Author: Administrator

By Lloyd Frazier

With the Canadian auto supplier, Magna International, inching ever closer to clinching the Chrysler deal with Daimler-Chrysler, comes other complications. The Detroit Free Press article describes how this can “create additional complications to their (Magna) relationship with GM and any other of their customers that compete directly with Chrysler.” As if GM doesn’t have enough to think about. Now they might have to come up with a plan to replace Magna as their supplier. Chrysler is Magna’s largest customer with GM right behind them in second place. Imagine being in business and one of your suppliers critical to your success buys your competition. It happens all the time in the business world. Being involved in the software business, I see it quite regularly. It’s sort of like professional sports. You have this great, key player that is critical to your team’s success and he goes all “free agent” on you and signs with your arch rival in your division. Now you have to scramble to fill that void. GM and several other automobile manufacturers will feel the same pinch. The biggest problem in all of this is that Magna could gain a “greater insight into its competitors’ pricing. It complicates everybody’s life” (Detroit Free Press.)There are two other serious bidders, Blackstone Group and Cerberus Capital Management, that are after Chrysler. Magna makes the most sense for Chrysler’s continued presence on this planet since they have a direct stake in the industry. The formerly mentioned groups are in it for the fast money. Maybe even breaking Chrysler into pieces. It has been prognosticated that Jeep may be the only badge that survives a break up like that. Keep your eye on this one, folks. The Big 2.5 may be down to 2 in the near future. It has been an interesting roller coaster ride.

Lloyd, signing out…

Here is a plug for the professional photographer that accompanied me at the Denver Auto Show. Joe Houser of JJH Photos did a commendable job. Check out the slideshow: Denver Auto Show – Slideshow

See the permanent link at the links section.

by Lloyd Frazier

It appears that Toyota is about to claim the title for being the number one producer, in units, of automobiles in the world. The General has held that title since 1931. Toyota outproduced GM by several thousand vehicles the first quarter of this year. Now that Toyota has taken the mantle of ‘Numero Uno’, maybe they can appreciate what comes with that. Toyota and Honda have finally come under more scrutiny over issues with quality. Honda has been having ‘fit & finish’ and transmission issues. Toyota has been dodging issues with their engines sludging up by blaming it on customers not performing routine maintenance. Guess what Toyota? You get the responsibility of proving your worth on a daily basis and the wrath of the media when you make one ltty bitty faux pas. General Motors can breathe a sigh of relief for getting that monkey off their back. Let Toyota be the big man on campus. The General has been creeping up in the ‘look who is making a better car’ limelight over the last few years. Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac run neck-and-neck with Toyota in the initial quality and dependability departments. Ford is making huge strides there, too. The Mercury Milan is the rated right there next to the Toyota Camry in quality. General Motors is consistently in the top 10 ratings and they plan to stay there. Toyota will start to feel the sting of rapid growth and quality issues for years to come. It took General Motors 20 years to re-gain the confidence of their customers after producing questionable product during the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s. Toyota may be winning the hybrid war, but GM is looking to trump them with plug-in hybrid technology. Things are starting to get really interesting in the automotive world. Maybe we should call this the CAR 2.0 era. So, congratulations to Toyota for stepping up to the plate and being the fall guy…and probably for quite some time.

Lloyd, signing out…

by Lloyd Frazier

Some things just take precedence over a person’s main goals and objectives in life. Right now it is hard to focus on writing about cars and trucks. So many lives have been changed this week. They will most likely never be the same. I cannot imagine the emotional pain that families and friends of the victims of the lunatic that shot their loved ones are going through at this moment. The media circus doesn’t help. The best thing any of us can do right now is to take a moment to silently reflect on what is important in our lives. We all get so caught up in careers, money, and whatever else that takes our attention away from what is truly important in life. I feel so blessed to have a warm, dry place to sit in my comfortable chair and write this post to share my thoughts and concerns. I ask anyone who reads this post to promise to make a phone call, write an email, send an IM to someone who has made a positive difference in your life. Tell them thank you for what they did that made that difference for they may have staved of a brief moment of self-pity. There were several people that had a direct, positive influence in my life. Thank God for them.

Now take a moment of silence and pray for the families and friends of the victims of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Go Hoakies!

Amen.