It’s official: Tesla Motors has won approval for $465 million in low-interest direct loans from the Department of Energy under the delayed Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. Tesla, which now sells a $109,000 electric sports car, has just been awarded what the DOE calls “conditional loan commitments” to set up manufacturing in California. This represents a huge step for the startup on its at-times bumpy road to producing the long-planned electric sedan, the Model S, and accelerating its nascent battery pack supply business.

The U.S. Department of Energy has finally announced the first recipient of low interest loans under its Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Incentive Program. The first recipient is Ford, and analysts believe the DoE will award sums to Nissan and Tesla Motors, as well. Ford applied for up to $11 billion in loans, but instead it was awarded $5.9 billion in financing. The Dearborn-based automaker will use the money to fund its electric vehicle program that will launch a battery-powered version of the Transit Connect in 2010, and it will also likely use the capital to help pay for the $550 million renovation of its Wayne, MI sport-utility plant to build the next-generation Focus in both internal combustion and electric flavors.

Aug. 4, 2010

General Motors will invest $500 million to produce a new vehicle and eight-cylinder engines in a plant in northeastern Mexico, a company spokesman said on August 4.

The decision was announced at a meeting on August 3 between GM management and Mexican officials, the spokesman said, without giving details of the new vehicle.

The investment in the GM plant in Ramos Arispe, Coahuila state, would generate 390 jobs, he added.

NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - General Motors Co is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years, saying it should not be responsible for repairs because the flaw predated its bankruptcy...

...The current company, called "New GM," said it did not assume responsibility under the reorganization to fix the Impala problem, but only to make repairs "subject to conditions and limitations" in express written warranties. In essence, the automaker said, Trusky sued the wrong entity.

"New GM's warranty obligations for vehicles sold by Old GM are limited to the express terms and conditions in the Old GM written warranties on a going-forward basis," wrote Benjamin Jeffers, a lawyer for GM. "New GM did not assume responsibility for Old GM's design choices, conduct, or alleged breaches of liability under the warranty." ...

...GM said an argument similar to Trusky's failed this year in a case involving its OnStar security and navigation product.

"There are no specific factual allegations that New GM -- as opposed to Old GM -- did anything at all in relation to her vehicle," Jeffers wrote. "Plaintiff here is trying to saddle new GM with the alleged liability and conduct of old GM."

Richard Day, 3/20/1969:
"The stated plan was that different parts of the world would be assigned different roles of industry and commerce in a unified global system. The continued preeminence of the United States and the relative independence and self-sufficiency of the United States would have to be changed... in order to create a new structure, you first have to tear down the old, and American industry was one example of that."...

"Each part of the world will have a specialty and thus become inter-dependent, he said. The US will remain a center for agriculture, high tech, communications, and education but heavy industry would be "transported out."

Originally posted by Vitchilo
A big part of the north american union is about to go forward after years of delay.

1st Mexican truck to enter US interior within days

The first Mexican carrier is set to roll into the U.S. interior within days, but American trucking union leaders and two California congressmen haven't given up on stopping the cross-border trucking program that had been stalled for years by safety concerns and political wrangling.

U.S. Reps. Duncan Hunter and Bob Filner said they'll take a bipartisan stand at the border Wednesday in San Diego to voice concerns about the bilateral pilot project that will allow approved Mexican trucks to come deep into the United States. Hunter is a San Diego-area Republican, while Filner is a Democrat whose district includes California's border with Mexico.

They will join Teamsters union President James Hoffa and Todd Spencer, the owner-operator of the Independent Drivers Association, in a last-ditch effort to block Mexican trucks from being granted full access to U.S. highways.

Allowing Mexican trucking companies to deliver the goods rather than transfer them onto U.S. haulers at the border will put American jobs and highway safety at risk, the union leaders say.

Not only this is big for the north american union plan... it's going to cost jobs.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Ever heard of the European Recovery Program? aka the Marshall Plan?

I realize it may seem far fetched since that happened half a century ago, but essentially this is part of a complex many-pronged style policy that really reflects many of the qualities found within the ERP.

They just put new branding on it and new packaging. It still looks a lot like the old product however.

edit on 22-10-2011 by muzzleflash because: (no reason given)