• There will be a Civil Rights Committee meeting Monday, July 13 between shifts in the cafeteria.
• Mark your calendars: The annual Women’s Committee Benefit Golf Tournament will be Sunday, September 20. It will be held at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. It is a three person scramble with a 12 noon shotgun start. Cost is $210 per team/$70 per person. The first 3 places in 3 flights will be paid and there will be longest drive and closest to the pin contests along with a skin game. Food and beer will be served after the tournament. Proceeds will go to St. Joachim & Anne Care Services of St. Charles. Entry forms are available at the entrances.
• Sales for both the van and the pickups continued on a healthy pace in June, although both product lines saw decreases compared to May. Here are the results for both segments:
| 2015 | 2014 | Change | Share | |
| Ford Transit | 12134 | --- | --- | 39.1% |
| GM | 7815 | 12469 | -37.3% | 25.2% |
| Ford Econoline | 4799 | 10135 | -52.6% | 15.5% |
| Mercedes Sprinter | 2442 | 2201 | +10.9% | 7.9% |
| Ram ProMaster | 2223 | 1131 | +96.6% | 7.20% |
| Nissan NV | 1611 | 1226 | +31.4% | 5.2% |
| Change | Share | |||
| Toyota Tacoma | 15959 | 12173 | +31.1% | 54.1% |
| Chevy Colorado | 6558 | --- | ---- | 22.2% |
| Nissan Frontier | 4437 | 5722 | -22.5% | 15.0% |
| GMC Canyon | 2532 | --- | ---- | 8.6% |
Field supplies continue to dwindle for the van. Overall supplies dropped 1300+ units to a new all-time low. As measured in days it now stands at 27, versus 30 at the end of May. A year ago supplies were 4400 units higher. Every version of the van decreased, with passenger vans now below 500 (for 3500 Chevy dealers). On the pickup side, Colorado supplies increased around 1150 units and days supply went from 10 to 17. Canyon supplies also inched up and now stand at 35 days.
• From AutoWeek: General Motors promised a diesel when it announced its return to the smaller pickup market, and a year after the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon re-launched as 2015 models, the engine is ready to go. GM’s new 2.8-liter Duramax will be available in the 2016 Colorado/Canyon by the end 2015, and it’s no boat anchor. With an aluminum cylinder head, forged steel rods and crank, 16.5:1 compression and common-rail direct injection operating at up to 29,000 psi, this truck-specific, 2.8-liter turbodiesel four generates 181 hp at 3,400 rpm, and 369 lb-ft of torque at 2,000. At least 330 lb-ft are available between 1,400 and 2,900 rpm. How far has mainstream automotive technology come in 30 years? The last diesel offered in a small U.S. Chevy truck—the 1985 S-10—was built by Isuzu. At 2.2 liters, it made 62 hp and 96 lb-ft. The contemporary Ford Ranger offered a diesel through 1987. That was a 2.3-liter turbo from Mitsubishi, and it generated 86 hp and a whopping 134 lb-ft. The 2.8-liter Duramax will be 50-state compliant with owner-added urea for exhaust after-treatment. It will be built in Rayong, Thailand, and shipped to the Colorado/Canyon assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri. The diesel will be offered in Colorado and Canyon crew cabs, mid-trim and up, with two-or four-wheel-drive. Official ratings are pending, but GM expects the highest mileage in its smaller pickup line and a higher max tow-rating than the current upgrade 3.6-liter gasoline V6 (305-hp, 269 lb-ft). The company estimates a 10 percent take-rate for the 2.8L Duramax, but it’s protecting itself for higher demand, and it should. In full-size trucks, diesel sales have increased faster than pickup sales as a whole, and diesel customers tend to choose heavily optioned, high-sticker models.
• From USA Today: The rivalry between General Motors and Ford intensified on a key battlefront: the pickup truck wars. GM released a stinging Web commercial taking direct shots at Ford over the costs and speed of the Blue Oval automaker's pickup truck repairs. The Web hit — which may turn into a full-blown TV ad campaign — features NFL broadcast personality Howie Long interviewing an expert about the costs of fixing the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck.
In the ad, GM claims it costs an average of $1,755 more and took an additional 34 days to fix the F-150 than its direct GM competitor, the Chevrolet Silverado, following a simulated low-speed accident. "So if I'm a guy that uses my truck for work, every day I don't have that truck, that costs me money," Long says. "In addition, you got higher repair bills. I'd be interested to know what happens to insurance costs. I got to tell you — all that certainly makes me think twice about an aluminum-bodied truck. Seems like you'd be taking a risk." In the 3-minute commercial, GM said it hired AMCI Testing to survey the differences in repair costs and time between the Silverado and F-150. The automaker said it tested four units of each vehicle.
• Along that same line, GM has another web video that has random individuals brought into a room that has 2 cages – one made from aluminum and one made from high strength steel. After checking out both cages they are asked which one they would seek refuge in if a grizzly bear tried to attack them. While they were contemplating, a door opens and through it ambles a huge grizzly bear. They quickly ran to the high strength steel cage and locked the door as the bear approached. The spot closes with the bear in the bed of a Silverado.
Tom Brune
UAW Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
No comments:
Post a Comment