• From Chairman Mike Bullock: Welcome to the 50 new members who were hired this week to Wentzville Assembly Center. Congratulations! There will be one more group next week.
• The Community Services Committee will be having a Food Drive from March 14 to March 25. You can donate canned goods beginning March 17 at all the entrances. There will also be a raffle, with 1st prize being two Cardinal tickets for April 13; 2nd prize is 2 Blues tickets and 3rd prize a $100 gas card. Drawing will be March 25 at 10:30 am in the cafeteria. Tickets will be available from any committee member and all proceeds will go to the St. Louis food bank. Also, if there is no production this Thursday, the Community Services committee meeting will be rescheduled.
• Tryouts for the UAW Softball team will be held Saturday, March 22 at 3:30 pm at Ozzie’s Park in O’Fallon, Mo. If you are interested or have any questions you can call Kelly Walsh (636-459-5423) or Brent Price (314-922-8553).
• The Pre/Post Retirement classes that are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday will still be held regardless of production schedule.
• From Autoblog: Volkswagen doesn't normally consider General Motors to be a prime competitor in the US, but it's keeping a keen eye on the company's new midsize pickup models, eager to see how they perform in the market. That's because the German automaker is reevaluating its truck strategy, and it's closely watching the reception of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon to help decide whether to reenter the American pickup market, a segment it hasn't populated since the 1980s. Back in 2009, Volkswagen introduced its Amarok midsize pickup, and during the run-up to that model, there was some discussion of bringing it to US, the largest pickup market in the world. In the end, VW decided it wasn't a good fit, but that hasn't stopped the Amarok from becoming successful in other markets around the globe. That success, and renewed interest in the midsize segment, has put the pickup truck discussion back on the table at VW, with North American CEO Michael Horn telling Autoblog, "It's a question mark, but it starts to be discussed. Let's put it this way: we start to discuss it again and whether it's attractive for us." But those talks may not be about the current truck – "The Amarok is too small for the US," says Horn. Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, head of VW Group powertrain development, echoed his colleague's sentiment at the same Geneva Motor Show roundtable, saying "We are just reworking our truck strategy, and this is part of thinking about it. But the Amarok fits not very well to the efforts of the market."
• Consumer Reports is well known for their “recommended” label they attach to vehicles they deem worthy. Less known is their “Disappointing Dozen” list – the 12 vehicles that got the lowest scores, regardless of category. Perusing the list, you would find one GM vehicle, the gas-engine Chevrolet Spark minicar. You would also find 5 Chrysler products, including 3 Jeep models (Wrangler, Compass, Patriot). You would also find – brace yourself – 4 Toyota products. They would be the Scion iQ (another minicar, with the Smart ForTwo also making the list), the FJ Cruiser SUV, the Yaris compact car and (drumroll please) the Toyota Tacoma. The midsize pickup sales leader has set the bar low for our Colorado/Canyon to leap over. Per CR: “clumsy handling makes it a chore to drive long distances. The 4.0-liter V6 provides strong performance but is noisy. However, the Tacoma's incessantly jiggly ride grows fatiguing and it's particularly stiff with the TRD suspension package. The cabin's high floor and low roof makes access tricky and the driving position is too low and uncomfortable” In addition, they note a low rear seat that “provides almost no thigh support” and give it the dreaded full black circle in fuel economy.
• Here is a comparison of the three competitors in the midsize truck category, which included the Honda Ridgeline. We haven’t include the Ridgeline in the sale updates because the volume is so low – typically around 1000 units a month. But Honda intends to do a next generation Ridgeline and it will be competition for our pickups. Note that this comparison is for extended cab 4wd versions only.
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