Bad News Continues But There’s Still the Detroit Auto Show
So, in the midst of all the automotive gloom and doom — a recap in case you’ve been on another planet:
- Chrysler shut down for a month starting today.
- Chevy backing out of New Year’s Eve sponsorship deals.
- Ford shutting down 10 plants from Jan. 5-12.
- Toyota operating at a loss.
- Honda scrapping the NSX sports car.
- GM swearing it’s not in merger talks with Chrysler.
And the White House, thinking if it should step in.
. . . there are still some interesting automotive things going on, like Kia’s release of a teaser photo for a concept to be shown next month at the auto show in Detroit (potentially as an addition to the Soul lineup.)
The Soul will go on sale in spring 2010. It’s a boxy five-seater aimed at young drivers and outfitted with a 2-liter, four cylinder producing 140 hp.
The Detroit Show is apt to be a more subdued affair than in years past, but as always, there will be eye candy.