State of the Union October 18, 2011

Oct. 18, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
•    Correction: The revised schedule for December will have Friday the 23rdoff (thanks for paying attention).
•    Reminder: Today is the last day to submit flu shot forms in the drop box in the cafeteria. Also, Union Meeting is tomorrow at 7:15 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 15 minutes after longest first shift line time. The Solidarity Committee will be serving hot dogs and chips after the meeting.
•    There will be a bake sale Monday, Oct. 24 at Suggestions beginning at first break to benefit Making Strides for breast cancer. Bring any baked goods donations to Pat Workman prior to 8 am at the Suggestions office area.
•    For the second time in its history, General Motors has sold more than 2 million vehicles in China in a calendar year, reaching the milestone today. On November 4, 2010, GM became the first global automaker in China to sell 2 million vehicles in one year. Demand in China this year for the Buick brand has risen 24 percent, Chevrolet 18 percent and Cadillac 73 percent. In addition, GM’s SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture sold its 1 millionth vehicle in China this year on Oct. 14 (through the end of September, GM has sold 1,902,172 vehicles in the US).
•    From Automotive News: Consumers have shown a recent willingness to cross-shop outside their traditional habits, according to market monitors. Prodded and lured in one direction by such factors as inventory shortages at import leaders Toyota and Honda, and shooed in the opposite direction by disappearing brands such as Pontiac, Saturn and Mercury, some consumers find themselves unanchored. The billion-dollar question: Are they changing shopping patterns out of temporary inconvenience, or is a new attitude emerging in the consumer standoff between import and domestic brands? Compete Inc., an automotive market research firm in Boston, finds that the tendency of Japanese import-brand shoppers to cross-shop Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge has trended steadily upward since the first quarter of 2010. Similarly, J.D. Power and Associates reports that the percentage of auto shoppers who traded in an Asian import-brand vehicle and bought another one has declined slightly. Asian-brand loyalty dropped from a consistent 80 percent at the beginning of 2010 to 76 percent in third quarter 2011. "There is clearly a new sense of patriotism out there," says Adam Lee, chairman of Lee Auto Malls in Westbrook,Maine that has both domestic and foreign brands. "We can hear it when we talk to customers."
•    General Motors will develop an all-new global family of small-displacement Ecotec gasoline engines over the next several years that will give customers in markets around the world improved fuel economy, higher quality, better performance and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The program could encompass more than 2 million engines a year by the end of the decade. The new global engine family will comprise a range of three- and four-cylinder engines – in displacements from 1.0L to 1.5L – engineered and manufactured in multiple regions for global use. They will feature lightweight design and advanced technologies such as direct injection, turbocharging and alternative fuel compatibility to provide customers with both efficiency and on-demand performance. The new engine family also will be designed to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, a common trait of smaller engines. Production is expected to begin mid-decade. The engines will be introduced in GM global vehicle programs across multiple vehicle architectures in various regions, through the end of the decade. Manufacturing locations and production timing will be announced later
•    From the Detroit Free Press: Ford’s tentative four-year labor contract with the UAW is as good as passed. It would take a huge defeat by workers at the plants that have yet to vote to reverse the tide now supporting the deal. Voting concludes today. So far, 23,921 of Ford's 41,000 workers have voted. Of those, 62% voted in favor of the deal. So far, the biggest dissent from a Ford factory has come from Chicago, where 77% of workers voted no. Still, votes from workers at five plants with more than 8,900 workers have yet to be counted. About 5,000 work at two assembly plants in Louisville, Ky., where there is major opposition. Chrysler's 26,000 UAW-represented workers will begin voting today.
•    Cars.com recently did two “SUV shootouts” comparing three-passenger-row crossovers under $37,000 and another crossover group priced under $29,000. For the $37,000 group the mission was to see which of seven vehicles could please their experts and a family of four with its combination of driving quality, features and family-friendliness. The goal in the $29,000 SUV Shootout was to pit nine of the most popular models against each other to see which one has the best combination of ride, room, family-friendly features and handling. The Chevy Traverse finished second in the $37,000 shootout, beating out the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Dodge Durango among others. It drew praise for its quiet smooth ride and nimble handling that made it feel smaller than it was. Testers also like the large interior, “bigger than a Tahoe”. In the $29,000 shootout, the Chevy Equinox came in first, topping the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, and Honda Civic among others. Reviewers heaped praise on the Equinox: "For $28,500, this car is loaded with family-friendly features." Among them were dual fold-up DVD screens, a backup camera that could be viewed in the rearview mirror and the only powered liftgate in the group. "There's a real premium feel throughout the interior." And "the fit and finish go way above and beyond the others." "The Equinox is one of the most comfortable of the bunch from the driver's seat," another wrote. "For a four-cylinder, it's great," one said. "It's so much more substantial."