General Motors CEO Akerson writes a check for $1 million to Habitat for Humanity Detroit

By Danielle Emerson

Dan Akerson

 

DETROIT — General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson and his wife, Karin, today donated $1 million to start a Habitat for Humanity Detroit initiative called Leaders to ReBuild Detroit, GM spokesman Greg Martin confirmed.

"Dan has a long track record of supporting strong communities both in the greater Washington, D.C., area and certainly now that he has moved to Detroit," Martin said in an interview. "This is just one more example of Dan rolling up his sleeves and getting actively involved in the communities where he lives and works."
Dan Akerson maintains residences in both Detroit and Washington.

Martin said Akerson has been involved with other Detroit-area events and organizations, including the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Karmanos Cancer Institute. He also has matched UAW donations to the Wounded Warrior Project for wounded war veterans, Martin said.

A press release by Habitat for Humanity Michigan said the three-year, multimillion-dollar initiative is designed to engage Detroit's corporate leaders in revitalizing the city.

The project will serve at least 500 families in a Detroit neighborhood known as the Morningside Commons by 2014, Habitat for Humanity said.

As part of Habitat Michigan's statewide $225 million campaign to provide housing, 200 families also will participate in financial literacy training, home ownership workshops and community security initiatives provided by partnering organizations.

The idea for a public gift from the Akersons sprung from a conversation last year at a meeting of the American Society of Corporate Executives, attended by Dan Akerson and Home Depot CEO Frank Blake, whose wife, Liz Blake, is general counsel of Habitat for Humanity, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Akerson told the Free Press that the donation to the initiative also would look at stabilizing public safety in the Detroit neighborhood.

"The idea is to galvanize resources around the two schools that are in the area so we can create safe pathways to schools," he told the newspaper.

The report also said the General Motors Foundation has been resurrecting its philanthropic efforts for the past two years, most notably with a $27.1 million pledge to help boost graduation rates at seven southeast Michigan high schools.

U.S. Army unveils GM-made fuel-cell military vehicles

By  Danny King RSS feed

The U.S. Army unveiled a fleet of General Motors-made hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles in Hawaii as part of that state's efforts to cut down its use of fossil fuels and its dependence on non-renewable energy.

All U.S. military branches will test the vehicles to find out the effectiveness of using hydrogen fuel cells as a transportation source. Hydrogen proponents view fuel cell powertrains as optimal because they can provide driving ranges similar to conventional vehicles without the fossil fuel emissions, but H2 vehicles are also very expensive. Two years ago, GM and Hawaii's Gas Co. said they would lead an effort to build as many as 25 hydrogen fueling stations throughout the state by 2015.

Hawaii, which gets more than 95 percent of its energy from imported fossil fuels, is taking a leading role in advanced-powertrain adoption because of the high costs of delivering gasoline to the state. The U.S. Energy Department and the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is investing an estimated $4.5 million as part of an effort to reduce Hawaii's transportation fuel consumption by two-thirds over the next two decades.

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No Oscar, but General Motors celebrates its movie roles

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

Ramon Rodriguez in The Chevrolet Camaro that becomes Bumblebee in a scene from the motion picture

CAPTION

By Robert Zuckerman, Paramount Pictures

Before we leave the Academy Awards completely behind for another year, General Motors wants us to remember the roles that made stars out of cars.

"The high-profile association with a blockbuster and classic movies gives Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac wonderful exposure to those not familiar with the brand," said Steve Tihanyi, GM's general director for branded entertainment and marketing alliances. "We are always looking for unique ways to humanize and expose our vehicles to new consumers and there will always be a certain 'cool' factor in starring on the big screen."

Sure, you saw the Chevrolet Camaro in the starring role as Bumblebee in three Transformers movies. But don't forget these other star turns for other GM vehicles through the years.

American Graffiti (1973) – In the coming-of-age movie that helped launch the Hollywood careers of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford, a 1955 Chevrolet One-Fifty and 1958 Chevrolet Impala were an ode to the car culture of the 1960s.

Smokey & the Bandit (1977) – The "Bandit," played by Burt Reynolds, is a maverick racecar driver behind the wheel of a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. The movie led to two sequels and for Pontiac's 50th anniversary, 15,567 special Black and Gold edition Trans Ams were created.

Ghostbusters (1984) – In the 1984 comedy, a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Ambulance is introduced to audiences worldwide as, "a hunk of junk." Saved by Ray Stantz, played by Dan Aykroyd, the car is converted into the ultimate ghostbusting machine – the Ectomobile

Rain Man (1988) – After inheriting a 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible from his father, Tom Cruises' character, Charlie Babbitt, and his brother Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, spend the majority of Rain Man behind the wheel of the classic Buick that helps bring the two together.

Demolition Man (1993) – Many of the cars in the 1993 action, sci-fi movie starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock were GM concept and prototypes vehicles, including a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept, 1992 GM Ultralite and GM Lean Machine. The 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 that was used in the movie is currently on display at the GM Heritage Center.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003) – In the sequel to the 1999 blockbuster, the Cadillac CTS gets into the action serving as the vehicle of Trinity, Neo and Morpheus. The GM Heritage Collection houses the actual vehicle used during filming, complete with bullet holes.

Detroit Automakers Hiring Again In Race To Keep Up With Car Sales

n this Nov. 16, 2011 file photo, Pam Bialecki works on a 2012 Jeep Wrangler at the Chrysler Toledo Assembly complex, in Toledo, Ohio. Chrysler says it will add 1,100 jobs at the assembly complex as part of a $1.7 billion investment to build a new Jeep sport utility vehicle. This town that has been churning out Jeeps since World War II and watched its fortunes rise and fall with the fortunes of Detroit’s automakers is now finding itself in an enviable position within the industry. In little over

DETROIT — Auto sales are growing so fast that Detroit can barely keep up.
Three years after the U.S. auto industry nearly collapsed, sales of cars and trucks are surging. Sales could exceed 14 million this year, above last year's 12.8 million.

The result: Carmakers are adding shifts and hiring thousands of workers around the country. Carmakers and parts companies added more than 38,000 jobs last year, reaching a total of 717,000. And automakers have announced plans to add another 13,000 this year, mostly on night shifts.

But there's a downside. The newfound success is straining the factory network of the Detroit automakers, as well as the companies that make the thousands of parts that go into each vehicle. This could lead to shortages that drive up prices.

And it also has auto executives in a quandary. They got into trouble in the first place largely because their costs were too high. Now, they fear adding too many workers.

Ford, for instance, is "squeezing every last component, transmission, engine out of the existing brick and mortar," says Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America manufacturing.

Still, the surge in hiring bolsters the argument of those who supported the federal bailout of General Motors and Chrysler in 2008. The bailout has been a major issue in the days leading up the Michigan Republican Party primary this Tuesday. GOP front runner Mitt Romney opposed the bailout, which was supported by then-President George W. Bush and later by President Barack Obama.

And the hiring is good news for communities around the country that saw hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs disappear. Starting in 2005, GM, Ford and Chrysler closed 28 factories and eliminated 88,000 jobs. Parts companies cut another 234,000.

Now, if sales hit 15 million by 2015, as some experts predict, the three Detroit automakers could hire another 20,000 people, predicts Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

"You can only squeeze so much out of the same amount of people," says Itay Michaeli, an auto analyst at Citi Investment Research.

Laurie Schmald Moncrieff, president of a small parts-manufacturing company near Flint, Mich., says when demand for auto parts collapsed, she shifted production to parts for companies in green energy, aerospace and defense.

Now, automakers and other parts suppliers have her on speed dial, trying to line up everything from fuel pump parts to tools that make hoses. She just added six workers and may hire another five. "I see tremendous growth coming in the near-term," she says.

Yet like many parts suppliers, she's having trouble finding people with the skills to run machinery in her plant.
The hiring binge couldn't have happened at a better time for Michigan. Many of the new auto jobs came around the Great Lakes where the Detroit Three have most of their factories. New jobs with auto companies don't pay as well as the old ones. Under union contracts, companies can pay new hires around $16 per hour, a little more than half the pay of longtime workers.

But in a state where unemployment was above 14 percent just three years ago, any jobs are welcome. And Michigan is not the only region to benefit. Ford is adding positions in Louisville, Ky., Chicago and near Kansas City, Mo. Chrysler is adding jobs in Belvidere, Ill., and General Motors is hiring at plants in Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and New York.

Foreign carmakers are also shifting production to the U.S. because of higher sales and the weak dollar, which cuts the profits they get from selling vehicles exported to America. Nissan is adding workers in Tennessee. Toyota just hired staff at a new plant in Blue Springs, Miss. Honda is hiring in Alabama and Ohio. Hyundai and Kia plants in Alabama and Georgia are running flat-out but can't meet demand for some models such as the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra.

The sales rebound comes with risks that are familiar to Detroit. Crank up production too much and carmakers have to sell vehicles at deep discounts. Boost production too little, and companies could run short of vehicles such as pickup trucks. And even if they find the right balance now, automakers are leery of raising long-term costs by adding plants and workers.

Six years ago, Detroit's automakers were losing billions, in part because they had too many plants and workers. And union contracts forced them to pay workers even if plants were shut down. So automakers kept the factories running regardless of whether vehicles would sell in order to cover expenses. They built too many cars and trucks and sold them cheap, sometimes at a loss.
Now, they're doing everything they can to keep costs under control.

Growth is putting the squeeze on Hyundai and Kia factories. But the affiliated companies will build as many vehicles as possible at two U.S. plants before constructing a new factory. John Krafcik, Hyundai's U.S. CEO, says the first choice is to find areas inside the plants that are slowing the assembly lines and fix them, "because plants are expensive."

GM also will try to handle growth by stretching factories, says North American President Mark Reuss. But he thinks the company will have to hire more workers if sales this year reach 13.5 million or beyond.
Auto factories in North America will reach 90 percent of their capacity if sales hit 14 million, says Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Automotive Consulting, which forecasts auto production.
The lack of factories, though, could cause automakers to run short of pickup trucks this year, says McAlinden.

Detroit automakers, which dominate truck sales, had far too many pickup factories just seven years ago. They have closed eight truck plants since 2005, removing the ability to build 2.25 million pickups a year. With only nine North American pickup plants left, they may have cut too much, McAlinden says.
Last year Americans bought 1.8 million pickups, an 11 percent increase over 2010, as the economy improved and small and large businesses began replacing their aging vehicles. Pent-up demand is fueling the sales. The average age of a truck on U.S. roads has reached a record 11 years.

If sales increase as projected, companies also could run short of compact cars and small SUVs.
It adds up to what could be a challenging but profitable year for the industry, says Schmald Moncrieff, who runs the Michigan parts factory.

"A lot of things are going to start breaking loose all at once," she says.

 

Honda Pays Homage to Famous Film in Super Bowl XLVI Commercial

Award-winning actor Matthew Broderick is starring in a fourth-
quarter Super Bowl commercial to promote the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V.

"Matthew's Day Off" is part of an integrated, multiplatform advertising campaign that began earlier this month to support the launch of the all-new Honda CR-V. The campaign encourages the active, hip Gen-Y audience transitioning between their carefree twenties and their more focused thirties to conquer their aspirations by completing their own "Leap List."

"Our primary goal is to support the launch of the all-new CR-V, a pillar vehicle in the Honda lineup, while representing the inherent fun and youthfulness of the Honda brand," said Tom Peyton, Honda brand manager, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Playing off the Leap List concept, "Matthew's Day Off," directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Due Date, Old School), stars Broderick playing himself while drawing on his well-known coming-of-age character that the CR-V target audience grew up watching.

"As with our other CR-V commercials that began airing this month, this fun commercial reminds viewers to go out and embrace life — do the things you want to do, not just the things you have to do," said Joe Baratelli, EVP, ECD at RPA, Honda's longstanding agency of record.

Hidden in the commercial are dozens of "Easter eggs" reflective of the original film. Fans are encouraged to watch the spot closely to see how many references they can find. For example, an iconic vest that was worn in the original movie is visible in a department store window that appears briefly. To view the commercial and comment on the "Easter eggs," viewers can go to http://www.facebook.com/hondacrv.

To build anticipation for Honda's Super Bowl commercial an eight-second teaser, "Coming Soon," was loaded onto YouTube on Jan. 26 and amassed nearly four million views. A pre-game release of a 2-minute 23-second extended version of "Matthew's Day Off" will be supported by public relations, search marketing and social media. In addition, Honda fans will get a sneak peek of the Super Bowl ad on Honda's Facebook page and Google+ page, which was just launched last week. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #dayoff online when talking about Honda's Super Bowl commercial. Momentum will continue the week after the game with several large portal takeovers featuring "Matthew's Day Off."

About the 2012 Honda CR-V
On-sale nationwide, the all-new, fourth-generation 2012 Honda CR-V introduces an upscale styling direction, greater fuel efficiency, and added features and functionality. Compact on the outside and roomy inside, the CR-V represents an ideal balance for size and capability in the entry SUV segment. The all-new five-passenger CR-V offers improved car-like interior comfort, a smoother and quieter ride, and even more innovative features than the previous model.

About Honda
Honda offers a diverse lineup of 12 cars and trucks that include the mid-sized Accord, compact Civic, CR-V crossover SUV and Odyssey minivan. Honda also offers a wide range of fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles that include the Insight hybrid, Civic GX (compressed natural gas-powered vehicle), Civic Hybrid, CR-Z (sport hybrid coupe) and FCX Clarity (fuel cell-electric vehicle). Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary. Honda began U.S. production of motorcycles in 1979 and automobiles in 1982.