Behind the Wheel with Phil Lebeau
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The company became the first automaker to repay money borrowed under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program.
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Is GM Really Worth Buying?
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
As I woke in Detroit after flying in from New York this morning, I saw the story on "Squawk Box," - another Wall St. firm had raised GM to a buy rating. Why? Primarily on the idea that GM's 17 billion surplus on It's pension wil give it the leverage needed to strike a better deal with the uaw regarding retiree healthcare costs.
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Mercedes "S" class: The "S" is for Sizzling
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
Stylish, smokin', sensational sales. Pardon the alliteration, but it seemed the best way to characterize Mercedes "S" class. This luxury car is red hot. According to the Power Information Network, the "S" was one of the most popular leased vehicles in January. And on the sale side, the average "S" stays on dealer lots just 18 days. Making it one of the 10 fastest selling cars of the month.
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Toyota Cutting Labor Costs? Probably Not
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
Today at the Chicago Economic Club, Jim Press, the highest ranking American member of Toyota's executive corps caused a bit of stir, when he said the Japanese automaker would like to cut labor costs without cutting wages. Though vague, the comment has investors wondering if Toyota is talking tough on labor -- and if this is a sign of problems for the folks that make the Camry.
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Is it gut-check time for Ghosn? You bet!
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
If you woke up early this morning and saw the wire reports out of France, you would have seen the latest earnings and comments from the man who many consider to be the best CEO in the auto industry - Carlos Ghosn. The CEO's two company's just posted awful quarterly earnings. Renault down 15% and Nissan down 23% ... Is it gut-check time for Ghosn? You bet.
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Super Bowl Auto Ads: Where's The Buzz?
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
It wasn't just Dolphins Stadium that left people feeling all wet Sunday: the auto ads were largely forgettable. From Ford's F-series Super Duty to Honda's fuel efficiency message, the auto ads were, in my opinion, largely forgettable.
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Euro-models Perception Problem, GM Extends Warranties
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
The latest survey of new car buyers from CNW marketing research shows the perceived quality of European brands continues to slide. While Volvo, Audi, and Porsche have higher perceived quality compared to a similar survey in 1997, Mercedes, BMW, and VW are all lower. In fact, Mercedes has gone from #1 to #12 in CNW's quality perception survey. The only silver lining for the Euro brands is that they are still given high marks by car buyers.
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The Big 3's Big Drop
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
It's a statistic that will have Detroit buzzing. In January, the Detroit 3-formerly known as the big 3- sold 50.6% of the cars and trucks in the U.S. A record low. Think about that stat for a minute. We are on the verge of seeing Americans buy more foreign brand cars and trucks than domestic nameplates. Don't be surprised if that happens in February or March. The biggest reason for the fall-off in domestic sales is ...
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Kicking the Fleet Fix
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
Today, January auto sales will come in and they won't be pretty. In fact, for the big 3, they will be downright ugly. This is what happens when the auto companies kick the fleet sales habit. Wednesday Ford gave us a preview of what to expect saying january sales plunged 20%, with fleet sales crashing 40%, and daily rental sales falling 60% compared to January of last year. Don't cry for Ford. Getting off the Fleet fix is what the company wants, and frankly what it needs to do.
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Mini's Personal Message, GM's Quality Ad, and Rolls Big Price
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
I come back from a week on the slopes of Colorado and find three tidbits about the automakers that show even in the bitter cold and dreary days of January (except in the Rockies) ... there are some interesting stories.
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Kicking The Gas Habit.
Posted By: Philip LeBeau
President Bush wants us to kick the gas habit and cut our use of gasoline by 20% in 10 years. Detroit's automakers have been clamoring for this by pledging to build even more E-85 ethanol cars and trucks. Still, I wonder if this will really happen.
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About Behind the Wheel
Welcome to Behind the Wheel with Phil LeBeau. This is the place where you'll hear the latest about what is happening in the auto industry, and the reason why that news is so important. This is not the place to come if you are looking for cheerleader for one automaker over another. Phil won't wave the flag for any company, but he will let you know when he thinks someone is making the right moves, and when they've screwed up.
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LeBeau is a CNBC auto and airline industry reporter based at the Chicago bureau and author of "Behind the Wheel" on CNBC.com.