmente a Chrysler busca melhorar a produtividade de suas unidades nos Estados Unidos. Os padrões seguem os definidos pela Fiat, bem superiores aos da gigante americana. Outro ponto em foco da empresa é a solução de problemas, que deve ter divisões para conseguir reparos mais ágeis.

Hoje (20), a Casa Branca anunciou que está contente com o plano de reestruturação elaborado pela Fiat. Autoridades americanas citaram que o planejamento é de alta qualidade por ter levado em consideração a urgência do caso.

Passado recente

A nota meta da Chrysler remete a quando o Grupo Cerberus adquiriu a empresa. Na época, sua intenção era tornar a gigante americana uma das líderes em confiabilidade, destronando a Toyota. Na época, a gigante de Detroit contratou vários especialistas neste sentido e o projeto foi longe. Os custos de produção caíram US$ 240 milhões e os reparos em garantia ficaram 30% menores. Além disso, problemas ligados à área de design também registraram queda. No entanto, o projeto não foi mantido em longo prazo.

The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has just released a study announcing that each new GM car costs taxpayers $12,200 and each new Chrysler costs taxpayers $7,600.  The report made several assumptions to determine this cost.

Jalopnik.com, a well-known automotive blog provides analysis on this report and trys to debunk some of its conclusions.  Only time will tell how many cars GM and Chrysler will sell and IF they will ever repay the TARP funds.

Your tax dollars at work!