State of the Union August 16, 2011

August 16, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
Union Meeting is this Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 1pm, 3pm, and 15 minutes after the longest first shift line time.

Motor Trend reports that both the Nissan NV van and the Mercedes (nee: Dodge and Freightliner) Sprinter are being recalled. With the Nissan, the issue is air bag control units that were assembled, or more acchttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifurately, wired incorrectly, potentially rendering them useless. The Sprinters, vintage 2002 and 2003, could have problems because, while they were designed for current ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, were sold in the U.S. prior to the introduction of same here. The result is corrosion of the intake manifold, which could lead to damage to the fuel return line and firewall around the manifold.

From Automotive News: General Motors Co.'s Cadillac brand and Toyota Motor Corp.'s namesake division and luxury Lexus line topped the American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual ranking of automakers. Toyota was the only non-premium brand in the top five, tying Cadillac and Lexus with 87 on a scale of 100, followed by Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz with 86. BMW was No. 11, receiving an 83, dropping three points to its lowest mark since an 80 in 1997. The auto industry improved by 1 point to 83, its second- highest mark. Chrysler Group LLC's Chrysler brand was the lowest-rated nameplate in the survey at 76. The index is scored on a 0-100 scale. The Ford brand rose 2.4 percent to 84, and Chevrolet rose 2.5 percent to 82.

From the Detroit News: The past 15 years have seen a steady increase in the average age of vehicles. In 2010, the average was 11 years old, up more than 2½ years from 8.4 years old in 1995, according to Polk. Likewise, customers are holding on to their cars longer. Based on data from the second quarter of 2010, owners kept their vehicle an average of 63.9 months, or more than five years, an increase of 4.5 months from the same time in 2009, Polk, a Southfield auto research firm, reported. The aging of cars on the road coincided with an industry-wide decrease in new-car sales during the recession, but the trend didn't cause the sales decline, said General Motors Co. spokesman Tom Henderson. He predicted pent-up demand will continue to drive new vehicle sales higher as the economy recovers. In addition, two-car families still are looking to replace at least one vehicle, said Lonnie Miller, vice president of marketing and industry analysis for Polk.