| Nissan Celebrates 40 Years of Making Zs TheCarConnection.com submits: In the 1970s and 80s, there were a handful of cars that screamed "badass": obviously the Firebird and the Trans Am made the cut, but the list also included the Mazda RX7, the unlikely Buick Regal, and the Datsun 280Z. Since becoming a Nissan (NSANY), the Z has gone a bit more upscale, but it's still a source of inspiration and envy. To celebrate the model's 40th birthday, Nissan is launching an anniversary model Z, which is set to hit showrooms next spring.Like its non-special-edition siblings, the 40th anniversary Nissan 370Z will come with a 3.7-liter V6 engine that turns out 332 hp. It will also feature a six-speed manual transmission, red leather seats, and an assortment of commemorative badges. The anniversary edition will come with the Z's Sport Package, which includes 19-inch wheels, bigger brakes, and a limited-slip differential. Perhaps the model's most distinctive feature -- at street level, anyway -- will be the Z's coloring, which will be done in "40th Quartz". Drivers can protect that precious paint job from the elements via a red satin cover.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Peak Cars, Or Just a Sales Trough? Chart of the Day Paul Kedrosky submits: While this comes from an admittedly polemical source -- Lester Brown at EPI -- the graph shows that for the first time new vehicles sold in the U.S. has fallen below scrappage in the same period. Yes, there are many reasons to believe this is transient, downturn-driven, and aided and abetted by government programs, but it's an intriguing anomaly. Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Auto Sales Heading Sideways at Best One Eyed Guide submits: If you are terminally curious like me, the question you want answered on the February auto sales is what would have they been without the Toyota (TM) problems? The easiest way to estimate the maximum annual sales rate is simply assume that no vehicle company picked up sales from Toyota's sales stoppage (unrealistic, but what the hey: I have economics training) and that Toyota would have continued to have increased sales at the same rate as December 2009, 32%, if sales had been normal.This adds 44,000 cars to the February total, and gives an annual rate of 10.96 million instead of 10.38 million in the Motor Intelligence report. While this is slightly up from January's 10.78 million, it is still down from December's 11.25 million and nowhere near the 15 to 16 million that was normal pre-recession.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
The End of the "Second Wind" For Harley Davidson? Graham and Dodd Investor submits:Harley Davidson (HOG) was formed in 1903 by William Harley, and Arthur Davidson, members of FDR's "Rendezvous With Destiny" Generation, which was much like today's Baby Boomers. This "pedigree" information is important, because it explains the company's initial success and recent revival, and predicts a second downfall. More "freewheeling" than the newly invented automobile, Harley Davidson motorcycles were also more affordable. More to the point, they gave members of the Boomlike "Rendezvous" generation, a sense of carefree exploration, together with a rugged individualism. At the time it was introduced, the members of the Rendezvous ranged in age from early 20s to early 40s, basically prime buying age for them.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |
Tesla Is Not the Only EV Stock: Analyzing 6 More Stocks Tom Konrad (AltEnergyStocks) submits: My Ten Electric Vehicle (EV) Stocks article drew considerable attention and comments, including suggestions for stocks that did not make the ten. Here are my takes on the EV stocks suggested by readers.All of these companies do have something to do with electric vehicles ((EVs)) or hybrid electric vehicles ((HEVs)), but many were omitted from the original list because EV and HEV exposure was quite small as a fraction of total revenue. This matters because, even when a small segment of a company is growing rapidly, it can have very little effect on the company's overall performance. For instance, if a company gets 5% of its revenues from its EV-related business, and the revenue from this segment doubles, that doubling will only produce a 5% rise in overall revenues. The company's overall performance is likely to be dominated by other segments if its revenue and earnings are dominated by other segments.Complete Story » seekingalpha.com |