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Ford Chairman William Ford Jr and CEO Alan Mulally Take 30 Percent Cuts
 As part of a memo sent out Friday, Ford Motor Company chairman William Ford Junior and Ford CEO Alan Mulally both announced they will be taking a 30 percent cut in their salaries over the next two years. Ford's own board of directors will also receive pay cuts for two years. Performance bonuses for senior executives and salaried workers have also been cut. The company issued a statement regarding the recent reductions, "We know these are challenging times and we all are affected by the tough actions we are taking... However, these are necessary actions to help us emerge as an even stronger, profitably growing Ford Motor Company for the benefit of us all". I am personally surprised these actions didn't occur sooner, at least 6 months ago, due to our obvious failing market condition over the past year.
Source: Wall Street Journal, Yahoo News
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| Chrysler LLC Restructuring Plan Includes Other Pickup Trucks
 Chrysler LLC's recent restructuring plans that were given to congress include something a bit out of the ordinary, two pickup trucks they have not spoken about yet. One is called the "Lifestyle Truck" and the other "FullSize Pickup". Chrysler's future plans do not include the Dodge Dakota which will be replaced by a unibody "truck" in 2013 similar to the Honda Ridgeline. The full size pickup is slated for 2015 but will probably be released as the next generation Dodge Ram. The same restructuring plan references a second hybrid electric Dodge Ram slated to arrive in 2013 and the first generation Ram 1500 hybrid expected to go on sale in 2010.
Source: Pickuptrucks
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| Chevrolet Colorado Light Duty Pickup Keeps V8 Engine
 Despite market conditions, General Motors have not cut the eight cylinder motor production from the Chevrolet Colorado light duty pickup truck. GM has cut its high performance vehicle operations group however. GM spokesperson Kelly Wysocki commented "The V-8 Colorado isn't affected" and "It will continue through its originally planned product lifecycle. Only the development of future (high-performance) vehicles is impacted".
Source: Autoweek Magazine
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Friday Beerblog: Man Ticketed 7 Times While Dead In Backseat
 This is a really odd story. A man in Gainesville, Florida was announced missing earlier this month on February 11th. On February 12, his 2001 BMW 330i was ticked for being parked illegally on the side of the road. Over the course of a week and a half, the car was ticketed 6 more times but was never towed. It wasn't until this past Monday, February 23, when the body of the missing man was found in the back seat of his own car! A spokesperson for the City of Gainesville said the man went unnoticed due to his dark tinted windows. An autopsy was performed but the actual cause of death is still unknown.
Sources: Gainesville.com, Autoblog
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MOTORZ Episode #20: Gale Banks Interview Part 1 of 4
 MOTORZ TV has interviewed the legendary Gale Banks at his exhibit in the NHRA museum in Pomona, CA. Episode #20 is a four-part mega interview, covering his amazing 50 year history. It’s over 90 minutes long, but it’s well worth it! It was an absolute pleasure meeting Mr. Banks, and getting a first-hand account of his amazing life history.
Click here to check out part one of the interview! Parts 2-4 can also be viewed at the MOTORZ website.
Look for another how-to install episode coming up on March 6th!
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| | Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Hybrid Pickup Trucks Delivered To Dealerships
 The first round of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickup trucks have made delivery to dealerships nationwide. GM spokesperson, Kelly Wysocki commented "Hybrid (Silverados and Sierras) started shipping to dealers in late January...the supply is still limited but we've already sold the first ones". The new pickup trucks feature GM's "two mode" hybrid system, which combines an electrically variable transmission containing two 60 kilowatt electric motors and a multi displacement 6.0 liter V8 motor, which allow the truck to travel up to 25 miles per hour on full electrical power. The hybrid system does come at a premium though, a $3,000 dollar option, starting the 2009 Silverado 1500 hybrid at $38,995 and the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 hybrid at $39,365.
Source: Pickuptrucks
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| | Tire Industry Hurt Too, Goodyear Laying Off 5,000 Workers
 With the automotive industry being hit hard this past year and truck sales in the tank, everyone in the automotive field is effected including the tire industry. Tire behemoth, Goodyear, posted a $330 million dollar loss in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to a $55 million dollar profit made the same quarter one year earlier. This loss has resulted in a restructuring plan for the company, aiming to cut operating costs by $700 million and in the process lay off approximately 5,000 workers. The slash comes as a second round of cuts, the first being 4,000 jobs lost in 2008.
Source: Autonews via Autoblog
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