Oil Approaching $60 a barrel.........

Re: Oil Approaching $60 a barrel......... (seattle)


Oh they're here, but they're only available at the VW dealer. Powershift (DSG) AND diesel. We just got one in January for the spousal unit. She does ~36 mpg in town and we just did a freeway run at 45 mpg. Local diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper than premium, or about 10 cents a gallon cheaper than regular. She thoroughly likes the car. Our TDI has been absoutely flawless since we bought it. (only 4500 miles)


If you want one, go buy one now. I think that's the only way Volvo will get the message that diesels are viable here in the US. So what if it has a VW emblem on the trunk? You're a Volvo driver--you don't care what's on the trunk because cachet doesn't matter to you!! (if you did care about cachet you'd have a Mercedes or BMW) Why would you think Volvo would lead the way in anything besides safety? Why are diesels any different? They were late on SUVs with the XC90, now they're behind the 8 ball again with no meaningful green offerings in spite of their lip service to the contrary.


I agree with the first bit--we do have money and morals. But as far as "keeping up with the Joneses" -- personally I don't give a frack about the Joneses. If I ever think about them, if anything they should be keeping up with ME.

Re: (seattle)


Oh.

So what would the price have to be if you wanted to make a living off of only selling one?

Hey, you never know, maybe there is someone out there who'd buy it!!

JK.

Automotive News Update

What is this...this announcement today..is in contrast to all that have gone
before..

Answers all of the questions and answers none...

Fewer than five bidders remain in the auction for the Swedish brand, and China's Geely Automobile Holdings is one of them, the sources said.

Both people declined to be identified because the details of the auction are confidential.

Geely said today it has no intention to bid for automakers Volvo or Saab, according to a Hong Kong stock exchange filing.

"The company has not submitted, and has no plans to submit, any bids concerning the takeovers of Volvo or Saab as stated in recent press articles," Geely said in its filing.

Geely issued the filing in response to a 13.6 percent surge in its Hong Kong share price on Thursday.

Geely's Chinese rival Chongqing Changan Auto also said it had no plan to buy Volvo.

One of the two sources familiar with the Volvo auction said the bidders were being given management presentations and tours of the Volvo facilities in Sweden.

Ford Motor launched a strategic review of Volvo including a possible sale in December as it looked to cut costs and raise cash amid industry-wide record-low vehicle sales.

Ford has already sold Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, disbanding the Premier Automotive Group, whose only remaining brand is Volvo.

Volvo said on Thursday that talks with the Swedish government on state guarantees for loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) had been put on hold.

Volvo and the Swedish government have jointly decided to postpone the discussions on the state guarantees due to the possible sale of Volvo, the company2 said.

In March, the European Investment Bank (EIB) approved loans of 200 million euros ($266 million) for Volvo, subject to a Swedish state guarantee.

Volvo said the loans had been planned to provide financing to environmental technology projects.

"We are disappointed that we have not been able to come to an agreement," Volvo CEO Stephen Odell said in a statement.

The Swedish debt office, which has handled negotiations with Volvo on the guarantees, said Volvo had declined the conditions in a proposal the office submitted in April after discussions with the government.

"As I interpret this, Volvo will come back to the government when this strategic overview and the picture regarding a potential new owner becomes clearer," said Magnus Thor, head of the national debt office's guarantee and loan department.

Maria Bohlin, a Volvo spokeswoman, said the outcome was a disappointment, but that the government demanded a long-term commitment which made the matter very complex since Ford is in the process of selling the Swedish car brand.

She said the company's projects earmarked for EIB funding were still running and that there were no plans to cut jobs as a result, though the project plans would need to be changed.

"Deadlines will now be revised," Bohlin said. "So of course this affects us. But the projects are still running."

Volvo will now focus on other government sponsored initiatives such as support for research and suppliers.

"In December, the government announced these rescue loans, but very few, or hardly any (suppliers), have been able to get any money. The conditions are very strict," said Bohlin.

Ford bought Volvo for $6.45 billion in 1999 and wrote down the value of Volvo by $2.4 billion following a review of the brand's prospects in January 2008.

Volvo posted a loss of $736 million on a pre-tax basis in the fourth quarter of 2008, and lost $255 million in the first quarter of this year

Re: Oil Approaching $60 a barrel......... (seattle)


Not really morals, are they, if they're based on deliberately avoiding critical investigation of the facts. If you want to "feel good" and "keep up with the joneses in a green way", you're just a hypocrite.

I'm most interested in seeing some sort of Prius-like recharge-ability along the lines of DrivE. Gas or diesel internal combustion engines are still the most efficient means of powering cars, but they can be augmented by other systems to improve fuel economy in stop-and-go traffic. I find my S60 gets good fuel economy in highway cruising, but it dies in city traffic.

Of course, the problem with Prius batteries is that they need to be replaced after 10 to 12 years, and are hazardous to replace and use a lot of energy to manufacture (hence the reasons why a Prius is not really any more environmentally friendly than an equivalent sized non-hybrid). On the other hand, cars usually get disposed of after 10 to 12 years anyway. Be interesting to see if Volvo can do DrivE at a price point where it does actually pay for itself over the life of the car, and if it can make batteries which can be cleanly recycled.