690,114 cars, $3 billion, and 30 days later, President Obama’s vaunted Cash for Clunkers program has come to an end, meaning that those who did not take advantage of the deal are out of luck. Analysts have praised the program for helping to save jobs and for generating hundreds of thousands of auto sales, but critics of the program wonder if Cash for Clunkers helped foreign automakers too disproportionately.
 
According to one analyst’s estimates, the Cash for Clunkers program ended up incentivizing the auto industry enough to save 39,000 jobs, allowing more dealers to keep workers around thanks to increased sales. …read more

The Cash for Clunkers program has allowed many families to trade in their older, fuel-inefficient cars for newer, environmentally friendly vehicles while saving a significant amount of cash in the process. However, several charities that have traditionally relied on car donations have found that the program has put a severe dent in their ability to get cars to needy families.
 
One such organization is the Christian Automotive Repair Support based in Niceville, Florida, one that has already provided more than 600 refurbished vehicles to those who would otherwise be unable to afford cars. C.A.R.S. receives donations of cars, repairs them, and …read more

General Motors, once the world’s largest automaker, has fallen far from its lofty perch and into bankruptcy. However, GM emerged from bankruptcy two days ago and it is already promising to make sweeping changes in addition to the dramatic changes it has already made to try to reclaim at least a bit of its former glory.
 
The historic automaker has the federal government to thank for surviving one of the largest bankruptcies ever due to the $50 billion worth of taxpayer money that the government has invested into GM. That does not mean that GM will not have to work hard …read more

Although Volkswagen and Porsche had planned to already be making significant headway in the historic acquisition, it recently became evident that a variety of factors were stalling the deal. However, Volkswagen has upped the ante, offering Porsche about $5.6 billion, or 4 billion Euros, to take a 49.9 percent stake in the famed sports car maker.
According to a German weekly newspaper, this marks a 1 billion euro, or $1 billion, increase in Volkswagen’s previous offer for the struggling automaker. Porsche rejected Volkswagen’s first bid after Volkswagen accused Porsche of misrepresenting the extent of their financial struggles when Volkswagen asked for …read more

If you are looking for a new car, you might be able to find a startlingly good deal at your local Chrysler dealership this week. According to Chrysler officials, about 800 dealerships nationwide have been informed that they will no longer be able to sell new cars after next week.
 
Fortunately for the bargain hunter in need of a car, this means that you can expect huge discounts from car retailers who need to get rid of their new cars before they are stuck with them. Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles are all expected to receive these discounts. Also ending this …read more

Those of you who follow this blog know I’m a firm believer in freelance writers getting enough time off to make their lives sane and to recharge their batteries. In support of that, I generally aim at writing only about four hours a day, leaving plenty of time for the rest of my business. I also try not to work on weekends. That’s why you often don’t see a blog post on Saturday and usually only one on Sunday. The truth is I rarely do much if any serious writing work on the weekends.
There are, however, always exceptions! I’ve gotten …read more