/ Nhãn: NEW CAR
First Volvo S80L long-wheelbase sedans roll off the line in China
Posted Yesterday, 12:31 PM by Jeremy Weber
/ Nhãn: NEW CAR
New Audi A8 will be available with four-cylinder turboNew Audi A8 will be available with four-cylinder turbo
Posted Yesterday, 9:59 AM by Alex Kaufmann
/ Nhãn: NEW CAR
GM dealers not ordering new cars due to uncertain brand futures
Posted Yesterday, 11:18 AM by Ralph Hanson
In what is set to become a terrible domino effect, lagging demand for new cars and an uncertain future at Hummer, Saturn and Saab dealerships is leading to an inventory pile up. That, in turn, means dealers are ordering no new cars, driving General Motors' production schedule even further out of alignment.Output in the first quarter was down 57% across GM's U.S. operations, or about 500,000 vehicles short of Q1 2008's output. That is a major decrease in new cars being produced, but it's still outpacing dealers' ability to move the cars off the lots, reports The Detroit News.
"If they tell us what they're going to do with the brand, we'll tell them when we're thinking about ordering new vehicles," said John Java, a Saturn dealership owner. "We're starving to death."
Overall, GM's inventory levels have fallen somewhat, to about 781,000 vehicles, a decline of about 20,000 since January. But despite dealer uncertainty and a still very large supply of inventory, GM is planning to actually increase production to 550,000 cars in the second quarter, though the figure is likely to be reduced as sales continue to stagnate.
Other carmakers are feeling the same pressures as GM, but in smaller magnitude. Ford, for example, has chopped its standing inventory by about 33%, while even Chrysler has shaved almost 20% of its stockpile of cars and trucks. By comparison, GM's decrease of 17% since 2008 is on the low side.
The only thing that can really turn the situation around, however, is increased sales. Government stimulus packages and carmaker incentives are doing their best to drum up demand, but in the end, it will come down to the American consumer to snap out of the slump.
/ Nhãn: HEALTH
Best Places to Retire 2008: Healthiest Places Edition
Golf, boating, and nature are just a few of the things readers told us they are enjoying in retirement. For our second annual list of great places to retire, we asked readers to tell us about their healthy retirement haven. Here are 10 additional retirement gems worth a look.
Asheville, N.C. "I am 44 and do all of my training in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, road biking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, running the scenic Mountains-to-Sea Trail, swimming in our clean national park lakes and rivers, and mountain biking the hundreds of miles of challenging trails of the North Carolina Arboretum." Todd Gothberg
Austin, Texas "I like the climate, culture, and nice people in Austin. We go to the opera, concerts, pools to swim, and live [near the] forest." Gabriel Cacuci
Fairhope, Ala. "There are a lot of ma-and-pa shops downtown but no fast food and no chains. There are an awful lot of beautiful flowers on every street corner in every season. And people will look me in the eye and say hello." Norm Wachtl
Huntsville, Ala. There is "a great four-season climate, no recession, lots of job openings, very little crime, a very high percentage of professional people, the latest and best in shopping and entertainment, and very good schools, all in a beautiful area in the Smoky Mountain foothills.... Many veterans who were stationed here and worked on the big Redstone Arsenal move back here for retirement." Mel Fisher
Pensacola, Fla. "In Pensacola, nearly everything revolves around water or beach recreation, and the beaches have sand like very fine, white sugar. I bought a 30-foot Hunter sailboat when I moved here and have a 15-foot speedboat for fishing.... Life is very laid back, easygoing, and the cost of living is much cheaper than we imagined it would be along the Gulf Coast. We were very surprised at all the festivals throughout the summer, from crawfish to local art, and all the fishing tournaments that seem to be every weekend. Two weekends ago, a shark fishing tournament was held, and the winner was over 900 pounds." Elaine Helen Pike
Providence, R.I. "Providence, R.I., is a neat place to live if you've got some money. Between Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design, there is plenty of intellectual opportunity. The water and scenery are gorgeous, with plenty of boating, sailing, and fishing. Boston is under an hour away. The Patriots are even closer—just 20 minutes. Amtrak scoots you into NYC if you want it." Barry Fain
Reno, Nev. "Thanks to the gaming industry, we get lots of big-name music and shows that a town this size otherwise wouldn't get." Gina Pogol
Seattle, Wash. "It has the Puget Sound on one side and Lake Washington on the other. We take the grandchildren to the zoo, go down to Alki Beach, and go up to Mount Rainier." Perry Frumkin
Tyler, Texas "There is a great civic theater, two different concert series each year, a four-year college, an excellent two-year college, lakes, and hunting. The two colleges both have plays and other entertainment." Jerry Bellis
Wilmington, Del. "The University of Delaware offers a good program at its Academy of Lifelong Learning.... Courses are given by volunteer members in a broad range of subjects, with frequent talks by University of Delaware professors, organized trips, and University of Delaware theater programs.... Wilmington also has the well-known Winterthur Museum and Country Estate.... In addition, Delaware does not have a sales tax." Paul Steyermark