Volvo, yet the accomplishment story in Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, has hit choppy waters. And according to Wall Street Journal insiders, Ford is preparing to treat the Swedish automaker the same way it did the English ones: put particularlly floaties on it and continue the type bobbing extensively sufficient to deal it.

Volvo drew up $94 million in income in Q1 of 2007, but lost $151 million in Q1 of the current year. In total, within the beyond two years, the in the wake of smiling Swede has lost $1.7 billion, portion of that is due to exchange rates, and a new is due to marketing a lower number of cars. To battle the decline, Volvo is shedding up to a third of its strive motivate at one European plant, and cutting going back on creation at another. As you could suspect, both of people plants initiate the record vehicles in Volvo’s lineup.

A couple of weeks ago, Ford was intriguingly — or deceitfully — that much in “Volvo’s not for sale” mode. Now it looks the Mulally has admitted to one or two Ford execs the current Volvo is in regards to to wear the “Needs a Caring Home” sign. Jerry York, the best hand man of Kirk Kerkorian, maintains this Volvo would maybe be purchased in 18 months. The way Times seem now, we would be surprised if it took the present long.

[Source: Wall Street Journal via Yahoo!]

It did not take for a while for Porsche to set the insert straight nearly its non&wshyp;existant creation plans for the Cayenne in North America. Speaking amid Autoweek, Porsche spokesman Albrecht Bamler, contested so the automaker calculated to fashion Cayenne’s at Volkswagen’s new factory in the U.S. According to Bamler, there is no look for to build Stuttgart’s uber-ute right here in the States, from the time of European manufacturers end up with features and Porsche is secure against the week dollar by cash hedging in 2013. However, Handelsblatt’s poll argued so creation of the Cayenne in the U.S. wouldn’t embark on until ensuing 2015, two ages once Porsche’s currency hedging expires. Does this signal N.A.-built Cayennes are continue to a possibility? Bamler reports it is too the beginning of to speculate on the consequently Cayenne and Porsche’s generation plans.

 [Source: Autoweek]

AC Cars, creators of the original Cobra on which Carroll Shelby built his legendary roadster, is planning two important moves. The sportscar-maker, owned by Acedes Holdings LLC, is currently based in Malta. However, legal troubles in the country have prompted the company to return to its original headquarters at the famous Brooklands facility in England. A second factory in Michigan where AC will build its classic sportscars for U.S. consumption is also in the works.

AC continues to manufacture the original Ace, Mk11, Mk11 FIA and Mk111, and is anticipated to build just ten units per year at an average price of £150,000 a pop. No word, however, on the new roadster, the rights to which Project Kimber acquired to resurrect AC after Smart cancelled the vehicle.
[Source: 4car]

With Volkswagen due to make a decision about the location of its first US factory in more than two decades, the next obvious question is what to build there? We had a chance to pose that very question to Steve Keyes, GM of Public Relations for VW of America. According to Steve, the driving force for the factory is two-fold. First and most obvious is the exchange rate issue. With dollar being worth less almost daily against the Euro, it’s increasingly difficult for VW to price cars competitively, especially in the mainstream segments where it primarily competes. The second reason is capacity constraints at the Peubla, Mexico factory that builds VW’s highest volume US product, the Jetta. VW of America has set a target tripling combined sales of Audi and VW within the next decade.

Meeting those sales goals will require a lot more vehicles to sell at a competitive cost. So the first products out of the plant will likely be the highest volume products, the Passat and Jetta. If the plant is set up to build Jettas, then it could relatively easily be adapted to build any other model that shares the Golf/Jetta platform. That could potentially mean products like the Scirocco and even the Audi TT. Will we see these? Probably not at first, but if demand warrants, it could happen. So if you are all really serious about wanting the Scirocco on US shores, you should start pestering the head office (which just moved to Virginia last week).

[Source: Volkswagen]